If you commute or run errands by bike in Cincinnati, you know that few of our roadways have been designed with bicycles in mind. Slowly, it's dawning on people that the city would be a better place if that changed, and not just for cyclists.
The city's newly adopted environmental plan includes a very modest goal of increasing bicycle commuting as a way of improving air quality. Bicycle commuters need space on our roads: the more space we give them, the more commuters we will have.
At the same time, millions of dollars are being spent to make needed changes to I75. This is the largest public works project in our area in years, and it will affect the quality of life here for decades to come.
What does this have to do with Hopple St and I75? Take a look at these plans for a new interchange at I75 and Hopple St (and especially see the "Interactive map"). Central Parkway is a signed bicycle route that connects downtown and Northside, two parts of town where bicyclists are already becoming more visible, and it passes Cincinnati State on the way. It will be profoundly affected by whatever decision is made about how millions in state and federal money will be spent on this interchange.
It's not clear yet how much thought has been given to bicyclists in these plans. As appealing as it is aesthetically, roundabouts like those proposed in Alternative 1 can be less safe than other types of intersections for bicyclists unless special plans are made to accommodate them.
To bicyclists the devil in an intersection is in the details. Bicycles need to be included in the plan from the beginning.
Let us know what you think of these designs!
PS
Thinking of commuting into the city from Northside? Use Spring Grove. People who commute in and out of downtown to Northside tell us that one of the reasons they use Spring Grove is that the lanes are not wide enough for bicycles and cars on Central Parkway.
That's too bad. Central Parkway has the potential to be an important and elegant alternative transportation route connecting the CBD with a neigborhood worth riding to, one that is already home to Mobo Bicycle Co-op.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Hopple St/I75: Are needs of bicyclists getting the attention they should?
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5 Comments:
I like the initial ODOT plan, but it does look way more expensive with the amount of bridges it requires. I'm not a big fan of roundabouts, riding threw Eden Park on a regular basis, I am confident that a majority of Cincinnati motorists have no idea what a round-about is or how to safely navigate one.
Spring Grove is good for bikes, and Winchell has a bike lane heading north from Ezzard Charles to Harrison which makes a good route out of Downtown in the evening. Central Parkway is not a good road to ride on in rush hour traffic. Even if it is a signed bike route there are better (safer and more enjoyable) streets to take weekdays between 4pm and 6pm.
Thanks, Mark, for the route recommendations. I think this blog would be a great place to capture and share those tips.
I know the Alternative plans are supposed to be better for the streetscape but from what I can tell the ODOT plan seems better for biking on Central Parkway because the interchange traffic is lifted above you.
I recently biked home to OTR from Fairview school with my children who attend there. We went down McAlpin and used the sidewalks on Central Parkway since pedestrians are a rarity. It seems that a bike path could be easily constructed alongside or as part of the sidewalk system there with little trouble and it is a very pleasant, shaded, flat route. As is the divisions in the concrete made for a rather bumpy ride but better than trying to bike with kids in traffic!
Catherine
This is a bit off topic, but I think blog readers here will be interested in the news:
Richmond, Indiana got 5,000 bike maps back from the printers today. The city-endorsed but volunteer-executed project was completed with a total budget of just about $2,000.
To help other cities follow a similar path, I posted a detailed account of the bike map development process on the new Bikes As Transportation blog, also based out of Richmond.
Mark S - Thanks for sharing this story of what can be done whne people are motivated to help make a change for the better.
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