When Bicycle Magazine compiled their list of the top 50 bike friendly cities in the US, they helpfully supplied some criteria for what makes a top 50 city. Some of the aspects are: the city must support a vibrant and diverse bike culture with smart, savvy bike shops; segregated bike lanes; municipal bike racks; bike boulevards; and cyclists from the city have the ear of the local government. In researching the bicycle culture in Ann Arbor,MI, I was able to identify all of those qualities. The city website, a2gov.org/government/publicservices/systems_planning/Transportation/Pages/Bike.aspx offers cycling enthusiasts a plethora of information regarding the bike culture in Ann Arbor. One is able to find information on bicycle routes, parking, planned community events and clubs involving cycling and what the plans are to improve the infrastructure of the cycling routes throughout the city. There are also many links to other organizations in the community servicing those who partake in cycling.
It is obvious the bicycle community in Ann Arbor is very organized. The Alternative Transportation Committee, an organization comprised of city staff, county staff, citizen advocates and the DDA meet monthly or bi-monthly to review information pertinent to the cycling community. Because the members of this organization are culled from all areas of Ann Arbor, the needs of cyclists throughout the community are made known and addressed in a timely manner. To support these endeavors financially, Ann Arbor reserves 5% of gas and weight taxes for non-motorized transportation projects.
Ann Arbor exhibits such a strong commitment from the local citizens and government to stress the importance of utilizing non-motorized transportation and it has become a model city for communities looking to implement an alternative transportation system. The following is a list of accomplishments the city has been recognized for as it strives to embrace and strengthen the bicycling community:
Ann Arbor
-designates funding used for cycling infrastructure improvements, promoting awareness of cycling opportunities and resources throughout
-in 2009 received Silver Ranking from League of American Bicyclists for being a bicycle friendly community
-in 2008 received a Gold Level Award in Promoting Active Communities Assessment, a state initiative to promote active living in Michigan. AA “can document achievements in making it easy for people to be active”, boasts the AA city website
-the City of AA is adding over 10 miles of on-road bike lanes this summer, bringing the total to nearly 60 miles, 140 bike hoops, 32 secure bike lockers, on-street bike parking downtown (2010)
-many scheduled community biking events
-laws: helmet, headlights and rear reflectors after sunset, keep to the right of the road, any cyclists on sidewalk must yield to right of way of pedestrians
-bicycle parking must be included in all new construction projects: protected storage lockers, bike racks
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