The boat show is kicking off this weekend in Annapolis, but the talk of the town has been the new bike lane on Main Street.
RELATED: Annapolis expanding bike lanes on Main Street
Mayor Gavin Buckley has decided to take down the bike lane two weeks early.
Drills are back on the street, this time to remove the bike lane. It was supposed to be a month-long experiment.
The Mayor wanted to install a bike lane and expand the sidewalk to allow for outdoor cafe style dining along Main Street. The project cost close to $75,000. Main Street is due to be re-bricked in two years and the mayor wanted a real-life experiment to see if this could regenerate business on Main Street.
"There is nothing like the actual experience of the real thing. We did the real thing, people got to experience the expanded sidewalks, they got to sit up here and see the water, they got to ride down the bike lane and see what it is like going the other direction on Main Street. I think that stuff is essential. The real thing is more essential than just a study or just talk or years and years of meeting which we specialize in this city," said Mayor Buckley.
It was a two-week experiment that had many merchants on Main Street upset, but not all the merchants were totally upset about this plan.
"I don't think any city can survive without change."
Linda Mann has been a merchant on Main Street for the last two decades. She is the owner of Shades of the Bay halfway up Main Street.
"I'm glad he tried it out. I think it wasn't quite as thought out as it could have been and it's the wrong time of the year but, I'm glad he's willing to make changes in the city," said Mann.
"If we keep doing the same things over and over again we are going to get the same results and I believe we need to do some other things for the futures," said Mayor Buckley.
"Our city is very slow moving in their making decisions. I think if Gavin slows down a little bit and the city speeds up a little bit, we can have a real nice combination of the city and the mayor working together," said Mann.
The mayor says the money spent on the project will not go to waste. The sidewalks extensions, chairs, tables, and construction material will be stored away and used for other projects in the future.
