October 26, 20231 yr 3 minutes ago, GISguy said: It's more so directed routes that take cyclists off of main streets. It's not a multiuse trail or anything. You'll see some of this signage around town if you're looking close enough- I want to say there's some around Axis on Ansel, they're working on these safer routes/alternatives throughout the city. Gotcha, is it related to this? https://www.countyplanning.us/projects/cuyahoga-greenways/cuyahoga-greenways-plan/
November 7, 20231 yr Glad to see a Red Line Greenway extension into downtown is being considered. I didn't realize the path would have to hang out off the side of the viaduct over part of the span. https://www.cleveland.com/news/2023/11/trail-advocate-lennie-stover-makes-headway-in-quest-to-extend-red-line-greenway-across-the-cuyahoga-river.html A couple of interesting (totally hypothetical) renderings (an amenity deck on top of the viaduct?):
November 7, 20231 yr ^ For anyone not a cleveland.com subscriber. It looks like the same article is on msn https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/don-quixote-of-cleveland-city-planning-holds-tight-to-dream-of-extending-red-line-greenway-across-cuyahoga-river/ar-AA1jtRja Edit: Here's the promotional YouTube video. Further edit, my thoughts: It's an interesting idea. I'm not opposed, I'm just not sure that it's a) the best use of the space on the viaduct, and b) the best use of the funds it would require.
November 8, 20231 yr ISSUE 65 (WALKABILITY) SHALL THE CITY OF PEPPER PIKE DESIGN, CONSTRUCT, AND MAINTAIN RECREATIONAL TRAILS IN THE RIGHTS-OF-WAY OF SHAKER BOULEVARD, SOUTH WOODLAND ROAD, AND LANDER ROAD, PROVIDED THAT SUCH DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND MAINTENANCE CAN BE FUNDED BY THE CITY WITHOUT RAISING ADDITIONAL TAXES OR ASSESSMENTS? Despite the nutjobs who opposed this, the sane people are prevailing with over one-third of the ballots counted, 65-35 percent "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 24, 20241 yr There's an open house for the Lorain Ave midway project tomorrow 1/24/24 from 6-8pm at Urban Community School: https://www.clevelandmidway.com/events I wasn't originally planning to attend, but some very vocal negative comments from a certain NIMBY in my block club has pissed me off enough to go and voice my approval of the project. It would be great to get more supporting people there in person to drown out the negative nancys.
January 24, 20241 yr 9 minutes ago, dastler said: There's an open house for the Lorain Ave midway project tomorrow 1/24/24 from 6-8pm at Urban Community School: https://www.clevelandmidway.com/events I wasn't originally planning to attend, but some very vocal negative comments from a certain NIMBY in my block club has pissed me off enough to go and voice my approval of the project. It would be great to get more supporting people there in person to drown out the negative nancys. lol of course there's opposition to this. With the timeframe of these things it's not like most of these ppl will even be alive to see it. Superior Midway will be over 10 years of discussion planning before breaking ground next year (optimistic anticipated completion 2027). I know the Lorain project is pretty much unfunded too, so the chances of any quick action is slim.
January 24, 20241 yr is the lorain project a 'Midway'? i thought i remembered them saying they were going to put a bikepath next to the northern sidewalk
January 24, 20241 yr 3 hours ago, Whipjacka said: is the lorain project a 'Midway'? i thought i remembered them saying they were going to put a bikepath next to the northern sidewalk Correct. This one is actually being proposed as elimination of one traffic lane (4->3) with the addition of a separated bike lane on the sidewalk. The NIMBY complaints were appeals to emotion claiming that bikers are going to run over your grandma walking to Juneberry, cars will be so backed up fire trucks won't be able to get out of the fire station, and that the loss of parking is going to kill any business on Lorain (and spill over cars to the side streets taking everyone's street parking). Luckily, a few people in our block group provided literally dozens of studies showing the economic (to businesses), health, economic mobility, traffic reducing, and road maintenance cost reduction improvements that bike lanes provide. Hopefully we got through to people outside of the vocal nimby who claims that none of the studies are relevant because none of them cover the exact population density Cleveland has (studies from cities too dense) or that the ones from smaller cities aren't applicable for silly xyz reason and that Cleveland shouldn't aspire to be like cities "beneath" us. Gah, makes my blood boil just typing that out.🤬
January 24, 20241 yr Thank you for showing up and doing the work. I’m looking forward to this project. Did the meeting address funding at all? I think last I read in Scene we are about $10 million shy for the Lorain project.
