The photo tells the story – a collection of stone steps leads up and down the embankment at the dead end of Aylesboro Avenue. A rope offers a handhold and stability for those navigating down to the Wasson Way Multi-Use Trail.
The steps aren’t ideal but it’s all we currently have in East Hyde Park, unless we drive to Oakley near the Plaza or over to Red Bank Road. Still, I see moms hauling heavy strollers down the stone steps. Kids drag their bikes down the steps to the trail. Neighbors use them, for some it’s the first task in their daily walk to work. A recent Facebook post showcasing the stairs garnered dozens of comments, most celebrating the new DIY stairs but recognizing the need for better, easier access.
I love the Wasson Way Trail and am a huge proponent of it. Right now the trail sees 1,000 trail users a day. That number jumps to 1,400 on weekends. And in 2022, the trail will connect to Avondale, inching ever closer to the trail’s eventual western spur and the planned multi-modal transit center designated for the University of Cincinnati’s Uptown. Next year, trail users can go from UC all the way to Ault Park with barely crossing a road.
When complete, Wasson Way will be part of a 100+ mile active transportation network connected by a 34-mile separated trail loop around Cincinnati’s urban core. This Cincinnati Riding or Walking Network (CROWN) system will connect at least 356,000 people in 49 neighborhoods to major destinations like employment centers, schools, parks, retail, recreation, and entertainment, according to Green Umbrella, the non-profit sustainability alliance that oversees Cincinnati’s trail systems.
But the trail system only works if users can easily access it. I’m gathering signatures to show stakeholders there is support for – and a need for – easier access to the Wasson Way Trail from East Hyde Park. Please click on the link below and sign the petition to show your support for an access point to the Wasson Way Trail at Aylesboro Avenue, along with Erie or Saybrook. Collectively, we, the residents of East Hyde Park, are thrilled to have Wasson Way in our backyard, but now we need better access.
Petition · Make The Wasson Way accessible to East Hyde Park · Change.org
Photo credit: Wasson Way Project Facebook Page