Politics & Government

Lakewood: Bicycle Capital of Ohio?

City officials release plan that analyzes bike-friendliness in Lakewood.

A plan to make Lakewood “one of the most bike-friendly communities in the country” is right on track.

On Monday, city released the findings from its — which included a comprehensive analysis that examined bike traffic in Lakewood.

The also lays out a few recommendations.

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During the past year, the city hosted community workshops, conducted surveys and carried out bike traffic counts. City officials have spent the past couple months talking to business leaders and schools officials.

The studies outlined what city officials already suspected.

Find out what's happening in Lakewoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“The bicycle counts showed us very clearly,” said Dru Siley, the city’s director of planning and development. “In Lakewood, bicycling is not alternative transportation, it’s just part of our transportation.”

 A recent traffic count at the intersection of Detroit and Andrews avenues saw an “astronomical” number of pedestrians and cyclists.

During one six-hour period, there were — count ‘em — 1,100 pedestrians and about 300 bikes at that intersection.

Not really much of a surprise for a city that ranked No. 1 in the state for bikeability, according to the American Community Survey.

”How do we make it even better to bike in Lakewood?” Siley said. “We’ve crafted a plan that makes recommendations to improve the overall bicycling environment.”

The next step, he said, is to get feedback from the community.

“We want the community to have some input on this draft,” he said, adding that another community workshop is slated for this year to discuss the plans.

One idea that Siley floated was to include a bike-friendly element to the proposed project to .

Another idea making its way around is to construct bike racks at area businesses, with business owners possibly sharing the costs.

The long-term goal, Siley said, is to become one of the most bike-friendly communities in the state  — as well as North America. 

“What we’re really doing is building on the assets we have right now,” Siley said. “Roads aren’t just for cars — they’re for bikes, too.”

to check out the complete proposal.


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