Report on Cincinnati Parks bike policies due this month

A report from the Cincinnati Parks Department on its bicycle policies is due before City Council by April 21.

The report, requested in a motion from eight of the nine councilmembers*, is expected to include an inventory of the parks' bicycle facilities and trails, as well as the department's near-term plans to improve those facilities.

It would also include all reasons for Cincinnati Parks' opposition to bike trails within the parks, with supporting data.

Mountain bike trails were mentioned specifically.

"Similar trails in surrounding jurisdictions, such as Hamilton County and Covington, have demonstrated the increased attendance and higher levels of safety associated with bike-friendly facilities, and with such a high level of interest in Cincinnati, the City would surely see the same benefits in its parks," said a statement accompanying the motion.

Local groups such as Queen City Bike, Bike/PAC and the Cincinnati Off Road Alliance have all expressed interest in mountain biking facilities in the City's parks, and have even offered volunteer labor for their planning and maintenance.

Photo credit: "Burlington Bike Trail raised portion" courtesy of Flickr user volcrano, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

* Councilmember Leslie Ghiz did not sign the motion.

Previous reading on BC:
Hamilton County Parks seek input on mountain biking (1/5/10)
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)
Devou plan meeting tonight (11/15/07)