AMATS will present its draft Regional Bike Plan to the public for review during two meetings in mid-February.

The draft Bike Plan identifies regional bikeway needs and presents recommendations to improve the area’s bicycle trail network.  AMATS Planning Coordinator Krista Beniston says that the plan’s purpose is to promote cycling in the region as a viable transportation option by providing safe, accessible and efficient bike routes and facilities.

“Many of the plan’s recommendations address the needs that we heard voiced by the area’s cycling community,” Beniston continues, “The plan includes new on-road facilities such as bicycle lanes, wider road shoulders and ‘sharrows’ and other off-road facilities – mostly trails – to improve the area’s network.”

AMATS will present the plan for public comment during meetings in Portage and Summit counties.  The meetings are open to all and are scheduled for the following locations, dates and times:

• Kent Free Library

312 West Main Street in Kent

Monday, February 13, 2012

@ 6:30 p.m.

• Hudson Library & Historical Society

96 Library Street in Hudson

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

@ 7 p.m.

Beniston notes that the draft Bike Plan is an indicator as to how the area’s network of bike facilities and trails is evolving from one that is largely used for recreational purposes to one that promotes cycling as a viable transportation choice alongside motor vehicles and public transit.

“The plan’s on-road bike recommendations were identified by our agency based on their connections to employers, downtowns, community centers, schools and retail areas.  We hope that these recommendations will spur infrastructure investments so that someday people can ride their bikes to a store or library as easily as they can drive their car or take a bus,” Beniston says.

The draft Bike Plan’s recommendations are available on our Biking in the Region page.  For additional details, please contact Beniston at 330-375-2436 or by email at KBeniston@AkronOhio.gov.

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As the agency responsible for regional transportation planning in the Greater Akron area, AMATS administers several federal funding programs.  The agency determined last August that a significant amount of additional funding would be available for area improvement projects in fiscal years 2016 and 2017 and sought applications from project sponsors. 

Botosan

After weighing each application’s merits under set criteria, the agency’s Policy Committee decided which projects should receive funding during its Jan. 26 meeting. 

Transportation Improvement Program Coordinator Victor Botosan notes that the new projects tend to emphasize preservation of the area’s transportation system rather than costly expansions. 

“We’re trying to make more efficient use of what we have now rather than spend a lot of money for perceived problems.  Now is the time to invest wisely in our system while we have the resources to do it,” Botosan says.  He adds that the agency approved funding for a number of significant projects including: 

• $2 million for the East Exchange Street Signal Coordination Project in Akron.

• $1.5 million for the reconstruction of Tallmadge Avenue in Akron.

• More than $1.3 million for Phase 1 of the West Side Traffic Signal Improvement Project in Ravenna.

• $1.6 million for a new Compressed Natural Gas Fueling Station for the Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority (PARTA).

• Nearly $3 million for four bike and hike trail projects and four pedestrian connectivity projects.  (See Greater Akron area below.)

A complete listing of projects is available by clicking here.  For additional details, please contact Botosan at 330-375-2436 or by email at VBotosan@AkronOhio.gov.   

Greater Akron area gets rolling with new bike trails   

Four new bike trails will be constructed in the Greater Akron area thanks to action by AMATS.  The agency’s Policy Committee approved nearly $2.5 million to develop two trails in Portage County and two in Summit County during its Jan. 26 meeting.   

The four trails, project sponsors and funding amounts are:   

• The PORTAGE Hike & Bike Trail – Kent will construct a new segment of The PORTAGE spanning from the city of Kent’s John Brown Tannery Park along state Route 59 to Erie Street.  This trail segment will include on-street portions.  This project will receive $700,000.

• Confluence Connector Trail – Metro Parks Serving Summit County will construct a feeder trail for the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail spanning from Manchester Road to Warner Road in Akron and Coventry Township.  This project will receive $700,000.

• Liberty Road Trail – Twinsburg will construct a multipurpose trail spanning from Post Road to the city of Solon.  This project will receive $374,000.

