Comments on: Capital Crossroads Announces New Biking Facilities

By: Walker

Walker — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:52:47 +0000

Downtown bicycle facilities considered Monday, December 14, 2009 BY DAVE HENDRICKS THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The drive to make Columbus more bicycle-friendly is shifting into gear as enthusiasts and officials decide how to use a $490,000 federal grant from a program aimed at improving energy efficiency and conservation. A proposal by the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District calls for four shelters and three "secure parking" areas for bicycles Downtown. Bike lockers and parking areas in five Downtown garages also are under consideration. READ MORE

By: kessler

kessler — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:36:39 +0000

Nice!
I would still like the creation of a bike trail that goes from the existing one off of Eurika and then follows the flood wall to meet up with the one at souder. ( would als be nice if this one would also meet up with grandview ave.)

By: Walker

Walker — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:43:39 +0000

jmathews5 Says: like Walker stated, for some reason biking initiatives canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t seem to more forward, simultaneously. That's not what I said. Or at least not what I meant. We've got the Bicentennial Bikeways Plan and this new Downtown Facilities plan that are both moving forward simultaneously. Some of the folks earlier in this conversation are stated that they'd rather see one before the other. I'm saying that we are getting both.

By: jmathews5

jmathews5 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:31:51 +0000

I was real happy to open up my email earlier this week and read about the SID grant for bike amenities. However, frustration continues to overwhelm me just b/c like Walker stated, for some reason biking initiatives can’t seem to more forward, simultaneously.

By: yaybikes

yaybikes — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:23:30 +0000

Well said, Walker. It’s a slow process and can be frustrating to sit by and watch. The key thing is that the wheels are finally moving on these initiatives.

In the mean time, consider sending us an email [info@yaybikes.com] about future LAB courses to help gain confidence on the road ways. We are working hard to support the efforts of our local LCIs.

By: Walker

Walker — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:05:07 +0000

Guys, the Bicentennial Bikeways Plan is already in the process of adding new bike lanes, bike paths, bike routes, along with signage and other safety and educational components. There's absolutely no reason why we can't have both of these separate biking initiatives moving forward simultaneously. If you want to know more about the delay with the Bikeways plan, check out our recent podcast with Jeff Stephens who specifically addresses the budgetary issues earlier this year and how they delayed getting the program started.

By: serota

serota — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:35:01 +0000

I’m with JedThorp. I’ve never had a problem locking up my bike, but every time I ride I have a problem with the road – anything from drivers not paying attention to people opening car doors to pedestrians not looking for me. I don’t understand why streets like High, 4th and Summit don’t have bike lanes when so many people use them every day to commute by bike. This is why people often ride their bikes on sidewalks, sometimes the wrong way, which is illegal and super dangerous.

What’s the hold up?

By: buxton26

buxton26 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:28:42 +0000

This is great news!
Now OSU needs to take some steps to make campus a more bike friendly place, especially for their faculty and staff that commute.

By: JedThorp

JedThorp — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:23:23 +0000

That’s good to hear, but I’d rather see $$$ spent on developing safer bike LANES and designated bike ROUTES through town (on streets that make sense…with good signage). This is the one area where, from a biking perspective, I still feel other cities trump Columbus.

By: surber17

surber17 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:08:56 +0000

490,000 dollars is a lot of money …. I’d like to see the breakdown on where it goes.

By: lifeontwowheels

lifeontwowheels — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:08:28 +0000

Another solution would be a commuter station with shower stalls, clothes lockers and bike storage.

Maybe I need to change to a business major and scope out some downtown real estate.

By: askmrlee

askmrlee — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:45:48 +0000

Excellent! Now Capital Crossroads, please take note: The best way to ruin a bike locker program is to assign one user per locker with a key system. http://www.bikelink.org has a great program on the West coast. You pay $20 for a smart card and you can use bike lockers among different transit agencies. The rates are ridiculously low like free for the first 5 hours and 3 to 5 cents afterwards with a 5 day max. This forces locker turnover and increased utilization and encourages casual riders. The problem with the old system is that there were waiting lists for lockers that never cleared and casual bike riders don’t want to lock their bike all day on a rack.

By: lifeontwowheels

lifeontwowheels — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:27:21 +0000

^ That is the one thing the parking meters are good for.

By: CheeseFoodie

CheeseFoodie — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:25:15 +0000

Absolutely fabulous, no more locking my bike to a trash can downtown!

By: rdysetdisco

rdysetdisco — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:39:48 +0000