CLEVELAND — Nationwide, there's an increasing amount of bicyclists and pedestrians being struck by cars, and Cleveland is not exempt from that trend. A recent report shows that last year, there were more than 500 car crashes involving walkers and bikers. Advocacy groups are pushing for safety improvements.
Jenna Thomas finds her happy place biking, but over the years, she's personally experienced several bikers and walkers struck by cars.
“My dad, when we lived in Lakewood, would commute to work on a bike. He was hit by a car," Thomas said. "Just a few weeks ago, my older brother was hit by a car."
Her love and that growing concern is why she joined Bike Cleveland as their policy and advocacy manager. Bike Cleveland is an advocacy and education group for Cleveland bikers and walkers.
“The way our roads are designed really encouraged speeding, and so it leads to a lot of unsafe situations for people biking and walking,” Thomas said.
According to a Bike Cleveland report, 25% of the city’s population doesn’t have cars, so many rely on walking, biking, and transit. In 2023, 550 bikers and pedestrians were struck by a car, and nine people were killed.
Jenna added that some incidents haven’t even been reported.
“Some studies say that somewhere between 7 and 44% of these crashes with bikes and pedestrians are never called into the police. We also found that some crashes that are called into police never get an official report that's submitted to the state,” Thomas said.
Calley Mersmann, the senior strategist for transit and mobility with the City of Cleveland, tells News 5 they've noticed the trend, so the city is redesigning roads to try and slow down cars.
“We're working on things all the way from quick build, low cost, using things like paint and plastic posts to create curb extensions to make crosswalks more visible, shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians,” Mersmann said.
However, with years of road designs dedicated to vehicles, the pivot will take time.
“It is a sustained effort and a reprioritization of speed and convenience, being less important than ultimately someone's life and the safety of people moving throughout the streets,” Mersmann said.
For Thomas, she is happy to hear improvements are to come but wants to see them soon because she believes they won't just benefit bikers.
“It helps meet our sustainability goals. It can really improve economic development. It can improve public health. There are so many things that are tied to transportation,” Thomas said.
Cleveland is also working on a city-wide mobility plan to guide its next steps. So, it will be looking to the community for input on what areas need improvements.
