The city of Columbus is moving forward with two street safety initiatives; one focused on East Livingston Avenue in the Driving Park area and the other on East Hudson Street in Linden.
Data collection is underway for the Livingston Avenue Pedestrian Safety Study, an effort that could lead to changes in the layout of the street and the addition of new elements like bike lanes. A steering committee made up of local residents and other interested stakeholders is also being put together, according to Department of Public Service spokesperson Debbie Briner.
“We want to hear from the community,” Briner said. “The study’s findings, data collection and community input will help to shape the improvements to be implemented along this section of the Livingston corridor.”
The portion of Livingston included in the study stretches from South 18th Street (in front of Nationwide Children’s Hospital), to Nelson Road, a distance of about 1.5 miles.
With two lanes in each direction dedicated to car travel and very little in the way of updated pedestrian or safety infrastructure to slow cars down, the street funnels a tremendous amount of high-speed car traffic through the neighborhood. The segment in question is classified as a High Injury Network corridor (as defined by the city’s Vision Zero initiative), and was home to 47 crashes between 2016 and 2020. Of those crashes, one was fatal, seven resulted in serious injury, and 37 of them involved a “vulnerable user” – a pedestrian, bicyclist or motorcyclist.
Asked if protected bike lanes could be one of the elements considered for the street, Briner said that the city is “willing to consider all options that will improve safety along the corridor, with a specific emphasis on ending crash related fatalities and serious injuries.”
Briner added that the city has already started making some improvements to the corridor – three “high-visibility” crosswalks are being installed; at 22nd Avenue, Wilson Avenue and Lilley Avenue.
For more information on the Livingston study, see columbus.gov.
Hudson Street Changes
Construction is scheduled to start in July on improvements to Hudson Street between I-71 and Cleveland Avenue.
Hudson will be repaved and a 10-foot-wide shared-use path added to the south side of the street, as well as a new, five-foot-wide sidewalk on the north side. Other improvements include new trees, street lights, curb ramps, rain gardens, storm sewers, and upgraded traffic lights.
The work, which will take two construction seasons, will be split into two phases. The first phase runs from McGuffey Road to Cleveland Avenue, and the second phase – to be completed in 2023 – will complete the work on the western half of the corridor, up to I-71.
Briner said that once construction is underway, cars traveling westbound on Hudson will be rerouted to Weber Road, while eastbound traffic will be maintained on Hudson.
The new shared-use path will provide a safer option for cyclists traveling along the Hudson corridor, although there are not currently plans to add a path or bike lanes to the street west of I-71.
Hudson Street in the University District – from I-71 to Neil Avenue, where it provides access to the Olentangy Trail – has also seen lots of crashes in recent years, particularly where it intersects with other major thoroughfares like North Fourth Street, Summit Street and North High Street.
The University Area Commission submitted a letter to the city last year – when changes to Indianola Avenue were first being considered – expressing concerns about speeding cars and dangerous traffic conditions on Hudson, and area residents started a Facebook group to document crashes that occur on Summit, Fourth and Hudson.
Justin Goodwin, Transportation Planning Manager for the city, told CU at the time that the city and its consultant examined the possibility of extending the two-way Summit bike lane onto Hudson to connect it up to Indianola, but decided against that approach due to a lack of space and the potential for too many conflicts with cars turning into businesses along that stretch. Although nothing is currently scheduled, he added that the city is interested in undertaking a larger safety study for that section of Hudson.
For more information on the Hudson improvements, see columbus.gov.
