Safe Routes Partnership Selects Bike Cleveland to Help Improve Lakefront Park Access
Safe Routes Partnership Selects Bike Cleveland to Help Improve Lakefront Park Access
Cleveland, Ohio, March 1, 2021—From a competitive pool of nationwide applicants, the Safe Routes Partnership has selected Bike Cleveland to join Safe Routes to Parks Activating Communities, a technical assistance program focused on improving safe and equitable local park access. As part of the program, Cleveland will be among seven diverse communities across the country to receive training and coaching from the Safe Routes Partnership to develop an action plan for improving active travel to local parks and green spaces and implement early actions from their plan. The initiative is funded by The JPB Foundation.
Safe Routes to Parks initiatives work to improve safety and security for people walking, bicycling and rolling to parks and green spaces. This need is especially pronounced in neighborhoods and communities lacking infrastructure to support safe walking and bicycling; where violence and crime are prevalent; and where high rates of weight-related chronic disease are prevalent. Bike Cleveland’s application focused on improving the safety and attractiveness of two key corridors between the St. Clair Superior neighborhood and the East Side Lakefront Park and multi-purpose trail managed by Cleveland Metroparks. The Safe Routes to Parks Activating Communities program aims to remove barriers that make it hard for people to enjoy the physical, social, and mental health benefits that parks offer and proactively work toward ensuring safe, secure access to parks and open spaces. Over the long term, with increased safety and accessibility, Safe Routes to Parks seeks to increase park usage and improve health for people of all ages, races, abilities, and income levels.
“Cleveland Metroparks looks forward to building on the work of the Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resilience Study (CHEERS) to bring residents to the Lakefront Reservation. We look forward to working closely with the Bike Cleveland team to optimize community engagement on behalf of our symbiotic efforts.” – Brian Zimmerman, CEO, Cleveland Metroparks.
About the Safe Routes Partnership—The Safe Routes to School National Partnership advances safe walking and bicycling to and from schools, to improve the health and wellbeing of kids of all races, income levels and abilities, and to foster the creation of healthy communities for everyone. For more information, please visit saferoutespartnership.org.