Sometimes a bike lane is more than just a bike lane. The Central
Parkway Bikeway Project is one of those.
First of all, this is not a simple white stripe running along the
side
of the road to provide breathing room for people wearing tight
black
shorts. No, this is what is called a protected bike lane, or cycle
track. It would set aside a full lane on each side of Central
Parkway,
with barriers protecting riders from traffic.
The Central Parkway Bikeway Project is also significant because it
would connect a string of neighborhoods: Downtown, Over-the-Rhine,
West
End, University Heights, Clifton and Northside.
"This is a game-changer for our community," said Mel McVay, senior
city
planner with the Department of Transportation & Engineering.
But this bike path, 5 miles in each direction, includes politics
and
federal money and engineers and businesses and people who love to
ride
bikes. So even though this was a plan that looked like a sure
thing,
everything could change. Or stop.
Mayor John Cranley has questions, the "new" council has concerns
and
some businesses along the route have worries about parking.
A public hearing will take place Monday at City Hall, which could
change everything.
Let the hand-wringing commence.
First, some history. The City Council approved the plan,
unanimously,
last year. Bids for the job have come in and the work could begin
within months. The project itself is relatively cheap; the total
cost
would be $600,000, with $500,000 coming from the federal
government.
The mayor's office is clear, or clear-ish, that the Central Parkway
Bikeway Project is still happening. Or at least that it has not
been
stopped.
"No, it's approved by council. The only way it won't happen is if a
majority of council decides to do something else," said Kevin
Osborne,
the mayor's spokesman. "We're just trying to balance the interests
of
the business owners and the cycling community to get a win-win for
everyone."
And some businesses along Central Parkway say eliminating two
lanes,
one in each direction, will slow traffic and put a limitation on
parking, north of Liberty Street, that could hurt some businesses.
Central Parkway is an important street, but one without much of an
identity between Downtown and Clifton. There are old buildings,
mostly
nondescript. There are automotive shops, little restaurants, small
churches and breweries that smell like hops.
The street has seen hard times. But that's why Tim Haines is
fighting
so hard to keep the bike lanes from happening. Haines has a story
of
hard work and perseverance and success, and he wants it to
continue.
He bought a "blighted" building on Central Parkway, the Mohawk
Brighton
Building, and fixed it up. "It is vital now, it generates taxes,"
Haines said. "There are 12 business tenants and 60 employees. My
building will be adversely affected."
Haines says he is not anti-bike. He repeats again and again that he
owns two bicycles. But he says the elimination of two lanes will
make a
mess of traffic and parking will become a problem.
Another business owner, who did not want to go on record for fear
of
offending the pro-bike-lane side, said he was very worried about
parking restrictions. There would be restrictions, much like those
that
exist Downtown, that would not allow parking on the inbound side of
Central Parkway in the morning and outbound for the evening
commute.
City planner McVay said there should not be worries about traffic.
Central Parkway's route has a variety of widths, from 50 feet to
120
feet. With bike lanes, some of the traffic will be two lanes in
each
direction, and some will be one lane in each direction.
The total traffic on the street, typically 14,000 to 18,000 cars
per
day depending on the location, "can be easily accommodated by one
or
two lanes" said McVay.
The mayor has asked the city manager to not award the contract to
build
the lanes until he has more time to hear from citizens and get
answers
to his questions. But, Osborne says, this does not necessarily mean
he
wants to stop the project. "The mayor's request is just that, a
request. The mayor and several council members had some questions
about
the project," Osborne said.
But the clock is ticking.
The $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Transportation's
Transportation Alternatives Program has a sunset provision. If the
contract for the job is not awarded by May 2, the money goes away.
In fairness, the plan was discussed, a process that began more than
a
year ago. When it announced the Central Parkway Bikeway Project,
the
city's Bike Transportation Program mentioned those meetings: "After
meeting with the Over-the-Rhine, West End, CUF and Clifton
community
councils throughout the spring and summer of 2013 and receiving
feedback from hundreds of residents, community consensus was
reached on
a new street design which includes a bike way called a protected
bike
lane."
Nern Ostendorf, executive director of Queen City Bike, a bike
advocacy
organization, says this plan has been talked about and talked
about.
"This process has been going on for at least a couple of years,"
Ostendorf said. "It got the most feedback and the most support of
any
project we have ever worked on."
It is not an accident that these bike lanes would connect
Northside,
Clifton, Over-the-Rhine and Downtown. "There are so many bicyclists
in
those (areas) already," McVay said. "This would connect businesses
and
people and neighborhoods."
But there are more people who drive. And Councilman David Mann
thinks
they do not know about the changes to a road that he drives every
day,
from his home in Clifton to Downtown.
"A lot of people who are going to be impacted by it, they have no
idea," Mann said. He said he wants more information about the bike
lane. He also said this council should not be beholden to every
decision made by the previous City Council, which he called "the
lame
duck council."
Mann says he is not committed for or against the bike lanes. These
lanes do exist in Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., and other
places. McVay says research shows a protected bike lane doubles
usage
compared to a regular bike lane on the same route.
Ostendorf says that is the point. The lanes feel removed from
traffic,
which can attract people who are otherwise nervous about riding
among
vehicles. "It's a bike lane for regular people," Ostendorf said.
"It
feels safe and comfortable enough for everyday riders. People who
might
not ride otherwise."
Monday at City Hall, people who ride and people who do not will
have a
chance to keep talking about it. fS
Public hearing
The Neighborhoods Committee has scheduled a public hearing for 2
p.m.
Monday in Council Chambers, 801 Plum St. The Central Parkway
Bikeway
Project will be part of the conversation.
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2014/04/17/bike-lane-reassessed/7853535/
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