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Demand for bike plans increasing in communities
By Pamela Brookstein
To borrow a concept from biology, one can think of bicyclists
as the indicator species for a healthy community: if you want to
see how healthy a community is, just count the bicyclists.
The more bicyclists you see, the more vibrant and livable that community
is. More bicyclists mean reduced traffic demands, improved air quality
and greater physical fitness. A bike plan is the best way to create
this kind of bicycle-friendly community.
A bike plan spells out a community’s vision to make bicycling
a safe, accessible and integral part of daily life. It is a public
process that gathers a community’s transportation needs, concerns
and ideas to improve the existing system. Then it develops the tools
to move from paper to the pavement.
While on-street bike lanes are one possible component of a bike
plan, there are many policies, programs and projects a plan can
recommend to encourage bicycling. Bike plans recommend projects
like a sign network or programs like Shop By Bike and Bicycling
Ambassadors. It also identifies polices like Complete Streets
or bicycle parking ordinances that allow residents to easily and
safely travel by bike.
A good bike plan serves its community as a blueprint for change,
setting long- and short-term goals.
From roadway planning and construction to funds, it fuses bicyclists’
needs into the overall plan of a community. Most importantly, a
good plan will get more people on their bikes. The entire community
– residents, officials and businesses – benefits when
it transforms into a bicycle-friendly place where people can live
in a healthy, active and fun environment.
Discover in the following pages how the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation’s
work brings bike plans to your area.
Pamela Brookstein is the West and Central Suburban Coordinator
for the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation.
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