Busy 1st Street in Jackson Ward would be reduced to one lane for traffic under a city proposal to install bike lanes on the west side of a roadway that is a significant link between North Side to Downtown and routes to South Side.

The plan calls for reducing traffic to one lane on 1st Street between Duval and Broad streets in Jackson Ward and then between Broad and Franklin streets in Downtown, with installation projected to take place within a year or so, according to Jakob Helmboldt, city bicycle, pedestrian and trails coordinator.

The installation is part of a planned expansion of cycling lanes that Richmond City Council previously approved.

The city already has installed 32 miles of cycling lane, and an additional 25 miles are approved and awaiting installation, including several miles of Brook Road in North Side.

The 1st Street plan is among proposals for further expansion of the cycling infrastructure, despite little evidence of growth in commuter or recreational cycling on current bike lanes.

The proposal shows the revamped section of 1st Street would include one lane for bikes, two lanes for parking and one lane for vehicles.

City Councilwoman Kim B. Gray is concerned about the impact the bike lanes would have on existing businesses, traffic movement and emergency vehicle access.

“I had proposed moving the bike lanes to 3rd Street, but that was rejected,” said Ms. Gray, whose joint proposal with Councilman Chris A. Hilbert, 3rd District, to halt the Brook Road bike lanes was rebuffed earlier this year.

So far, the area’s main civic group, the Historic Jackson Ward Association, has yet to take a position on the 1st Street bike lanes, Ms. Gray said.

However, Trey Owens, a partner in the popular Soul Taco restaurant that opened in Jackson Ward last year, is concerned about the impact that a dedicated bike lane on 1st will have on parking, which he said is already a challenge.

His restaurant is one of a row of eateries in the 300 block of North 2nd Street, and Mr. Owens said one of his biggest problems already involves parking. “That’s the biggest complaint from my customers,” he said.

He is concerned that the city’s plan for bike lanes would eliminate existing street parking on 1st Street and push more people to seek parking on 2nd Street.

“I don’t think enough consideration is being given to the parking needs of the area,” he said.

He’s also concerned that reducing the traffic lanes would boost the perception of congestion in Jackson Ward, driving away potential customers.