Future plans for city streets, sidewalks and passageways in Royal Oak will be fine-tuned to both promote walking and biking and pedestrian and cyclist safety.
As the city revisits its master plan, a guiding document for growth and development, it is incorporating a non-motorized transportation plan.
It will take into a account how to build roads that are safer for pedestrians and cyclists, what amenities to add, such as bike racks, so that biking around town is easier. It will also further educate the public about alternative forms of transportation and how the interests of auto users, cyclists, and pedestrians can co-exit.
The city has hired Chicago consultant Active Transportation Alliance to come up with recommendations to be included in the master plan.
Cities are more often making accommodations for other forms of transportation part of their road construction planning process. The road to getting more consideration for cyclists and pedestrians in the
planning has been long.
One nonprofit promoting the new way of planning is
Michigan Complete Streets Coalition, and it is urging cities - and residents - to prepare for changes that will have Baby Boomers walking more often, more employees wanting to live where they work and therefore walking or biking to work, and also to take into consideration a growing interest in public transportation that could mean more walking and biking stops and stations.
Source: City of Royal Oak
Writer: Kim North Shine
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