Columbus committee hears Bike Plus plan calling for 500-mile vision network, near-term projects and stronger maintenance

Council Chair Rosa de Padilla convened a committee hearing where Department of Public Service staff and consultant Tool Design Group presented the Bike Plus plan, a citywide update of Columbus’s 2008 bikeways strategy that lays out an almost 500-mile vision network and a near-term program of 10–12 projects to be built over the next few years. The plan aims to increase safe, connected options for people who "don't call themselves cyclists" and to advance equity and Vision Zero goals.

The presentation described three goals: build safe streets with protected infrastructure, get more people biking and rolling through programs and policy changes, and plan for equity by prioritizing "Communities of Interest" where residents are more likely to be harmed as pedestrians or cyclists. Brian Ashworth, Transportation Planning Manager for the Department of Public Service, said the plan pairs…