Photos courtesy of the City of Dublin and City of Dublin Police
In recent years, cycling has become increasingly popular across the U.S. The City of Dublin has noticed this trend and has taken measures to provide premium biking amenities to its residents.
Dublin is home to more than 100 miles of eight-foot-wide asphalt pathway used for biking, running, walking and more. In addition, the city provides separate bike lanes and sharrows on its roads – markings that let motorists know bicyclists are permitted to use the full lane.
Still, Dublin is constantly looking for ways to continue expanding this system.
“There’s an internal committee made up of people in all divisions: planners, engineers, park staff and more. (They) look at gaps in the system and see if it’s a site where a developer can come in with plans,” says Laura Ball, a landscape architect in Dublin’s Parks and Recreation department. “We guide them toward building bike paths where they need to be.”
Besides existing for recreational purposes, this extensive system provides residents the opportunity to choose biking as a primary means of transportation in and around Dublin.
“There are major road networks that have separated bike paths that (residents) can use for commuting purposes,” Ball says. “We also meet in the larger arena with the people who plan bike paths for the city of Columbus and connecting communities to see how we can link our internal system with the greater world of bike paths.”
Cyclists can view this complex system on an interactive geographic information system map on the City of Dublin’s website, www.dublinohiousa.gov. The map allows bikers to plan their routes, use measurement tools to see their distance traveled and view the locations of Dublin’s parks and open spaces.
The interactive GIS map is one of the many resources Dublin offers cyclists. In April 2012, a project group from Leadership Dublin launched the Dublin Bicycle Ambassador program to help bikers with directions, helmet fitting and maintenance issues on the trails.
Bike ambassadors also help the Parks and Recreation staff to determine where the community’s fix-it stations should be located. These bike repair stations sit along the paths and contain the basic tools cyclists may need to repair any bicycle issues, such as flat tires and loose chains. There are currently two fix-it stations in the system. One is located in Coffman Park, and the other in Earlington Park. Bike ambassadors recently identified a location for a third.
Bike ambassadors partner with the Dublin bike patrol unit, which consists of 14 police officers trained in bicycle operation, to promote bicycle safety in the community.
To ensure children are informed about proper safety, Dublin’s bike patrol unit has implemented a number of programming initiatives. The unit periodically runs small safety events for local Boy and Girl Scout troops, teaching them the rules of the road and demonstrating safety skills. In addition, the unit is currently partnering with Dublin City Schools to teach third, fourth and fifth graders about the importance of proper helmet use.
“Too often, we see kids that have helmets, but they’re not strapped or they’re sitting too far back on their heads. Or kids have their helmets strapped to their handlebars as they ride,” says Corporal Kevin Keiffer, co-coordinator of the bike patrol unit. “There isn’t a helmet law in Dublin, but we do strongly encourage them, and we promote that through our safety events.”
Along with wearing helmets, the best way bikers can stay safe while riding is to be very predictable in their behavior, Keiffer says. This is especially important when bikers are on the road and not just on a bike path.
“A common theme that we see is that most (bike crashes) occur within intersections of the roadway that meet with the bike path,” Keiffer says. “So we encourage cyclists to use caution and treat those intersections as a four way stop.”
Dublin was recently awarded 97 helmets from the Ohio American Academy of Pediatrics’ bike safety awareness program “Put A Lid On It!” The program has handed out more than 9,000 helmets to Ohio children in an effort to keep them safe when they ride.
In addition to the helmet grant, Dublin’s extensive pathways, resources and measures to ensure cyclists can ride safely have earned Dublin the title of a Bicycle Friendly Community. To learn more about bicycling in Dublin, visit www.dublinohiousa.gov/bicycling-in-dublin/.
Dublin bike path maps are available at the Dublin Community Recreation Center and City Hall.
Taylor Weis is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at hbealer@cityscenecolumbus.com.
