Tag: Cincinnati

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Development News

Dog Parks Can Improve Livability of Cincinnati’s Urban Neighborhoods

The Trust for Public Land recently ranked the nation’s largest cities based on the number of dog parks available to their residents. Cincinnati fared well, coming in at #15 with 1.2 dog parks per 100,000 residents (73kb PDF) out of the 75 total cities examined.

Dog parks provide dog owners living in the city a spot where they can bring their canine friend to do their business. A secondary, and equally important, role to dog parks is the social component. Dogs and their owners alike often use their trips to the dog park as a way to socialize and interact with other dogs and owners.

This social component provides that always desired community feel as people become bonded to their neighbors through shared experiences. In the city, it also puts more “eyes on the street,” and creates a sense of vibrancy that might not be there if the owners kept themselves and their dogs cooped up inside their urban dwelling unit.

A rather large example of a good urban dog park in NYC – Source

So while Cincinnati fares well with the overall dog parks per 100,000 residents analysis, it fails in the very neighborhoods that dog parks would provide this dual benefit. Aside from the Pet Athletic Club, there is no dedicated spot for residents of Downtown, Over-the-Rhine or the West End to take their dogs. These neighborhoods are the most lacking in private yard space and need these kinds of parks to make urban living possible for the slews of dog owners out there.

There is hope though as a dog park is planned for the northern portion of Washington Park as part of its ensuing renovation/expansion. This will be a great asset for the residents of Over-the-Rhine and even those living in the northern parts of Downtown, but how about the many people living in the “Soapbox District” or over near Lytle Park?

Well there was a movement that surfaced about as quickly as it went away for a Downtown dog park. City Manager Milton Dohoney got a group of stakeholders together to study the issue with pledged support from the Downtown Residents Council. The effort, however, has been stalled indefinitely as the associated construction and maintenance costs appeared to be too cumbersome.

Please share any thoughts or ideas you may have about how to go about implementing a small dog park in Downtown Cincinnati. A donated piece of land, volunteer service and ideas about how to set up some sort of dog park endowment would be especially helpful in developing a dog park.
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News

Vote now for HYPE Up Cincinnati competition

The Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce has opened up voting for their HYPE Up Cincinnati online video competition. The winners will be announced March 26th at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s annual young professional summit, Bold Fusion, being held at the Aronoff Center.

In addition to a bunch of great prizes, the top videos will have their videos played on the video board overlooking Fountain Square during the Taste of Cincinnati and Oktoberfest. Voting is open until Tuesday, March 24th.

The video competition is meant to give Cincinnatians an avenue to create a video that highlights the things they love about Cincinnati.

Be sure to check out the entry from Brianne Fahey (Live Green Cincinnati) – “Ode to Oktoberfest – I Drink Beer”

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News

Swoon performing at Below Zero

Swoon will be performing at Below Zero Lounge on Saturday, March 28th from 7pm-10pm as part of a fundraiser for the Cincinnati Chapter of PFLAG.

PFLAG is “the nation’s foremost family-based organization committed to the civil rights of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender persons.” Boasting over 200,000 members and supporters in more than 500 chapters, PFLAG also offers scholarships for gay and straight-ally students who strive to make the world a better place for gay and lesbian people through support, education and advocacy.

The performance at Below Zero (GoogleMap) is meant to raise money for this scholarship program. Swoon is a local band that got their start in the U.K. They are a blend of pop, folk and punk style music. Tickets are $25 per person or $45 for couples. Light refreshments and a cash bar will be available in addition to several prizes for attendees.

If you wish to purchase tickets you can do so by sending a check payable to PFLAG Cincinnati, P.O. Box 19634, Cincinnati, OH 45219-0634. You can contact Suzanne at (513) 240-1193 or info[at]pflagcinci[dot]org with any questions.

If you’re on Facebook, RSVP on the event page.

