Loveland City Council Members Respond to Downtown Traffic Challenge

Note: This is an AI Rendering simulating the traffic situation in Loveland. No, the traffic does not all go one way.

In a recent article in The Loveland Daily, Editor Ryan Kulik made a dramatic proposal that the City of Loveland eliminate downtown traffic. Read the article

here. In reality, he was making a case for the city to decide whether it wants our historic downtown to function as a pass through for traffic or as a pedestrian friendly recreation/entertainment destination, arguing that it can’t be both. His article offered no practical solutions to achieve the elimination of downtown traffic. No publication has the authority or responsibility to come up with solutions to infrastructure challenges. That’s the role of our local and regional elected leaders. And for that reason, we asked Loveland City Council members and City Manager Dave Kennedy for their feedback and insight on the topic. These are the individuals who understand the complexity of the issue, and know firsthand the conversations taking place and potential solutions being considered. Maybe there is more being done than the average resident realizes?

Loveland Daily News was pleased to receive responses from five current members of Loveland City Council. Vice Mayor Andy Bateman, and Council members Deidre Hazelbaker, Sherry Hamlin, John Hart and Adam Jeranek all responded to our request with various perspectives and levels of detail. Rather than extract selected passages from their feedback, we are printing the responses verbatim. Leaders who took the time to thoughtfully respond should have confidence that their words won’t be taken out of context. Those five email responses appear below on this page. Loveland Mayor Kathy Bailey, Councilman Brian Goodyear and City Manager Dave Kennedy did not respond to our request for feedback.

If the objective of Kulik’s article was to prompt discussion around the issue of Loveland’s downtown traffic, mission accomplished! Comments, feedback and letters to the editor all reflect the high level of interest, concern and frustration related to the topic. Even members of the editorial team at Loveland Daily don’t agree on the best solution to Loveland’s traffic problem. But all discussion is productive. Public conversation prompts attention… and attention drives action.

What are your thoughts or ideas about solving traffic issues in downtown Loveland? Comment below or submit your letter to the editor: ryanlovelanddaily@gmail.com

The responses from city council are in the order The Loveland Daily received them. Some responses have had their formatting changed to look consistent with all articles. Some responses have been edited to leave out personal information not related to the traffic article.

On March 6th Features Editor Mary Ann Lynn sent this email to Mayor Kathy Bailey, Vice Mayor Andy Bateman, and City Manager David Kennedy.

Mayor Bailey, Vice Mayor Bateman & City Manager Kennedy,

Below is a link to a recent article which appeared in The Loveland Daily News, calling for an elimination of through traffic in historic downtown Loveland.

https://www.lovelanddaily.com/post/let-s-eliminate-traffic-in-downtown-loveland

Understandably, the article has garnered a great deal of interest, as traffic has been a chronic problem for residents and visitors. I saw a comment on social media pointing out that while the article lays out the problem and its desired elimination, it does not offer specific solutions. It's a valid observation. And it begs for response and insight from Loveland city leaders. Residents are keenly aware of the traffic issues, but not ongoing research, efforts or planning being done by the City. 

I'm reaching out to request your insights and response to the article. Your input would benefit residents as well as the City. Response(s) could be in the form of comments on the Loveland Daily website or as a guest editorial. In either format, you would have control over your message. An extended discussion on the Loveland Daily podcast would be another option.

I know from conversation with each of you the frustrations of criticism without a full understanding of the issue or challenge at hand, or without awareness of the efforts already underway by the City. This is a good faith effort to give you a format for response and, more importantly, an opportunity to educate the public on this hot topic.

Thank you for your consideration.

Best regards,

Mary Ann Lynn

Founder, Features Editor

Loveland Daily News

After receiving no responses, on March 10th Mary Ann Lynn sent this email to the rest of City Council.

Council Members Hart, Goodyear, Hazelbaker, Hamlin and Jeranek,

Below is the email I sent Friday 3/6 to Mayor Bailey, Vice Mayor Bateman and City Manager Dave Kennedy in reference to a recent article in The Loveland Daily News on the issue of downtown traffic. A link to the article is also in the email below. 

I felt it appropriate to give these individuals the first opportunity to respond given their relative positions as well as having the longest history and background to speak to this issue. 

With no response coming from Mayor Bailey, Vice Mayor Bateman or City Manager Kennedy, we are extending the request to all Loveland City Council members. 

