Staff report
Founder of the Devou Good Foundation and sponsor of Vision Zero NKY, Matt Butler, is asking citizens to show up at the Covington Commission meeting tonight at 6 p.m. to speak for a safe, two-way bike lane on the Girl Scout Bridge between Covington and Newport.
In August, Gloria San Miguel was killed by a driver while riding her bike on the bridge.
“Drivers exceed 65 MPH everyday on the bridge,” Butler said in an email, asking citizens to “take action for Gloria.”
Gloria San Miguel, killed by a driver while riding her bike on the bridge connecting Covington and Newport.
“We are proposing to repurpose one drive lane of the bridge to a physically protected two-way bike lane.
Residents and business owners may speak at the meeting by arrive a few minutes early and signing in on the table at the entrance. Your name will be called by the Mayor at the beginning of the meeting during its Public Comment portion.
Here are suggested talking points for comments:
• Please support the interim protected bike lane on the Girl Scout Bridge as proposed by Devou Good Foundation and Tri-State Trails.
• Support the creation of a Bike and Pedestrian Safety plan for Newport and Covington.
• These plans will make the street safe and convenient for people walking and biking.
• A safe Covington will reduce climate emissions, support businesses, and keep our community safe and healthy.
• Paint is not protection – – – We need physically protected bike lanes on the cities most dangerous corridors — the state routes. Neighborhood streets can be calmed with curb extensions and speed cushions.
• Tell a personal story of when you were impacted by drivers in Covington.
Vison Zero NKY says that since 2005, more than 500 people have needlessly been killed on Northern Kentucky streets and more than 30,000 have been injured. That’s the population of a small city — and most of the accidents are preventable.
First implemented in Sweden in the 1990s, its website says, Vision Zero has proved successful across Europe — and now is gaining momentum in major American cities.
In 2019, The Devou Good Foundation created a task force to support cities in Northern Kentucky as they work to implement Vision Zero and endeavors to bring about positive change by focusing on education and engineering.
So far, the foundation has contributed $500,000 in funding and material to improve active transportation infrastructure in the Tri-State region and has committed $550,000 over the next three years to make streets safer for all.
The Devou Good Foundation, established by Rebekah Gensler and Matt Butler, are sponsors of the Vision Zero NKY program and are advocates for cultivating vibrant communities from transitional neighborhoods. Visio Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safe, healthy, and equitable mobility for all.
