Local efforts kickstarted by a federal grant are culminating in a Vision Zero plan.
A $25 million federal Non-motorized Transportation Pilot Program grant received by Sheboygan County in the early 2000s has led to a strong movement to improve road safety for cyclists and pedestrians, reports Alex Garner in Sheboygan Press.
“County Planning and Conservation Director Aaron Brault said the majority of funding was used for projects to connect people and roads with destinations. Some Sheboygan projects included sidewalk improvements along Taylor Drive, traffic-calming areas near schools and transformation of the Shoreland 400 Rail Trail.” The city also started a Bike and Walk to Work Week and was recognized as a Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community in 2019.
Although the grant funding has now run dry, Brault believes the organic movement that has grown out of these efforts will continue. “Heather Cleveland, owner of Green Bicycle Co. and co-founder of Sheboygan Active Transportation, would like to see more local campaigns and driver’s education around sharing the road, non-motorized infrastructure and ways to encourage business bike-friendliness.”
The Department of Public Works and Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission are also working on a Complete Streets Policy with the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and adding bike racks and other infrastructure to the region.
FULL STORY: How Sheboygan is mobilizing to make the community safer for bicyclists and pedestrians
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