DaytonDailyNews.com

The Dayton region's proposed bikeways plan has run into a major roadblock in the form of county engineers, along with some from the cities and townships, who fear it amounts to an unfunded mandate that will jeopardize their ability to maintain roads and bridges.

The Technical Advisory Committee of the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission has thrown up a detour to the forward-looking plan, which maps out a strategy to connect local neighborhoods to the recreational trails system and promote safe, human-powered transportation.

The engineers' reaction to the plan at meetings in May and June was fairly hostile, said Matt Lindsay, MVRPC's manager of environmental planning. The committee tabled the plan at its May 15 meeting and came to no resolution at a work session last week, Lindsay said.

The committee then created a smaller group of the most vocal opponents and proponents who will meet to discuss changes to the plan at

9:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 2, in the MVRPC's Center for Regional Cooperation at 1100 W. Third St. in Dayton.

Hans Landefeld, manager of the river corridor for the Miami Conservancy District who attended last week's work session, fears the plan will be weakened in a way that could render it ineffective.

"For the plan to work it is going to have to incorporate both on-road and off-road trails," said Landefeld, who manages most of the existing regional recreation trails. "So if they take the on-road trails out of the plan, then you're left with half a plan."

Lindsay said much of the engineers' opposition seemed to come from the plan's recommendation that the MVRPC adopt a "complete streets" policy, which typically calls for including bike and pedestrian facilities in road projects to make them safe for everyone.

Many of the objections, he said, were based on the assumption that the engineers would be forced to build bikeways as part of these projects. But Lindsay pointed out that a complete streets policy can be written to fit the region and usually includes specific exceptions to the guidelines.

Montgomery County Engineer Joe Litvin said Thursday he is not opposed to the plan, but does not want "highway transportation funding put into the bikeways."

"We are woefully short in funds just to maintain our existing roads and bridges," Litvin said.

Countered Lindsay: "With all respect to Joe Litvin, we don't feel there's such a thing as highway funding. The dollars that are regionally controlled through MVRPC are federal dollars for transportation, and in all cases, bicycle facilities are eligible uses."

Five Rivers MetroParks Deputy Director Carrie Scarff, also on the Technical Advisory Committee, said the group can find a "middle ground."

"I think we have to come to terms with the very real concerns from the counties and rural townships, and also the fact that our modes of transportation are going to change," Scarff said. "With gas prices the way they are, people are looking for alternative ways to travel.

"The other thing is we have this incredible recreation trails system. People are going to use our streets to get there, and we need to make it safe."

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at (937) 225-2393 or

kmccall@DaytonDailyNews.com.