City backs bikes, but enough? [Dispatch]

Mayor Michael B. Coleman has said he wants Columbus to become “Bike City USA,” although cyclists say the city is still far from being a two-wheel Mecca.

More than $5 million in bike-friendly upgrades will come to Columbus this summer as the city installs bike lanes and pavement markings and adds shelters and racks.

Next month, Columbus’ new bike-share program, CoGo, is scheduled to launch with 300 bicycles and 30 stations, carrying a first-year price tag of $2 million.

The city also is using a $150,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation to fund a campaign aimed at encouraging bicyclists and motorists to share the roads safely.

But some bicycling advocates worry that the investments might not be broad enough and that some of the projects will do little to protect them. A 2008 report called for more than $150 million in upgrades over about 30 years...

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