"This is about building communities where people connect, and prioritizing human life over speed."
-Cincinnati City CouncilPerson Mark Jeffreys
Despite the rain, our spirits were bright! It was incredible to gather together two weekends ago for the College Hill Transportation Safety Ribbon Cutting.
The stories shared were powerful—stay tuned for a video update. It’s been a long journey!
Congratulations to the College Hill Forum Community Council for their incredible work and vision on this project. We also want to express our deepest gratitude to the Cincinnati Department of Transportation and to City Council for their support.
We’d like to give a special shoutout to Councilmembers Meeka Owens, Mark Jeffreys, Reggie Harris, Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney, Scotty Johnson, and the newest member of City Council (congrats!), Anna Albi, for their tremendous support and presence. Your dedication to the community means the world!
Two Years Ago: How It All Began
After Devou Good Foundation President Matt Butler said a few words to welcome everyone, Felicia Eschenlohr, DOTE liaison shared some of the story of how it all began:
“Two years ago, my friend Julie Brown and I were having a conversation and we were talking about how insane the roads are in our neighborhood. Everybody was complaining about all of the accidents—cars up in people’s front yards, people’s fences knocked over, the whole nine yards. And we were like, this is ridiculous. I’ve lived on North Bend Road for 26 years and it’s just continually gotten worse. I thought, [we’ve got] to do something.”
“We went to countless meetings and Julie found the Devou Good Foundation for a grant and she said, let’s apply to it, let’s see what happens…And much to our surprise, they called us and said, ‘Yeah, we want to meet.’ So Matt and Jody came out, and then Mark Jeffreys and Meeka Owens came out, and I thought, [wow] City Council has come out, I feel like somebody’s listening to me.”
“We took [everyone] in four different directions on Hamilton and North Bend, and we’re like, look, look at what’s happening. And Meeka was *up here* (gesturing to the road behind her), and she said, ‘Man, this is really dangerous where [people] turn here.’
And literally 24 hours later, somebody flew from where she was standing into somebody’s front yard.” Eschenlohr continued. “And this was just a snowy middle of the day [in February]. It wasn’t rush hour, it wasn’t anything and it was just…they could see how dangerous it was.”
And two years later, here we are!
“We’re so appreciative of the support the neighborhood gave us, so appreciative of Matt and Jody, and of the council members for supporting us and saying, ‘Yeah, this isn’t right. You live here.’” In closing, Eschenlohr shared, “Living on North Bend [Road], I now go out and cut my grass all the way down to the street and I’m not terrified…this is an amazing difference.”
College Hill Pre- & Post- Safety Project Comparison
For more, see our College Hill Transportation Safety Page.
Within Two Weeks of Submitting the Letter to the Mayor...
The gathering took a somber turn as community advocate Wayne West began to share his story.
“My name is Wayne West and I live less than 50 yards away on North Bend from the site of James Towns’ fatal accident.”
“My story—Julie always encourages me to tell my story, so on that note…In early 2021, my neighbors and I began to notice very serious accidents specifically occuring at the Edwood [and North Bend] intersection, on an alarming, frequent basis.
“It reached a point in which I decided to write a letter to the mayor expressing concerns on the part of my neighbors and myself—that was in November of 2021. And I said at that time, if no action is taken, someone would be killed.
And within two weeks [of submitting] that letter, James Towns’ fatal accident took place–again, less than 50 yards from my home.
In terms of the reaction from the city at that time, I expected much more. A human being had been killed by a reckless driver, with warning. Yet, no action was taken.”
“I lost hope. I was astonished. I expected so much more from the city.”
“After having lost hope, the stars began to align themselves again, and I was directed to TAPS (the College Hill Traffic And Pedestrian Safety group), toJulie, and we had a meeting with Devou Good and Mark and Meeka, and things began to return to the level I expected, and most of all, I had hope again.”
Look for the Helpers
Julie Brown, Communications Committee Chair of the College Hill Forum on Traffic and Pedestrian Safety, started her speech by giving a shout out to the planned speaker, Mr. Moore, a Pleasant Hill Academy crossing guard, and to the second crossing guard, Ms. Annie. “These two crossing guards have always been concerned about the safety of the children [and so supportive of these changes].”
“Both Felicia and Wayne mentioned my name, but to be clear, It took a village. It started in October of 2021. I was just the person that set up the weekly Zoom call, and we met every week for a year.
And the group grew and grew. It started with just three people: me, Felicia, [and Dr. Rachel Nolan]; and now, we have over 300 members in a [community] Facebook group.” *met with cheers*
“Everybody does what they can do. There was a thank you letter sent in by one of the members, and this letter–I’m going to try not to cry, because this letter was so touching–and she said that her children were like, ‘Why are all the people getting hurt?’ And she said that she was reminded of Mr. Rogers saying ‘Look for the helpers.’"
"We are the helpers.”
This Is What Community Looks Like
Cincinnati City Councilmember Meeka Owens' speech was powerful:
“When I think about the energy that is around us today: this is what community looks like. It’s when people come together and it’s when people activate and it’s when people show up and advocate for what they want to see in their community.”
“And so as this is a day of remembrance, it is also a day of celebration. And celebrating that when communities show up, this is what resilience looks like.”
Do We Value Human Life Over Speed?
Councilmember Mark Jeffreys leaned in, asking us where our values are:
“Do we value human life, or do we value speed? Do we value getting to our destination 30 seconds faster, or do we value prioritizing people over speed?”
“This is about building communities where people connect, and prioritizing human life over speed…This is about prioritizing people who live here, and not just people passing through.”
And of course, the official ribbon cutting moment!!
Check out our Video Coverage!
We're excited to keep rolling out (yes, we're also excited about the new bike lanes!) updates.