Car Less Ohio

Promoting the bicycling lifestyle in The Buckeye State

Monthly Archives: March 2009

Regional Bike Hub to be built in Dayton

Construction is set to begin on a regional bicycle hub in downtown Dayton, Ohio. The project is part of the third phase of the RiverScape park project, which also includes a covered outdoor entertainment pavilion that will convert to an ice rink in the winter.

The bike hub aims to provide facilities for daily commuters, as well as recreational users of the area’s 270 miles of trails. The hub will have secure bike storage, lockers, restrooms, and showers.

Official ground-breaking is scheduled for April 7, with expected completion in the spring of 2010. Read the full story by Steve Bennish of the Dayton Daily News.

Sharrows coming to Cincinnati streets

Following in the footsteps of Akron, Cincinnati is planning to paint “sharrows” on some of its streets, according to an article by Jane Prendergast of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Student candidate proposes campus Share-a-Bike program

One of the candidates for the University of Toledo student government president has proposed a Share-a-Bike program as one way to alleviate parking and congestion problems on the campus. You can read the full article by Randiah Green of The Independent Collegian.

Bicycle Friendly America

The League of American Bicyclists, who normally evaluate cities and award various levels of “Bicycle Friendly City” designations, has published a ranking of US states. Go to:

http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/

Click on a state to see its ranking a description of the reasons behind each ranking. A list of bicycle friendly cities in each state, if any, is provided with each state listing. 

Ohio ranks 34 out of 50. Reasons for Ranking: Ohio has a routine accomodation policy adopted in 2005, but no bike master plan and bicycling enforcement is not a police academy or POST training requirement.

Currently there are no cities in Ohio that have been designated as bicycle friendly communities by the League of American Bicyclists.

New bike trail approved near Hudson

Dorothy Markulis of the Hudson Hub-Times reports that the local planning commission has approved the design of a new half-mile bike and hike trail in Hudson, near the Ohio Turnpike. The article, titled Trail near Turnpike approved…again, details problems with the trail since its first approval in 2006, and the difficulties in planning the layout to address concerns of nearby wetlands, as well as adjacent residential property.

Columbus bike safety maps – drafts available

Dean Narciso of the Columbus Dispatch reports that the initial drafts of new bicycle safety maps for Columbus are available for public comment. The maps can be viewed online in two sections, representing the Northern and Southern portions of the city.

The maps are a collaboration of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), the city of Columbus, the Franklin County Engineer, the Central Ohio Transit Authority, and Consider Biking.

Bridge construction to begin for Chillicothe bike path

The Chillicothe Gazette reports today that work is schedule to begin on Monday, March 9, 2009 of a new bridge for the bike path that crosses State Route 104 near the northern edge of the city. Full story…

New bike path approved in Tipp City

The Dayton Daily News reports that the city council of Tipp City has selected one of 17 bids from contractors for the construction of a bike path in Kyle Park. Construction is planned to begin on April 1 of this year.