Please read the email request and consider the spirit in which it was extended — as an opportunity to respond (in your own words) with insight on an issue of great interest to Loveland residents. It is my sincere hope that Loveland Daily’s coverage on the issue of traffic solutions will include input and insights from the elected officials tasked with addressing it. 

Thank you for your consideration.

Best regards,

Mary Ann Lynn

Founder, Features Editor

Loveland Daily News

Later in the day on March 10th, Council member Deidre Hazelbaker responded. After a few emails between Council member Hazelbaker and The Loveland Daily, Council member Hazelbaker combined her thoughts and sent this email on March 11th.

Thank you for reaching out. I have read the article several times and have also been following the comments. Traffic in and around downtown Loveland is clearly a topic residents care deeply about, and I have been paying close attention to it as a council member.

To address one question that has come up in the comments: yes, signalization at the bike trail crossing has been planned for some time. Like many infrastructure projects, it has experienced delays. Since I have been on council, the expected timeline has shifted from December to February and has recently been delayed again. I understand the frustration residents feel when timelines shift, and I continue to follow it.

Traffic and pedestrian safety were also part of our recent council goal-planning session, where council and staff discussed priorities for the next two years.

Here are the session notes: https://lovelandoh.community.diligentoneplatform.com/document/ca401474-084d-4613-999a-3b7bc084b6d3/

And, here is the goal tracker: https://lovelandoh.community.diligentoneplatform.com/document/d2f3a419-3397-4a9e-8ebf-beb8fedfafcf/

And, the goal and strategies are directly tied to traffic. 

I’ve also had discussions about the bridge and regional connectivity. Because that project involves multiple jurisdictions and partners, there are currently more barriers than open doors from my perspective. Still, I believe it’s important that we keep the conversation going and continue looking for long-term opportunities to improve traffic.

One item I think residents may find helpful to review is the BUILD (Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development) planning grant discussed at the February 10 council meeting. From my perspective, this is an important step because it focuses on studying traffic and mobility in the downtown area so that future improvements are based on solid data and engineering analysis.

If the planning grant is awarded, the study would look at traffic flow and pedestrian mobility along East Broadway, Karl Brown Way, Harrison Avenue, Loveland Avenue, and Second Street. It would evaluate potential improvements to the Five Points intersection, the Karl Brown railroad trestle crossing, pedestrian and cyclist movements, and broader streetscape improvements related to safety and traffic calming. The planning work would also evaluate multiple improvement options and potential phasing so the community is better positioned for future infrastructure funding opportunities.

For anyone interested in reviewing the materials that were shared by City Manager Dave Kennedy with the council, I am including links below:

• BUILD Grant Memorandum

• Exhibit A: Downtown Traffic and Mobility Plan Proposal

• Resolution authorizing submission of the BUILD Planning Grant and committing the local match

These documents provide helpful background on the scope of the planning effort.

I appreciate the Loveland Daily’s interest in this topic and the opportunity to share some additional context. I have also included Dave to ensure he has the original outreach and my build. 

I also want to note that these responses reflect my perspective as an individual council member, and the opinions shared here are my own.

With gratitude,

Deidre Hazelbaker

To comment on Council Member Hazelbaker's response click here.

On March 12th, Vice Mayor Andy Bateman responded.

I have been reading the recent opinions in the Loveland Daily and the discussion stemming from it on social media. When it comes to what the city has done to address traffic; I don't think I could adequately list off all the items I've voted on since taking office because it would be too numerous. I don't agree with the premise of the article that downtown Loveland should not have through traffic. I suppose that's because I commute that stretch of road multiple times per day. As we celebrate the city's milestone birthday this year, consider that since the town's founding the railroad brought people and goods through Loveland as well as to Loveland. I don’t see street traffic as an either/or issue nor do I believe that it should be attempted to solve it in this way. I don’t believe that pursuing a bridge crossing in municipalities north of Loveland to create a downtown Loveland bypass is a good idea for the economic vitality of downtown. These are just a few of my initial impressions, you know from our conversations that I could go on for some time about this. I believe a review of the councilmanic goals over the last several years would yield more specific actions that the city has taken to facilitate BOTH a more efficient thoroughfare AND a more accommodating pedestrian streetscape.  There's more work to be done in these areas but not so much as to assume we'll be tackling them forever.

