Atlanta Journal Constitution columnist Bill Torpy has weighed in on the debate surrounding plans to narrow Commerce Drive and add a protected bike lane.

“The city is putting Commerce Drive on a ‘road diet,’ which is New Urbanism-speak for choking off a road to frustrate drivers with the hopes they’ll go someplace else,” he writes. To read the full column, click here.

Debate about the cycle track has heated up recently. At its March 20 meeting, the Decatur City Commission approved an agreement with the PATH foundation to build a cycle track on Commerce Drive. A petition is asking the city to stop construction, saying it will harm drivers who depend on the road. Cycling advocates wrote a letter to Decaturish in support of the plan.