CTM’s Transportation and Public Safety Committee has been working to make Ludlow Avenue safer for all users of this road (vehicle drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians). This website post provides all the details of what has been happening as well as including a Call for Feedback opportunity for everyone in Clifton to act upon. We urge you to review everything below, and the Call for Feedback is near the end.
Timeline
- July 2018 – City of Cincinnati Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE) requests CTM to submit priority locations for pedestrian safety improvements.
- Sep 2018 – CTM submits three locations to City of Cincinnati in response to the July 2018 request: Ludlow Avenue at Morrison Avenue/Place, Ludlow Avenue at Clifton Hills Avenue, and Ludlow Avenue at Ormond Avenue. Location selection was based on the results of a City of Cincinnati Pedestrian Safety Survey, persistent problem areas received by CTM, and areas without recent improvement activity by the city.
- May 2019 – City of Cincinnati releases list of 2019 Pedestrian Safety Program Projects. The Ludlow at Clifton Hills is the only location selected for project funding. A radar sign is selected as the solution.
- June 2019 – DOTE Pedestrian Safety Manager (M. McVay) informs CTM that the Clifton Hills location scored above the “finding line” and the request for the Morrison location scored just below. However, the City’s Pedestrian Safety team had significant concerns about striping crosswalks at those two locations, given the volume and speed of traffic and the considerable distance a pedestrian would cross (i.e. four lanes of traffic with no refuge island). The Pedestrian Safety team proposes a safety study (conducted and funded by the Ohio Department of Transportation – ODOT) to identify changes to Ludlow Avenue that would have a positive impact on speeding and pedestrian safety.
- July 2019 – CTM Board votes to request safety study of Ludlow Avenue
- Oct 2019 – City DOTE advises CTM that ODOT has approved and agreed to do a Safety Study of Ludlow Ave.
- April 2020 – Announcement at April CTM monthly meeting that a Ludlow Ave safety study is underway by ODOT from Central Parkway to Whitfield Ave.
- June 2020 – Announcement at June CTM monthly meeting that the report from ODOT is forthcoming.
- July 2020 – CTM Board reviews the ODOT report at July CTM monthly meeting and agrees to the objectives of the project. Click here to see the entire ODOT report. The ODOT report includes a separate appendix file which you read by clicking here.
- Oct 2020 – City DOTE presents six high-level design options, as well as their various preferred and rejected options for Ludlow Ave at the October CTM monthly meeting and next steps are outlined. Three designs that met community goals were selected for development of detailed plans and community feedback.
October Initial Presentation by City DOTE
Below is the presentation that City DOTE presented at the October 5, 2020 CTM meeting showing preferred and rejection options. Please note that these options are high level conceptual and not detailed designs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the goals of this effort?
The goals were reviewed and approved by the CTM Board in July 2020. They are as follows:
- Make Ludlow Avenue safer and more convenient for pedestrians to cross, with priority locations at:
- Ludlow at Morrison Avenue/Morrison Place
- Ludlow at Clifton Hills Ave
- Calm vehicular traffic on Ludlow Ave to support Goal #1, and to
- Calm traffic entering the business district
- Slow vehicles to 25 MPH
- Incorporate street features to prepare and welcome approaching traffic
- Address crashes in area of Ludlow Avenue and Whitfield Avenue
- Facilitate left turns from Ludlow Avenue to streets and driveways
- Reduce lane changing, weaving, and passing of vehicles
- Calm traffic entering the business district
- Extend bike lanes on Ludlow Avenue to connect neighborhood, business district, and Burnet Woods to
- Central Parkway bike lanes
- Mill Creek Greenway Trail
- CROWN and Wasson Way
- Maintain safe and efficient access to and movement of busses and public transportation
- METRO buses
- School buses
- Private shuttles (i.e., UC, CCHMC)
- Maintain adequate on-street parking for residents and visitors
Why is this project happening?
To make Ludlow Avenue safer by easing traffic flow and making it more convenient and safer to cross Ludlow Avenue. The background is this: In 2018, the Clifton community through Clifton Town Meeting (CTM) had requested crosswalks be put in at Morrison Avenue and Clifton Hills Avenue at Ludlow. The City’s Department of Engineering & Transportation (DOTE) indicated that the traffic flow was such that there needed to be a study. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) fielded a traffic study from the Viaduct to Whitfield Avenue and determined that a “road diet” and several safety improvements with crosswalks would reduce accidents by 38%.
What will change with parking?
There is no option under consideration where parking is eliminated completely on both sides of the street. Having “adequate parking” was a criterion of determining which option on which to move forward. However, the options laid out by DOTE have different implications for parking – some keep parking on both sides and some have it only on one side of the street. If an option with parking on one side of the street is a preferred option, then DOTE – with heavy engagement by CTM – will conduct a study of parking to determine where parking is being utilized to determine the best configuration.
Will my driveway be blocked with a median?
No, at this time there are no plans to block access to any driveway with a median. The ODOT report recommended a center turn lane and DOTE in their options has laid out that there could be a raised median at different parts of the road. The options under consideration do NOT include any approval or disapproval of a median. Instead, a decision on the length of a median, its placement, etc would be made at a future date with considerable input from residents along Ludlow Avenue.
How is the project funded? If I live on Ludlow Avenue will I have to pay for this?
This project will be submitted for funding to the Ohio Department of Transportation in April 2021. Residents of Clifton (or on Ludlow Avenue) will NOT have to directly pay for it.
When would construction begin?
Construction would be expected to begin during the Summer of 2022 and finish the same year.
How will the bike lanes be configured?
The different options also include different configurations of bike lanes ranging from a bike lane by the curb with a buffer of parked cars to a bike lane next to traffic and parked cars to a two-way fully protected bike lane on one side of the street. Depending on which option is chosen, DOTE will then do more detailed by-block drawings. They have been clear that none of the options would block driveways or bus stops.
What new crosswalks will be added on this project?
Pedestrian crosswalk locations are being proposed at the intersections of Ludlow at Clifton Hills Ave. and Ludlow at Morrison Ave./Morrison Place with Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs).
What is a rectangular rapid flashing beacon?
Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) are used to supplement warning signs at uncontrolled intersections or mid-block crosswalks. They feature flashing, high-intensity LEDs that alert motorists that pedestrians are using the crosswalk. Studies have shown that RRFBs significantly increase driver yielding behavior. RRFBs are placed on both sides of a crosswalk below a pedestrian crossing sign and above an arrow sign that points at the crossing. Pedestrians manually activate RRFBs with a push-button. An example of this can be found at the intersection of Central Parkway at Clifton Hills Avenue.
Call for Feedback
City DOTE has agreed to collect all the feedback on this project. They have created a website link for our neighborhood to use. Please click here to give your feedback.
Next Steps
- Provide feedback now through December 3.
- CTM Transportation Committee presents recommendation on a path forward on the options to the CTM Board of Trustees. Trustees will endeavor to decide on proceeding with the Ludlow Road Diet and also direction on which option to proceed with in order to enable DOTE to move forward. You can attend this virtual meeting. Watch for the announcement via email to subscribers with the details on how to join online. It will also be posted on Facebook, NextDoor, and on this website as a separate posting.
- During the winter, City DOTE will prepare a project for submission to ODOT in April 2021 to gain approved funding through ODOT’s Safety Improvement program. CTM Transportation Committee will engage with DOTE on issues around details of design drawings, studies on parking implications, medians, etc. and will engage with the community as they become available.
- Assuming approval for funding is achieved, construction and installation would start during the Summer of 2022.