Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Bike lanes added to Dana Avenue

A recent resurfacing project has led to the addition of new bicycle lanes along a portion of Dana Avenue, part of the City of Cincinnati's attempts to create a more bike-friendly city.

Located between Madison Road and Grigg Avenue in Hyde Park, the new five-foot wide, striped lanes were created from the seven-lane roadway's right-of-way, reducing Dana Avenue to five vehicle lanes.

"The City is working to utilize every opportunity we can to install bicycle facilities," said Michael Moore, the City's interim director of the Department of Transportation and Engineering. "Dana Avenue was an especially cost-effective opportunity for us because the street was already being repaved as part of the City's Street Rehabilitation Program."

Cincinnati currently is working on a new bicycle master plan, which should be completed next summer.

The $5 million project will overhaul the City's bicycle infrastructure, including improved trails and bike routes, wayfinding signage, sharrows, bike parking and racks, and programs of bicycle safety and awareness.

The lanes also are part of the City's new "road diet approach" to transportation, creating streets that can accommodate bicycles, pedestrians, and other modes of transit – not just automobiles.

Photo courtesy of the City of Cincinnati.

Previous reading on BC:
Large turnout for bicycle planning open house (10/12/09)
Interactive OKI bike route guide now online (7/15/09)
Initiatives serve to improve Cincinnati's environment (6/9/09)
Dohoney: Spring Grove bike lanes need more study (5/14/09)
OKI updates bike plan, Cincinnati's moving forward (5/5/09)