Mayor Coleman, Congressman Steve Stivers, City Council, Local CEOs and Consider Biking Celebrate Bike To Work Week, Bikeways Projects And Gains In 2 By 2012 CEO Challenge
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
May 16, 2011
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John Ivanic, (614) 645-6798
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Mayor Coleman, Congressman Steve Stivers, City Council, Local CEOs and Consider Biking Celebrate Bike To Work Week, BikewaysProjects And Gains In 2 By 2012 CEO Challenge
To kick-off Bike To Work Week today, Mayor Michael B. Coleman, Congressman Steve Stivers, City Council Members Zachary M. Klein and Eileen Y. Paley, more than 50 local CEOs and Consider Biking celebrated Columbus bikeways projects to be built in 2011 and gains in local employees biking to work. To launch Bike To Work Week, Mayor Coleman led a caravan of bicyclists from Franklin Park Conservatory to City Hall.
“We are investing in sharrows, bike racks, bike shelters and other infrastructure that will make biking to work safer and more convenient for people,” Mayor Coleman said. “Biking to work improves the quality of life and helps make Columbus the best bicycling city in the nation.”
In 2011, the city of Columbus will invest $5.2 million in bicycling facilities,including:
305 sharrows pavement markings on 10 miles of roadways
200 bike racks
The first 18 bike shelters in Columbus at 17 locations
1.75 miles of bike paths
At least one mile of bike lanes
New Bike Sharing Kiosks (six downtown rental stations)
Completion of the Hilltop Bikeway Connector, including 1.1 miles of bike lanes, sharrow pavement markings and signage
The City in 2011 will also complete a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the Scioto River that will link the Hilltop Connector to the Scioto Trail on the opposite side of the river.
“By creating a bike friendly culture in Columbus, we are encouraging our residents to lead healthier lives and improve our environment by removing cars from our roadways,” said Councilmember Paley, chair of the Public Service & Transportation Committee. “Biking is a year-round activity with a lifetime of benefits.”
“I’m proud to represent a community of forward-thinking business leaders who understand the importance of healthy living choices," Stivers said. "By encouraging healthy behaviors,such as biking to work, we can promote the kind of choices that will keep Central Ohions healthy and lower health care costs. Biking is not only a healthy activity, but it can augment our conventional transportation sources. That's why I invited Consider Biking to a recent regional hearing of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in Columbus.”
The city of Columbus and the non-profit group Consider Biking encourage biking to work through the 2 By 2012 Initiative and CEO Challenge, which calls on business owners and their employees to bike to work at least twice a month by 2012, the City’s bicentennial year. Launched in September 2010, 2 by 2012 has been adopted by more than 80 businesses, representing more than 150,000 employees, and other bicyclists. The city’s Bicentennial Bikeways Plan also sets a 2 by 2012 goal that “citizens, government and businesses can achieve together.” The CEO Challenge is a collaborative effort by Consider Biking and the Columbus Foundation.
“2 BY 2012 is bold by design,” said Consider Biking Executive Director Jeff Stephens.
“Thanks to the vision of leaders like Mayor Coleman, Columbus is following in the footsteps of other world class cities that have created, and encouraged, active transportation opportunities. Consider Biking is honored to take this vision of creating a world-class bicycling community and make it a reality.”
Biking to work or to run errands can reduce the use of cars on trips of five miles or less. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation 2009 National Household Transportation Survey done in cooperation with League of American Bicyclists, 50% of trips made by Americans were three miles or less and 63% of trips were five miles or less.
“I am proud of the CEOs who have committed to 2 by 2012 and have encouraged their employees to do the same,” said Mayor Coleman. “Businesses that give employees the choice to bike to work attract our young professionals, help lower health care costs and make Columbus more economically competitive.”
Local employees can use new mobile application technology to track their biking to work progress. A partnership between Consider Biking and RideNet will allow bicyclists to upload the distances and other data about their rides to work, on errands or for recreation. The logged rides will provide more detailed information on distances bicyclists ride and where and how often they ride, which may help in more efficient and effective bikeways planning.