January 24, 20241 yr 32 minutes ago, Henke said: Thank you for showing up and doing the work. I’m looking forward to this project. Did the meeting address funding at all? I think last I read in Scene we are about $10 million shy for the Lorain project. I think that’s about right. All of the federal funding appears to be in place, but roughly $10 million in local funds are required. How much of that Cleveland has or hasn’t figured out is unclear to me.
January 25, 20241 yr Scene says the opposite actually: https://www.clevescene.com/news/cleveland-city-council-approves-54m-in-new-bike-infrastructure-41191938 “The city's emergency ordinances authorize James DeRosa, its director of capital projects, to receive state or federal funding to cap off the remaining $10 to $15 million needed for the Lorain project.”
January 25, 20241 yr 9 hours ago, Henke said: Scene says the opposite actually: https://www.clevescene.com/news/cleveland-city-council-approves-54m-in-new-bike-infrastructure-41191938 “The city's emergency ordinances authorize James DeRosa, its director of capital projects, to receive state or federal funding to cap off the remaining $10 to $15 million needed for the Lorain project.” This is a bit convoluted and I’m having a hard time finding specific answers, but to boil it all down: The City is on the hook for $10-15 million. Cleveland could, if they wanted, fill that funding gap with City funds, but they are trying to fill that gap with federal and/or state grants (which is typical with Cleveland).
January 25, 20241 yr 3 hours ago, Enginerd said: This is a bit convoluted and I’m having a hard time finding specific answers, but to boil it all down: The City is on the hook for $10-15 million. Cleveland could, if they wanted, fill that funding gap with City funds, but they are trying to fill that gap with federal and/or state grants (which is typical with Cleveland). Too bad they can't direct some ARPA funding to this project.
February 2, 20241 yr Not huge news, but was poking around Fairfax and the E89th pedestrian bridge is open - it follows the general design of bridges across the Opp Cor. I don't think the chair was installed by ODOT.
February 5, 20241 yr Below are copies of what I sent my block club regardig bike lanes: For those wanting economic benefits and concerned about business, here's an article from Bloomberg detailing 12 case studies in cities around the world showing that bike infrastructure has minimal to improved economic benefits to businesses located nearby. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-13/every-study-ever-conducted-on-the-impact-converting-street-parking-into-bike-lanes-has-on-businesses There's another angle that most people don't consider, the cost of maintaining bike infrastructure is significantly lower than maintaining roads for cars. Roads are shockingly, disgustingly expensive. The 2023 report by the DOT to Congress detailing the status of the nations's highways, bridges and transit includes a cost breakdown for resurfacing, re-building, and adding capacity to roadways by type of road and relative density of the area (rural vs. urban). You can see the cost breakdown on page A-8 of the report here: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/24cpr/pdf/AppendixA.pdf. Cleveland metro is considered a major urbanized area since we have a population >1M. The costs are in 2016 dollars for some reason, so you have to inflate them by 1.29 to get to 2023 dollars. Lorain Road is a principal arterial road, so we can expect repaving to cost about $960,000 per lane mile! That cost can be expected anywhere from every 5-15 years depending on location. The proposed project from w65th to w20th is ~1.75 miles long, and it would reduce the number of car lanes from 4 to 3. That means the city can expect to save ~1.5 Million dollars in resurfacing costs every 10 years or so from just this small pilot project (subtracting out a bit b/c bike lanes also need upkeep, albeit significantly less because lightweight bikes don't damage surfaces like heavy cars/trucks). You can look at Cleveland's 2023 budget book here: https://www.clevelandohio.gov/sites/clevelandohio/files/finance-docs/2023BudgetBook.pdf. From 2022-2025 we're expected to spend $106 million in capital expenditures for our roads and bridges. I