Cleveland commits to 50 miles of protected bike lanes
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Cleveland will build 50 miles of protected bike lanes over the next three years, city leaders and transportation advocates recently pledged.
Why it matters: The commitment is part of a new five-year multimodal transportation plan called "Cleveland Moves," which Mayor Justin Bibb has long pursued to make it safer and easier to walk, bike and take public transit across the city.
Zoom in: The bike lanes were the plan's topline announcement — creating 50 miles of "high-comfort bikeways" means adding physical separation to existing bike lanes and restriping streets to add new ones.
- The city already has about 60 miles and the long-term vision is for a network of over 250 miles.
Additional improvements will include:
- 🚸 Over 100 new speed tables in 2025 to enhance traffic calming.
- 🚲 Converting 150+ parking meter poles to bike racks.
- 🛴 Over 70 new hubs for e-bikes and electric scooters.
What they're saying: "This plan emphasizes systemic changes and quick build solutions for bicycle connectivity that allow us to do more, do it faster, and make adjustments as needed," said Calley Mersmann, the City Planning Commission director, in a statement.
One fun thing: Beyond the new infrastructure, Cleveland will begin offering City Hall employees subsidized monthly RTA passes — unlimited rides for just $19 per month.
Flashback: Bibb made safer streets a plank of his 2021 mayoral campaign.
- As he runs for reelection this year, he'll be able to tout the Cleveland Moves plan alongside the Vision Zero initiative (launched in 2022 to eliminate traffic fatalities) and the Complete and Green Streets Ordinance (which seeks to incorporate alternative transit elements in street design).