Bicycle use has risen steadily in Huntsville, Alabama, the state.s fourth largest city. However, existing roads were mostly not designed for cyclists, and signage had fallen into disrepair. Faced with a lack of on-road bike lanes to deal with the demand and with traffic situations that discouraged new cyclists, city planners and bike advocates combined to come up with a plan for roadway improvements, released in 2001.
The plan calls for new bike lanes on city streets, creating an extensive city-wide network of bike-friendly routes. A second part of the plan focuses on increasing the comfort level of inexperienced cyclists by identifying factors that discourage biking, such as the speed of traffic, steepness of slopes and lack of visibility. Using these factors, routes are now classified for difficulty, allowing beginners to bike while avoiding difficult situations.
Construction of the routes has continued apace since 2001, with more new routes added each year. To supplement this network of bike-safe routes, the city has added bike racks to the fronts of buses and at major attractions.
Goal
Developing a Network of Bike Routes