can't find a good estimate for the miles of roads there are in Cleveland, but it looks to be somewhere between 842-3,780 miles. If we estimate it at 2,300 miles, assume two lanes per road, and use the cheapest resurfacing cost of local roads at $612,000 per lane mile, we can estimate that keeping our roads maintained on their 10 year service life will cost ~$281 Million per year! We're obviously falling very short of that. We should be reducing the number of lanes and adding bicycle infrastructure anywhere we can just from a maintenance cost perspective! Ignoring the anecdotal persuasive arguments, the data is clear that bike infrastructure is at worst net neutral for businesses and also cheaper to the taxpayers from a maintenance perspective. That's before you take into account the numerous studies showing that bicycles are better from a public health, economic mobility, and traffic congestion standpoint. And here's a response to "Cleveland doesn't have the population density to support biking" argument that many have: If you're concerned the size of the city has any bearing on the results here's tons more: https://nitc.trec.pdx.edu/research/project/1161 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01441647.2021.1912849 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8tOk7_upXv5djhCajg1Z0I3bmhTVTIxWldwRzA0YjJWNW9R/view?usp=sharing https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23334767/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9211442/#:~:text=Considering all infrastructure as one,narrower of two definitions Indianapolis: 2,454/sq mi Memphis:2,131/sq mi Minneapolis: 7962/sq mi Seattle: 8,775/sq mi Toronto: 11,468/sq mi Calgary: 4,124/sq mi Oakland: 7,787/sq mi Austin: 3,006/sq mi Chicago: 12,000/sq mi DC: 11,535/sq mi Davis: 6,703/sq mi Denver: 4,674/sq mi Vancouver: 13,590/sq mi Victoria: 11,410/sq mi Salt Lake City: 1,797/sq mi New Orleans: 2,267/sq mi Atlanta: 3,685/sq mi I'm sure that there are plenty of others out there. Akron and Columbus have made plenty of investments in bike infrastructure recently. Detroit is very similar in density to Cleveland and has also seen tons of success with their bike lanes (I couldn't find a good primary source for hard data). Ferndale and Ann arbor are also similar in density to cleveland and noted as other good examples of bike infrastructure. And, if we want to argue semantics... Ohio city has a population density of 7,890/sq mi per Ohio city inc: https://www.ohiocity.org/sites/default/files/Ohio City Neighborhood Profile_0.pdf
February 6, 20241 yr Does anyone have any knowledge or well-informed estimates on when the Raise East Side Trails (including Slavic Village Connector) will actually be completed? I know they're still in the planning phases (and hopefully nearing the end), but I haven't been able to find any kind of timeline yet. I'm not expecting anytime soon; I'm just curious.
February 7, 20241 yr 17 hours ago, Ethan said: Does anyone have any knowledge or well-informed estimates on when the Raise East Side Trails (including Slavic Village Connector) will actually be completed? I know they're still in the planning phases (and hopefully nearing the end), but I haven't been able to find any kind of timeline yet. I'm not expecting anytime soon; I'm just curious. Yoo, check this out from 1/18/24 Meeting: https://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/getmedia/b44529de-eb6e-4830-8f33-44c3fa4fb868/240118-2023RAISE_East_Side_Trails_Board-Mtg.pdf.ashx
February 10, 20241 yr I think this might have a lot of utility for cyclists and discussing bike routes, it has a lot of utility largely just by compiling several resources into one place, such as Cuyahoga Greenways plan, road stress analysis by Noaca, cyclist fatalities, and more. Though the Cuyahoga County Bike Facilities option is almost comical in how optimistic it is with future routes, and many actual future routes are listed as complete. I would be interested in which of those overly optimistic routes you'd be most interested in seeing come to fruition.
February 14, 20241 yr Some updates bike trails updates from the Metroparks board meeting. Nothing major, several trails, Solon to South Chagrin, Raise East Side Trails, and West Park to Kams continue to move forward, receive funding, etc.
