From Norman, Oklahoma:
The city has released a new bicycle route map, showing updated routes and future route improvements. The map also comes with a colorful, pocket-sized guide to bicycling in Norman.
The new map highlights Norman’s long-range goals regarding safety of bicycles and pedestrians on the bridges crossing over Interstate 35, Councilwoman Rachel Butler said.
The map has clearly identified markers for all I-35 bridges that need to be improved for cyclists and pedestrians and indicates the bike route additions that can be made once that happens.
The bike route plan for Norman is part of an overall plan to help everyday commuting, Foster said. Recreational bike paths also are shown on the map, but that is not the map’s primary purpose, he said. Read more
That last sentence, to me, is significant. The bicycle maps are designed for commuting, not recreation.
Perhaps other communities could take a lesson from Norman, and get off the “bikes are only for recreation” kick. Or, as John at Cycling in Wichita puts it, “Changing the ‘default assumptions’ about cycling”.
See also: Biking Toward a Healthier and More Livable Community in Norman
Thanks for the plug, Randy–that’s a pleasant surprise to see.
Wichita’s web-based bike path map marks dedicated bike paths but, aside from indicating recommended sidewalks, makes no recommendations for commuting routes (and, at least as of this morning, does not indicate one street’s new, honest-to-goodness on-street bike lanes). Wichita cyclists would clearly benefit from such a map.
Great. More e-mails to write.