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Cycling Advocates Call For More Protected Lanes On City's West Side

Over the past decade or so community developers, multi-modal advocates, city council members, and residents have been working together, to reshape a major corridor on the Cleveland's near west side.

The stretch between West 20th street and West 65th street, which runs through the Ohio City and Detroit Shoreway neighborhoods, has seen its fair share of new development, both residential and commercial.

The infrastructure plan that would alter the existing street calls for a 'cycletrack' - which is a heavily protected bike and pedestrian lane.

But as of last month, the City of Cleveland seems to have backpedaled on the plans, to borrow a phrase from writer Steve Litt, revealing new options for the project, none of which match the originally intended cycletrack.

While this project only directly impacts about 40 blocks in one section of the city, safer street advocates says its illustrative of a larger problem Cleveland-wide, where pedestrian safety and bike access is pushed to the curb.

Today on the program, we'll talk with some of the folks who are close to the issue and we'll discuss the larger issue of multi-modal safety.

Also on the program, athlete and clean water advocate Katie Spotz joins us to discuss her latest endurance challenge. The Northeast Ohio native recently completed 11 consecutive ultra-marathons across the state of Ohio.

Later in the hour, our Anna Huntsman chats with two area nurses who can now consider themselves authors - with the publication of a new children's book.

Their book, “Luminaries of the Past: Stories of 50 Extraordinary Nurses” not only chronicles the lives of nurses throughout history, but is also raising money for Case Western Reserve University’s School of Nursing.

- Lee Chilcote, Founder and Editor, The Land
- Jacob Van Sickle, Executive Director, Bike Cleveland
- Ashley Shaw, Chief Operating Officer, Ohio City Incorporated
- Katie Spotz, Adventurer, Athlete, and Water Activist
- Joyce Fitzpatrick, Program Director, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University
- Mary Beth Modic, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Cleveland Clinic
- Anna Huntsman, Health Reporter, Ideastream Public Media

Drew Maziasz is a coordinating producer for the "Sound of Ideas" and also serves as the show’s technical producer.