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AMATS’ third Bike-N-Brainstorm in 2013 will begin at the Snyder Avenue (Wolf Creek Trailhead), shown above, on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 7.

AMATS is hosting its third Bike-N-Brainstorm of the 2013 season in Barberton.  The Barberton Bike-N-Brainstorm will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Snyder Avenue Trailhead (Wolf Creek Trailhead) located at 33 Snyder Avenue in Barberton.  The city of Barberton is partnering with AMATS in this event.

The agency’s popular Bike-N-Brainstorms are an innovative way that the agency uses to gain public insight as to what should be done to improve biking in the Greater Akron area.  A Bike-N-Brainstorm begins with cyclists meeting at a designated area before embarking on a group bike ride along key corridors to experience firsthand what it’s like to bike there.  At the end of their ride, group members participate in a brainstorming session with agency personnel and local officials to share their ideas as to what can be done to improve bike travel within the area.

Participants will bike ride on a 9.7-mile route through various parts of Barberton including through downtown and along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail.  Short breaks are scheduled along the ride to highlight diverse riding conditions and potential improvements.  R-D Bike Shop and the Barberton Community Foundation are helping organize the event and Neighborhood Development Services, Inc., HCR ManorCare and CareSource will provide food at the end of the ride.

Beniston

AMATS Planning Coordinator Krista Beniston notes that the agency’s Bike-N-Brainstorms are gaining in popularity, with the Barberton event coming on the heels of successful rides in Green and Kent.

“Together more than 100 people participated in those rides.  All of the participants have been very positive and glad that AMATS and their communities are seeking their input and thinking about cycling.  It’s been a great year and we’re looking forward to hosting more,” Beniston says.

The agency uses feedback that it receives from ride participants to plan and prioritize bike infrastructure improvements.  The information to be gleaned from this event will also be used in future Barberton planning efforts.  In May, the city was one of two recipients selected by AMATS to receive a $50,000 grant from the agency’s Connecting Communities Planning Grant Program for its North-South Community Connection Plan.

The plan will identify how to overcome barriers and improve connectivity between residential neighborhoods and downtown and enhance bicycle, pedestrian and transit options.  Beniston says that potential improvements could include bike-related projects.  She says that the timing of September’s Bike-N-Brainstorm could prove beneficial to the city of Barberton in the years to come.

“This ride is the first that has been planned as part of a planning grant study funded by our agency.  It’s a great opportunity to engage the cycling community and provides us with the ability to consider their ideas immediately for possible inclusion in the North-South Community Connection Plan,” she says.  The plan should be completed next year and will include additional opportunities for public input.

Barberton is already making great connectivity strides, Beniston adds.  The city was recently awarded $224,000 from the Barberton Community Foundation for construction of a connector bridge from the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail into downtown Barberton near the Robinson Avenue Bridge.

AMATS is the regional planning agency serving the Greater Akron area of Summit County, Portage County, Chippewa Township in Wayne County and the city of Rittman in Medina and Wayne counties.  For additional information, please call visit switching-gears.org.