MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Pedestrians, bikers and motorists sharing the roads safely. It’s what communities are moving to, and people are noticing.
“Yeah, like I said, Memphis has a huge biking community and we certainly like more space to do our stuff,” biker Zach Lacefield said.
Now the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is deciding what else is needed to get Shelby, Fayette and Desoto counties on track to creating more spaces where people can cycle, walk and increase their quality of life.
“We will be looking to see where the problem areas are, the areas that have high use and the areas that have a low supply of pedestrian structure, and use that to set priorities,” Nicholas Oyler, transportation planner with MPO, said.
The 2011 Pedestrian Bike Plan for the region will be updated in November.
The last plan looked at specific high traffic areas and found ways to make them more user friendly. It included upgrades of islands in the center of roads, like the one on Madison in Overton Square, which make it safer to cross the busy street.
“A pedestrian only has to walk half way across and can stop at this island, wait for traffic to be clear, and continue across,” Oyler said.
Tuesday evening’s meeting will be a chance for the public to give input on what it thinks is needed to make it easier to share the road.
“Bikers can take over the road and that’s annoying because you can’t get around as a driver and so if they’ve got their place and we have ours , I love that. I am driver and a biker and I can see the benefit of both,” Jina Sanders of Germantown said.
The bike and pedestrian planning meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday evening at the Ben Hooks Library on Poplar Avenue. It will be in Meeting Room C on the first floor.