Columbus staff present Bike Plus bikeways plan; advocates press for faster buildout and bigger maintenance budget

Columbus city staff on Tuesday presented the Bike Plus bikeways and micromobility plan and an outline for near‑term projects and maintenance, telling a council committee that the plan is intended to create a “safe and connected network for all.”

Brian Ashworth, transportation planning manager in the Department of Public Service, said the 18‑month planning effort combined technical analyses and extensive outreach to develop a long‑term vision network and a shorter list of priority projects. "Bike Plus is a city where people of all ages and abilities, backgrounds are able to bike safely and comfortably for any transportation or recreation need," Ashworth said.

The presentation described three central goals: build safer streets with protected infrastructure; increase everyday bicycling, scooting and rolling through programs and policy; and prioritize equity by focusing investment in the city’s identified communities of interest.

Staff said the vision network could encompass roughly 500 miles of bikeways citywide and that the near‑term program targets 10–12 proactive projects—about 20 miles—over the next few years to align with the city’s Vision 0 safety goals for protected bikeways by 2028. Ashworth emphasized the scale of safety problems that the plan seeks to address, pointing to a large number of high‑stress intersections flagged in the technical work and saying staff must avoid "giving up at the intersection." (The presenter’s intersection count was transcribed with artifacts; staff emphasized the overall magnitude during the hearing.)

Staff also described an outreach effort that included nearly 100 in‑person events, almost 12,000 engagement touchpoints and about 6,000 public comments that informed the draft recommendations. That public engagement, staff said, helped narrow roughly 150 candidate policies to 26 priority programs and policies, including a proposed bikeways maintenance policy, stronger code language and a package of quick‑build pilot projects.

Several advocates who testified said the plan is an important step but that the city must follow adoption with real funding and capacity. Brian Estabrook, board president of Yay Bikes, urged council to increase the annual capital budget for bike and pedestrian projects to at least $25,000,000 and warned that prior plans stalled without sustained funding and staff capacity. "Adoption of the Bike Plus plan will be a huge success to celebrate but the true victory comes from the day‑in, day‑out commitment to effective implementation," Estabrook said.

Other speakers urged immediate intersection safety work and stronger institutional accountability. Brianna Miller of Transit Columbus said the plan’s outreach revealed how afraid many residents are of biking in Columbus and told council: "Infrastructure speaks louder than campaigns, period." David Roseman, a longtime cycling advocate, asked the city to reestablish standing bike and pedestrian committees and dedicate new funding for maintenance and sidewalks.

Staff described a set of immediate moves already under way: design and construction work on East Broad Street and 4th Street, drafting a maintenance policy that will clarify responsibilities for sweeping, plowing and repairs, and more frequent one‑day pop‑up pilots to test quick‑build configurations. Ashworth said the city is already using federal Vision 0 and other grant opportunities to fund some projects and that having an adopted plan is important to secure more competitive grants.

The Bike Plus draft will be presented to full council on Dec. 9, 2024, and is available for public review online through that date. City staff said they will provide regular updates to council and the public and maintain a Bike Plus newsletter to track project progress and engagement.