By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green City Engineer Jason Sisco admitted the city map showing a handful of yellow streets as possible bike routes didn’t look like much. But it was a start – and that’s what bicyclists have been seeking for years.
During a Complete Streets meeting held by the Transportation and Safety Committee prior to the City Council meeting Tuesday evening, the first steps were introduced to make a few streets more accommodating for bicyclists. Complete Streets is a concept that calls for roads to be safe and accessible for all modes of travel – including bikes.
The city adopted a long range plan in 2007, identifying several streets to become more bike-friendly. But that’s where it stopped when money got tight. “It went on the back burner,” city council member Sandy Rowland said.
A community meeting this past summer brought together cyclists talking about the risks of riding in Bowling Green. They identified several streets they would like to see improved for bicyclists.
“We certainly had a loud and clear message,” Rowland said. “They were tired of waiting.”
Council member Daniel Gordon agreed, saying the city needs “at least one street we are working on in earnest.”
And council member John Zanfardino said bicyclists have told him they will gravitate to safer roads – and any improvements are better than doing nothing.
The Bicycle Safety Commission helped by narrowing down the street list to the top six that should be made more bike-friendly. Those streets were Conneaut, Fairview, Court, Clough, Pearl and Maple.
During Tuesday’s Complete Streets meeting, that number was narrowed further to the top three. Conneaut and Fairview were selected because those streets are on the city’s paving project list for next year. Court was selected because of its link between the university and the downtown.
“It’s a starting point, something manageable,” Sisco said.
But they aren’t cheap. The city applied for funding to resurface Conneaut and Fairview in 2017. However, officials did not include any bicycle accommodations in the project. So, the city will have to pay for those additions.
For Conneaut and Fairview, that extra price tag adds up to about $250,000. And the proposal discussed Tuesday evening includes a complicated combination of routes. It starts at Fairview and Poe roads by widening the sidewalks on the east side of Fairview to 6 feet. Then it crosses the street between Liberty and Evers to the west side of Fairview.
After the meeting, Sisco said the city rejected the idea to add space for bikes on the west side of Fairview since it could pose a risk to have the riders so close to golfers at the Bowling Green Country Club. Putting a barrier between the golf course and bike lane could be quite costly.
On Conneaut, the plan suggests that on-street parking be removed east of Fairview Avenue, that sharrows (bike arrows painted on the pavement) be added to Haskins Road, then a side path from Haskins to Wintergarden Road, then more sharrows west of Wintergarden.
“Folks will not be happy about losing parking,” Sisco warned. “Some of these will be hot button items that from an engineering point are easy to solve,” but can be a political hot potato, he said.
Gordon suggested that the city also work on making Court Street more accessible for bikes.
“In terms of cost, Court is probably the easiest to do,” he said. But it would require the city to eliminate the on-street parking on Court Street. The street would need some pavement repairs and striping for bike lanes, Sisco said. He will work on cost estimates for Court Street.
Mayor Dick Edwards expressed his support of Court Street being modified since it would create a connection between BGSU and the city’s downtown.
Sisco was also asked to look beyond those three streets, to get ballpark figures for other possible bike routes. But Sisco said he needed more direction from council on what type of bike accommodations they prefer.
“We’re chasing our tail, putting a bunch of numbers together,” he said.
During the council meeting following the Complete Streets meeting, one frequent bicyclist, Rick Busselle, expressed disappointment that city officials have not planned for bicycle accommodations. Roads are repaved, but no provisions have been added for cyclists, despite a city plan stating the importance.
Busselle referred to the cost of the Conneaut and Fairview accommodations that the city will have to pay for since it was not part of the original funding request. He asked why bike accommodation are an afterthought rather than part of the planning process.
“Lack of foresight maybe ought to be expensive,” he said.
He questioned the city’s reliance on widening sidewalks or adding painted arrows on the roads to create bike routes. He cited U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration research that showed sidewalks and sharrows can be dangerous for bikers.
Busselle said that most drivers in Bowling Green are polite and move over for bikers – unless there is oncoming traffic. “If there’s something coming, you’re out of luck.”
The next meeting on the Complete Streets issue will be held Oct. 3, at 6 p.m., prior to the 7 p.m. council meeting.
