New bike plan public input session happening Wednesday afternoon

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Population growth in Madison County means more people are using the roads, and they aren’t just driving cars or trucks.

Bike safety has been a big issue in Huntsville over the last few years and it’s affecting everyone on the road, both drivers and cyclists, and all are invited to discuss how to make our roads safer.

The Huntsville Metropolitan Planning Organization is hosting the public input session at First Baptist Church from 4 to 5 p.m. to discuss ways to improve cyclist safety and commuting efficiency.

Dennis Madsen, Huntsville Manager of Urban and Long Range Planning, said the city’s current bicycle routes haven’t been updated in around 20 years and were not engineered to support expanding commuter populations in Madison County.

“We’re really taking a much longer and more in-depth look at how we build bike connectivity across the region – where the facilities are we need to improve, how do we make safety improvements in certain areas,” he said.

Madsen said all members of the public, not just cyclists, are invited to contribute to the conversation about how to better improve Huntsville’s biking network.

“This is for anyone who cares about transportation in the region because as we continue to grow, we need a very diverse transportation network,” he said.

Cycling advocacy groups, engineers, and city planners will gather suggestions from the public about unsafe areas and possible improvements to Huntsville’s biking network, which Madsen said he hopes to expand over the next few years.

“At the end of the day we want to have a vision for a complete and accessible network that will serve the entire region,” he said.

The open house is the first of two public discussions before a draft of a plan is compiled and presented to the city. The second will be held in the fall.

Madsen said he expects it will take a few years to execute a plan, whether it involves expanding urban biking paths, tracking dangerous zones for cyclists, or improving existing infrastructure.

“We’re really looking at getting as much of a cross-section of input as we can,” he said. “It’s really focused on how can we, as the city continues to grow, keep building out a safer, better connected bicycle network?”

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The public is encouraged to attend the open house discussion at 4 p.m. at First Baptist Church on 600 Governors Drive SW.

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