2024 is an election year. No matter who you’re planning to vote for or who comes out ahead, the landscape will look different next year. LMB is a “bikepartisan” 501(c)(3) organization, and we don’t take sides in electoral politics.

 

We do hope for elected leaders who support our vision for where we’re going: a future where bicycling serves as an everyday option for more people to commute, get around and have fun, and makes life better for everyone.

 

But it’s not always easy to tell where we are on the long journey to get there, when it seems every week brings more tragic crashes on Michigan roads. We’re sharing five pieces of the map: five areas where we’re making a difference and the next step on the route is clear.

 

And – to be totally clear – we’re asking for your support to get us there. We rely on you – your energy, your ideas, your enthusiasm, and your dollars – to get us further down the road and travel the next mile toward better bicycling.

 

 

 

 

 

Mile 5: The Road Ahead

Where we are: In 2022, LMB sent a survey to candidates for the Michigan House of Representatives and Michigan Senate, asking about their support for five legislative actions. Four of those five (increased state investment in shared streets, VRU bills, safer speed limits, and e-bike incentives) have seen major progress in this session – two have been enacted and the other two are on track to become law. The survey was an effective way to raise visibility for these issues and build momentum coming into the session, and it gave LMB members more information about candidates’ positions.

 

Where we’re going: Now, I’d like to hear from you. There are several topics we could prioritize for a 2024 candidate survey, but a long survey is unlikely to get many responses. Here’s a partial list of potential topics:

1. Enact a state law for the Safety Stop (a.k.a. Stop as Yield or Idaho Stop) 
2. Enact a state law requiring drivers to yield to pedestrians and bicyclists waiting at mid-block crosswalks
3. Enact a state law to create a New Mobility Asset Management Council, collecting statewide data on non-motorized infrastructure (i.e. bike lanes, sidewalks, etc.) and more
4. Enact a state law allowing for lower speed limits in school zones (currently 25 mph minimum)
5. Enact a state law allowing for automated speed enforcement in areas of high risk for vulnerable road users
6. Establish explicit targets in state law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation
7. Dedicate additional road funding to proven safety countermeasures in areas of high risk for VRUs
8. Continue and possibly increase state funding for the Shared Streets and Spaces Grant program
9. Provide state funding to support community bike repair organizations
10. Provide state funding for a dedicated natural surface trail maintenance fund within the DNR

Could you let me know which of these are most important to you, and if there are others we should consider asking about?

 

 

We see state lawmakers as important partners in making our state’s roads safe and comfortable for people who walk and bike. As the components of a bicycle work together for a smooth ride, so do the parts of our strategy to make Michigan bicycling better.

 

This year, we’re seeing that strategy come together in so many ways. LMB is leading the way toward a state that embraces bicycling as a key element of transportation and recreation, and as a joyful way to live. If you share that vision – if that sounds like a journey that’s worth taking – we need you for the next mile.

 

Whether you can give $50, $5, $150, or $500, we need your gift.

 

Sincerely,

John Lindenmayer
Executive Director
League of Michigan Bicyclists