back to Fitness Council Home
Thank
you for your interest in making Jackson more
bike-friendly!
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.” But the bottom line is that bike lanes are safer for both motorists and cyclists in Jackson. 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 and a trail is a separate path along a roadway or through a park that cyclists as well as pedestrians and inline skaters can use. At this time our efforts are focused on bike lanes, but we are big supporters of trails too and are excited about the Falling Water Trail and Grand River Arts Walk coming to Jackson.
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. One study demonstrated 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 the Inter-city trail in Jackson) are another great option for cyclists (especially infrequent or beginner riders) and should be built when possible. However linking all the places people want to go in Jackson 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.
●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 Jackson 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 One frequent comment we hear is "Nobody bicycles in Jackson-why do we need bike lanes?". However, more and more people in Jackson are choosing biking as an active and inexpensive way to get around town. 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 Jackson in 15-20 minutes. The Fitness Council conducted a study last year counting how many people bike and walk around town. The high number may surprise you--read the report. 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. Jackson community members choosing bicycling for transportation will only continue to grow and they need safe places to ride.
What is happening currently to make Jackson more bike-friendly?
●Infrastructure Improvements The City of Jackson and Summit Township have done a wonderful job to date installing bike lanes around the city. However, this is just a start. A complete network needs to be installed and maintained to make it convenient and safe for people to bike around town. The city installs bike lanes next to the curb in places where parking isn’t allowed and accommodates parking in other areas (see pictures). In addition to bike lanes the City has signed all bike routes in town. The signed bike routes are where bike lanes are planned over the next few years. Request a Jackson Bike Routes Map for the complete plan or one will be sent to you if you register below.
●Increased Education Infrastructure alone won’t make everything safer for bicyclists in Jackson. 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. The Fitness Council is committed to increase awareness about proper biking and driving behavior.
Why do I need to register my support?
Putting bike lanes in Jackson is a new venture for the City and surrounding Townships. In order to continue completing the bicycle network and making Jackson more bike-friendly we need people to indicate how much they enjoy using bike lanes and the benefits they see in having bike lanes in Jackson. Often the City only hears from the few people who dislike something and not from many people enjoying it. We know people like you are enjoying the Jackson 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.
Need more information? Email your question to Scott@fitnesscouncil.org