Take a bicycle tour of the trail, city – and, if needed, there will be a two-wheeler readily available
The Mountain Lake City Council recently gave the go-ahead to the Mountain Lake Foundation/Sweet Fields Bike Plan, and preparation is at the point that it is set to soon get rolling.
The proposed plan includes colorfully-painted bike route symbol stenciling on city streets to guide bicyclists on the Mountain Lake Trail to downtown, as well as other points of interest around town. Eventually the city bike map will be added to the already available Mountain Lake Trail map.
Additionally, bicycles will be available in a bike share system – at no charge to the public – in bike racks at three locations around the city. ( Of course, riders are welcome to utilize their own wheels on the route.)
The Foundation pledged $2,400 as start-up money to cover the cost of the bicycles, bike racks, paint and all maintenance on the bicycles.
According to Joyce Bucklin and Vern Peterson, a pair spearheading the bike plan, Albert Quiram of Windom has been hired to repair and paint the bicycles that have been collected for the project. “A bright green. That is the color they probably will be painted,” shared Nickel. “Easy to spot.”
Bike sharing is an innovative new transportation system you can use without having to own your own bike (although you can). Public-uses bikes to be used will be able to be found at three bike racks scattered around the city – the locations yet to be determined. Bikes can be returned to any rack in the system, creating a network with many possible connection points and combinations of departures and arrivals.
Taking a look at the the “Bike Sharing World Map,” which is maintained by Russell Meddin and Paul DeMaio of Bike Share Philadelphia, there are approximately 553 bike share programs in operation worldwide, with another 193 (make that 194 including Mountain Lake) in the planning or under construction.
And they’re not just in Europe, which was the first to institute such a system in The Netherlands, Denmark and France – as well as in North America. In actuality, the leader in the world in bike sharing, as measured just by the number of bikes, is China. According to data collected by the Earth Policy Institute, 20 of the 25 largest bike share programs can be found in that country. Its largest one – in the city of Wuhan – has twice the number of bikes as all of France’s shares combined.
* In promoting the bike plan, the Lake Commission will be sponsored “Bike Mountain Lake” this Saturday, June 14, as a Pow Wow sidelight, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Bicyclists will be taking a route down 4th Avenue, 15th Street, 6th Avenue and 7th Street. Those roads will be closed to vehicle trafice during those three morning hours.
* When the Mountain Lake Bike Plan is officially ready to roll, an update will be posted on Cross-Counties Connect.
