Cleveland plans to add physical barriers to separate existing bike lanes from the roadway on West 65th Street between Lorain Avenue and Denison Avenue, a change city officials say will make the street safer for people biking and help slow vehicle traffic.

Ward 14 Councilwoman Jasmin Santana announced the West 65th project in a Facebook post last week, citing speeding and crash data on the street.

More than 80% of vehicles traveling on West 65th Street are exceeding the speed limit, according to data cited by Santana, with nearly half of the speeding vehicles traveling more than 5 mph over the speed limit.

There have been 112 crashes on West 65th Street over the past five years, Santana said.

Adding physical separation for bike lanes is part of Cleveland Moves, the city’s five-year transportation plan adopted in 2025. The plan calls for adding protection to existing bike lanes and building 50 miles of what the city calls high-comfort bikeways over three years.

The city plan identifies West 65th Street south of Lorain Avenue as one of the existing bike-lane corridors eligible for physical separation during the first three years of Cleveland Moves. Other corridors identified for potential separation include Lakeshore Boulevard and Miles Avenue.

Cleveland’s approach is to use “quick-build” projects that can be installed without waiting for a street to be repaved or completely rebuilt. The city says it initially will use plastic flexible posts, known as delineators, to separate bike lanes from vehicle traffic. Other options include concrete curbs and jersey barriers.

Santana said in her post that separated bike lanes can reduce crashes and dangerous vehicle speeds.

The city’s transportation plan says physical separation can make biking more comfortable on major streets, where people often travel alongside faster-moving vehicles. The plan also says separated bike lanes can slow vehicle speeds, reduce the number of vehicle lanes pedestrians must cross and create more space between sidewalks and moving traffic.

The plan is based partly on public feedback. More than 1,350 people participated in the Cleveland Moves planning process through online surveys, community meetings and other events.

A Baldwin Wallace University Community Research Institute survey conducted before the planning process found that 75% of Cleveland residents supported more city investment in biking, walking and public transit. Sixty-five percent said they were interested in riding a bicycle more often, while 66% of people who ride bikes said they were concerned about being hit by a vehicle.

The plan also found that 62% of respondents said they would sometimes ride a bicycle instead of driving if a separated bike lane connected their home with places such as work, school, a favorite restaurant or a store.

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