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News

Cincinnati launches Sharrow Pilot Project

In addition to the new dedicated bike lane on Spring Grove Avenue that will provide a critical north/south travel corridor for bicyclists through the heart of the city, the City has also announced a new pilot project for shared lane markings (sharrows).

Sharrows are widely used but have yet to be embraced in the 32nd ranked state for bicyclists that has no cities included on the bicycle friendly list. They improve the safety for bicyclists on streets that lack dedicate bike lanes. With sharrows, motorists are made more aware of their surroundings making it more difficult to ignore a bicyclist that is properly sharing the road with motorists.

The Cincinnati Sharrow Pilot Project has identified a few corridors that the City believes are good candidates for sharrows and is planned to start this spring. The City is currently asking for input and have put a survey up for people to vote on the top 2 corridors for potential sharrows. You can also email them with additional ideas and other corridor suggestions at sharrows[at]cincinnati-oh[dot]gov.

The City of Cincinnati currently boasts 55 miles of streets designated as bike routes (24 of which include signage), over 200 bicycle racks citywide, with an estimated 63 miles of bike/hike trails in the planning stages all as part of the City’s Bicycle Transportation Program. To request bike rack installation, report potholes, missing signs or any other bicycling related issue you can contact the City by calling (513) 591-6000.

Click to view larger version of flyer
Categories
News Politics Transportation

Bike lanes coming to Spring Grove Avenue

In a press conference yesterday at Cincinnati City Hall, Council Member Greg Harris announced that Spring Grove Avenue would receive two miles of dedicated bike lanes as part of a planned roadway repaving effort set for the spring. The bike lane would connect downtown and the western fringe of the core to Clifton and Northside.

Those who spoke at the press conference included Kathy Holwadel, Chair of Cincinnati’s Bike/PAC, who voiced strong support for the measure. As a regular commuter that takes her along Spring Grove Avenue, she noted that while the road is relatively safe, a dedicated lane would let drivers know that cyclists are part of the road much like an automobile.

Gary Wright, a spokesman for Queen City Bike, stated that the inclusion of the bike lane would be a step in the right direction in making Cincinnati’s neighborhoods and streets livable and green, environmentally friendly and safe. He continued by stating that the bike lanes is a direction that the city and neighborhoods must exploit for the future as a healthy, environmentally friendly transportation alternative to the automobile, confirmed in countless surveys that clearly show that citizens desire methods of transport that do not include a car.

Reactions, to the announcement, have been generally positive. Local transit enthusiast and avid bicyclist Jake Mecklenborg is pleased with the announcement but says the best solution would ultimately be a completely separate bike path divided by a barrier for safety purposes.

Lauren Sullivan, who has spearheaded the nationally acclaimed New Orleans cycling map project (NolaCycle), told UrbanCincy that she supports the lanes because they add visibility to the cyclist, although she noted that dedicated bike lanes were not entirely necessary due to the excessive width and lack of traffic of Spring Grove Avenue. Lauren went on to say that bike lanes should be appropriated on hills where bike and automobile conflicts are more likely, following with cross-town routes. In addition, she voiced comment for the installation of “Share the Road” and other associated bike signage and shared lane striping along Central Parkway, a popular cycling route.

Finally, John Hoebbel, an architecture student at DAAP, said that the inclusion of the bike lane would “enhance the natural connection between downtown and Northside,” adding that the lane is ideal due to Spring Grove Avenue’s relative flatness.

Personally, I am in full support of the bike lane measure, and of similar attempts elsewhere. After having biked Spring Grove Avenue yesterday as part my usual training route, I find that the route is underutilized for both automobiles and cyclists, passing only a handful of trucks and cars and four cyclists. It is also overly wide, and I had no trouble staying within my lane as there is a wide shoulder and parking lane for most of the route. That said, the benefit of physical striping to denote a bike lane and the inclusion of additional lanes in the future, will only benefit cyclists while encouraging more to get out on the bike and enjoy the inherent benefits of cycling.

See below for the press conference: