125 Bicyclists Raise Issues at City Hall

One hundred twenty-five bicyclists and allies from across Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky-- over half of whom arrived on their bikes -- attended a hearing last night at City Hall to advocate for better bicycle facilities in the city.

Thirty-one people testified at the hearing before Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee Chair Roxanne Qualls. In the audience were also representatives of the City's new environmental initiative and staff from the Department of Transportation and Engineering.

Cyclists from Northside, East Price Hill, Lower Price Hill, Walnut Hills, Hyde Park, Hartwell, Hyde Park, Madisonville, Delhi, Newport, Clifton, CUF, Avondale, Over-the-Rhine, and elsewhere covered a range 0f issues, from the lack of on-street facilities such as bike lanes, sharrows, and adequate signage to the need for driver education.

The potential benefit of bicycling for children was also raised as an issue. The crisis in childhood obesity, especially in Cincinnati, is well known.

The lack of accommodation of bicycles in plans for I75/the Brent Spence Bridge project was also raised yet again. Since its construction, I75 has been a barrier between the West Side and downtown, isolating and dividing the city and making bicycle traffic across the corridor dangerous. It remains an example of the negative impact poorly designed infrastructure projects can have on the city and its neighborhoods. The City's bicycle plan has not been updated since 1976, more than 30 years ago.

The bicycling community here is far ahead of the city in making change: "We already are a great cycling community. We work really well together", according to one Over-the-Rhine bicyclist. Last night's attendance showed that. Mobo, the Cincinnati Cycle Club, Queen City Bike, the Over-the-Rhine Community Council, Price Hill neighborhood groups, and the Mill Creek Restoration Project were all represented.

Chair Roxanne Qualls thanked the attendees for their comments, and said that a response from the committee should be expected in about 6 weeks.

Queen City Bike will be posting additional details from the hearing and pictures as they become available. We will be meeting in the next two weeks to outline our next steps to move the region on our issues.