Just as it looked like the project might be delayed for up to two years, plans to create a bike lane along Riverside Drive have gained new support.
Last week a Cincinnati City Council meeting ended with every member present in agreement that the project should move forward despite objections from the city’s Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE).
The meeting garnered significant community support, including East End residents, business owners and Queen City Bike representatives.
DOTE had recently announced that the project would be postponed in hopes of preventing traffic overflow on Riverside Drive during the upcoming construction to reconfigure parts of Interstate 471 in Northern Kentucky. Engineers had worried that construction on Riverside at the same time might cause problems for rush commuters from the East Side.
A City Council committee will likely discuss the issue and take a final vote within the next two weeks.
The bike lane project would presumably create a significant buffer between the bike lane and the road, protecting cyclists from large trucks and speeding drivers.
Cyclists say Columbia Parkway, which also
runs from the East End to downtown, is a more viable alternative for
motorists inconvenienced by I-471 construction. Speed limits on Columbia
Parkway are higher than on Riverside Drive, and there are more lanes of
traffic.
