KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — The Kalamazoo City Commission has agreed to begin the formulation of a “complete streets” plan.
It’s been part of the ongoing “Imagine Kalamazoo” discussions for a year. Director of Community Planning and Development Laura Lam said getting public input will improve the plan and bolster community support. She said it will create advocates for the policy.
Complete streets are roadways that cannot only accommodate cars, but safely convey cyclists, pedestrians, big trucks and disabled travellers. That may mean bike lanes, sidewalks that ramp down at intersections, curb cuts and other amenities that may not be right for every street, but should be considered when appropriate.
For now, they asked that an endorsement of the concept be drafted, but that work continue for a long term plan through the “Imagine Kalamazoo” process. A community plan might include designating which streets should be considered for bike lanes, creating a community network.
Others in residential settings might be more suited to on-street parking. An action plan will be back in late August or early September for commission approval.
The Kalamazoo Bicycle Club supports the “complete streets” idea long-term, but, for the short-term, they are proposing that motorists be required by ordinance to give cyclists five feet of clearance between their passenger side and the bicycle every time they need to go past a slower moving bike heading in the same direction.
Doug Kirk, who is with the club, told city commissioners on Monday that other communities have already created such ordinances. At least three commissioners expressed support for the idea during the meeting.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this story indicated Laura Lam was the city planner of Kalamazoo. Lam is actuatlly the city’s director of community planning and development. We have corrected the information above and regret the previous error.
