Cleveland's wide streets can bear lots more bicycles, advocate says

Bike_streets.jpgView full sizeCommuting by bicycle is on the rise in Cleveland, according to transportation planners and Census data.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Downtown Cleveland's wide streets have room for a quick build-out of bike lanes, promoting a healthy, friendlier image for the city, a leading cycling advocate says.

High-tech entrepreneur Mark Gorton told a City Club crowd Wednesday that a network of protected bike lanes could be built in a matter of months in Cleveland, if politicians push for it.

City downtowns that cater to people instead of cars see a rise in cycling, walking and popularity, said Gorton, a man of considerable smarts, wealth and controversy.

He was the founder of LimeWire, a peer-to-peer music service that brought wrath, and lawsuits, from the Recording Industry Association of America.

Gorton now operates a company engaged in high-frequency stock trading, a practice that has drawn the concern of the Securities Exchange Commission.

Beyond his business interests, Gorton's passion is transportation planning, particularly in downtowns.

He started Openplans, a group of New York City-based nonprofits that seeks to promote biking and walking and demote driving in city centers.

The movement is strong in New York City, where redeveloped streets are friendlier to those on foot and bike. The city has closed stretches of Broadway in Times Square, drawing throngs of pedestrians and boosting rents, Gorton noted.

In Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel plans to add 100 miles of bike lanes on city streets over the next four years.

Gorton said urban planning focused on moving cars and trucks as quickly as possible has been bad for people.

Highways splinter downtowns, vehicles poison the environment and parking lots deaden activity, he said.

Gorton pointed to the lots that sprawl between the Warehouse District and Public Square.

Buildings and commerce once thrived there, he said. Devoting the space to parking "is really a backward thing to do," Gorton said.

He supports efforts to re-energize Public Square by closing it to traffic and developing a park. Mayor Frank Jackson has said he wants it to happen.

Urban streets with room to walk, bike and socialize lure the new generation, Gorton said.

"Cleveland has the ability ... to attract this younger generation,'' Gorton said. "These are the people with energy, spirit and dynamism who can revitalize a city.''

Gorton's vision is shared by Jacob VanSickle, executive director of the advocacy group Bike Cleveland.

He's working with Cleveland officials to expand the network of bike-only lanes through downtown and into the neighborhoods.

A city that has lost half its population has plenty of room to make it happen, VanSickle said.

"Paint is cheap," he said of marking bike-only lanes on streets. "Planters and bollards (to separate cars and bikes) aren't expensive to install."

At City Hall, a big concern is a safe mix of cars and bikes on the streets, VanSickle said.

City officials could not be reached for comment. Under Jackson, the city has taken steps to promote biking.

The city adopted a "complete and green streets" law last year, requiring that 20 percent of money spent on road projects, up to $1 million, should go to bike- and nature-friendly features.

Another law requires owners of new parking lots, and those that charge a fee, to install bike racks.

The city also funded a bike station that opened last summer on East Fourth Street. It offers showers, lockers and bike storage, for a fee.

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