Both Covington and Newport plan to hold an open house to discuss a new bicycle plan in NKY. We would love for you to come out on either night and let city officials know that you want safe, dedicated cycle lanes (in high-speed or high-conflict areas) that are welcoming to all users and all ages. Here are a few items that we would like to see in the creation of a bicycle transportation plan:
Cohesive: It’s not enough to have a couple disconnected lanes scattered across NKY. A well designed plan should be a network that connects neighborhoods to popular destination spots.
Directness: Too often cycle lanes are pushed to the side in favor of car infrastructure. We want to see direct routes that allow for shorter distances and/or shorter times to destinations.
Safety: If the infrastructure is not safe for children, the elderly, and everyone in between, it won’t used to it’s max potential. While residential streets may not need cycle lanes, the speed limits should be limited to 20 MPH or less. For streets with fast moving traffic, separated cycle lanes should be the default. We also strongly believe that conflicts at major intersections should be addressed in a fair and equitable way.
Attractiveness: A bicycle friendly city is committed to creating infrastructure that is attractive. A key element of this includes cycling that passes through places that people want to visit. This includes both popular destinations as well as lively parks. Again, safety should be emphasized, as safety is core to being able to enjoy your trip.
Comfort: In order to make cycling comfortable, cycle lanes should be as straight and avoid sharp turns whenever possible, should limit stops by prioritizing cyclist on core bicycle network, should have sufficient wayfinding, and the network should feel natural to the users.
