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Bicyclists, pedestrians part of street plan

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By Ken McCall, Staff Writer Updated 12:22 AM Friday, February 19, 2010

From now on, whenever a street is scheduled to be built, rebuilt, resurfaced or repaired in the city of Dayton, traffic engineers and planners must consider pedestrians, bicyclists and bus riders as well as cars in their designs.

The Dayton City Commission last week unanimously passed a Livable Streets Policy, adapted from Louisville’s complete streets policy, that took effect immediately.

Adoption of the policy, the first in the region, got top billing in this month’s National Complete Streets Coalition newsletter, released Wednesday, Feb. 17. It will also fulfill a critical requirement in the city’s first application — submitted today — for Bicycle Friendly Community status with the League of American Bicyclists.

City Commissioner Nan Whaley, who shepherded the policy to passage, said she’s excited for both the policy adoption and city’s application for bike-friendly status.

“They’ve been talking about doing this for two years,” Whaley said of the application. “I said, ‘We have to just do it and see what we get back.’ ”

Even if the city doesn’t get recognized, she said, the application will set a benchmark for next time. But Whaley is optimistic.

“If we become a bronze city,” she said of the league’s lowest ranking, “I’d be really proud.”

Getting Bicycle Friendly Status would not only be good for marketing Dayton, Whaley said, the changes would make the city more livable for everyone. And, she pointed out, the city’s last two long-range plans say the city’s No. 1 goal is making the city more walkable and bike friendly.

Some of the benefits

• Public health — “It’s important to get people out and about in the community because that’s proven to help curb childhood (and adult) obesity.”

• Economic development — “Study after study show when you put people on the streets it increases the opportunities for development in those neighborhoods.”

• Social justice — “One out of every five households in the city does not have a car.”

Some exceptions

And you can’t have a more walkable, bikeable city without complete streets. The new policy contains exceptions where design for all users can be ruled out:

• Where bicyclists and pedestrians are prohibited by law (freeways, for example.)

• Where the cost is “disproportionate given the need or probability of use.”

• Where there are “severe” physical or resource problems.

The exceptions might seem to some big enough to drive a cement truck through, but Whaley said the policy was actually drawn up by city engineering staff, so it’s not going to be ignored.

“I don’t think we want to say everything is going to be absolutely perfect,” she said, “but we’re saying that thinking of everybody using the street is the priority.”

Contact this reporter at kmccall

@DaytonDailyNews.com or (937) 225-2393.

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