Council Committee Asks DOTE to Examine Parking Issue on Madison

At the end of a lengthy meeting last Tuesday that was mostly concerned with other matters, Cincinnati City Council's Livable Communities Committee heard statements in support of the new bike lanes on Madison Road from a number of you. These lanes are clearly a great improvement for bicyclists on this previously forbidding section of one of the City's main thoroughfares. Thank you so much if you were able to attend and speak out for improving our streets!

The committee also heard from opponents of the lanes as they are currently configured: two car lanes in each direction, a center turn lane, and bike lanes. While one or two of the few opponents who testified seemed to be opposed to bike lanes on the streets in principle, others raised legitimate questions about whether some on-street parking could be safely included in the new layout for Madison Road. A motion by Council Members Quinlivin, Qualls, and Thomas to look at the possibility of removing the new left turn lane that now provides protected access to the Springer School, three side streets, and ten driveways in order to include parking on the north side of Madison for a two-block stretch was referred to the administration for comment. Michael Moore, Director of the Department of Transportation and Engineering (D.O.T.E), will be getting back to the committee shortly.

The direct effect of adding parking on bicyclists is unclear. We anticipate that the bike lane would be kept but would be moved outside of the new parking lane. However, that decision has not yet been made, so we will need to remain engaged.

As background, prior to the redesign, parking was prohibited on the north side of Madison Road during morning rush hour. Residents without off-street parking typically parked on weekday nights on Paul St., a short stretch of Bedford Terrace north of Madison, or a longer stretch of Bedford Terrace south of Madison, according to a neighborhood resident. After the redesign, parking has grown tighter on weekends on Paul St., the closest street to an apartment building without any parking of its own, and to a lesser extent on other side streets. The apartment building is the large brown building on the right side of Madison in the picture above. Springer School is the beige building on the left at the top of the photograph.

The major concern in removing the center turn lane, per D.O.T.E., is the increased difficulty car drivers would face getting in and out of the side streets and Springer School, and overall traffic delays caused by cars turning left from Madison. This may have side effects in the form of cars encroaching on the bike lanes to get around cars turning left. With the turn lane, through car traffic on Madison is currently able to proceed unimpeded.