Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
Columbus City Code anticipates the potential for shared use paths in the public right-of-way serving pedestrians and bicyclists. Shared use paths can be composed of asphlat, concrete or bricks, and are typically 8 feet to 12 feet wide. Columbus City Code further anticipates the need to designate shared use paths as such, to allow their use by pedestrians and bicyclists without fear of violating the City's prohibition of riding bicycles on sidewalks.
Columbus has a bike trail system that has been developed primarily along north-south river corridors. However, there is a deficiency in east-west bikeway routes which connect these systems. One of the high priority projects identified in the Columbus Bicentennial Bikeways Plan is an east-west connector through the downtown, connecting the Scioto Trail to the shared use path along I-670.
This bikeway project, now known as the Scioto-Alum Creek Connector (formerly named Downtown Bikeway Connector) is in the final stages of design development. In order to complete this project it is necessary to designate portions of existing sidewalk at two locations as shared-use path. Those locations consist of the existing 12-foot wide sidewalk along the east side of Neil Avenue from Long Street to Nationwide Boulevard; and the existing 8-foot wide sidewalk along the west side of Cleveland Avenue from McCoy Street to Jack Gibbs Boulevard.
2. FISCAL IMPACT
None
3. EMERGENCY DESIGNATION
Emergency action is requested to have these portions of sidewalk designated as shared use path to concide with the scheduled completion of the Scioto-Alum Creek Connector on or around October 31, 2010.
Title
To designate portions of sidewalk as shared-use path on Neil Avenue from Long Street to Nationwide Boulevard and Cleveland Avenue from McCoy Street to Jack Gibbs Boulevard.
Body
WHEREAS, the City has an established system of north-south shared-use paths which primarily follow north-s...
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