Locals reflect on merits of cycling

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Locals reflect on merits of cycling

City residents encourage Miami to add lanes throughout campus

Constance Schiano

Issue date: 9/14/07 Section: Community

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Through the Share the Road program, Oxford's Bishop and University streets now contain bicycle lanes encouraging drivers to watch out for cyclists. --Michael Pickering/The Miami Student

Oxford, a traditionally pedestrian-friendly city, is now becoming more bicycle-friendly as well, a trend that some students and Vice Mayor Prue Dana hope Miami University will follow.

Because of the bike lanes that were added last winter on Bishop and University streets, bicyclists in Oxford no longer have to spend a majority of their ride evading pedestrians and cars.

Dana, who cycles to work everyday, believes that riding has its advantages.

"Riding around brings a whole new perspective to transportation," Dana said.

This development known as Share the Road mounted signs on Fairfield and Spring streets last spring to encourage drivers to be on the lookout for bicyclists.

According to Dana, the signs and the bike lanes were recommendations from Miami's Institute of Environmental Sciences (IES) after the completion of a study, "Promotion of Bicycling as a Viable Form of Transportation in Oxford, O.H." Developed in 2006, the study tackled the issues of traffic, parking and cycling safety in uptown Oxford.

Although the city is hoping to add additional routes in the future, these are the only places in Oxford that currently advocate for bicycle awareness.

While the city has seen progress with the bike lanes uptown, Miami has yet to implement them around campus, overlooking recommendations from the IES, Directorate of the IES department Sandra Woy-Hazleton explained.

"The plans are there as well as what the university needs to do to get them implemented," Woy-Hazleton said. "We feel that the project was researched, done very well and that great recommendations were made. We can only hope that they will be applied."

Uptown, Dana believes that the bike lanes aren't the only reason people are riding more. She believe more people are doing so because it is a quicker mode of transportation.

"(Bicycling is) the convenient thing to do," Dana said. "You get on your bike at your door and get off at your office door. It's nice because you don't have to worry about buses or parking-you go from one destination to the other."

Continued...

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