Biker-Friendliness to Improve
by Alyson Dame

Oberlin is flat and divided into squares. Still, a unique collaboration of College students and town residents think it could be even more bike-friendly. Tuesday, May 8, small groups at a downtown church gathered in tables around town maps to brainstorm about new design initiatives for Oberlin.

“There’s a history in Oberlin of a lot of good ideas but not a lot of action. With bike stuff in the past, there’s been a lot of proposals and recommendations but nothing really ever been acted upon,” junior organizer Morgan Williams said. Williams is part of the Oberlin Design Initiative, and the meeting was part of a private reading he and junior Eve Bratman, sophomore Catrina Perry and junior Sandy Kronick created last semester.
Williams was especially enthused by the variation in people involved. He said the organizers tried to include people who have been involved in similar projects in the past, as well as “groups that might not have traditionally been involved in the past.” 
City Manager Rob DiSpirito and Director of Public Works Bill Kelso were present, as well Singrid Boe, representing the Oberlin Historic and Improvement Society. 
“It’s as much about the process of bringing people together as it is about creating plans for action. We wanted a project that would bring a bunch of people together and start a spirit of implementation,” Boe said. 
Plans for action, however, were also developed. “I think the meeting was a very productive, constructive meeting. It really got to some design ideas that realistically could be done,” DiSpirito said. 

Short-term goals include installing placards along the existing bike path and creating better signage throughout town. “If you’re biking along the bike path, you could come to this thing and you can know where to go to get something to eat or visit a museum or just sit in a park,” Williams said.
At one point, the meeting broke into small groups. Each group gathered around a table with a map of Oberlin covered with a plastic sheet. “We gave everyone pens and they marked on the maps spots and destinations that should be included on a bike route and the possibilities for lanes and routes,” Williams said, adding, “The [existing] bike path sort of goes alongside of town and we’re encouraging riders to come off the path and bike through town, and to allow more comfortable bike riding through town.”
DiSpirito agreed that downtown could be more hospitable to bikers. “What we don’t really have is branches that come off and take you to downtown or the art museums and other destinations. We’re talking about signage and maybe some markings on the street,” he said. Williams agreed that the project was realistic. “The infrastructure’s there, it’s just a matter of making a decision and then being clear,” he said.
The nucleus group plans to meet again this month to continue discussion about immediate and broader goals. DiSpirito envisions, “a whole park where people from out of town could come,” with a picnic area, an air hose for bikes, and restrooms. “The College and the town have a great history of working together,” Dispirito said, adding that the town will absolutely continue to support bike-friendly initiatives.