Amberley, OH - Path Proposal Stirs Debate

Amberley, OH - A proposal to build a hike-and-bike path along busy Section Road in the southwestern part of the village is sparking a debate between supporters and opponents.
Amberley Village officials rejected the proposal 12 years ago, but at the urging of some residents, the village has pulled the hike/bike path proposal off the shelf and will reconsider it.

The main proponents of the proposal are the village's Orthodox Jews, who don't drive motorized vehicles to synagogue on Shabbas and some Jewish holidays. They say a path along Section Road, which has no sidewalks, would make it safer to walk to their synagogues.
Howard Mayers, an Orthodox Jew, and his wife, Marlene, walk on Section Road to Golf Manor Synagogue. "We also walk at night for recreation," he said. "At night, it's extremely dangerous to walk along Section Road. There have been a few times when the cars came awfully close to us."

Village Council decided to revive the proposal because of society's increasing interest in health and exercise and the influx of young families into Amberley, Mayor Chuck Kamine said.
But Charles and Loraine Wolf, who have lived on Section Road since 1980, oppose it for safety and privacy reasons. Wolf said she's concerned that a path would cause some of the crime in neighboring communities to seep into Amberley. "We feel quite vulnerable," said Wolf. "If a walking path is put in, there will have to be lighting for people walking at night. That will be a further intrusion into our privacy." I think it's a waste of taxpayers' money, some said, the Orthodox Jews who want the path knew Amberley had no sidewalks when they moved to the community.