Making the streets safe

The room, which had been silent only twenty minutes ago, was alive with debate, as maps were unfurled and proposals were put forth.\nAn hour and a half later all was calm again, the people in the room having made decisions that may well alter the lives of tens of thousands of people…\nThe Hague? Nope. The UN General Assembly? Hardly. All of these life-changing decisions are made every month at the Bloomington Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Commission meetings. The cause? Safer roads for cyclists and pedestrians.\nThe BPSC, a citizen based commission, works with the City Planning & Public Works department to propose development projects aimed at improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians. \n"We can make a difference," said Mike Gavin, a long-time member of the BPSC. "Many of the bike lanes and sidewalks in Bloomington are a result of this commission."\nEight people attended Monday's preliminary meeting; although nothing was made official, active discussion ensued for over almost two hours.\nThe group has official meetings every month in which they decide on projects to bring to the attention of the CPPW. \nOnce submitted, the CPPW decides whether or not to implement these projects.\nOne of the several current issues that the commission is working on is updating the Bloomington Bicycle map, which they hope to put up on the Web. \n"I ride my bike for recreational purposes but I also use it as a means of transport," Vice-Chairman of BPSC Mitch Rice said. \nThe immense popularity of bikes at IU would suggest that many students use bikes as a cheap alternative to motor vehicles. Of late, cars are proving to be a nuisance in many local neighborhoods.\nThe BPSC works in conjunction with the Neighborhood Traffic Safety program, in which citizens explain problems or concerns they have regarding traffic safety within their community.\n"The majority of problems are with people speeding through neighborhoods," Chairman of the BPSC Steve Cotter said. He added it is not so much a problem of congestion but more a question of safety.\nThe recent death of an IU student in a bike accident is evidence of this and brings to question what precautions are being taken to prevent further accidents.\n"I think it's very tragic," Cotter said of the fatal accident, "We work here to avoid those kinds of accidents."\nBut he added that the cause of the accident may have been because she felt safer riding on the sidewalk rather than on the road.\nThe proposals that the commission make to the Planning & Public Works department can take anywhere from three weeks to a year if they are chosen to be implemented, Cotter said, which could mean that it will be some time before the public sees any significant changes. \nRice said the past two years have been an apt time for development in the city and much has been accomplished. When asked about the accident, he said, "I think we need to emphasize not only safe biking but safe driving as well"