Ohio Asks Citizens To Take Survey For Bike Routes, Safety

Monday, July 15, 2019 at 10:02 AM

By Mike Perleberg and Chris Coleman, 24/7 News Source

The Walk.Bike.Ohio plan will guide the state's bike and pedestrian transportation policies and investment.

(Undated) - Have ideas for making Ohio more bicycle-friendly?

The Ohio Department of Transportation has launched an online survey to help develop the Walk.Bike.Ohio policy plan. ODOT leaders say the survey will drive infrastructure decisions and policies to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians.

"We encourage Ohioans to use active transportation, so we want to make sure those modes of travel are as safe as possible," said ODOT Director Dr. Jack Marchbanks. "We hope to get feedback from Ohioans living in all parts of our great state to help us do that."

More information is online at dot.state.oh.us/walkbike.

According to ODOT, between 2009-2018, Ohio saw a 60 percent increase in pedestrian-related fatalities. Bicycle fatalities are up 22 percent over the same time frame. In 2018, 135 pedestrians and 22 bicyclists were killed in Ohio.

Ohio has over 1,800 miles of off-road, shared use paths. Ohio's state parks offer more than 250 miles of bike trails. There are also 3,000 miles of proposed state and U.S. bike routes in Ohio.