City's bike plan update envisions expanded bikeway network



Chico's bicycle plan has been updated to expand the city's bikeway network.

Changes made this month include plans to expand bike facilities, transition bike routes into bike boulevards, add bike lanes, protect bikeways, and project priorities for bicyclist needs.

Bicycle commuting can help reduce roadway congestion. Many streets and highways carry more traffic than they were designed to handle, resulting in gridlock, wasted time and energy, pollution, and driver frustration
, according to the updated plan.

The city, which has had a 
plan for bicycle transportation since the 1980s, has been recognized for several bike-related awards such as:
• the League of American Bicyclists
• Bicycling Magazine’s “Best Bicycling City” in 1997
• being ranked the 6th safest city for bicycling in the U.S., in a study by security firm ADT.

The current plan was first adopted by the city in 2012.

Chico currently has a bike network in some areas of the city.


The bicycle plan connects existing bikeways throughout the city to facilitate bike riding.

“I think bike access would benefit everyone for commuting. I saw an article from Forbes that said that cycling can also reduce the carbon footprint that we have in this world,” said Chris Midkiff, a mechanic at Campus Bicycles.




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