Hyde Park residents have until Aug. 14, to weigh in on the future of Erie Avenue.

The city's online survey for the Erie Avenue & Murray Road Safety Improvements Project closes after a month of collecting community input. The survey, available through the city's project page, covers Erie Avenue from Saybrook Avenue to Murray Road and Murray Road near La Crosse Avenue. That corridor is where a 26-year-old scooter rider was killed May 1 after a westbound Corvette turned left in front of him at Erie and Pinehurst avenues, according to Fox 19. Two additional crashes near the same intersection followed.

The Department of Transportation & Engineering (DOTE) launched the survey July 13 as part of a grant-funded project to redesign intersections, add protected bike lanes, fill a sidewalk gap on Murray Road and improve trail connections through Hyde Park, Oakley and Madisonville. The project is funded primarily through Ohio Public Works Commission and Metro Transportation Improvement Fund grants and is in its design phase.

An in-person public meeting where residents can view the proposed design is planned for this fall, though no date has been set.

Committee targets speeding on Erie

Beyond the survey, the HPNC Traffic and Public Safety Committee has been building a broader case for calming Erie Avenue. According to the committee's Aug. 9 report, the group submitted two Erie Avenue segments to the city's Traffic Calming Program: Erie from Ault Park Avenue to Herschel Avenue, and Erie from Clark Montessori High School to Paxton Avenue. DOTE confirmed receipt and said it would begin collecting traffic data on those segments soon.

The committee independently gathered nearly a week of speed data on the East Hyde Park segment. The numbers were stark: maximum recorded speeds hit 77 mph eastbound and 66 mph westbound, with 19% of eastbound vehicles and 11.4% of westbound vehicles exceeding the limit by more than 5 mph.

The committee asked Cincinnati Police for a loaner radar gun to spot-check speeds. CPD declined.

Budget requests target school crossings

Committee member Ed attended the city's July 23 kickoff meeting for the Community Budget Request process on behalf of the group. The committee is now pursuing requests for pedestrian safety improvements at three intersections: Michigan and Observatory, Erie and Mooney, and Erie at Clark Montessori. The requests seek curb extensions or Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons to support safe routes to school.

Separately, the committee has requested a Leading Pedestrian Interval at Pinehurst Avenue and Erie Avenue, the site of the fatal May 1 crash. The July HPNC packet indicated the signal change was expected between late August and late September. As of the Aug. 9 report, it had not been made.

A speed limit reduction on Erie Avenue through East Hyde Park is also pending. The city had not responded to that request as of Aug. 9.

The city's 2027 budget maintains $1,020,000 in funding for major street traffic calming.

The next HPNC monthly meeting is Sept. 8 at Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church, Little Theater.