Madison Bike Lanes to Stay in Place For Now

The just-implemented 'road diet' that includes bike lanes on Madison Road between Grandin and Dana will now remain in place until Spring when a final decision will be made. The bike lane symbols will be restored in the next few weeks now that the new asphalt has been laid, according to Cincinnati's Department of Transportation and Engineering.

Reports we are are hearing indicate that this is the best example we have so far in the city of improving a stretch of road for bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorists by taking a more comprehensive view of how to lay out a street.

If you haven't ridden, walked, or driven this stretch of road yet, give it a try whenever you get the chance.

Hyde Park Residents Turn Out to Support Madison Road Changes

Neighborhood residents spoke up in support of the 'road diet' that includes new bike lanes on Madison Road between Dana and Grandview at a special meeting of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Council on Wednesday, October 27.

According to Queen City Bike Board Member and neighborhood resident Cheryl Crowe, the majority of the speakers and attendees were there to support the improvements that have been made to this important East Side arterial. She estimated 25 to 30 supporters, not all of whom spoke. Four people argued against the changes.

Many of the positive comments addressed the overall improvement that these changes made to the quality of life in the neighborhood and on the street. Among other things mentioned, the bike lanes serve as a buffer between the sidewalk and car traffic, making the street safer for children and other pedestrians.

In light of the positive balance of support from neighborhood residents, combined with the earlier support from over one hundred bicyclists and other stakeholders who also use Madison Road, we hope that theses changes will be made permanent.

Scare the Daylight Out of the East Side

Depart from DeSales corner (near Moca/Suzy Wong's); end at Habits in Oakley Square.

Costumes encouraged, for you or your bike! Little monsters are welcome, but are best left in trailers since we'll be riding in the street. This slow-paced ride is about 3.5 miles and will be over before dark.

Stay and take a bite out of the neighborhood at Habits, or be home in time for trick or treat.

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.

Bike lanes in place on Madison Road

Photo courtesy Jeffrey Jakucyk

Bike lanes have been added in both directions on Madison Road between Observatory and Grandin as the temporary pavement markings were laid yesterday and today. Temporary 'bike lane' symbols will also be added shortly. The final layer of asphalt and permanent marking will be put in place in a month or so.

If you sent an e-mail to D.O.T.E. and City Council, know that you made a difference! Note that there may still be challenges to this fix to one of the critical bicycle routes in the city, so we are not done just yet.

In the meantime, let's celebrate by using them! Take someone who hasn't ridden on the street in a while to give them a try this weekend. You can ride to see the changing leaves in Eden Park, or take a spin for an ice cream or coffee in Hyde Park Square.

The fall weather should be lovely.

Your Urgent Action Needed to Fix Madison Road

After months of delays, Cincinnati's Department of Transportation and Engineering is making a decision RIGHT NOW about whether or not they are going to include bike lanes on a critical stretch of Madison Road.

We have learned that some opponents of making the city bicycle friendly are quietly working to stop this!

We urgently need as many people as we can to send an e-mail immediately to Tim Jamison, the Acting City Engineer, and copying Mayor Mallory and the City Council, explaining why it is important to them personally -- and to the city and region -- to start making these much-needed improvements to Madison right away.

A copy of my message and the correct e-mail addresses are below. I am sharing this to help you draft your own message. If you already ride Madison or live in an adjacent neighborhood, let them know! If you would start to ride if their were bike lanes there, let them know that, too!

The affected section of Madison Road is between Grandin Road and Dana Avenue. The City of Cincinnati's Department of Transportation & Engineering (DOTE) originally proposed a change in the lane striping in order to make it a complete street. You can view their original proposed changes here: www.cincinnati-oh.gov/madisonroad.

The result would be two travel lanes in each direction, a center two-way left turn lane, and bicycle lanes. DOTE believes this will calm traffic and improve Madison Road for motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists. These proposed bike lanes would connect to the sharrows through O'Bryonville, and the new bike lanes on Dana Avenue.

We believe DOTE may be wavering in their commitment. That's why they and your elected officials need to hear from you right away!

Thank you for your help!

Gary Wright

PS Be sure to ask Mr. Jamison for a response in your message!

DRAFT E-MAIL MESSAGE TEXT FOR YOUR PERSONALIZATION
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TO: tim.jamison@cincinnati-oh.gov

CC:
mayor.mallory@cincinnati-oh.gov,roxanne.qualls@cincinnati-oh.gov, jeff.berding@cincinnati-oh.gov, leslie.ghiz@cincinnati-oh.gov,laure.quinlivan@cincinnati-oh.gov, wendell.young@cincinnati-oh.gov, cecil.thomas@cincinnati-oh.gov, chris.bortz@cincinnati-oh.gov, chris.monzel@cincinnati-oh.gov, charlie.winburn@cincinnati-oh.gov

Tim Jamison, Acting City Engineer
Department of Transportation and Engineering
City of Cincinnati

Dear Mr Jamison,

I am writing to urge you to follow through on plans to put bike lanes in both directions on Madison Road between Grandin and Observatory when it is repaved and restriped in the next few weeks.

Madison Road is the essential link for bicyclists traveling between Hyde Park, Oakley, and Madisonville to the east, and Walnut Hills, Evanston, Avondale, Clifton, and Downtown to the west. The Bicycle Master Plan enacted by City Council just a few months ago recognizes this by calling for bike lanes along most of its length.

Increasing ridership significantly is a specific objective of the City's environmental plan in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We will not be able to achieve that objective without implementing the Bicycle Master Plan's recommendations for Madison, a major commuting route to and from the city's two major employment centers in Downtown and Uptown.

I personally ride this route frequently from Walnut Hills to Hyde Park on business and to go shopping. Bike lanes on this stretch will make my journey easier, and will encourage more people to use their bicycles for shorter trips. They will also directly benefit the neighborhood business districts along the route by getting more people out of their cars and onto the street.

The most cost effective way of getting started and increasing bicycle ridership immediately is to add these lanes now. As part of a road diet, this will also calm traffic and enhance the livability of neighborhoods along this corridor.

Can you confirm for me that bike lanes are included in your plans for immediate action?

Sincerely,

Gary Wright
Walnut Hills

cc: Mayor Mallory and City Council Members

Bike to the Reds Game Sunday, Sept. 12

The Cincinnati Reds, Queen City Bike, the Cincinnati Cycle Club, Reser Bicycle Outfitters and the City of Cincinnati are sponsoring the first Cincinnati Bike to Baseball event this Sunday, September 12th. The game against the Pittsburgh Pirates starts at 1:10 p.m.

Half-price tickets to the Reds game and registration are available at the www.reds.com/bike2bball. The password for buying tickets is “Pedal”.

Secure parking will be set up along 2nd Street at Joe Nuxhall Way.

For more information about this event and group rides to the game, contact Danny Cooper at charliefunny@hotmail.com.