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November 28, 2012

A more bike-friendly city

The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — It’s a positive note that Norman’s elected leaders are looking to expand the city’s network of bicycle paths. Our relatively flat city is home to thousands of recreational, commuter and competitive cyclists. (The four bicycle shops should be a clue to cycling’s popularity.)

Those cyclists want more designated lanes. They also want more motorists to willingly share the road and give riders the required three feet of space. A little patience can mean a big difference to riders.

Four wheels doesn’t give anyone a deed to the pavement. But by the same token, two wheels and a helmet doesn’t give you the right to breeze through stop signs and stop lights.

Norman could help the cause by keeping the designated bike lane streets cleaner. Debris often ends up in those bike lanes. We’ve seen wrecker drivers sweep glass from an accident into the bike lanes.

There is some common ground. Recent transportation projects have included expenditures targeting cyclists and pedestrians. The Rock Creek Road overpass and Robinson Street underpass are good examples of making room for alternative forms of transportation.

There are some small things that the city could do to make it more bike friendly and help move up the line on federal transportation grants that target bike-friendly communities.

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