Residents, bike groups push for North Main Street safety upgrades; city schedules open house

Residents and bicycle advocates urged Akron City Council on Tuesday to support a redesign of North Main Street that backers say would reduce speeds, add bike lanes and pedestrian crossings and boost local businesses, and council members announced a public open house for the project next week.

The project is tied to a $6,000,000 state grant that would pay for redesign and repaving work, officials said; the city will hold an open house from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 16, at the North Hill Library on East Cuyahoga Falls Avenue, Councilman Lombardo said.

The plan aims to change the wide, four-lane design of North Main Street — which speakers said encourages speeding — into a corridor that is safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users.

"North Main Street is 1 of the most dangerous streets in the city," said Whitman Sullivan, a resident, who urged the council to accept the state funding to pay for the redesign and repaving. "By making this corridor more safe to walk and bike, we can bring in far more traffic into the corridor, different types of traffic, and traffic that is more likely to stop these businesses and support it."

Brian Monteith, who leads recreational bike rides in the city, said the lack of safe infrastructure means North Hill is regularly bypassed by riders who otherwise stop to shop and eat downtown. "North Hill is notably lacking in that infrastructure, and it constantly gets bypassed," Monteith said.

Speakers and the project summary say the proposal would add protected bike lanes, four pedestrian crossings, new bus stops and improved Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalks. Supporters tied the work to recent regional trail projects, saying the redesign would help connect North Hill to the Rubber City Heritage Trail, the Summit Lake Towpath extension and the Freedom Trail.

Jessie Easley, speaking remotely, said bicycle traffic brings economic activity to cities that welcome riders. "We spend money. We all spend money in Akron. We eat, we drink, we frequently go to businesses," Easley said.

Councilman Lombardo urged the public to review maps and ask questions at the North Hill Library open house on April 16. No council vote on the North Main design occurred at Tuesday's meeting; council discussion of the project will continue after the open house, Lombardo said.

The city did not provide a timetable for final design or construction at the meeting. Council members and speakers said the grant would cover a large portion of the immediate design and resurfacing work, but no contract or construction schedule was announced.