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Plans for new bike path get rolling

By Abigail Kelly, For The Miami Student

Plans for Oxford's recreational bike trail are now underway.

Community leaders and Oxford residents gathered Tuesday for the "Let's Get Rolling" event at the Oxford Community Arts Center to hear about various initiatives to make Oxford more appealing for cyclists.

The presentation discussed a comprehensive plan, including adding bike lanes on current roads and beginning construction on the first phase of the new trail.

"Our committee felt like Oxford needs a recreational trail that is safe for young children to ride [their bikes] on with their families," said Jessica Greene, director of the Oxford Visitors Bureau.

Project manager Sam Perry said he is excited to be picking up a project the Oxford community has been anticipating since the 1990s.

"Construction projects are expensive and this one is no exception," Perry said.

The bike trail project has gained traction since receiving more funding - half a million dollars were awarded by the Clean Ohio Grant and an additional $170 thousand were raised to match 25 percent of the total value of the project. Volunteers are now starting to prepare for construction.

Under the conditions of the grant, the trail must be completed by June 30, unless the community asks for an extension. If Oxford can meet this deadline, the completion of the trail could align well with cycling events in Oxford including Race Across America, a cross-country bike race that has a checkpoint in Oxford, and the Great Ohio Bike Adventure, a biking excursion that travels through southern Ohio. These events will be attracting thousands of visitors during the last weeks of June.

The 10-foot wide paved trail will start on the north side of Oxford on Kelly Road, wind through the Black Covered Bridge and end at the cabin in Leonard Hallow Park. The plan is designed to connect some of Oxford's historic landmarks and make them more easily accessible to patrons.

"Oxford has always been a walkable and compact community," said Oxford Planning Commission chair, David Prytherch during his presentation. The community is now ready to embrace potential bike traffic.

Greene said that finally getting this plan for cycling into action is going to be a positive step forward for the community now and in the future.

"When people look at communities in which they want to live, recreation is often on the top tier of considerations," said Greene. "When the new rec trail is tied to a comprehensive streets plan, it is our hope that more people will commute via bike or walking. We hope to build a stronger community for our current and future residents."