by Brad Horton ‘15
When I first saw the bike lane, getting off I-90 for Senior Orientation, I was irritated. The bike lane had taken up the entire right, reducing West 41st street to a one lane road. This was more annoying to me than the horrendous potholes that formerly plagued the road, but I figured that at least this lane would open up an opportunity for the bikers in Ohio City.
Since that ill-fated thought, I have not seen one biker use the bike lane when I take West 41st in the morning. Because this lane is a bike only lane, there is no opportunity to alleviate traffic in the mornings when no one is using this lane. The lane should have been constructed so that it can be used by both cars and bikes. It is obvious that the proper research was not done when planning the new headache to West 41st Street.
A bike lane makes sense in place where you can bike year-round, but Cleveland is certainly not a place where you can bike for the entire year. The snow and the freezing temperatures are major impediments to bikes and their owners.
West 41st was already crowded to begin with. With the proximity to the highway, parking on both sides of the street, and the occasional road hazard like potholes or signs; this bike lane made an already congested and dangerous road even more congested and dangerous.
I understand the need for an up-and-coming neighborhood like Ohio City to keep up with the latest fads like biking, but there is better way to make the roads more bike friendly. Why not expand the road or start the bike at a larger and more frequented road like Loraine Avenue? It is great that Ohio City is becoming more biker friendly, but that change should not drastically affect the commutes of car drivers.