February 16, 20241 yr The same fear that never comes to fruition anywhere else protected bikeways have gone in is croppin up on the Superior Midway Cycle Track: "Loss of parking spaces will kill my small business". Often, those questioning these kinds of projects express fear without any real-world data. https://thelandcle.org/stories/you-gotta-fight-for-your-right-to-bike-safely-lorain-midway-debate-heats-up-over-loss-of-parking-spaces/?vgo_ee=VP2eXwYm1bsxtwQBH3fYNqZB3Q7HyCpZvWV9tGBI9Q20qmoB%3A5WdxkLEbrQh2LK4MRWnClT1GL6qjkUC6 Edited February 16, 20241 yr by gildone
February 20, 20241 yr Bike Cleveland has released their 2023 Crash Report: In 2023, 550 people were hit by cars while biking or walking in the City of Cleveland. This is unacceptable and there is a critical need for enhanced safety measures and infrastructure improvements. As part of a broader commitment to safety, Cleveland, like many other cities worldwide, has adopted the Vision Zero initiative—a comprehensive strategy aimed at eliminating all traffic fatalities and severe injuries by 2032, while promoting equitable, safe, and accessible transportation for all road users. Central to the Vision Zero philosophy is the recognition of the value of human life and the need to prioritize safety over convenience or expediency. https://bikecleveland.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=78ac9fe035fdf45058a18f2c6&id=8bb790f32d&e=1601d4bb01
February 23, 20241 yr On 2/16/2024 at 10:28 AM, gildone said: The same fear that never comes to fruition anywhere else protected bikeways have gone in is croppin up on the Superior Midway Cycle Track: "Loss of parking spaces will kill my small business". Often, those questioning these kinds of projects express fear without any real-world data. https://thelandcle.org/stories/you-gotta-fight-for-your-right-to-bike-safely-lorain-midway-debate-heats-up-over-loss-of-parking-spaces/?vgo_ee=VP2eXwYm1bsxtwQBH3fYNqZB3Q7HyCpZvWV9tGBI9Q20qmoB%3A5WdxkLEbrQh2LK4MRWnClT1GL6qjkUC6 It’s particularly frustrating because this project will be an incredible boost to their businesses. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
February 26, 20241 yr They've added the flexposts to Det-Sup bridge, last Friday they completed them down to the 'mixing zone' with cars. I guess that's one "people over cars" initiative completed. Posts aren't going to save you when a car veers into the lane going the typical 40-45 on this bridge. Hate to always be so negative in the twitterverse but man do things take a million years in this town (they said this project was going to be completed ~December).
February 26, 20241 yr City Club hosts at Happy Dog: pedestrian and cyclist safety. Wednesday March 6 at 7:30pm at Happy Dog: https://www.cityclub.org/forums/2024/03/06/happy-dog-takes-on-pedestrian-and-cyclist-safety When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
February 29, 20241 yr Cleveland to greenlight plans for lakefront trail from downtown to East 55th Street Published: Feb. 28, 2024 By Courtney Astolfi, cleveland.com Mayor Justin Bibb this week introduced legislation to City Council that, if approved, will pave the way for Cuyahoga County and Cleveland Metroparks’ plans to construct a 2.7-mile multi-use connector path along North Marginal Road, running parallel with Burke Lakefront Airport. City Hall must give the county permission to move ahead with construction. Metroparks intends to operate and maintain the trail, so the city also intends to strike a long-term management agreement with the Metroparks that would help them perform maintenance, conduct police patrols, and handle trash and snow removal along the trail. ... The trail would stretch along the north side of North Marginal Road, connecting Voinovich Bicentennial Park in downtown Cleveland to the Metroparks’ East 55th Street Marina and Lakefront Reservation. It would also link up with the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway. https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2024/02/cleveland-to-greenlight-plans-for-lakefront-trail-from-downtown-to-east-55th-street.html
March 7, 20241 yr On 2/26/2024 at 12:26 PM, Boomerang_Brian said: City Club hosts at Happy Dog: pedestrian and cyclist safety. Wednesday March 6 at 7:30pm at Happy Dog: https://www.cityclub.org/forums/2024/03/06/happy-dog-takes-on-pedestrian-and-cyclist-safety Great turnout last night. I think it's obvious that folks want to see things now and Jacob w/BC did a great job of highlighting how quick and simple changes would improve the city drastically vs only relying on huge transformational projects like the midway/lorain. One thing I really loved was him suggesting Leading Pedestrian Intervals at Cleveland street crossings - I've only noticed this at E. 9 in front of the county building, at this point it seems pretty standard in other cities. Here's Channel 19 coverage: https://www.cleveland19.com/video/2024/03/06/city-cleveland-bike-cleveland-city-club-hold-forum-discuss-pedestrian-bike-safety/ And the full forum:
