Susan Miller, a 2nd District resident, said her husband cycles to his job at VCU Medical Center using the new Franklin Street lanes. The lanes made it easier for him to navigate, even if it required drivers to make an adjustment. She asked Gray to withdraw the ordinance opposing the Brook Road lanes.

“I understand this takes some time to get used to for cars, but I think this is a small inconvenience for my husband’s life,” Miller said.

Current plans to accommodate the lanes call for the elimination of two traffic lanes on the four-lane road. Planners and traffic engineers working with the city administration said converting the lanes would not result in gridlock for drivers, or more congestion at intersections. Nor would the changes impede emergency vehicles or first responders from reaching their destinations.

What the project would do, the traffic engineers said, is reduce speeds significantly among the 8,000 to 12,000 cars that travel on the road each day. While the speed limit is 35 mph, cars routinely travel in excess of 45 mph on the stretch. Lower speeds would make it easier for cyclists and pedestrians alike, say supporters of the lanes.

“Right now, I don’t want to ride on Brook Road because of the traffic,” said Susan Ann Glass, a cyclist.