Better Block was a project that reimagined Cuyahoga Falls Avenue for a weekend last spring. The normally treacherous six-lane stretch of North Hill was narrowed to just two lanes, with widened sidewalks, parking and protected bike lanes on both sides of the street.

Tim Fitzwater Photography

What would Akron look like with bike-friendly streets?

Akron Planning Director Jason Segedy wants to redesign many of Akron's biggest thoroughfares to make them more inviting for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Segedy, who long advocated re-sizing the city's big, post-industrial era roads during his time at the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study, thinks that overbuilt roads have left plenty of room to work with, accomodating car traffic while improving the appearance and friendliness of Akron streets.

This slideshow depicts some of the citiy's major streets, renvisioned as walkable, bikeable parkways.

-- John Harper

Feb. 12, 2016

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City of Akron

Towpath meets beaten path

This could come in the near future as Akron prepares to reroute the Towpath trail away from the Ohio and Erie Canal, the site of major construction as the city builds a giant sewer tunnel. Here is a depiction of the Towpath, rerouted onto South Main Street near Canal Park.

Four lanes of traffic have been reduced to two, with parking separating bikes from car traffic. (See the current street in upper right corner)

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Knight Foundation

Cruisin' West Market

Check out mega retail thoroughfare West Market Street with this lush upgrade. Planters separate traffic on the busy street from bicyclists, and another layer of greenery creates a serene walkway for pedestrians.

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City of Akron

East Exchange makeover

In this redesign of East Exchange Street, six lanes become four, with a decorative planter in the middle and bikes sharing the right lane with slower-moving traffic. Noticed the improved sidewalk as well. (See the current street in the upper right corner).

Hat tip to Mike Teodecki in Akron's engineering department.

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City of Akron

Eco-friendly features

In another stretch of Exchange Street, just west of downtown, bikes and cars are completely separated, with two-way bike traffic on the far side of the road and parking on the near side. Improved landscaping and sewer-friendly planter boxes are also depicted.

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City of Akron rendering

Putting Akron streets on a 'diet'

As part of a plan to "right-size" major streets, Akron wants to turn Ceder and Exchange streets, currently one way streets through downtown, into separate, two-way streets with friendlier parking and bike access. Cedar and Exchange have some of the highest side-swipe crash incidence rates in the city.

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John Harper, cleveland.com

What do you think? Do you want bike friendly streets?

Do you like the city's ideas of making streets more friendly for pedestrians, or should cars rule the roads in the Rubber City? Speak out in the comment section below.