March 9, 20241 yr On 3/7/2024 at 12:51 PM, GISguy said: Great turnout last night. I think it's obvious that folks want to see things now and Jacob w/BC did a great job of highlighting how quick and simple changes would improve the city drastically vs only relying on huge transformational projects like the midway/lorain. One thing I really loved was him suggesting Leading Pedestrian Intervals at Cleveland street crossings - I've only noticed this at E. 9 in front of the county building, at this point it seems pretty standard in other cities. Here's Channel 19 coverage: https://www.cleveland19.com/video/2024/03/06/city-cleveland-bike-cleveland-city-club-hold-forum-discuss-pedestrian-bike-safety/ And the full forum: What are Leading Pedestrian Intervals? Edited March 9, 20241 yr by JB
March 9, 20241 yr 42 minutes ago, JB said: What are Leading Pedestrian Intervals? It’s where pedestrians get the walk signal for a few seconds before motorists get a green light. It gives pedestrians a chance to step off of the curb and be in the intersection which makes turning conflicts safer.
March 14, 20241 yr On 11/7/2023 at 9:45 AM, acd said: Glad to see a Red Line Greenway extension into downtown is being considered. I didn't realize the path would have to hang out off the side of the viaduct over part of the span. https://www.cleveland.com/news/2023/11/trail-advocate-lennie-stover-makes-headway-in-quest-to-extend-red-line-greenway-across-the-cuyahoga-river.html A couple of interesting (totally hypothetical) renderings (an amenity deck on top of the viaduct?): If the City chooses Tower City for an intercity passenger rail station this won't be possible. In fact most of the existing RLGW would have to be moved. I know their preference is to use the Lakefront, but that comes with a some logistical problems with the Cuyahoga River crossing, Collinwood Yard, and track capacity just east of Collinwood Yard. Using Tower City has some issues too, though not as many. The cost to build a station at either location will be about the same, however. The Lakeshore Rail Alliance recommended to the Mayor's office that they do an alternatives analysis. Whether they will or what their final decision will be remains to be seen. Please note the LRA has no preference about which location to use. It's the City's decision. Edited March 14, 20241 yr by gildone
March 24, 20241 yr I didn't realize Century Cycle was having trouble. It's sad to see them go out of business, but glad Eddy's was able to step in to keep two locations open. https://www.eddys.com/faq/announcement-pg1185.htm
April 23, 20241 yr University Circle bike tour May 19. 9-11am meet at Wade Oval When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
April 24, 20241 yr Slow Roll CLE schedule! These are wonderful events When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
April 29, 20241 yr X-posting from the Metroparks thread: Since it's more relevant to this thread I'll add it here; Metroparks keeps providing multi-use spines at different points through the Cleveland, the city really needs to step up and provide the network of bike lanes throughout the city that will extend these connections so much further. Just now, Luke_S said: Independent of the CHEERS plans, this trail will have a huge impact on east-side neighborhoods. And putting the infrastructure in place before CHEERS is realized will only extend that park's reach when it's realized. New multipurpose trail to connect Cleveland's near East Side to lakefront, Downtown Ideastream Public Media | By Zaria Johnson Published April 29, 2024 A new multi-use lakefront trail will soon allow walkers and bikers to easily get from Cleveland’s St. Clair Superior and Glenville neighborhoods on the East Side to Downtown. The North Marginal trail will extend from East 9th Street to East 55th Street running adjacent to the Lake Erie shoreline along North Marginal Road, connecting features like the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Gordon Park and the Harrison Dillard bikeway. ... The two-mile trail will improve access to the lakefront to neighborhoods that currently lack it, said Nichole English, planning and programming administrator for Cuyahoga County Public Works. https://www.ideastream.org/environment-energy/2024-04-29/new-multipurpose-trail-to-connect-clevelands-near-east-side-to-lakefront-downtown
May 29, 20241 yr Greater Akron has a good network of foot and bike paths. New study shows need for better connection Ideastream Public Media | By Zaria Johnson Published May 28, 2024 A new report from the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study, which serves Portage, Stark and parts of Wayne counties, focuses on practical ways to close the gaps in the area’s network of sidewalks, bike paths and pedestrian trails. The recommendations included in the Active Transportation Plan will make it easier for everyone to get around, Mobility Planner Heather Reidl said. ... Connecting multipurpose trails, improving sidewalks and putting in bike lanes can make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to get around Greater Akron, but Reidl said filling in gaps in the current network can also make car-less transportation safer. https://www.ideastream.org/environment-energy/2024-05-28/amats-publishes-recommendation-to-improve-xxx-transportation-in-greater-akron-area
June 27, 2024Jun 27 Link to last night's Lorain Midway presentation. Skip ahead to around the 19 minute mark when the presentation actually starts.
