Bike Cleveland urges cyclists not to use new Lorain-Carnegie Bridge bike lane

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The group Bike Cleveland, dedicated to working for safer streets, has put out a warning to all cyclists urging them not to use a newly designed bike land on the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge.

Bike Cleveland told 19 News they were caught by surprise when the city of Cleveland put a new green highlighter bike lane going over the bridge.

They contend that a short distance over the bridge, it drops riders into a shared lane with speeding cars.

According to Bike Cleveland, there has always been a safe way to travel over that bridge, and they’re confused about why the city felt a new bike lane was needed.

Christine Zigler of Brecksville rented a bike to ride from West 25th over the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge to Progressive Field.

“I love the fact that there’s a bike lane, but, then once it goes into that shared traffic, it’s a little unnerving because you have such busy traffic going back and forth,” Zigler stated. “It would be a lot better if you have a bike lane to take you the whole way across the bridge.”

Since that’s not the case, some who ride their bikes 24/7 ask, “what’s the alternative?”

Bike Cleveland shared this statement on their official website which reads in-part:

“We suggest that riders continue to use the separated bikeway on the north side of the bridge. It is an overwhelmingly safer option on a bridge that is well-known as a haven for speeding motorists on the move to make the highway connection on the other end. Riders should carefully merge into the left turn lane, or do a ‘‘Copenhagen Left” at W. 20th to connect with the bikeway. The ‘Copenhagen Left’ is a 2-stage turn where you ride most of the way through the intersection, but then stop, turn your bike in the direction you want to go and wait for the green light to proceed across Lorain and onto the bikeway.”

Geneva Finken, like others who travel on two-wheels, feels the main issue is that car drivers often don’t see cyclists.

Finken was recently hit by a car and broke her toe getting off the 117th Street exit ramp.

“There was a guy turning right and he didn’t look before he went right and we both went at the same time. Kind of scary,” Finken said.

Scary is exactly how Bike Cleveland feels about the new bike lane on the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge, because they feel it’s not a safe option and could give bike riders a false sense of security.

A spokesperson for Bike Cleveland said they have already approached Cleveland city leaders with their concerns, asking them to remove the bike lane.

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