Cincinnati officials are looking to make bicycle improvements to Riverside Drive through Cincinnati's East End neighborhood. The corridor has a large number of commuting and recreational bicyclists, but is also a federally designated truck route with a significant amount of vehicular traffic along U.S. 52.
The corridor presently has four lanes of traffic that has on-street parking in two of the lanes throughout much of the day.
Department of Transportation & Engineering (DOTE) officials say that traffic travels at an average speed of 46mph even though the posted speed limit is 35mph. Officials also state that roughly 10 percent of all traffic in the corridor is truck traffic.
The hope is to eventually improve bicycle conditions enough to encourage more bicycle commuters along the eastern corridor while also encouraging more recreational users to take advantage of it and the adjacent string of riverfront parks. One such plan is the
Ohio River Trail which would connect downtown Cincinnati to the
Little Miami Scenic River Trail on the east side. While development has been ongoing for years, project officials are not sure when money will be available to make improvements along this stretch.
"We're continuously looking for ways to improve the quality of life for residents, and enhance neighborhoods in ways that are more in line with our community's interests in walkable, bike-friendly and sustainable neighborhoods," said Matthew Andrews, Acting Principal Architect with Cincinnati's DOTE. "But due to the complexities of this corridor, we are really interested to see what kind of feedback we can get from the public."
Feedback on five potential modifications to the lane configuration on Riverside Drive from Bains to Congress is what is needed. The potential modifications include designated bike lanes on Riverside Drive, buffered bike lanes, shared pathways for bicyclists and pedestrians, and a cycle track concept that would separate bicycle traffic from speeding motorists and large freight truck traffic.
All five concepts have removed the rush hour parking restrictions that currently exist, created additional on-street automobile parking, space for trees on both sides of the street, and dedicated new space for bicyclists.
Those interested can
provide feedback online now until Thursday, September 30, 2010. The DOTE will also be hosting an open house on Wednesday, September 15 at the LeBlond Center (
map) from 4pm to 7pm on the potential modifications. Officials hope to then narrow down the five concepts based on further analysis and public feedback in early October.
Writer:
Randy A. SimesRendering ProvidedStay connected by following Randy on Twitter
@UrbanCincy
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