CINCINNATI — City data indicates a west side street is getting safer, about five months after a new traffic calming project was installed by the city.
The city reduced the number of lanes on a two-mile stretch of Glenway Avenue in West Price Hill in April, between Beech Avenue and Shirley Place. The road has historically had a significant number of traffic crashes and has been on the city’s “high crash network.”
“When you have more travel lanes than you need, people feel like they can drive faster,” said Melissa McVay, with Cincinnati’s Department of Transportation & Engineering.
City data shows there were about half the number of traffic crashes on that stretch of Glenway Rd. between April and August compared to the same time last year.
McVay said the project was intended to reduce speeds. Prior to its implementation, McVay said the city clocked over 1,000 vehicles each day exceeding 40 mph in a 25 mph zone.
“If you're a pedestrian and you're hit by a vehicle going 40 miles an hour, you have an 80% chance of death or serious injury,” she said.
McVay said the city has received feedback from about 1,000 people since the project’s start, and that most of that feedback has been positive.
But not all drivers were pleased about it.
“It’s a headache,” said Zak Miele, who lives nearby. “It’s always backed up and everything over here.”
In response to some complaints about congestion, the city added back an extra lane in one direction between Overlook Ave and Ferguson Rd.
Now, city officials are hoping for additional feedback before the project is completed. If you have any input, you can fill out this survey. It will close at the end of the month.
The city will review the feedback in early October and meet with the West Price Hill Community Council. The project is expected to be finalized in late October or early November.
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