CINCINNATI — Cincinnati City Council unanimously passed the "Complete Streets" ordinance Wednesday. The new law aims to make streets safer for those not in a vehicle.
Carl Hunt owns Urban Transit in Over-the-Rhine. It's a shop that sells just about everything you need to get around, except vehicles. He rides his own bike around Cincinnati but tries to avoid busy times, like rush hour. He pointed out, not everyone has a choice.
"During those times there's people that are biking for work as delivery people and couriers, things like that and they don't have any choice but to be out during those times," Hunt said.
As Cincinnati City Council member Mark Jeffreys puts it, roads haven't been designed with these people in mind.
"Today, we focus only on how quickly cars can get through," he said.
It's an approach with severe consequences as pedestrians continue to be hit, injured and even killed.
The "Complete Streets" ordinance is a shift in focus. Under the new law, the Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE) will have a checklist to consider before moving forward with road improvement projects.
The list includes five categories: bike facilities, sidewalk and curb ramps, traffic calming, safety improvements and comfort enhancements. Within those categories are things like bike lanes, sidewalks and speed humps.
DOTE will have to document why anything on the list won't be included in a project.
Jeffreys also said it will help the city to get more federal money because projects with a complete street policy are more competitive.
The law goes into effect right away, but the results won't be immediate, and they won't solve everything. Jeffreys expects it to take about six months for people to start seeing the effects of the new law as repaving and other road improvement projects take place.
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