EASTERN HILLS
JOURNAL
Your Community Press newspaper serving Columbia Township, Columbia-Tusculum, Fairfax, Hyde Park, Madisonville, Mariemont, Mt. Lookout, Oakley, Terrace Park
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014
75¢
BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS
Hyde Park Council votes no on speed hump By Forrest Sellers
fsellers@communitypress.com
The line in the pavement shows where Delta Avenue transitions from one lane back to two headed toward the square, and from two lanes to one headed toward Erie Avenue. Residents have said the new configuration makes it difficult to turn out of side streets and less safe for bicyclists heading through the square. LISA WAKELAND/THE COMMUNITY PRESS
Have lane changes made Delta Avenue
LESS SAFE? By Lisa Wakeland
lwakeland@communitypress.com
Construction and the new lane configuration on Delta Avenue is causing problems for some Mt. Lookout residents. “We cannot get out onto Delta without waiting and waiting and waiting,” resident Tony Raabe said of the traffic on side streets. “Even with the new configuration the sight distances are severely restricted. When you’re stopped on Glengyle (Avenue) turning onto Delta, south or northbound, it’s unsafe. You see the same thing happening on Hardisty (Avenue).” At the end of March the city of Cincinnati began work on the “road diet” plan that includes reducing the number of driving lanes from two in each direction to one in each direction with a center left-turn lane. The plan also keeps parking on both sides of the street and includes a 5-foot-wide bike lane in either travel direction. The bike lanes are supposed to make it safer for cyclists,
but Raabe, who also rides his bike through the neighborhood, said it’s “never been more unsafe” for those riding north through Mt. Lookout Square. Though the majority of Delta Avenue will be one travel lane it will transition back to two lanes as the road approaches Mt. Lookout Square from either direction. In that area it’s a “disappearing bike lane,” Raabe said, and cyclists used to have the second travel lane as a safety buffer from the vehicles headed toward Erie Avenue. “There is no bike lane in the new configuration and the further constriction of traffic flow ... is an unresolved traffic improvement,” he said. Kim Rice, who owns Keepsake Photography and is part of the Mt. Lookout Community Council Board of Directors, said the symbols that identify the bike lanes are not in place yet and that can cause confusion for some drivers along Delta Avenue. Community Council President Chris Lacerenza said they haven’t received much feedback since the construction be-
gan, but he’ll relay the concerns about the bike lanes and traffic backup on the side streets to city officials. When the city first proposed the change last year some residents expressed concern about the plan increasing congestion and causing traffic backups throughout the neighborhood. But city officials countered that the “road diet” doesn’t reduce the road’s capacity, the left-turn lane would make it safer, and the bike lanes add a buffer between parked cars and traffic. “It’s always been difficult, but it’s gotten worse with all the cars being funneled into one lane,” Raabe said. “I think we have a safety issue, and it’s not as safe as it used to be.” In addition to the re-striping and repaving project, the city plans to install a new traffic signal at the intersection of Delta and Kroger avenues. The project is expected to be finished by November. Want more Mt. Lookout news? Follow Lisa Wakeland on Twitter @lisawakeland.
FOOD
ADULT SWIM
How to make a hot brown sandwich just the way the Brown Hotel serves it in Louisville. Full story, B3
Mariemont sets dates, times for adult and family swim nights. Full story, A7
Come experience one of Cincinnati's gems! All summer long on Oakley Square and throughout the business district, you’re invited to celebrate one of Cincy’s greatest neighborhoods with delicious food & drink, amazing shopping and lots of family entertainment! For more information, visit www.Oakleynow.com CE-0000592599
HYDE PARK — The Hyde Park Neighborhood Council has voted to recommend that Cincinnati officials not install a speed hump on Paxton Avenue. This decision came after Paxton Avenue residents expressed concerns about a speed hump at previous meetings. “I just think we are supporting neighbors on Pasquinucci this,” said board President Rob Pasquinucci. “It’s clear it’s something they don’t want.” A request to install a speed hunp was made several months ago. Supporters of the speed hump said it would reduce excessive speed along Paxton Avenue. Opponents, though, said a speed hump will actually create a more dangerous situation. Michael Moore, director of Cincinnati Transportation and Engineering, said residents on Paxton Avenue between Alpine Terrace and Linwood Avenue, had petitioned for a speed hump to reduce speeds and reduce cutthrough traffic. He said speed humps are generally not installed on hills with a grade greater than 7 percent. According to Moore, the grade on most of Paxton Avenue is between 10 and 12 percent. However, two locations on Paxton Avenue, one near Pineridge Avenue and another near Kinmont Street, are flat enough that they could accommodate
speed humps, he said. The city had conducted a postcard survey of residents near the proposed locations. Curtis Hines, a senior engineer with the Cincinnati Department of Transportation and Engineering, said 46 postcard surveys were sent to residents on Paxton Avenue, Paxton Knoll Lane and some of the corner properties on Paxton Avenue. He said 57 percent of the respondents were in favor of a speed hump. Residents attending a special meeting in March, though, largely opposed installation of a speed hump saying it posed a safety risk because of potential water runoff at one of the locations and the challenges some motorists might face driving over a hump during icy conditions. “I do think we’re in good stead supporting residents in that area,” said board member Carl Uebelacker. The speed hump would likely impact more than just the residents who were surveyed, he said. “I’m thrilled they recognized upper Paxton’s discontent with the proposal,” said Paxton Avenue resident Dee Bardes, adding that she hoped the speed hump would be opposed by the Mt. Lookout Community Council as well. Several Mt. Lookout Community Council board members attended the March meeting as well. The Hyde Park Neighborhood Council recommended sending a letter of opposition regarding the speed hump to Moore.
During its April meeting, the Hyde Park Neighborhood Council voted in opposition to a speed hump on Paxton Avenue. Although some residents petitioned for a speed hump several months ago, a number of other residents on Paxton Avenue have spoken out against the plan. The opponents expressed safety concerns which council took into consideration in their decision.FORREST SELLERS/THE COMMUNITY PRESS
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