MANSFIELD, Ohio — Richland County mayors, public officials and cyclist representatives recently heard from ODOT about the department’s national and state bike route proposal. The county has until Nov. 16 to submit concerns or suggestions related to the proposed bike routes.
A resolution process for affected municipalities begins in December.
Although still in the preliminary stages, the proposed bike route would run from Fort Wayne, Indiana to Canton, Ohio. The meeting addressed possible routes through ODOT’s district 3, a jurisdiction that includes Ashland, Crawford, Erie, Huron, Lorain, Medina, Richland and Wayne counties.
The bike route designations throughout the United States and Ohio will begin by the end of summer in 2016, according to ODOT Transportation Engineer Bike Ped Coordinator Adam Mellen.
Some attendees were wary of the project. Mansfield Mayor Tim Theaker expressed concerns on liability.
“We’re all highly excited about this but we want to be cautious and do our due diligence. We want to make sure everyone is covered and not taking on a responsibility that will bind us financially and legally,” he said.
Another concern was related to educating the public on bicycle safety.
“Is there going to be a collaborative in education? That is our biggest need. We can have all of this and it’s great — but with no education, all we’ve done is create a huge problem,” said Theaker.
ODOT District Planning Engineer Leslie Farley said there is funding available through ODOT for educational programming. She directed the attendees to ODOT’s website for further information.
Another concern was the short amount of time to submit suggestions for changes to the proposed routes.
“If you create something that’s not going to be used, you’ve not done us any favors,” said Mansfield/Richland County Convention & Visitors Bureau President Lee Tasseff.
ODOT Environmental Specialist Levi Wingler responded.
“And that’s why we’re here. We want to hear from you so that we can make necessary changes,” said Wingler.
Suggestions for changes on the proposed bike routes can be submitted to Mellen’s email: adam.mellen@dot.ohio.gov.
For more information on the proposed state and national bike routes, visit the webpage, which includes an interactive map.
