CINCINNATI — Cincinnati City Council members learned more about what it could look like to convert Main Street in Over-The-Rhine to a two-way street. Currently, traffic on Main Street only travels north.
John Brazina, director of Cincinnati’s Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE), presented the feasibility of the idea during the council’s public safety and governance committee meeting Tuesday. He focused on Main Street between 12th and Liberty Street.
Brazina focused his presentation on the process of converting a one-way street into a two-way street. He touched on the positives and negatives of the idea, but did not make a recommendation either supporting or opposing it.
“This was just something that DOTE had heard about and just wanted to actually give a presentation to council to give them a little bit more information,” Brazina said.
Brazina said the idea was brought up this summer in conversations with community members surrounding concerns about safety.
According to DOTE’s presentation, two-way streets can slow traffic flow and promote pedestrian dominance.
Some stakeholders think it would be a good idea.
“Traditionally, a one-way is about getting people to and from one place to another in as fast and efficiently as possible,” said Bobby Maly, who chairs the Over-The-Rhine Special Improvement District and serves as CEO of The Model Group. “That doesn't make great blocks, great neighborhoods, pedestrian-friendly places.”
According to DOTE, two-way streets can also increase storefront exposure.
One business owner on Main Street doesn’t think that will be the case.
“People are already driving by,” said Lindsey Swadner, who owns The Hub OTR. “I don't think that this is going to create some type of massive economic boom ... they're not stopping and taking time to look at the storefronts. They're trying to get to Liberty into 71.”
Matt Butler, president of local nonprofit The Devou Good Foundation, does not expect a two-way conversion will have a major impact on speeding. The Devou Good Foundation has independently tracked speeds along Main Streetand Vine Street, which is a two-way street nearby.
“On Vine, still 50% of the drivers are speeding,” Butler said. “We’re still seeing speeds up to 50 miles an hour on Vine Street.”
Improvements to Main Street have already cost $1.17 million over the past few years, according to DOTE.
Those improvements include raised crosswalks and “curb bump-outs” to shorten pedestrian crossings, among other things. Brazina said those improvements have been highly successful on reducing speeds on Main.
Brazina said if a two-way conversion were to move forward, some of those pedestrian safety improvements would have to be removed.
DOTE estimates the cost to convert the street to a two-way street would be around $598,000.
Brazina also noted a two-way conversion could lead to more congestion when buses or vehicles stop on the road.
The Devou Good Foundation has another idea.
“We've put together several renderings to show to people what a pedestrianized Main Street would look like,” Butler said. “That could include a modal filter, which would basically restrict private vehicles, but still allow buses, delivery trucks to go through.”
Butler said the concept would eliminate risky drivers on Main Street.
“The concept would make this area a lot safer for people that are walking around, even people that are driving,” he said. “It’s going to make it a lot safer.”
The idea is still highly conceptual. The organization has been collecting survey data from residents and has received more than 700 responses.
Butler said the next step would be to present the plan to the OTR Community Council. He said the organization is planning to propose a one-block pilot funded entirely by the Devou Good Foundation.
He said a majority of survey respondents have been favorable to the idea. Not everyone is on board.
“I think a lot of those businesses along Main, this is me personally speaking, need access to cars,” Maly said. “Whether that's somebody picking up a cup of coffee, or picking up a cake that was made for them, or dropping off elderly grandma who's going to have to have dinner or lunch at a restaurant that can't make it three blocks.”
Maly added that he would want to hear from the first-floor businesses whether this was something that they really were excited about.
One thing everyone does seem to be on board with: more engagement is necessary, whichever direction conversations go.
“Everyone needs to be included,” Swadner said. “We need to be able to do this and go around and shake everyone's hand and say, ‘What do you think? How do you feel?’”
“There's an intense public engagement in this process,” Brazina said. “It's not just DOTE saying, ‘Hey, we should do this.’ It's really what does the community want?”
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