Berkeley Street is the latest candidate in Mayor Michelle Wu’s push for bike accessibility, but drivers are starting to feel the squeeze as the Back Bay’s potential lane losses mount.

The project was first made public on January 23 when the city published a webpage outlining in loose terms their intention to connect Tremont and Newbury Streets with a separated bike lane.

The transportation department confirmed it’s spent the past few months measuring existing conditions along the route such as traffic volume. Planners are now collecting public input to refine into a concrete blueprint.

Their main point of contact is the department’s public office hours, held every other Wednesday. Interested residents can schedule an appointment through the city’s online events calendar.

“Today, people who want to bike from the South End to the Back Bay don’t have great options. We aim to complete a missing link in our bike network between Tremont Street and Beacon Street,” reads the connection’s announcement page.

“Commuters will be able to reach job centers in the Back Bay and beyond, and everyone will be able to safely bike between two vibrant shopping, dining and entertainment districts.”

The Boston Cyclists Union was supportive of the proposal. The Union frequently pushes for protected bike lanes, and one of the only specific elements the city is currently advertising about the bike lanes is that they will be “separate.”

“More bike infrastructure is good bike infrastructure. Mayor Wu has said creating safe alternative transit infrastructure is a priority, and there’s a lot of pedestrian traffic already in those areas. As more bike infrastructure is installed it will be even easier for people to get there,” said Grey Black, the Union’s director of organizing.

The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay (NABB) was less enthusiastic. NABB President Elliot Laffer said they were open to transportation improvements but skeptical that Berkeley Street could take much more pressure.

That doubt is exacerbated by the city’s flirtation with making Dartmouth Street pedestrian only in front of the Boston Public Library, a proposal whose traffic impact mitigation relies on diverting cars to Berkeley.

“We don’t know a lot about the plans yet, but any time you do something with Berkeley Street it raises concerns because it’s already so congested,” said Laffer. “We already have great concerns about closing Dartmouth Street. If Berkeley loses a lane where do they go?”

NABB is holding off taking an official position until an actual blueprint is proposed.

“You can’t just say ‘well we want to get bikes from one area to another and Berkeley seems like an obvious place to put them.’ There aren’t that many streets coming through the Back Bay. You need a comprehensive thought instead of individual plans that aren’t connecting in a way we can see,” said Laffer.

For proponents like the Union, public safety takes priority over traffic concerns.

“Not creating physical space on the road doesn’t mean people won’t still use the road,’ said Black. “I’ve got places I need to go and people I need to see, and I’m going to use roads whether the infrastructure is there or not. Creating dedicated space for bikes makes sure it’s safe when I do.”