City Council approves plan to build 487-mile Columbus bikeway

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Columbus is moving forward with a long-term plan to make cycling more accessible by building a 487-mile network of bike lanes, trails and paths across the city.

City Council voted unanimously on Monday to approve "Bike Plus," a plan that will build 189 miles of on-street bikeways, 270 miles of shared-use paths, and 28 miles of urban trails and greenways. In the proposal, Mayor Andrew Ginther wrote that Bike Plus "lays the groundwork for connections to make it safe, comfortable and convenient for people of all abilities, ages and backgrounds to bike."

"The Plan supports infrastructure and policies for getting around by bike and similar forms of transportation, like e-bikes, scooters, skateboards and rollerblades," Ginther said. "These travel options are inexpensive, result in fewer vehicles on our roadways and reduce unhealthy emissions in our growing city."

Before Bike Plus was approved, the city began testing the feasibility of a protected bike lane by installing three types of barriers along East Broad Street. One barrier is a visual deterrent, while the other two aid in keeping swerving tires away from the lane. Over the next year, the city will monitor and see which barrier is the safest.

Brian Ashworth, a transportation planning manager for the city, commutes to work almost daily using the East Broad Street lane. He said the Columbus community needs to evaluate different modes of transportation and, as a father, feels safer biking with his kids in tow in the protected lane.

"My kids are at the forefront of my thinking when I’m riding on something like that," he said. "I mean, I have definitely taken my kids along East Broad in these protected bike lanes."

Taking steps like evaluating the East Broad Street lane means implementing Bike Plus will be a multi-year process that "hinges on collaboration, funding, feasibility and ongoing performance tracking." Columbus has identified 20 miles of bikeways that will be prioritized over the next five years, including some "Quick Build" projects that use low-cost materials for faster implementation.

Some potential projects that will be explored for a Quick Build include:

• Protected bike lane on North Fourth Street from Warren Avenue to Hudson Street.
• Protected Bike Lane on Frebis Avenue from Lockbourne Road to Alum Creek Drive.
• Protected intersections along the existing protected bike lane on Summit Street from East Eleventh Avenue to East Hudson Street.

Bike Plus will also connect to the Capital Line, a two-mile pathway for pedestrians and cyclists that will snake through downtown around the Ohio Statehouse.

City Council said Bike Plus is needed given the city hasn't updated a bikeway plan since 2008's "Bicentennial Bikeways Plan," and central Ohio is anticipated to add nearly 1 million people by 2050. The proposal also argues Columbus is an ideal biking city due to flat land and an already-existing trail system.

"Many people already bike. scoot and roll for fun and to get around. These modes are cheap and produce low emissions," the plan states. "Because of this, Bike Plus can help address challenges like traffic safety, congestion, climate change and socioeconomic inequity."