A bumper crop of new bike paths this summer could lead more cyclists to adventures in parks and remote areas of central Ohio.
Opened this month, a 3-mile ribbon of bikeway links northern Columbus neighborhoods to a Westerville park. The Alum Creek Trail now extends from Parkridge Park in Blendon Township to Otterbein College.
"This is great. I ride these paths as much as I can,'' said Dave Weaver, 33. The lifelong Westerville resident's 2-year-old, Mya, was along for a recent trip to Westerville's new skateboard park.
Weaver's main concern has been paths that suddenly end, forcing him to navigate streets and heavy traffic.
"They pretty much all stop,'' he said. "Basically, you've got to get off and cut through some neighborhood roads to continue.''
He is pleased the pieces are finally being connected.
One such dead end is at the northern point of the Olentangy Trail in Worthington. A long-awaited bridge will open this summer to extend the trail across the Olentangy River and under I-270 to Worthington Hills Park and a commercial strip.
"It'd be fantastic for us,'' said Kyle Baker, vice president and director of food service at the Hills Market, a gourmet grocery at 7860 Olentangy River Road. "They could ride right up here and get something to eat and drink. We'll welcome the bikers.''
Crossing the freeway is a major hurdle, said Michael Hayes, co-chairman of the Columbus Bicycle Advisory Commission. " I-270 is a moat around the city,'' he said. "To get a path around that in any way is excellent. It's going to open that whole area along the river and eventually you'll get to Highbanks.''
Development has moved ahead at a steady pace with Columbus, state and federal funding of about $2 million a year for trails, said Matt Habash, president of the Columbus City Council.
A city bond sale scheduled for later this month includes $1.5 million for trail improvements.
"By the end of this year, we will have over 60 miles of trails, double what we had four years ago,'' Habash said.
Cycling advocates, however, say more can be done.
"We have more obstacles than we do backing,'' said Randy Bennett of Delaware County Friends of the Trail, which promotes the safety, health and commuter benefits of cycling.
The group has been extending a bikeway from Westerville through Galena to Sunbury, and hopes eventually to connect with Centerburg. "Each year we get a couple of miles built,'' Bennett said.
Negotiating right-of-way deals with landowners can be frustrating, he said.
Habash agrees that property owners can be a major hindrance: "It's always a challenge when you're building long linear parks because you have to go through so many people's perceived back yards, one easement at a time.''
Habash's goal is to connect trails along all of the rivers and streams, develop east-west arteries and to connect to as many suburbs as possible.
That suits Ed Honton just fine.
The 74-year-old retired project engineer rides up to 40 miles a day, including trips from his Upper Arlington home to Riverside Methodist Hospital for leukemia treatments.
"In general, we're making progress (on bike paths),'' he said during a blood transfusion last week. "But it's not fast enough for me.
Cooperation among jurisdictions has helped bring about the small victories, said Bernice Cage of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission.
"They're slowly but surely coming together,'' she said.
The paths "showcase what a great city we have,'' said Brad Westall, Columbus' greenways planner. "Urban greenspaces that really weren't accessible to people now are.''
Reginal planners hope to someday connect Columbus bikeways to all of
the surrounding suburbs and parks. Click
here for a map of proposed
pathways.
dnarciso@dispatch.com