Cyclists in Cleveland gathered Wednesday to celebrate the opening of a new, protected bike lane on Detroit Avenue, and to advocate for more like it.
In Ohio City, on the city's near West Side, the bike lane now features a painted bike path along with newly added heavy-duty plastic bollards to keep cyclists separated from oncoming vehicles in the roadway.
As the city works to finish plans for large-scale bike paths on Superior and Lorain avenues, simple separated bikeways help keep cyclists and pedestrians safe, said Jenna Thomas, Bike Cleveland's advocacy and policy manager.
"We love to see the really high-quality bike infrastructure, but we also really want to see things happen this year," she said. "So, we need to rely more on these quick-built separated bike lanes to do that."
Creating new safe bike lanes or adding barriers to protect current bikeways will bring more cyclists and help reduce carbon emissions in Cleveland, Thomas said.
In Cleveland, there have been 41 traffic-related fatalities as of June 30, according to Vision Zero Cleveland.
"So far this year, we have lost ten people to traffic violence that were biking and walking. That's already more than we lost all of last year," Thomas said. " It's very clear that the issue is not going away, and we need to make physical changes to our roadway to make them safer."
Cyclist Stevie Poutz lives in Ohio City. Though the separated bike lane on Detroit Avenue is new, she said she can already feel the difference when riding alongside fast-moving vehicles.
"I bike about every day. So ... it's nice just having the extra layer of protection with the reflectors so people see you, especially during mornings and wintertime because we know it's dark around here," she said. "And just any layer of protection makes you a bit more confident on the roads."
Julia Mettler-Grove cycled to the rally from work. Cycling in Cleveland taught her to be brave, she said, in situations where she's endured catcalling or encounters with vehicles driving too close or too fast.
When a motorist sees a cyclist on the road, the best thing to do is to slow down and give them room, Mettler-Grove said.
"Whenever you pass a cyclist and you're in a vehicle, even if that means that there's cars passing on the other lane, you have to slow down," she said. "That's what you have to do just to keep them safe."
