Columbia Parkway to 4 lanes?

CINCINNATI - Leslie Ghiz and three other council members will be looking for a fifth to support a motion that would ask the city manager to study Columbia Parkway safety.

Ghiz is sponsoring what is being called a non-partisan motion to look at a host of safety options.

"In the short term, the motion asks to look at rumble strips and potentially removing one of the lanes allowing for shoulders," said Wayne Lippert, one of the motion's supporters.

Ghiz will present the motion at the Livable Communities Committee meeting Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 2 p.m.

"One of the surprising things about Columbia Parkway is the accident rate is lower than most city roads the speeds create the problem because when you have accidents the accidents are much more severe," Lippert said.

The move to review safety came after Sgt. Ronald Shaeper was hit head-on by Raymond Weathers .  Shaeper has a long recovery in front of him after he was put in critical condition.

Lippert says increased speed enforcement would be a quick and easy addition to the safety equation.

"I think stepping up patrols on Columbia Parkway would be a great idea but again when you look at the patrol capacity, it's somewhat limited because there's really only one spot that's close to downtown where officers can really monitor the parkway," Lippert said.

Be sure to stay with 9 News and WCPO.com for developments from Tuesday's committee meeting.