Bike friendly Soo seeks to improve community for cyclists and pedestrians

Their goal is to bring a “Bicycle Friendly Community” status to Sault Ste. Marie from the League of American Bicyclists.

The group is inviting community members to find out more about it during two free events in May at Lake Superior State University: a showing of the movie “Bikes vs. Cars” at 5:30 p.m. on May 11 in room 204 of LSSU’s Crawford Hall, and a general meeting at 5:30 p.m. on May 23 in the same place.

“We’re encouraging riders to get organized by participating in group rides, joining our group, and working with city officials such as city manager Oliver Turner and city engineer Linda Batista to continue their efforts in making the community a better place for biking,” said Roger Blanchard, BFS chair. He and vice chair Emily Weber have been working with a core group of members to organize activities and publicity.

Wayne Barry, who handles public relations for the group, said several community activities are under way in addition to May’s coming events, including group rides with Pro Sports on Tuesday evenings, and more outings being organized by Bird’s Eye Outfitters’ Bike Club.

Barry, who also represents Sault Ste. Marie Area Recreational Trails said SMART has funded bike racks that have been placed throughout the downtown area by the Sault Downtown Development Authority to encourage more people to use their bikes around town. The racks were built by Sault Area High School students, another community involvement promoted by the group.

Blanchard and Weber said the business plan they’re putting together will help them “talk numbers” with city officials and others as they pursue Bicycle Friendly Community status from the League of American Bicyclists. The designation, which can boost tourism by attracting bicyclists to communities, focuses on the “Five E’s” – engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation/planning.

LAB provides a roadmap that community groups may use to improve conditions for bicycling through better engineered streets, education and encouragement for bicyclists, motorists and city officials, enforcement of proper use of bike lanes and other tools, and a regular evaluation of the plan.

The group says making bicycling safe and convenient are keys to improving public health, reducing traffic congestion, improving air quality and improving quality of life.

The group says the free showing of “Bikes vs. Cars” is a good way to become familiar with some of the hazards of biking in cities and how those problems can be overcome.

The movie looks at the bicycle as a tool for reducing traffic congestion and pollution and features activists who fight for better cities and refuse to stop riding despite the increasing number of cyclists hurt or killed in traffic.

While Sault Ste. Marie bicyclists may not have as many problems with traffic as do their counterparts in larger cities, bicyclists, pedestrians and automobile drivers are required to follow the same rules of the road, according to Capt. John Larsen of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Dept.

“The police department is looking forward to working with Bike Friendly Soo,” Larsen said. “It is always a benefit to citizens of our community when all the agencies can work together on a project such as this. We’ll help in any way possible to encourage and promote bicycle safety and awareness to both cyclists and motorists. The rules of the road apply to motorists and bicyclists, alike.”

To become involved with Bike Friendly Soo, check out the group’s page on Facebook, “Bike Friendly Soo,” or contact Blanchard at [email protected].

************************