More bike lanes and bike-safe streets!
There are many areas (like the Hamilton Rd. to Huron St overpass over 94) in Ypsilanti that are still very un-friendly towards bikes. Lots of these dangerous areas lead to important places in our community (like the Whittaker Rd Library branch, for instance). If we want to make biking a viable primary transportation option, we need to not only finish the Border to Border trail, which is great, but make some of our other main roads more bike-safe.
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Joe Montgomery commented
Why not make all of our roads bike-safe? Whenever a road is resurfaced/repaved/rebuilt, it's critical that we make them accessible to all users. E. Cross between River and Prospect was repaved this summer, but it doesn't have bike lanes. W. Forest was repaved in recent years, but as Erica mentioned, it ends at every intersection, making it nearly useless.
In a few instances, it might cost more to add bike lanes, but I think in most cases we don't get them simply because transportation planners aren't thinking about bikes. Even after Michigan and Ypsilanti passed Complete Streets legislation, we aren't moving forward at all.
I would also support a crowd-sourced Ypsi/area biking map.
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Megan Clark commented
As a new resident who walks and bicycles as a means of transportation, I am encountering many routes suggested by google maps that are unsafe unless you are traveling by car. Even if making every street safe for pedestrian and bicycle traffic is not realistic, perhaps a detailed database and map for navigating would shorten the learning curve and keep me off of unsafe routes. I would also like to suggest an understandable rating system for sections of roads. I have appreciated and enjoyed the clearly marked B2B trail, but it does not connect to the many places I need to go.
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Erica Mooney commented
Agreed, also though small, there is part of Forest right before Hamilton where the bike lane just stops and continues after the scary cars aren't looking speeding for 94 turn...! Even just painting an adjusted bike lane of awareness would help!
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Lisa Marshall Bashert commented
Agreed, Arika. Another problem route is getting from the Water Tower down to Depot Town. Cross Street is one-way in the wrong direction, Emmet has many stop signs (like 5?), Washtenaw is unsafe with many cars, Pearl becomes one-way in the wrong direction downtown, and turning left from Michigan Ave is dangerous. Continuing down Michigan to River, rather than turning, the pavement is an absolute broken dangerous mess.