Residents can learn more about bicycling in Columbus by visiting www.publicservice.columbus/bike/. The site includes:
A link to the City’s Bicentennial Bikeways Plan
Information about bicycling safety and State and City traffic laws related to bicycling
An informational video about the City’s Bicentennial Bikeways Plan and bicycling in Columbus
The Bike Users Map of Franklin County, created through a partnership between the city of Columbus, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, the Franklin County Engineer’s Office, Consider Biking and COTA
Bicyclists can learn more about the 2 By 2012 CEO Challenge, the RideNet mobile application and other bicycle advocacy issues at www.considerbiking.org.
City of Columbus Bicycling Infrastructure Facts
In 2011, the Department of Public Service will invest $2 million in:
305 sharrows pavement markings on 10 miles of roadways
200 bike racks
The first 18 bike shelters in Columbus at 17 locations
Completion of the Hilltop Bikeway Connector that includes
A combination of bike lanes, sharrow pavement markings and bike route signs on 1.1 miles of roadways.
The 1.1 mile of roadways include:
Harper Road, between McKinley Avenue and North Highland Avenue
North Highland Avenue, between Harper Road and Valleyview Drive
Valleyview Drive, between North Highland Avenue and North Eureka Avenue
North Eureka Avenue between Valleyview Avenue and Westwood Avenue (the Hilltop Connector continues on North Eureka Avenue to West Broad Street)
This is combined with the opening of a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge connecting McKinley Avenue with the Scioto Bike Trail on the north side Scioto River
One mile of additional bike lanes:
0.5 mile of new bike lanes on Harper Road between McKinley Avenue and North Highland Avenue (part of the Hilltop Bikeway Connector)
0.5 mile of new bike lanes in and around the Parsons and Livingston intersection
Livingston Avenue between Kennedy Place and 17th Street
Parsons Avenue between Denton Alley and Moobery Street
In 2011, the Recreation and Parks Department:
Will invest $3.2 million in City capital improvement funds and $2 million federal funds in 1.75 miles of bike paths:
1 mile of the Alum Creek Trail
0.5 mile of the Scioto Trail
0.25 mile the Harrison West Connector
New Bike Sharing Kiosks (6 downtown rental stations)
Through partnerships:
With The Ohio State University, will construct 0.5 miles of bike path in the Olentangy River Road bikeway, between Lane Avenue and Dodridge Street
With Metroparks, will construct 2.25 miles of bike path in the Hines Road Bikeway
Bikeway bridge improvements and connections:
Dodridge Street bridge over the Olentangy River (partnership with the Franklin County Engineer’s Office)
Livingston Avenue over Big Walnut Creek (partnership with the Franklin County Engineer’s Office)
Since the city of Columbus implemented its Bicentennial Bikeways Plan in 2008, the city has invested $5.3 million in bikeways projects, including:
Department of Public Service has invested $4.5 million in projects:
Installed Share the Road signs on 19.6 miles of roadways, including:
North High Street between Nationwide Boulevard and Morse Road
West Broad Street between Central and Hague Avenues
Milton Avenue Bike Boulevard, between Como Avenue and Northmoor Place
Installed sharrow pavement markings on 17.8 miles of roadways, including:
North High Street between Nationwide Boulevard and Morse Road
Lockbourne Road, between Livingston Avenue and Frebis Avenue
Installed Bike Boulevard pavement markings on roadways:
Wheatland Avenue/Steele Avenue/Westgate Avenue Bike Boulevard
Milton Avenue Bike Boulevard, between Como Avenue and Northmoor Place
Installed bike lanes on 6.4 miles of roadways, including:
Morse Road, between I-71 and Cleveland Avenue
West Broad Street, between Central Avenue and Hague Avenue
Lockbourne Road, between Groveport Road and S.R. 104
Hard Road, between S.R. 315 and Smoky Row Road
Roberts Road, between I-270 and Hilliard-Rome Road
Installed signs designating streets as designated bicycle routes on 12.7 miles of roadways, including:
Olentangy to Alum Creek East-West Bikeways Connector
Scioto to Alum Creek East-West Bikeways Connector
Installed 286 bike racks around Columbus
The Recreation and Parks Department has:
Invested $800,000 in City capital improvement funds and $3.4 million in federal in four miles of bike paths:
Three miles of Alum Creek Trail (near east side and towards Easton)
One mile of Scioto and Blacklick Trails
In addition to the city of Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, the city’s regional partners since 2008 constructed the following bike paths that connect to Columbus bicycle facilities:
City of Gahanna: 1.5 miles
City of Grove City: 1 mile
City of Dublin: 1.5 miles
Delaware County: 2 miles
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