In July 2007, Cleveland adopted its Bike Cleveland Plan, the first comprehensive plan to incorporate cycling for health, recreation and transportation. The City's goals include working to increase bike ridership, connect neighborhoods and parks and open spaces to create a better regional transportation system, improve public health, air quality and the environment and commits to continue to work with the City to ensure that plan implementation promotes riding and national best safety practices.

Some background: Formed in September 2002, Mayor Jackson's Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee has worked to build city-wide policies for bicycle and pedestrian related improvements,bringing together local governments, state, local and national transportation and park officials, along with non-profit, civic, health, environment and neighborhood development groups.

The City Planning Commission adopted the “Complete the Streets” principles, a comprehensive approach to road design and execution, which recognizes that roads are not designed solely to move cars and trucks along, but must improve opportunities and safety for cyclists using the roadways, as well as pedestrians simply crossing the street.

The Euclid Corridor, uniting downtown and University Circle arts and culture district, is an important example of a “Complete the Streets” approach, with “campus to campus” bike lanes added under the new plan to link areas from Cleveland State University to Case Western Reserve University. As city safety and planning officials know, bike lanes must be designed, built and maintained carefully to avoid adding hazards. The Euclid Avenue bike lanes are important and should be built and maintained carefully to avoid adding hazards.

Non-profit advocacy group ClevelandBikes urges city planners, engineers and other safety officials to get specific training in bicycle operation; to enable them better to understand differing needs of cyclists and pedestrians and how they each can best be satisfied.

The City deserves great credit, both for the planning and implementation, taking steps to make Cleveland a more bike friendly city. The City has already implemented some important steps, including the incorporation of the ClevelandBikes Bicycle Station Plan for the Gateway neighborhood into the Mayor's Capital Budget and the deployment of 500 bike racks and 200 park benches throughout the City. The City has adopted important steps to promote cycling in Northeast Ohio and should continue to stress safety, in making commitments to:

• Take aggressive steps to overcome the traditionally hostile environment to bicycles;

• Adopt engineering standards for street and roadway designs and acknowledging that meeting or exceeding safe standards in the design and execution of any proposed bicycle facility, including the proposed 180 mile bike network, are critical for the region;

• Establish secure bike parking in downtown and other areas routinely visited by bicyclists;

• Identify and reduce road hazards, including glass, potholes and sewer grates; and

• Seeking federal transportation funding for further implementation steps.

The Cleveland Planning Commission formally adopted the plan on July 13, 2007. The Commission is chaired by Anthony Coyne, and includes Lillian Kuri, David Bowen, Councilman Joseph Cimperman, Norman Krumholtz, Lawrence Lumpkin and Gloria Jean Pinkney. The Planning Director for the City of Cleveland is Robert N. Brown, with planner and cycling analyst Martin Cader.

ClevelandBikes , a 501C3 nonprofit organization, is committed to advancing all forms of bicycling as economical and healthful recreation, sport and transportation.