BELLINGHAM — The city would remove 88 parking spots on the west side of Cornwall Avenue and install bike lanes on both sides under a new Public Works plan.

From York to Illinois streets, crews would install a 7-footwide bike lane on the east side of the street and a 5-foot-wide one on the west side. The lanes would give bicyclists a straight shot between the north side and downtown.

Some residents oppose the plan because it would leave homeowners struggling to find parking and, they say, give bicycle riders a false sense of security.

Public Works will ask the City Council to hold a hearing and decide on the issue, likely sometime in June. Public Works on Friday sent letters to all property owners along Cornwall, Public Works Engineering Manager Ravyn Whitewolf said.

The new plan replaces Public Works’ previous idea: to remove parking and install a bike lane on the east side of the street. That would have required removing 116 parking spots, Whitewolf said. The work would be done after street repaving as part of the city’s $2.2 million project to replace a 90-year-old water main along Cornwall. The project began in March and will end this summer.

The city’s Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee, which heard the bike lane proposal Tuesday, literally applauded the newest plan, said committee member Aaron Seaton, a Cornwall Park neighborhood resident who rides his bike to work downtown.

“It was kind of the best of both worlds,” he said. “Coming from my mindset, bike lanes are pretty much always a good idea.”

With a wider 7-foot bike lane adjacent to parking on the east side, he wouldn’t think twice about riding Cornwall to get home, he said. Not everybody likes the idea.

In Cornwall Park, many residents have to rely on street parking, said John McGarrity, neighborhood association president.

And when you remove parking, drivers are encouraged to drive faster, he said, adding that alternative, safer bike routes are available.

“That little white stripe does not protect you from cars,” he said. “It’s not necessarily safer. It’s just simply marked.”

Downtown employees and customers also would be affected. City parking counts taken last year showed nearly 94 percent of the 21 spots on the west side of the street between York and Ohio streets were occupied during the day. Parking there is free and isn’t time restricted.