Members of Lancaster County’s Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee this week called on bicyclists to send comments on the new county Long Range Transportation Plan. An on-line transportation survey is being conducted in conjunction with the update of the plan. Comments can be made at the end of the survey.
The plan, which includes transportation projects in the county out to 2035, is now being revised. Now would be the time for bicyclists to comment on the plan and make suggestions. Those comments could be calls for wider shoulders on roadways, better lighting along roads, signed bicycle routes, alternative bicycle trails, bike lanes along existing roads, or funding for bicycling education programs.
Physical accommodations, such as wider shoulders when roads are repaved, or education programs, may help encourage more people to ride bicycles in the county. A draft of the plan specifically calls for improved shoulders and education as strategies to improve safety.
Another strategy calls on planners to: “Develop safe and convenient bicycle and pedestrian accommodations for every type of trip, and for all levels of ability.” Those strategies do not state specific actions.
The call for comments - any comments - was made by Mike Ridgeway, founder of the local Dream Ride Projects/Cycle Smart programs, and agreed to by Bill Hoffman, of the Lancaster Bicycle Club. Both agreed rider education programs are needed.
The update will be completed in June.