July 22, 2024Jul 22 I brought this up in the Detroit Shoreway Development thread, but here is a quick mockup of a potential 2 way bike route from W25 to at least the W55 area. I'm guessing businesses in Gordon Square would throw a fit if they lost the street parking/doordash pickup spots at the W65 intersection. If this could get through that intersection, it could easily be extended down Lake Ave to Edgewater via the pedestrian underpass to the playground area. This is broken out into Detroit ave, and then that awful and chaotic section in front of Church+State where cars are driving all over the place and you see a U turn every 2 minutes. It could turn an ugly and dangerous portion of the street into a safe and easy to navigate place. The 15 ft parking lane is the parking area in front of the Knitting Mills building. Most of this could be accomplished tomorrow with some paint and planters. It would not impact any driving lanes except for the westbound slip lane onto the shoreway at W45, and would only remove about 5 parking spots near Opa and The Harp. Moving the bus stops on a raised platform to the south side of the bike lanes would really be the only infrastructure that needs to be built. The bus stops on the south side of the street wouldn't need any changing. You could have raised sidewalks connecting the sidewalk to the bus stop, which would also act as speedbumps for any people trying to speed through here on and e-bike or gas powered bike. This, combined with the Superior Bikeway, would provide separated bike lanes almost the entire route from E55 to W55, with connections to existing trails to Edgewater, Tremont, Wendy Park, and Towpath. Edit* oops. Just in case anyone noticed, one of those bike lanes in the first picture should be pointing the other way. Edited July 22, 2024Jul 22 by PlanCleveland
August 13, 2024Aug 13 Cuyahoga County, City of Cleveland, Metroparks Officials Break Ground on Transformative 2.7-mile Lakefront Trail Posted on August 12 2024 CUYAHOGA COUNTY, OH – Today, officials celebrated the start of construction on the transformative 2.7-mile North Marginal Trail between E. 9th and E. 55th streets on Cleveland’s east side lakefront. The new trail is a partnership between Cuyahoga County, which will manage construction of the project, the Cleveland Metroparks, which will manage and operate the trail once constructed, and the City of Cleveland. The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation provided a $5 million gift to Cleveland Metroparks for construction of the trail, which is complemented by $5.6 million in funding from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) through the Federal Highway Administration’s Carbon Reduction Program and local match funds provided by Cuyahoga County and the City of Cleveland. ... The off-road paved North Marginal Trail will be a new trail connection to complete a missing link of the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway. The trail will connect to the existing portion of the bikeway from E. 55th Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, traversing along the north side of North Marginal Road and enhancing neighborhood connectivity between Voinovich Bicentennial Park in downtown Cleveland, Cleveland Metroparks’ Lakefront Reservation – including E. 55th Street Marina, e55 on the lake restaurant, Gordon Park – and connect to existing trails to University Circle, Doan Brook, and the Shaker Lakes. ... Once complete, the trail will provide greatly needed safe access to the lakefront on foot or by bicycle to the St. Clair-Superior and Glenville neighborhoods. Current conditions on North Marginal Trail along the lakefront require pedestrians and cyclists to share the roadway with vehicles to reach lakefront destinations on Cleveland’s east side. https://cuyahogacounty.gov/county-news/county-news-detail/2024/08/12/cuyahoga-county-city-of-cleveland-metroparks-officials-break-ground-on-transformative-2.7-mile-lakefront-trail
August 13, 2024Aug 13 That section already feels safe, and is already heavily used. Seems like a Marginal gain.