• Headwaters Trail Hiram Extension – The Village of Hiram will construct a trail connecting Hiram College to state Route 305.  This project will receive $700,000.

Planning Coordinator Krista Beniston explains that the agency is encouraging the development of bike-oriented facilities as part of its push to improve regional connectivity.   

Beniston

“The area is gradually shifting its focus to a complementary on-road network that supports cycling as a viable daily transportation alternative.”    

- Planning Coordinator Krista Beniston -   

“This past year, we launched an outreach to the region’s cycling community.  Their input has provided valuable insight as we and communities within the Greater Akron area pursue these projects,” Beniston continues, “We plan to build on this outreach for future projects and initiatives.”   

She adds that the four projects offer a snapshot of how the area’s bikeway network is evolving.  “With the completion of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail through Summit County and the regional trail network well underway, the area is gradually shifting its focus to a complementary on-road network that supports cycling as a viable daily transportation alternative,” she observes.   

For additional details, please contact Beniston at 330-375-2436 or by email at KBeniston@AkronOhio.gov.

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Bica

The Policy Committee is composed of 44 officials representing local municipalities, counties, transit agencies, and the Ohio Department of Transportation.  It is responsible for deciding how federal transportation funds are spent in the Greater Akron area.  Connie Krauss, the director of the Summit County Department of Community and Economic Development, will serve as vice-chairwoman.

Bica and Krauss’ one-year terms will commence in January.  They were elected during the committee’s December meeting.

For additional information, please call AMATS at 330-375-2436 or send an e-mail to amats@akronohio.gov.

SALT to taste: The state Route 44/Prospect Street Corridor will be the focus of Ravenna's Safe Alternatives: Less Traffic (SALT) study. The corridor extends through central Portage County including downtown Ravenna, shown above. The city, together with the townships of Ravenna and Rootstown, received a Connecting Communities Planning Grant from AMATS.

AMATS awarded its two Connecting Communities Planning Grants to the Village of Boston Heights and the city of Ravenna.

The agency received 11 applications for the Connecting Communities Planning Grant from communities across Portage and Summit counties.  The grant program funds planning studies that focus on promoting more transportation choices, enhancing economic competitiveness and supporting existing neighborhoods.  Mobility Planner Heather Davis Reidl says that the program provides two $50,000 grants to help communities develop transportation plans and studies that promote vibrant, livable communities.

“We hope to build on the momentum of the program as it enters its second year.  This year’s recipients – Boston Heights and Ravenna – presented innovative proposals that met the goals that we’re pursuing for the Greater Akron area,” Davis Reidl says.

A portion of state Route 8, shown above, extends through the Village of Boston Heights in northern Summit County.

Boston Heights will develop a comprehensive land use and transportation plan that will include a development strategy for the village’s state Route 8 corridor.  The plan will analyze all aspects of traffic – vehicular, transit, bicycle and pedestrian – to develop traffic management strategies.  The plan will also address how to connect the village’s residential, commercial and municipal areas, including potential pedestrian and bicycle access to the nearby Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, and the Metro Parks Bike & Hike Trail.

Ravenna – in concert with the townships of Ravenna and Rootstown – will pursue its Safe Alternatives: Less Traffic (SALT) study of the state Route 44/Prospect Street Corridor, which extends through central Portage County.  The study will present options to promote transit use and safe pedestrian and bicycle traffic within this five-mile, heavily travelled corridor.

The agency’s Policy Committee selected the recipients during its Dec. 7 meeting.  Davis Reidl says that the studies by last year’s recipients – Richfield’s Crossroad of Commerce & Community Study and the joint Akron-METRO Downtown Akron Connectivity Study – will be completed in the coming months.

If you would like to view summaries of Ravenna’s SALT Study and the Village of Boston Heights’ comprehensive land use and transportation plan, please click here.

For additional information, please call 330-375-2436 or send an email to amats@akronohio.gov.

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