CLEVELAND — The City of Cleveland is now looking at a second bike midway project to protect cyclists from traffic.

Jacob Van Sickle is the executive director of Bike Cleveland, and Lorain Avenue is one of his main commuter routes.

“It’s a very utilitarian activity in the winter," Van Sickle said. 

Van Sickle said he’d prefer a bike path here, since he said a cyclist could get clipped by a car.

“I have a couple personal friends that have actually been hit riding their bikes here on Lorain Avenue," Van Sickle said.

He supports the Lorain Avenue midway project. The latest plans would create a bike lane from West 65th Street and West 25th Street, down the center of the road using former street car corridors. This would be the second midway project coming to the city. The city recently approved a midway along Superior Avenue. Van Sickle went to a public forum about the Lorain midway in January.

“It really is about building a safe place for people to bike and a safe place for people to walk so they can get to the businesses along the corridor without having to drive," Van Sickle said. 

But Heart of Gold restaurant owner, Jonah Oryszak, said he’d still like for people to drive around here. The current plan could eliminate hundreds of parking spots.

“There’s a lot of businesses on Lorain, like furniture stores and antique stores where you need a car to patronize them," Oryszak said. "We have a lot of older patrons and people from the suburbs. Like, we can’t just be subsidized from people in the neighborhood. People come from outside of the neighborhood  and they need to be able to park.”

He said he often has delivery drivers pick up orders.

“I just feel like sacrificing all the parking for the bike lane is a little short-sighted," Oryszak said. "I feel like we can have both."

City officials said they are taking his concerns into consideration.

“The city is looking into alternatives such as district parking so there are opportunities to provide parking lots or something of that nature," said Dave Bass of the City of Cleveland. 

Van Sickle said creating this bike path creates a corridor connecting the Ohio City neighborhood to downtown and it may incentivize people to use two sets of wheels instead of four.

“You’re creating a whole new mode of transportation network for somebody that bikes or walks or takes a scooter to be able to get from from the near west side into downtown," Van Sickle said. 

The city is still securing funding for the project. They likely will have to ask for federal grant money to pay for it.