Students push for campus bike lanes
It is a hassle trying to ride a bike to class. Clusters of people crowd the sidewalks, leaving limited riding space for cyclists.
But, students with bikes may get more of a share of the sidewalk if Rebecca Wissman gets her way.
The Oxford freshman and four other classmates are campaigning to make Central Michigan University and Mount Pleasant more biker friendly.
An avid cyclist, Wissman said she is tired of having to weave through people on the sidewalks and is disappointed more provisions for cyclists are not on campus.
"I even had my bike up here for a while, but it was too much of a hassle," she said.
The campaign began as a project for a Recreation, Parks and Leisure Services course, RPL 216: Introduction to Outdoor Recreation, in which students created a potential resolution for an environmental or recreational issue.
Group member and Hubbardston junior Steve Fedewa contacted both the Mount Pleasant Department of Planning, Zoning and Community Development and Department of Public Works. He was told the city already is looking into creating more bicycle lanes to make city travel easier for on-campus students.
Specifically, Wissman said, the group would like to see bike lanes run from apartment complexes to campus and make the already existing bike lanes more obvious.
Their next step will involve surveying students, asking which streets they would prefer bike lanes. They also must determine which roads have the best lighting, said group member Brian Robertson, a Port Huron junior.
Bike lanes would prevent collisions between cyclists and walkers, and help cyclists avoid the dangers of riding in the street, he said.
"Most people are defensive driving," Robertson said. "I've seen people wipe out from (drivers) just going past them too fast."
The group hopes to fully complete their project by the end of semester.
Wissman hopes that by creating more bike lanes, the university would take strides toward a green bike program. Green bikes are community-owned bikes that would be freely available for use across campus.
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