Alas, May has come to an end!  Cincinnati had a very successful Bike Month 2010, and with two of Mobo’s events featured, the co-op was bustling.  Thank you to all of the volunteers who made the fundraiser and bike/plant sale a great success! If you couldn’t make it out, both events were great fun, awesome fundraisers for the co-op, and a fantastic way to start the high season.

The Sale happened at the Village Green, and while bikes were sold volunteers, members and new bike owners (!!) enjoyed a cookout in the Open House environment.  After a super-build day attended by shop volunteers, and many hours put in by core volunteers, there were about 25 bikes ready to be adopted and taken home!  If you’re interested in helping out in future events of this kind, please send an email to shopformobo@gmail.com or sign up for shop activities on the volunteer form.  This was a great way for volunteers to get more practice working on bikes and getting to know different kinds of parts.  It was such a success, volunteers are thinking of making the bike build a tradition.

The Fundraiser on May 15th was our 4th annual party.  It was held at Mayday bar on Spring Grove, right near the Mill Creek.  A higher turn-out with a lower admission price and a boat load of help from volunteers made this fundraiser the most successful yet.  We made as much money as last year, but more people came and more people made the event happen.   A handful of great local bands kept people itching to dance all night.  Elizabeth Motter started off the party with her harp, and was followed by the Tillers, Chocolate Horse, Fishfischer and Northside Nick.  Silent auctions and raffles sent people home with great deals on bike gear and local wares, and many people joined as new members!   People had a great time, and MoBo is off to a great start on its fourth year.  Thanks to everyone who made the fundraiser such a great success!

As we head into June, don’t forget about your bike!  May is bike month, but you can ride all year long!  Keep visiting the co-op, and keep pedaling!

After eight months of surveys, open houses, “rolling focus groups”, and lots of field work, the draft Bicycle Transportation Plan has been completed and is available online at www.cincinnati-oh.gov/bikeplan.

The plan will be presented to the public at an Open House this week:

Wednesday, May 5
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Clifton Cultural Arts Center
3711 Clifton Avenue

Please help spread the word about the Open House to any community members or groups that may be interested. I hope you will take the time to review the plan and send me your thoughts; Chapter One is the Executive Summary and provides a good overview of the plan’s goals, objectives, and action strategies.  We will be accepting comments until May 14, and then the plan will be revised and sent to City Council in early June.
Thank you for being a part of making Cincinnati a more bicycle friendly community!

Melissa McVay

City Planner

Department of Transportation & Engineering

City Hall, Room 450

801 Plum Street

Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

513.352.5269 office

513.352.5336 fax

To clear up the Cincinnati Bike Maps, the following are definitions of some designated spaces for bicycles which are a part of the plan.  Keep your eyes peeled for these applications in your neighborhood!  And use them!  And if you have more suggestions, leave a comment or send an email to PRforMobo[at]gmail.com.

- Bike Lane: A bike lane is a portion of the roadway which has been designated by striping and pavement markings for the exclusive use of bicyclists.

- Sharrows: Sharrows (shared lane markings) are pavement markings installed within shared travel lanes. The markings (a bike & chevron) remind motorists that they should expect to see and share the road with cyclists. In addition, the sharrows help cyclists position themselves within the lane so as to avoid being hit by suddenly opened car doors.

- Climbing Lane: A climbing lane is a bike lane on an uphill segment of the roadway. The climbing lane provides segregated space for cyclists who will be moving slowly up the hill.

- Cycletrack: A cycletrack is a bike lane that is separated from car traffic by a physical barrier such as bollards, parked cars, a curb, or a raised median.

- Bike Boulevard: Bike boulevards are low-volume and low-speed streets that have been optimized for bicycle travel through treatments such as traffic calming, traffic reduction, and signage and pavement markings. These treatments allow through movements for cyclists while discouraging or prohibiting similar through trips by nonlocal motorized traffic.

- Connecting Street: Connecting streets are low-volume and low-speed streets that can be used comfortably “as is” by cyclists in order to connect to other streets in the bicycle network.

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the Bike Plan is moving forward!

A first draft of the proposed Facility Network Map has been posted online for public review and comment.  This map shows all of the infrastructure (like bike lanes and sharrows) that we are proposing city-wide. A few definitions are provided below.

The draft map was developed based on feedback we received from the public at open houses, on neighborhood rides, and online regarding where they would like to be able to travel. I hope you will take some time to review the draft map and let us know if we’re missing any critical corridors or connections.

The remainder of the draft plan (the policy recommendations) will be posted online in late April, and our final Open House to solicit comments will be May 5, from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, 3711 Clifton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, 45220. We will accept comments on everything until May 15.

The draft Facility Network Map can be accessed at www.cincinnati-oh.gov/bikeplan. Please help spread the word to others that may be interested.

Thanks,

Mel

Melissa McVay

City Planner

Department of Transportation & Engineering

ANNOUNCING

DESIGN CONTEST for MOBO’S

2010 T-Shirts and Posters

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION:

Poster:
3 colors maximum
11″ x 14″
300 dpi (minimum) resolution if digital file

Poster must clearly and prominantly contain the text:

“Mobo Fourth Annual Fundraiser”

March 10th, 11 pm.

Submissions and questions may be referred to

PRforMobo[at]gmail.com