Bike News

There have been a few items of local interest in the news lately. I've been a little behind, but that's not too unusual.

• Evansville Mayor proposes adding bike lanes in Evansville. The mayor's plan is to add 20 miles of on-street bikeways by the end of 2009. Four routes, will be marked with bike route signs and road markings. Connectors and spurs will be added as more federal funding becomes available. According to the Courier-Press, routes will include "a north-south route along Oak Hill Road from Lynch Road to U.S. 41; an east-downtown route along Lincoln and Bellemeade Avenues from the county line to downtown; and a west side-cross town route from Howell Park to Franklin Street, and along Michigan and Virginia Streets to U.S. 41. A Kentucky Avenue bike route will be created between Walnut Street and Riverside Avenue."
• Last week, members of the Owensboro cycling community announced plans to lobby City Hall to encourage their support of bike lanes throughout Owensboro. Last summer, the city let a federal grant expire that would've paid for bike lanes to be marked on city streets. However, the city's engineering department expressed reservations and created a new policy restricting bike lanes from city streets less than 32 feet wide. The City Commission then decided to focus more on shared-use paths that run along roadways, to avoid any complaints about parking restrictions on streets striped for bike lanes. The city has reapplied for a $230,000 grant and the first project would be a path from the Greenbelt north along Old Hartford Road to Lexington Green subdivision.
• Today's Messenger-Inquirer had an article about adding artistic bike racks to downtown Owensboro. The city and downtown businesses are working together to place more bike racks downtown and bring some flair to the designs. The partnership would involve the businesses buying the bike racks and the city helping install them. Downtown Development Director Fred Reeves has begun meeting with business owners and has begun walking around downtown scouting possible locations for the bike racks. The city has also recently installed two racks inside the parking garage at Daviess Street and Veterans Boulevard, across from the RiverPark Center.