The Greenway is a plan to connect some existing infrastructure for bikes and pedestrians – and build some new – to create a more continuous web of transportation pathways, through the East Side and 18 suburban municipalities.
Neal Billetdeaux is with the planning firm Smith Group JJR, a consultant working for Cuyahoga County and the nonprofit the Land Studio on the project. He says the 60 people who showed up at the Euclid Avenue Happy Dog Wednesday night were mostly cyclists – and had a clear idea about what they want.
"There did seem to be a strong preference for off-road alternatives, wherever that could be accommodated," Billetdeaux said.
Building protected lanes or independent paths for bikers and walkers hikes a project’s cost, he added. But it also keeps them safer.
Billetdeaux said other comments pointed to a desire for better connections between pedestrian and bike routes and public transportation, like buses.