Cleveland needs to “name and claim” bike progress

This article original appeared on GCBL.org and was written by Marc Lefkowitz. 

Cleveland will paint more bike lanes this summer than at any time in its 217-year history. It may be premature to call it a bike boom, but it is appropriate to call it by some other name.

This Friday, Cleveland will complete the resurfacing and bike lanes started by Cleveland Heights up Edgehill Road (sharrows will be painted on the downhill side). After “The Avengers” finishes wiping evil off the Shoreway and side streets, the city will paint bike lanes on Detroit Avenue from W. 25th Street to the border of Lakewood.

The city has signed off on bike lanes for W. 41st and W. 44th streets in Ohio City, on E. 22nd Street through the campus of Cleveland State University, on Fleet Avenue and on Triskett Road, to name a few.

Bike advocacy created a voice for this change, and bolstered the city when it faces opposition. When Bike Cleveland and GreenCityBlueLake advocated for bike lanes on Madison Avenue and on W. 65th Street this spring, reception to the idea — and the possibility that they’ll get done — are far more real today than in the past. The city should take credit for its recent evolution and open mindedness to bike facilities. Since the passage of Complete Streets, a new attitude is emerging at the city — what appears to be an acceptance that bikes belong on the road. For example, realizing that city crews will be painting sharrows on Edgehill Road this Saturday, GCBL, Bike Cleveland, and University Circle, Inc. asked if they could continue painting sharrows on Cornell Road to connect with Euclid. The city responded quickly and positively…Read the entire article on GCBL.org.