CINCINNATI — The city’s latest pedestrian safety project is underway on a busy stretch of road in Mount Lookout.
Throughout this week, construction crews are installing speed cushions at the intersection of Linwood Avenue and Grace Avenue. It’s about a quarter mile north from Mount Lookout Square.
The stretch of road has a dangerous history.
In 2022, 25-year-old Ryan Malm died after a hit-and-run.
One year earlier, Xiaobai She and Si Jue Wan, both 75, were crossing Linwood Avenue at Cryer Avenue around 8:30 a.m. when they were hit by a car. They both died.
For years, residents have been calling for solutions.
“I know pedestrian crashes are a definite concern for the community,” Cincinnati Police Lt. Brian Norris said back in 2021.
That concern for safety remains.
“The neighborhood and the people [are] great,” said Kirt Williams, who has worked at a business along Linwood Avenue near the square for the past decade. “It's just the people that come through the neighborhood, you know, just driving not knowing the speed limit.”
Linwood Avenue is 30 miles per hour, and the stretch heading into the square after Grace Avenue becomes 25 miles per hour. Williams said it is routine to see people going nearly double that to try to beat the light going into Mount Lookout Square.
“If we don’t use that crosswalk, it’s dangerous,” he said.
The city has used previous efforts to slow drivers down.
The road's speed limit went from 35 to 30 miles per hour. Traffic was also reduced to one lane once parking restrictions were eliminated — even during rush hour.
Mount Lookout Community Council President Mike Cheetham said many choose the neighborhood for its walkability to local businesses, but “the reality is, along Linwood Avenue, Delta Avenue and some of the more major streets of the neighborhood, there's a lot of traffic and unfortunately, a lot of fast traffic.”
Now that the speed cushions are being installed, Cheetham said he’s hopeful it will reduce accidents. Pedestrian safety has been a priority for the council, which submitted this specific project request to the city two years ago.
“Our local residents that live along Linwood Avenue and the side streets that connect to it, are constantly advocating for community safety and telling us about near misses and accidents and the issues that they see and live every single day,” he said.
Construction through this week will leave lane closures in place.
“It will be a little challenging, but short-term pain, long-term gain,” Cheetham said. “We’re excited about the opportunity to slow traffic down [and] provide a little additional safety for our residents.”
Williams agrees that speed cushions will help. They are the same design that have been installed at dozens of locations across the city.
The auto mechanic reminds drivers that they are designed to be driven over at the speed limit.
“That won’t hurt your car,” Williams said. “Now, you do anything over … you're liable to tear the front end of your car.”
Construction crews asked that drivers be notified to slow down. The work area borders the one lane of traffic, and they said people are still driving way too fast.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the speed limit change on Linwood Avenue.
