Loveland, Ohio – The city has been awarded a grant to install an automated traffic signal system at the Loveland Bike Trail crossing at West Loveland Avenue. To create the new system, two types of signals will be installed — traditional overhead traffic light signals for vehicles and a traffic light signal for trail users. According to a release issued by City Hall, the system will deliver automatic traffic control and establish the right of way.
Currently, the Trail and West Loveland Avenue crossing has a pedestrian-activated flashing crosswalk system.
The new system will be coordinated with the “smart” traffic signals already installed at West Loveland Avenue/State Route 48, Second Street/Broadway Street, and West Loveland Avenue/Karl Brown Way intersections. The traffic lights will be able to “talk” to each other through radar vehicular detection, activating a new overhead signal at the trail crossing to “ebb and flow” with vehicle traffic volume.
“Adding the automized signalization at the West Loveland Avenue crossing brings the plan for downtown’s traffic lights full circle. The traffic lights will work together as a network and can adjust within seconds to improve vehicle flow,” said City Manager David Kennedy in a press release.
For instance, when the vehicular traffic lights are red at the West Loveland Avenue/Karl Brown Way intersection and vehicle traffic is paused, the trail crossing’s signal automatically will turn green for cyclists and pedestrians to pass.
The new signalization is funded through an Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) grant totaling $281,898. It is one of 34 transportation infrastructure projects funded in 2022 by OKI, a metropolitan planning organization responsible for distributing federal money for regional projects.
According to City Hall, the technology used in the project requires very specific engineering, which the city will do throughout 2023. The city will coordinate with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) throughout the design process.
“We anticipate there will be an education period when the signal system is first installed, but this project is a true ‘win’ for pedestrian and cyclist safety, as well as a way to help improve traffic congestion in the downtown area,” Kennedy said.
Loveland has three Loveland Bike Trail crossings in Historic Downtown:
- One at Harrison Avenue near Nisbet Park.
- One with the proposed full-stop signal at West Loveland Avenue that currently has a pedestrian-activated flashing crosswalk system.
- One at Broadway Street near the Linda J. Cox Trailside Parking Lot.
Design work will take place in 2023 with the proposed installation in 2024.
All images provided by the City of Loveland – text graphics added by Loveland Magazine.
