By Jason Warner and Alison Goebel
In early June, the City of Dayton approved funding for a new free bus service to take residents from five neighborhoods to the Dayton Metro Library West Branch during peak library hours. The reason for the new service is because pedestrians have a difficult time safely crossing the road which leads to the library.
The Dayton Metro Library West Branch sits adjacent to U.S. 35 and Abbey Avenue in West Dayton. U.S. 35 is an eight-lane highway with a 50mph speed limit, and sees about 35,000 vehicles use the roadway every day.
While the city is awaiting funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund a pedestrian bridge over the busy intersection, the city, along with funding from the CareSource Foundation, and two paratransit vans donated by the Greater Dayton RTA, will spend $174,000 over three years to run a shuttle from 2pm-6pm Monday through Friday, and from 12pm-4pm on Saturdays.
While this is welcome news that the city and supporting groups in the community are coming together to support local residents’ access to the public library, it also demonstrates an overall failure to prioritize public safety, and instead devote untold resources to the movement of cars in and out of communities.
The West Branch is anchoring a district experiencing revitalization. Before 1988, U.S. 35 operate more like a local road, sharing a route with local streets. In the early 1990s, the “US 35 West” project began, which was a “expressway alignment project”. That alignment was completed in 1996 (history courtesy of Wikipedia) and contributed to the area’s decline.
GOPC has reported several times about poor roadway design, from our Spooky Streets series (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022) to highlights of the biennial “Dangerous by Design” report put out by Smart Growth America. Through these reports, we have documented how far too many roadways in Ohio are designed and constructed with pedestrians and other vulnerable road users as an afterthought. Priority for infrastructure design and development continues to be devoted to moving cars, trucks, and goods from point A to point B in as quick and efficient way as possible.
While there has been progress over the past decade in making investments in roadways that are safe for all users, including vulnerable users, there is still much work to be done. Last week, ODOT announced more than $54 million in grants from the Systemic Safety program through the Highway Safety Improvement Plan, of which $32.4 million is specifically noted as being for pedestrian work. That only accounts for 59% of grant funds (the remainder is classified as roadway departures). This pales in compassion to the $2.15 billion ODOT invested in roadway projects in Ohio in 2022.
Prioritizing investment in vulnerable user safety is more important than ever, as fatalities among cyclists and pedestrians continue to rise nationally and in Ohio.