More on the Delaware Run Bike Path

[Tom Wolber]

Dear SDO Members and Friends: 

I do not know Joe Coleman and Adam Stiffler personally, but I wanted to thank them for the useful information they provide on the benefits of bike trails on their website (delawaretrails.org). The data is from Headwater Economics, an organization that I am not familiar with. (The Montana-based organization seems to be a legitimate conservation and land-management non-profit.) The website works fine today; perhaps it was temporarily shut down yesterday for repairs or updates. 

However, as stated in an email yesterday, the group is spreading false and misleading information, mixing truth and untruths in manipulative and unethical ways. The flyer they passed on the First Friday in May states, "The future paths and trails of Delaware, OH are in danger of not being built." The website makes a similar claim when it says, "Council may not pass the plan, trails may not be built, and current trails will remain severely underfunded and languish." 

It might also be noteworthy to point out that the "delawaretrails" group explicitly notes, "It is run privately and not endorsed or directed by the City or County of Delaware governments." 

If the group is so eager to help expand Delaware's bike-trail system, why doesn't make it an attempt to find common ground with the hundreds of opponents of the Delaware Run bike path and focus on the other lanes, paths, and trails that are desperately needed? Instead, they are obsessively focused on the Delaware Run. It has become a litmus test, a shibboleth for them and the City. I wonder why this is. Could it be that once a trail is built from Houk to the golf course and/or Blue Limestone Park developers may use that as a justification for destroying the Delaware Run wildlife corridor and building expensive homes instead? When the Hidden Valley Golf Course experienced financial difficulties years ago, I told various City staff folks that the golf course must remain a public green space and park and should never be handed over the developers. Other than "follow the money," does anyone have a better explanation? 

Tom Wolber 

5/1917 

[Rayna Patton]

Alas, you may be right, Tom. I have wondered often why the top city officials are so much in favor of this particular path, just as they were ready to make the Valleyside Drive extension top priority if the road levy passed. (I had that directly from Mr. Homan).  When I thought about that road across the Run, I wondered if it was to open up residential housing to the west of the road extension on W. Central for high density development.  It hadn't occurred to me that the push for the Delaware Run path might be a way to channelize the stream and make the golf course into prime development land. But your suggestion makes perfect sense.  The support has always been thin (romantic visions of a narrow path through eastern woodlands, flaky notions of children on their bikes in the middle of West William traffic) but very top heavy. 

  I hope you will attend the meeting on the 22nd.  I hoped to stay away, but Larry Harris persuaded me I had to go.  I plan to speak about the alternative, beside West William from Houk to Curtis and from there down Park Ave. to N. Sandusky. In fact the way Wendell rides all the time.  There has always been something strange about the Run proposal that I couldn't put my finger on, when the nearby alternative is so obvious, cheap, and easy.  Normally you would think that city council would be much more responsive to the strong and well articulated opposition.  You  may just have tapped a reason for their reluctance to vote against this proposal. 

Rayna

Rayna Patton

Sent from my iPad

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[Stephanie Meyer]

I agree that there are much cheaper alternatives to connecting the center of Delaware to Houk Road. I think it would be relatively inexpensive to connect the bike paths that exist on the south side of William Street. More trees could be planted alongside the path to provide shade.

There is all this discussion about the bike paths, but at the moment I do not see a large percentage of our population utilizing the paths. 

Tom, you spoke about areas in the city where it is permitted for cyclist to ride on the sidewalks. I am interested in where cycling on sidewalks is permitted and prohibited.

Could sustainable Delaware have some meetings to explore the bike path topics identify simple ways to make Delaware more bike-friendly? It would be good to find ways to encourage people to use bike transport more frequently. Although there is room for much improvement and Delaware's bike path system, we do already have a lot of great bike paths that could be utilized more.

-Stephanie 

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[Tom Wolber]

RIDING BICYCLES ON SIDEWALKS & 

SPRINGFFIELD BRANCH BIKE PATH 

This is in response to Stephanie's question about how "downtown Delaware" is defined. There is more than one definition, but below is what the Codified Ordinances of the City of Delaware say about riding (or not riding) bicycles on the sidewalks of downtown Delaware. In other words, riding a bicycle on sidewalks is legal anywhere within the City of Delaware EXCEPT in the small rectangle outlined below. 

Also, not everyone know what and where the Springfield Branch bike trail is when I mentioned it at the last SDO meeting. It follows an old east-west railroad track. It now starts (or ends) at the intersection of Lake St. and E. Winter St., crosses US 23, Henry St., and S. Sandusky St. It then runs between Park Ave. and Ross St., past the SWCI and the Ross Community Garden (just expanded!). The pavement ends at David St., but the path continues. This summer the rest of the existing footpath will be paved and then connected to Todd St. and Park Ave. The entire paved stretch is about a mile long, I would say, and a good and safe way to go from west to east. Check it out some day if you are unfamiliar with it, by riding your bike or walking your dog.   

Tom Wolber 

5/20/17 

_________

Codified Ordinance of the City of Delaware,

Section 373.12

 

“No person shall ride a bicycle, skateboard, roller skates or roller blades upon a sidewalk within the downtown area. The downtown area means that area on Sandusky Street from Central Avenue to Spring Street, William Street from Franklin Street to Union Street and Winter Street from Franklin Street to Union Street.” 

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[jerrygeist]

I'm glad that the Spri gfield branch bike trail will be extended soon, this summer. Also that the Ross Community gardens are apparently ding well.

Jerry Geist

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