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County receives bikeway grant |
written by Citizen staff reporter
(additional underlining and comments by X /Scapes)
Heading from Beaver Dam to Juneau each morning to work?
Consider riding a bicycle.
Bike-riding options will be studied by Bill Ehlenbeck, Dodge County Park and Rec. manager, as part of a federal grant awarded last week to the county. The grant is among 71 Surface Transportation Enhancement and Discretionary awards announced by Gov. Tommy Thompson.
"We'll use the Wild Goose Trail as a spine and see how it links to communities," Ehlenbeck said.
Currently, the trail runs north and south
through the county. However, there is no link to Beaver Dam or any other city
or village not directly on the former railway bed.
(Shouldn't that fact alone tell them it's maybe not the best idea?)
The $46,000 grant would result in a bikeway/pedestrianway study. The objectives would be:
Identify desirable bicycle and pedestrian routes and recommend links.
Establish recommendations for improvements to existing roads that would allow safe travel to the trail.
Develop a comprehensive plan to include priorities, costs and funding strategies.
Identify educational and promotional projects to encourage bicycle and pedestrian travel.
Targeted for the plan would be Beaver Dam, Fox Lake, Horicon, Mayville, Juneau, Lomira, Watertown and Waupun.
In the grant application, Ehlenbeck noted that fewer than 1 in 200 county residents use a bicycle daily to reach their jobs. That's slightly below the state average. If safe and convenient routes were available, he added, a large number of commuters would consider using a bicycle.
Ehlenbeck said he will work with municipal officials to study options. He will also request financial help to boost the funding total to $58,000.
Recent improvements to Highways W and 33 did not include adequate lane areas for bicyclists, he said. Highway E is also unlikely to be changed in the near future. That leaves Prospect Road as the best opportunity to offer accompanying bicyclists travel from Beaver Dam to the Wild Goose Trail.
(Perhaps the reason for not having bike lanes on these Highways is because they are among the most heavily traveled in the area, making a decision to ride a bike to work in the pre-dawn hours not too wise.)
According to the grant application, the improved corridor would benefit the county through economic development. The current trail, already a popular tourist attraction, would increase in popularity, he said.
Ehlenbeck said his office will work with a bikeway planning agency to produce the study. The resulting plan will be modeled after one in Jefferson County.
All told, $18 million in grants were approved. In addition to planning and safety initiatives, funds will be used for facilities, historic restoration projects and beautification efforts.
In nearby Waterloo, $284,400 was approved for a Maunesha River bicycle path and pedestrian trail.
"Along with enhancing the state's transportation network, completion of these projects will promote tourism, boost the economy and make our local communities even more attractive for residents and visitors," Thompson said.
Can someone PLEASE explain this to me, like I'm a
6-year-old, so I can understand it. Let's see, most people in this area don't
ride bikes to work. Maybe a part of that is because most of the larger employers
are factories. Who wants to ride a bike 8 or 10 or maybe more miles to work,
just to get there to bust their butts all day?? Then, after a hard 8 hour day,
who wants to pedal all that way back home?? I can almost see all the willing
lining up right now, can't you??
Even for those employed in a softer, kinder environment, like
an office worker. How many of them want to hop on their bike and sweat and grunt
their way to the office?? What a wonderful impression that would make in a
corporate meeting, don't you agree??
Of course, I'm all for doing whatever we can to reduce
pollution and "green-up" the planet, don't get me wrong. However, I
think spending over $46,000 (that's THREE zeros, folks) to find out if
anyone wants to bike to work is about as asinine as teaching a pig to sing.
Perhaps more so.
It seems we have a problem keeping people safe on the roads
when they're inside their vehicles, surrounded by steal beams and air-bags, so
tell me, how will they be safer and happier when they're as exposed to road
dangers as a person is on a bike?
Is Mr. Ehlenbeck also planning to do a study concerning
lighting the entire bikeway? Most people employed that far away from home
need to leave well before sunrise. How is that safe?
(The above message is strictly the opinion of X / Scapes)
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