City seeks feedback on Bicycle Master Plan

The city of Avon hosted the first of four public meetings June 13 on the development of a bicycle master plan in collaboration with Sheffield Village and Lorain County Metro Parks.

Avon City Council received $75,000 in grant funding from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency in 2018 to develop an active transportation plan which combines the components of the Safe Routes to School Plan.

Proponents want to design a plan incorporating pedestrian, and bicycle use for the next 10-15 years to create a safer, more connected community.

Avon hopes to develop on plan for Avon East Elementary, Avon Heritage Elementary and Avon Middle School along with exploring multimodal connectivity to community assets such as parks and community destinations, according to plans.

In early May, the city developed a community survey to gather feedback on local trends.

As of June 12, the city has received about 250 responses, officials said.

Initial survey results indicate 38 percent of respondents cited a lack of connections to desired locations, and 36 percent feeling unsafe on local roadways, said Ryan Smalley, of Envision Group LLC, the firm developing the plan.

“Feeling unsafe on the roadways, that’s a big concern with this being a rural community,” Smalley said.

Residents in attendance encouraged the plan to incorporate, not just major streets, but also connectivity in smaller residential neighborhoods.

“We’re going to approach this from a holistic perspective,” Smalley said. “We’re not going to be just looking at the intersections.

“How does a subdivision connect with another subdivision and how does it connect with the city?”

Smalley said the next steps are to continue gathering data and feedback from residents about areas they would like to see more improvements for increased safety and connectivity.

City of Avon Engineer Ryan Cummins said the Bicycle Master Plan is another way to help guide the city on future projects with partners.

The public engagement process will continue through the fall with the aim to have the plan complete by December.

The next public meeting on the Bicycle Master Plan will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Sept. 10, at Sheffield Village Municipal Complex, 4340 Colorado Ave. All are invited to share ideas.