Action Alert: Lake Avenue

The City of Cleveland is seeking feedback about the design of Lake Avenue from Detroit to W. 117th. See the bottom of this post for how to submit feedback.

The city is proposing the following for Lake Avenue:

• From W. 117th to West Blvd:
  • The final lane use will include a single travel lane in each direction, a two-way left turn lane, and a parking lane on one side of the street. No dedicated bicycle facility.
• From West Blvd to Clifton: 
  • The final lane use will include a single travel lane in each direction and a parking lane on both the north and south sides of the street. No dedicated bicycle facility.
  • A pedestrian refuge median is proposed for W. 110th.
• From Clifton to Detroit:
  • Two vehicle lanes with one side of street parking.
  • Bike lanes will be installed in both directions and will include a buffer on the street parking side.
  • Pedestrian refuge medians will be installed at W. 78th & W. 85th and from Clifton Blvd to Viking Court.
  • Crosswalk flashing beacons will be installed at W. 78th & W. 85th.
• Sidewalk, ADA-compliant curb ramps and drive aprons will be improved as necessary.

While we appreciate that the plan includes a bike lane on Lake Avenue from Detroit to Clifton (incorporating much of the community led Lake Ave Master Plan which was adopted by the City Planning Commission in November 2019), the City proposed plan leaves a gap in the our bike network. 

The Lake Avenue project is 1.71 miles long.  Bike facilities and mid-block crosswalks are only planned for less than a half-mile of the project.  The balance of the project, over 70%, has zero bicycle facilities proposed.

Lake Avenue is included in the Cuyahoga Greenways Plan, is a priority for Cuyahoga County in their Lakefront Connectivity Study, and is on NOACA’s Regional Priority Bike Plan, which says on page 3 “the roads included in the plan will take priority for the development of bicycle facilities that serve riders of all ages with different skill levels.”

We are asking you to join us in submitting feedback on the Lake Avenue project. Tell decision makers to follow existing plans and make all of Lake Avenue a safe street by:

• Adding a safe bicycle & pedestrian facility from Clifton to W. 117th to meet the planned Lakefront Greenway outlined in the Cuyahoga Greenways Plan (this would tie into the bike lanes proposed on Lake Ave from Clifton to Detroit).
• Including green paint in the bike lanes to highlight to motorists that it is a bike lane, not a parking/passing lane.
• Continuing bike lane striping to and thru the intersections (similar to Lake Avenue in Lakewood).
• Including bump-outs in the design at Desmond, W. 87th, and W. 78th as outlined in the Lake Avenue Masterplan.
• Installing a crosswalk at W. 87th/Desmond and Lake Avenue (included as an option in the Lake Avenue Master Plan and presented to the City Planning Commission on 11/15/2019)
• Including traffic calming measures at the Lake/Clifton intersection. We understand that this intersection is not part of the project, but there have been a number of serious and fatal crashes at Lake/Clifton and safety improvements are needed.

These improvements to the design will make the corridor safer for people biking and walking. We need to connect our bike network.

Join us in advocating for a safe, connected bike network by sharing our proposed changes to the design on the project website.