Bicycle and
pedestrian issues at OSU
In order to focus advocacy efforts, issues have been divided into three categories:
1. Pedestrian-oriented campus and neighborhood design
In the present designs of many campus and neighboring streets, pedestrians are treated as secondary to cars and traffic flow, and walkers and drivers are awkwardly pitted against each other in many places. A safer, more appealing university area can be achieved by reinstating the pedestrian's highest prominence in the campus environment.
Many steps can be taken to improve the pedestrian-friendliness of OSU campus:
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Traffic calming measures to reduce traffic volume and speeds, such as speed bumps, signage, on-street parking, elimination of center-turn lanes, signal timing, etc.
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Improved crosswalks, from simple repainting of white stripes to installing flashing lights, enforcing crosswalk laws, narrowing roads at crossings, etc.
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Safer street intersections that favor pedestrians by installing signage (no turn on red, yield to pedestrians, etc.), eliminating button-activation for walk signal, adjusting signal timing, creating all-red all-walk signal cycle, better road markings, etc.
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More pleasant sidewalks adjacent to streets, incorporating pedestrian-oriented planning principles such as greenspace between sidewalk and road, improved lighting, streetscaping treatments, etc.
2. Bicycle commuting as a viable option
At present, commuting to OSU by bicycle is disfavored by the auto-friendly street designs prevalent on and around campus. Many steps can be taken to reverse the current situation:
- Develop an extensive bicycle master plan which incorporates both OSU and the surrounding neighborhoods, using successful cycling communities and campuses as practical models
- Introduce bike lanes on existing streets where possible, eliminating center-turn lanes where needed, based on well-established design principles for bike lanes
- Improve bicycle storage facilities on campus, such as covered bike racks and for-rent bicycle lockers, and install bike racks in high-demand areas
- Require all new road designs on and around campus to include street space for bicycles, and move to increase width of existing streets where presently no street space exists
- Develop a bicycle commuting map for distributing to students, faculty and staff, highighting safest routes from all directions and future plans for bicycle-friendly improvements. Identify target neighborhoods where cyclists would commute from.
3. Programs and policies to encourage cycling and walking
The university and city can undertake several pro-active measures to encourage members of the OSU community to drive less. A wealth of experience in this area has been gained by colleges around the country. For example:
- Promote cycling and walking to/from/around campus as a healthy lifestyle choice, with educational fitness programs tied to university health services.
- Reduce parking and congestion in central campus by Increasing parking fees, closing the central campus loop to all non-essential (handicapped & delivery) personnel, reducing parking availability, etc.
- Explore free community bike programs that have been established at other universities such as U Wisconsin and Michigan State U.
- Start educational programs within OSU Transportation & Parking Services to encourage alternative commuting options
- Adopt planning guidelines in the University District to build a stronger pedestrian character in the neighborhood and business areas
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bikeeyes is for students, staff, faculty and friends
of The Ohio State University, with a common
interest in improving conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians on campus and in the surrounding University District. This page was last updated December 28, 2004. |