August 13, 2024Aug 13 My main question is how this will work after the boulevard conversion. I know the relevant parties have been in conversation, but I haven't seen the two plans combined yet. (Perhaps it was addressed in the press briefing, but I didn't watch that). As it is now, I agree this is a somewhat symbolic project. The current situation is already very bike friendly, largely because there's basically no cars on this road for most of this stretch.
August 14, 2024Aug 14 Nice puff piece from Crains on the state and advancement of NEO's bike trail system. Northeast Ohio's robust cycling trail system keeps growing https://www.crainscleveland.com/sports-recreation/northeast-ohios-becoming-cycling-hotspot "Many may not realize it, but one of the biggest advantages the Cleveland area has over other cities in the region — including our traditional rival Pittsburgh — is superior bike trails. ..."
August 15, 2024Aug 15 On 8/13/2024 at 10:38 AM, Ethan said: My main question is how this will work after the boulevard conversion. I know the relevant parties have been in conversation, but I haven't seen the two plans combined yet. (Perhaps it was addressed in the press briefing, but I didn't watch that). As it is now, I agree this is a somewhat symbolic project. The current situation is already very bike friendly, largely because there's basically no cars on this road for most of this stretch. Yeah, unless real things are done on E9, it's not going to be fun getting into town. The closest example I can imagine is crossing the Opportunity Corridor/105 around Cedar, or maybe something like Lake/Shoreway intersection, both are pretty terrible in a car but especially dangerous on a bike/on foot. 105/Cedar (technically the path continues on the sidewalk on the right and then abruptly ends) Lake/Shoreway (a coworker of mine got hit here, and there's a ghost bike on this corner) ODOT only cares about moving traffic (yes, that's their job) but it makes for dangerous conditions when they put in faux boulevards. I have zero faith in their traffic engineers to make it work with the path. Added bonus- ODOT blvd design on OC - Ex- Crossing just past Meijer at 105/Frank Woodland/OC (you're dealing with slip lanes in each direction) I'm hoping the city and county can push ODOT to provide something useful to get across the intersection and up E9 safely. The alternative seems to be continuing the path towards W3 and dropping into the flats path, but that doesn't account for folks that actually need to get into town (and conveniently).
August 15, 2024Aug 15 21 hours ago, Ethan said: Nice puff piece from Crains on the state and advancement of NEO's bike trail system. Northeast Ohio's robust cycling trail system keeps growing https://www.crainscleveland.com/sports-recreation/northeast-ohios-becoming-cycling-hotspot "Many may not realize it, but one of the biggest advantages the Cleveland area has over other cities in the region — including our traditional rival Pittsburgh — is superior bike trails. ..." Getting from x to y in Pittsburgh is much safer. Yes, we have great leisurely trails but the network is terrible if you're using them to actually get somewhere, let alone with non-vehicular cyclists in tow. Going N-S is atrocious (RISE will help connect downtown to SV) but anytime you need to get south from further out its super dangerous. An example - try getting from E55 Marina to Slavic Village safely (and without adding a ton of miles). Or, my daily commute, Old Brooklyn to Downtown (again, without adding too many extra miles). It's not great.
