Queen City Bike today sent out an email asking for help in convincing St. Bernard Service Director Phil Stegman why including a climbing lane on Mitchell Avenue between Vine Street and Reading Road is important to the area's cycling infrastructure. According to QCB, St. Bernard's engineers prefer to keep 10 feet of space for parking rather than use 8 feet for parking and include the bike lane. The city of Cincinnati, which owns half the road, needs St. Bernard to sign off on the infrastructure improvement, according to QCB.—-
Climbing lanes contribute to safer cycling conditions by marking parts of roads where cyclists will naturally be traveling at slower speeds, helping to provide awareness for cars that will pass cyclists going up hills.
Queen City Bike included a draft email to be personalized and sent to Stegman, along with St. Bernard Mayor William Burkhardt; St. Bernard Councilperson John Estep, Chair, Transportation Committee, City of St. Bernard; Councilperson Roxanne Qualls, Chair, Transportation Subcommittee, City of Cincinnati; and Queen City Bike President Frank Henson.
The following is the draft provided by QCB:
DRAFT E-MAIL MESSAGE FOR YOUR PERSONALIZATION:
E-MAIL ADDRESSES (copy into your e-mail program):
CC:
TEXT TO MODIFY:
Phil Stegman, Director, Service Department, City of St. Bernard
Dear Mr Stegman,
I am writing to urge you to work with the City of Cincinnati to add a bike lane to Mitchell Avenue by allowing 8 feet for parking rather than 10 feet on the St. Bernard side of the street.
This minor change would allow a bike lane to be added to the uphill side of Mitchell, making it possible for bicyclists to use this important street to get to and from North Avondale, Hyde Park and points east from St. Bernard, and to Cincinnati neighborhoods to the west and north. Changes have already been made or are being planned for Dana Avenue and Spring Grove, leaving Mitchell as a critical gap in the regional bicycle street network.
A bike lane would also make St. Bernard a more desirable place to live for Xavier University students who want to live in a green, healthy community that encourages and supports active lifestyles. Bicycles on the street are a sign of a desirable place to live for young people, and can be an important part of revitalizing neighborhood business districts. Clifton, Northside, and O'Bryonville are all areas where bike lanes are making a real difference.
Can you confirm that you will work with the City of Cincinnati to allow a bike lane to be added to Mitchell Avenue this year?
Sincerely,
Gary Wright
Over the Rhine, Cincinnati
Queen City Bike Board Member
CC:
Mayor William Burkhardt, City of St. Bernard
Councilperson John Estep, Chair, Transportation Committee, City of St. Bernard
Councilperson Roxanne Qualls, Chair, Transportation Subcommittee, City of Cincinnati
Frank Henson, President, Queen City Bike
