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West Broad ready for bike lines
(by Whitney Wilson Coy, Westside Editor - June 10, 2010)
A long-lasting debate on the Westside has come to an end. The Hilltop will get bike lanes, but not at the expense of parking for local businesses.
After several meetings between Hilltop representatives and Columbus Public Services, as well as other city officials, a compromise was reached on the issue of bike lanes on West Broad Street.
The final meeting took place on May 26.
The plan now calls for bike lanes that begin and end on West Broad Street. Throughout the business district, however, the lanes are rerouted through the neighborhoods to the north, allowing for parking on both sides of Broad in front of businesses.
The work is expected to be completed by fall of 2010, with the majority of the project included in a planned resurfacing of West Broad Street from Hague to Central.
The project will be completed by the Ohio Department of Transportation, meaning 80 percent of the cost will be covered by federal funds.
The planned bike lanes will begin east of I-70 at Central Avenue and continue west on Broad Street to Wheatland. The lanes will then turn onto North Wheatland, and will follow Steele Avenue west to Westgate Avenue, where the path will again pick up on West Broad Street.
The approved plan is one that was supported by the Greater Hilltop Area Commission.
According to Chuck Patterson, chair of the Greater Hilltop Area Commission, the final plan is a good compromise.
“This allows the Hilltop to continue to have parking available on both sides of West Broad through the business corridor, and allows bike riders to get a more intimate feel for the Hilltop community,” said Patterson in an e-mail.
Patterson also feels the controversy and debate sparked by the issue may have been beneficial in the end.
“I believe that during this process we, as a community, built new bridges with city hall and I look forward to repeating that part of the process as we look forward to the completion of this project and many more to come,” he added.
| Comments (1) |
On June 24, 2010 Dan said:
I see that they are going to put a bike lane on Steele Ave. What they need is a round about at Steele and N. Westmoor Ave. We have a stop sign at Steele and Westmoor which nobody stops at and the speed limit is 25 mph. I would say the average speed limit of cars passing is about 40 since they resurfaced the road 2 years ago. People also use Steele Ave as an alternate road to miss the intersection at Hague/Broad. Bike Lane...maybe....Round About....much wiser.
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