News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sisters is now a "Bicycle Friendly Community" -- at least in name.
The city council made that declaration at its Thursday, April 26, meeting and committed to work toward making it easier for bicyclists to get around and commute to work.
According to Jerry Norquist of the League of American Bicyclists, "bike-friendliness" is a bellwether of overall community livability.
"If you have a community that promotes safe bicycling, that's usually a very healthy community," he said.
Norquist noted that commuting by bicycle to work or school saves energy, cuts down on pollution and traffic and promotes personal health.
To become a member of the Bicycle Friendly Communities Program -- which includes communities from Ada, Oklahoma to Yellow Springs, Ohio -- the city must establish a "written policy designed to develop and maintain 'Bicycle Safe' streets and pathways."
The Sisters Transportation System Plan includes bicycle paths. The city already includes requirements for bicycle parking in its code.
The Community Action Team of Sisters hopes to provide ways for people living outside the city limits to commute by bicycle into the city.
City planner Neil Thompson said that the city has generally tried to accommodate bicycles, but till now there has not been a concerted effort to promote bicycle use.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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