Bike Lanes

Task Force Co-Chairs:
- Andy Kilpatrick, City of
Lansing Transportation
Office

- Jessica Yorko,
Mid-Michigan
Environmental Action
Council

Active Task Force Members:
- Alicia Armstrong,
Community Partners in
Health

- Lyndon Babcock,
Tri-County Complete Streets

- Josh DeBruyn, Michigan
Department of
Transportation

- Jane Dykema, City of
Lansing Public Service
Department

- Sgt. Dave Emmons,
Lansing Police Department

- Eric Glohr, Lansing
Community College

- Lina Goodwin, NorthWest
Initiative

- John Hodges, City of
Lansing Planning
Department

- Jen Hoffman, Allen
Neighborhood Center

- Josh Hovey, Mayor Virg
Bernero's Office

- John Lindenmayer,
League of Michigan
Bicyclists

- Murdoch Jemerson, City of
Lansing Parks Director

- Sarah Panken, Governor's
Council on Physical Fitness

- Karen Patterson, Michigan
Department of Community
Health, Obesity Prevention

- Tim Potter, MSU Bikes

- Bill Savage, Tri-County
Bicycle Association

- Janine Sinno, Ingham
County Health Department

- Chris Thelen, Consumers
Energy

Additional stakeholders
from Task Force planning
sessions:
- Tom Carmoney, NorthWest
Initiative
- Todd Kauffman, MDOT
- Helen & Dave Keeney,
seniors
- Katherine Knoll. American
Heart Association
- Mickie Kreft, Sparrow
Hospital, Children's Safety
- Joel Maatman, Lansing
School District
- Bill Rieske, City of Lansing
Planning Department
- Nate Rowen, Lansing
School District
- Steve Shaughnessy, MDOT

- Karen Smith, Ingham
Regional Medical Center
- Jamie Schriner-Hooper,
Old Town Main Street
- Deirdre Thompson, MDOT

What is a bike lane?
No those aren’t tiny right turn lanes—the new narrow lanes you may be noticing around town are bike lanes.
The official definition of a bike lane is “a portion of the road that has been designated by striping, signing, and
pavement marking for the preferential or exclusive use by cyclists.” The bottom line is that bike lanes are
safer for both motorists and cyclists in the Lansing area.

What is the difference between a bike lane and an off-road trail? Just like it sounds, a bike lane is a lane for
bikes on the same roadway cars use. A trail is a separate path along a roadway or through a park that cyclists
as well as pedestrians and inline skaters can use. The Lansing Mayor’s Task Force on Walking & Bicycling is
working to create a network of bike lanes throughout the city of Lansing. We are also big supporters of trails,
are excited about the Lansing River Trail extension from Potter Park to Hawk Island, as well as other new trail
projects of the Heart of Michigan Trails group.

Why are bike lanes important?
●Safety One of the most frequently asked questions about biking is “Why can’t cyclists just ride on the
sidewalk?” Although you may think sidewalks are safest, national studies show that bicyclists are much
safer on the street.

Studies have shown that roads with wide lanes and signage have a 23% reduction in cycling accidents,
and striped bike lanes decrease bicycle accidents by 38%. Why? A big reason is that when bicyclists are in
bike lanes they are always visible to cars, instead of darting on and off the sidewalk, behind trees and parked
cars, and out of the view of motorists. In addition, the most common accident for bicyclists is cars turning into
them, not cars hitting them from behind. When a bicyclist is on the sidewalk, they must cross many driveways
that drivers turn into not expecting to see a bicyclist on the sidewalk. But, what about trails, can’t we use those
instead?

Off-road paved trails (like East Lansing’s Northern Tier Trail, and the Lansing River Trail) are another great
option for cyclists (especially infrequent or inexperienced cyclists) and should be built when possible.
However linking all the places people want to go in the Lansing area by trail would be hard because land
would need to be secured from businesses and homes. Bike lanes can be installed on almost any road fairly
easily and give people a bicycle link to destinations around the City. Further, trails are used by modes
traveling at many different speeds, which do not always mix easily with people bicycling for transportation.

●Equality Roads should be for all users including bicyclists. Bike lanes are only five to six feet wide and
relatively inexpensive, and they reduce cycling accidents by 23%. Bike lanes are a winning solution to improve
the safety of our community for all road users. In addition, some community members in the Lansing area do
not own cars and rely on bicycling, walking, and public transit to reach work, run errands, and go to
appointments. These "invisible cyclists", as they are sometimes called, rely on bicycling for transportation and
deserve safe routes to travel throughout the City.

●Biking is Growing More and more people in the Lansing area are choosing biking as an active and
inexpensive way to get around town. It also helps you get in shape, is relaxing, and is better for the
environment than driving. Click here to read about all the reasons for "Smart Commuting" - including
mitigating global warming, improving local air quality, and fighting obesity.

Unlike recreational biking where scenery is key, people choosing biking for transportation want to get to their
destinations in a timely fashion (just like people in cars). Bike lanes allow cyclists to travel on uninterrupted
pavement just like vehicles and travel quickly (while still obeying traffic laws). With bike lanes people can get
to most of the destinations in Lansing in 15-20 minutes.

In addition, young adults in Michigan name a walkable/bikeable community as one of the top five attributes
that they look for in choosing a place to live.

Lansing community members choosing bicycling for transportation will only continue to grow and they need
safe places to ride.

What is happening currently to make the Lansing area more bike-friendly?
●Infrastructure Improvements Lansing, East Lansing, Okemos, Lansing Township and other
communities have been working to install some bike lanes where feasible. Meridian, Delhi, and Delta
Townships have all created non-motorized transportation plans. However, this is just a start. A complete
network needs to be installed, and adjacent municipalities need to coordinate their infrastructure, and facility
maintenance plans to make it convenient and safe for people to bike around town. It makes sense to install
bike lanes next to the curb in places where parking isn’t allowed, and to accommodate parking in other areas.
In addition to bike lanes, we also need signed bike routes, whether we plan to put bike lanes on those routes
in the future or not. The signage make cyclists and drivers aware that the route is a preferred bicycling route,
meaning drivers need to exercise extra caution for cyclists on that road, and cyclists know that they are
welcome on that road.

●Increased Education Infrastructure alone won’t make everything safer for bicyclists in the Lansing area.
There still needs to be a lot of work to educate both drivers and bicyclists about how to behave around each
other. One aspect is educating bicyclists about proper use of the bike lanes. Bicyclists should travel with
traffic and obey all traffic signals. In turn, drivers should not pull into or park on bike lanes. For complete
safety bicycling practices, see Mid-MEAC’s new Capital Area Smart Commute Guide, online at www.midmeac.
org or by calling 214-5684.

Why do I need to register my support?
Putting in bike lanes is a new venture for the City of Lansing and surrounding municipalities. In order to
continue completing the bicycle network and making the Lansing area more bike-friendly we need people to
indicate how much they enjoy using bike lanes and the benefits they see in having bike lanes. Often we only
hear from the few people who dislike something and not from many people enjoying it. We know people like
you are enjoying the Lansing area’s bike lanes and trails and want more of them. Let us know about it! In turn
we will keep you updated about when new bike lanes and trails are being installed and if your support is
needed to advocate for additional bike lanes. Register your support by online today by clicking here!!