August 15, 2024Aug 15 15 minutes ago, GISguy said: Getting from x to y in Pittsburgh is much safer. Yes, we have great leisurely trails but the network is terrible if you're using them to actually get somewhere, let alone with non-vehicular cyclists in tow. Going N-S is atrocious (RISE will help connect downtown to SV) but anytime you need to get south from further out its super dangerous. An example - try getting from E55 Marina to Slavic Village safely (and without adding a ton of miles). Or, my daily commute, Old Brooklyn to Downtown (again, without adding too many extra miles). It's not great. Second your point about going south from anywhere not along the towpath. I tried to cycle my commute from Cleveland Heights to Valley View but I ran into issues enough times that I decided it wasn't worth the trouble. 56 minutes ago, GISguy said: I'm hoping the city and county can push ODOT to provide something useful to get across the intersection and up E9 safely. The alternative seems to be continuing the path towards W3 and dropping into the flats path, but that doesn't account for folks that actually need to get into town (and conveniently). Does it have to be up E9th? It looks like the current plan is to continue the multi use path up W3rd, at least across the railroad tracks. They are also planning on adding an extension to E18. Here is what they've previously planned, which does include a multiuse path, though it's also a wide boulevard crossing. Maybe if the added a small median stopover point for Pedestrians/cyclists and added some minimum landscaping along this extension it wouldn't be so bad? It also requires crossing the port road, but that should be low traffic. And here's the current W3rd proposal. No idea if these are both still in play. Alternatively maybe E18 becomes the primary car route into downtown and E9 can become more accommodating to pedestrians and cyclists. Idk, but having different roads serving as the primary route for cyclists and cars seems preferable to me.
August 15, 2024Aug 15 1 hour ago, GISguy said: Yes, we have great leisurely trails but the network is terrible if you're using them to actually get somewhere, let alone with non-vehicular cyclists in tow. This is my biggest frustration as well, and something a lot of leadership and residents who never ride, or only ride twice a year on these trails fail to understand. Sure we have a lot of bike paths, but none of them are good for anything other than a ride through the parks. It's obviously a great asset that we have them, and it's something many cities are lacking. But most people still have to drive to be able to ride their bikes. If you actually want to use your bike instead of a car, nearly everyone is out of luck.
August 15, 2024Aug 15 1 hour ago, PlanCleveland said: This is my biggest frustration as well, and something a lot of leadership and residents who never ride, or only ride twice a year on these trails fail to understand. If you actually want to use your bike instead of a car, nearly everyone is out of luck. Or they ride with Slow Roll, Critical Mass, etc. (or in Bibb's case with a cop escort in an SUV behind him) - these rides are great at bringing attention to biking but they aren't realistic conditions at all, they're social rides and that's cool! but don't base policy off of them. It'd be nice if they listened to vehicular cyclists around town - yes, we're a bit cooky, but also its because we're dealing with terrible drivers all the time. It's a massive generalization, but I've always felt that the decision makers all live in the same neighborhoods (the ones with traffic calming and/or direct safe-ish routes to get places like OHC/D-S/Tremont) and don't realize the plight of normal people trying to get from x to y safely without going 5 miles out of the way. I think if Andy Cross rode some of the bs bike lanes he's designed/approved, his opinion that his methods are right would change in a matter of minutes. I've thought about inviting the mayor to ride in from OB some day but know that'd fall on deaf ears. Don't mean to be so negative, but the "People Over Cars" narrative is very disappointing when compared to reality. Edited August 15, 2024Aug 15 by GISguy
August 15, 2024Aug 15 @Ethan bummer about the commute! But also totally makes sense (especially when you're riding for an hour plus vs a car ride of less than half of that). I like the idea of sending cars up 18th, I think there's too many attractions on/around E.9 to cede the road to cars and idiot drivers. It'd give the opportunity for folks walking to/from the rock hall/science center, etc. to enjoy it vs loathe it.
August 15, 2024Aug 15 Do "heavy-duty plastic bollards" really make a protected bike lane? Better than nothing I suppose... Cleveland cyclists call for safer, separated bike lanes Ideastream Public Media | By Zaria Johnson Published August 15, 2024 Cyclists in Cleveland gathered Wednesday to celebrate the opening of a new, protected bike lane on Detroit Avenue, and to advocate for more like it. In Ohio City, on the city's near West Side, the bike lane now features a painted bike path along with newly added heavy-duty plastic bollards to keep cyclists separated from oncoming vehicles in the roadway. As the city works to finish plans for large-scale bike paths on Superior and Lorain avenues, simple separated bikeways help keep cyclists and pedestrians safe, said Jenna Thomas, Bike Cleveland's advocacy and policy manager. https://www.ideastream.org/community/2024-08-15/cleveland-cyclists-call-for-safer-separated-bike-lanes
August 21, 2024Aug 21 No info on whether the truck driver was charged. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
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