Annual Meeting: Chapter Review

While Bike Cleveland works on advocacy for the greater Cleveland region, we also have chapters that work on specific communities that help us cover a larger area. These chapters focus on the details and specific issues unique to their area, plus host events and foster ridership locally. Like us, they saw limited opportunities for outreach in 2020, but here are some updates as we look forward.

Bike Brecksville

Moving forward, for 2021, we are going to focus on our chapter’s health. We will be checking in with our members, reconnecting, and building bridges within the community. We will be focusing on education and skill-building, equipping our members with the tools to make those connections and energize our neighbors to work together towards a bicycle and pedestrian friendly community. Connect with Bike Brecksville on Facebook if you want to get involved!

Bike Euclid

Though we really missed holding our ‘Explore Your Ward” rides with our City Councilpeople, and our Annual Bike to the Beach and Campout, and our community outreach at the East 200th Street Stroll, we look to reinvigorate 2021 with those and other events when it’s safe this year to do so.

It was a solid year for planning, though, and the City of Euclid and the Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works have together committed $1,000,000 to improvements on Lake Shore Boulevard in Downtown Euclid. The City will install much-needed ‘pedestrian refuges’ across the five-lane road in two locations, and will extend East 228th Street to the north side of Lake Shore Boulevard that will add a new driveway entrance and all-purpose trail into Sims Park. The new all-purpose trail will provide a bike/ped connection to the nearly completed Waterfront Trail.
Euclid is one of the six lakefront communities participating in the Cuyahoga County Lakefront Public Access Plan, and the Euclid Waterfront Trail is the model that other communities can emulate to create better active transportation connections to the lakefront countywide. You can follow the plan at www.countyplanning.us/lakefront. The first Virtual Public Information Meeting is being held at 7:00 PM on Thursday, January 28th (details on the webpage).

Bike Lakewood

While we weren’t able to hold many of our favorite Bike Lakewood events in 2020 – like Family Bike Rides, Kidical Mass, Bike Rodeos, and Bike to Work Day – some great things happened in 2020. We now have Bike Lanes on Lake Avenue! 

There are even Bike Boxes, and we made a video! 

It was great to see so many people out riding the new bike lanes. Hopefully there will be future improvements as a part of building the Cuyahoga Greenways to make these bike lanes safer for all ages and abilities, and make connections on Lake outside of Lakewood. It’s those connections that make us grateful to our parent, Bike Cleveland, for pointing out and advocating to fix gaps in our bike network!. 

While we were sad to need to cancel the normal Cranksgiving this year, it was good to get out and participate in Random Acts of Brightness, passing out some bike lights to folks who needed them. 

We have big hopes for 2021. Of course, when it is safe to do so, we can’t wait to get back to holding some events in Lakewood. Until then, there is a lot to keep an eye on in Lakewood biking. 

First, Bike Lakewood is excited to announce beginning in 2021  we will be holding an annual Cranksgiving along with a Random Acts of Brightness event in our city.  These events will be held in conjunction with the Bike Cleveland events, but will be hosted in Lakewood by Bike Lakewood.

Second,  in early 2021, the City of Lakewood plans to bid the construction contract for pedestrian and bicycling improvements to the Detroit-Sloane intersection, which will include a continuation of the bike path from Rocky River Reservation Metropark entrance along Detroit Ave to Graber Dr.

Also, the city will likely be holding public input meetings for the upcoming Hilliard Rd resurfacing project. The city expects to have “decision about adding bike lanes coming next fall.” So we will need your help to advocate for the best possible bike lanes. 

And there are even more exciting bike lane plans in the works! In December, Cuyahoga County Planning, Lakewood, and Rocky River showed the latest in their Community Confluence planning study. The plans create strong biking and walking connections between Lakewood, the Metropark, and Rocky River. A protected bike path along Riverside overlooking the valley (to connect to the Detroit-Sloane path extension planed in 2021); A bike path connection from Riverside to the Clifton blvd extension protected bike lanes and the Lake ave lanes; a multi-use path down Hogsback into the Metropark! These things and more will be in the plan. But these are plans without funding, and it is up to all of us to advocate for these biking and walking improvements and make sure they happen! 

Please send us a private message on our Facebook page if you would like to get more involved in Bike Lakewood!

Bike Parma

2020 was a difficult year for Bike Parma due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. While we didn’t have any physical events, we do see 2021 as a much brighter outlook for the cycling community here in Parma. One highlight of note that did happen, was our individual Cranksgiving on behalf of Bike Parma. Our chapter was able to gather close to $300 in donations, which was used to purchase a wide variety of food, toiletries and other essentials that families in need could use, all donated to the Parma Hunger Center.

Looking ahead for 2021 we hope to utilize the Cleveland Metroparks, Westcreek Reservation Mountain Bike Course for more community events that are exciting and educational for people of all ages. Additionally we’ve discussed co-hosting events with other chapters where we can hold various length rides in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park along the towpath. Other areas we hope to be involved with more, is getting in front of Parma officials to address cycling safety on our city’s roadways.

To get involved with Bike Parma, please reach out to Jessica Cola via our Bike Parma Facebook page or colajess@gmail.com.

Heights Bicycle Coalition

The Heights Bicycle Coalition officially became a Bike Cleveland chapter in 2020! We are thrilled to be new members, and though we wanted to celebrate this news in person, we are hopeful for additional opportunities to connect in 2021. Please email chbikecoalition@gmail.com for additional information or to get involved in Cleveland Heights, University Heights, Shaker Heights, and South Euclid.

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