TROY CONSIDERS SCRAPPING PARKING FOR BIKE LANE

South side of Water Street will be marked for bike use by Aug. 1.

Troy city officials are weighing the potential impact of a Troy city plan to close parking on the south side of Water Street, including near the Miami County government and courts buildings, to test a proposed bike lane.

Troy Service and Safety Director Patrick Titterington made an hourlong presentation of the draft Troy Downtown Riverfront Strategic Plan and explained test projects to Miami County commissioners last week.

“It certainly is an expansive vision, I’ll give you that,” Commissioner John “Bud” O’Brien said of the draft plan that includes short- and long-term test projects.

The test projects include closing the south side of West Water Street, located just south of the Great Miami River, from North Market Street to Adams Street. The stretch includes parking now used for the county Courthouse, Safety Building and the Hobart Center for County Government.

Titterington said a city survey of parking use and possible available parking on nearby streets showed 26 parking spaces in use, many by county employees who do not have dedicated parking spaces in county-owned lots.

A survey of other streets where parking takes place showed more than 20 spaces can be added in the area by eliminating areas now marked yellow but not needed for safety purposes and marking parking spaces in some areas now unmarked, he said.

“We certainly don’t want to exacerbate parking issues (near the county buildings), especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” Titterington said. Tuesday and Thursday are the busiest days in the county courts.

The south side of Water Street will be marked for bike use by the first of August with signs going up within days advising people of the coming change, Titterington said.

The commissioners asked how the city planned to notify those parking in the spaces being eliminated at least temporarily, particularly county employees. Titterington said the city would work with the county on providing notification and information desired. The commissioners also pointed out handicapped parking on the south side of the street would need to be relocated.

The addition of bike lanes is designed to make better connections through the community to the Treasure Island area on the Great Miami River west of the downtown. Better connectivity

to the bike path on the north

side of the river also is discussed in the strategic plan, which recommends a look at a pedestrian bridge across the river for easier access from the north to south side. A parking structure down- town in coming years also is among ideas.

“Until we have a perma- nent bike path on this side (south) of the river, Water Street is our only option” for the bike lane, Titterington said. Safety was a factor in deciding the location of the

bike lane on Water Street versus the next street to the south, the more heavily traveled Main Street, he said.

The strategic plan, available on the city website at troyohio.gov, shows other proposed bike l anes or shared vehicle/bike lanes on other downtown area streets.