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Residents, cyclists urge council to shrink North Main lanes, add bike lanes for safety
Summary
Multiple residents and cyclists told Akron City Council the North Main Street Improvement Project should reduce lane widths and add protected bike lanes to improve safety and neighborhood connectivity.
Several residents and cyclists spoke during public comment at the Akron City Council meeting to urge support for the North Main Street Improvement Project and for the city to reduce travel lanes and add bike lanes on North Main.
Katie Beck, a North Hill resident who said she owns a 116-year-old home near Waters Park and works in community development and creative placemaking, described repeated near-misses and collisions on the corridor and urged council to back the project. "North Main was built like a highway," Beck said, adding that the roadway "feels like a game of real life frogger, except the stakes are a lot higher." She closed by saying, "Please support the North Main Improvement Project."
Dawn Crozier, a senior citizen and Ward 8 resident, said traffic calming on North Main would benefit people who walk and bike and help older residents and families. Crozier described riding her bicycle to the meeting and leading a senior cycling group and said safer streets would expand where seniors could go together.
An area cyclist who identified himself as Andrew said he had ridden to the meeting to voice support for lane reductions and bike lanes and pressed Councilman Lombardo for data supporting contrary views. Andrew said the corridor "does not need four lanes for cars that do not exist," and argued shrinking lanes could reduce crashes and pollution while improving local business access.
Speakers framed the issue as one of safety and equity. Beck said road design "either reinforces inequality or works to correct it," and multiple speakers described the project as long planned with funding secured; the meeting transcript and speakers did not specify project costs or funding sources.
Council members placed a related resolution about North Main on the consent agenda that night; the improvement resolution was among items approved on the consent vote. No further debate on project design or funding occurred during this meeting; Councilman Lombardo was directly asked by a commenter to present supporting data at a future meeting.