Thanks for reaching out,

Andy Bateman

Council member

City of Loveland

To comment on Vice Mayor Bateman's response click here.

Also on March 12th Council member Adam Jeranek responded.

I hope all is well with you.  Yes I saw the article. I know that city staff is working diligently every day to minimizing traffic in Loveland. If you look at exhibit A of our city council goals 2026 - 2027 you’ll can see that it is a priority.  Staff is always trying to secure funding to improve traffic and I am thankful for that.  If you look at the goal continuing to build and promote a vibrant downtown by identifying strategies to encourage investment in the downtown district while continuing to improve safety and invest in infrastructure and maintenance downtown. In that category of goal, you will see our Strategies 

Access design solutions that improve safety and traffic efficiency at the railroad trestle.

Continue transportation improvements to improve better traffic flow in the downtown district. 

If you have any questions, contact me at ***-***-****.

Semper Fidelis 

Adam Jeranek 

Loveland City Council Member 

To comment on Council Member Jeranek's response click here.

On March 15th, Council member John Hart responded.

Traffic is a known issue and something that has had a continuous presence in our council goals in the last 3 goal setting meetings that I have been a part of. We continue to make incremental improvements in this area to try and ease the frustrations. The Mayor and city staff have had meetings with regional and state level entities to try and find and champion solutions which require support from outside our control. We will continue to work on this to the best of our ability, given the constraints around a national scenic river, solutions outside our sphere of influence or control, and of course cost to tax payers.

Best

John Hart

To comment on Council Member Hart's response click here.

On March 16th Council Member Sherry Hamlin responded.

The views expressed in this commentary are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the City of Loveland, its staff, or other members of City Council.

I would like to thank The Loveland Daily for raising the conversation about traffic in and around downtown Loveland and for inviting input from City Council members. The level of engagement shows how much people care about this topic.

The article raises an issue that many residents are already familiar with, downtown traffic is a challenge. Loveland has grown into a place that serves both as a regional destination and a corridor for people traveling through the area. The article frames a choice—either we operate as a bypass, or we operate as a destination. In truth, that ship has sailed. Loveland is already both, and the challenge before us is learning how to manage that reality effectively.

The “home run” solution, in my view, would be a regional bridge that helps accommodate traffic passing through Loveland from neighboring communities. The concept of improving regional connectivity was identified in the City’s Comprehensive Master Development Plan (CMDP) as a future vision. City leadership began discussions with surrounding communities about the possibility of a regional solution. Unfortunately, those conversations have not gained the level of regional cooperation that would be necessary to make such a project feasible in the near term. We can and should continue tapping our neighboring communities on the shoulder, but absent that cooperation, the home run solution will take time.

In the meantime, our focus must be on what I would call “base hits”—practical improvements that incrementally improve traffic flow and safety. Some of those base hits are already in place. The right-turn lane from State Route 48 coming from Warren County, the installation of adaptive traffic signals that adjust in real time to traffic conditions, and the upcoming signal at the bike trail crossing are all examples. Even solutions that have not worked as well as hoped—such as the warning signal near the railroad trestle—demonstrate the city’s willingness to test ideas and continue refining our approach.

Looking ahead, the BUILD planning grant is a particularly important opportunity. If awarded, it will allow the city to engage external engineering and mobility experts to evaluate traffic flow and pedestrian movement in the downtown area. This study would examine challenges such as the Five Point intersection, backups at the railroad trestle, and ways to improve circulation along key corridors. Just as importantly, it would help create a blueprint for future improvements that can be implemented in phases without overwhelming the city’s budget.

Our City Manager, Dave Kennedy, has a strong track record of pursuing outside funding to support projects like these. That strategy allows Loveland to make meaningful improvements while still prioritizing other critical infrastructure needs.

City staff is actively working to pursue solutions, but infrastructure improvements—especially those involving regional coordination—take time. Improving traffic and mobility in the downtown area is also a priority reflected in City Council’s goals for the 2026–2027 calendar years. In the meantime, we will continue working toward practical steps that improve mobility and the experience of everyone who travels through downtown Loveland.

Regards,

Sherry Hamlin

To comment on Council Member Hamlin's response click here.

As of the posting of this article The Loveland Daily has not received any more responses from other members of council or from any one who works in the city administration. The Loveland Daily will update this article if we get any additional responses.