The city of Chelsea was recently ranked
Michigan’s 7th bike-friendliest city by the national nonprofit
People for Bikes.
Huron Waterloo Pathways Initiative (HWPI), a Chelsea-based nonprofit that has worked extensively on the
Border to Border Trail and other trails in the area, attributes this to a number of factors.
“The biggest thing that makes Chelsea a great city for bikes and other types of outdoor recreation is that people in the community share a passion for outdoors and recreation,” says Kiff Hamp, executive director of HWPI. “This is evidenced not only by the frequent use of the B2B Trail in Chelsea, and other nearby trails, but the community support and enthusiasm for helping to fund local trails.”
Chelsea’s trails serve the city's downtown area along with neighborhoods, allowing every resident to have access to the outdoors.
Recently, HWPI completed a trail segment connecting the B2B to downtown Chelsea. Hamp says a more defined B2B route through downtown Chelsea, along with more bike lanes, would make the city even more bike-friendly.
“Identifying a route with good signage will be key to make the B2B Trail travel through the city of Chelsea in a functional and safe way,” Hamp says.
Layla McMurtrie is a recent Eastern Michigan University graduate and former editor-in-chief of The Eastern Echo. She has a passion for arts and culture and hopes to tell the stories of underrepresented Michigan residents.
Photo courtesy of HWPI.
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