Joplin looking at improving city for bicycling

An article in the Joplin Globe looks at some of the things Joplin is considering to make the city friendlier for bicycling:

[Bicyclist Jim] Collins has noticed a change in Joplin with regard to the status of bicyclists.

“I bike every day,” he said. “I try to get in 20 to 30 miles a day. I still drive, but you can get around town on a bike fairly easy. It’s really improving quite a bit. We have some streets now with bike lanes, such as Zora and Maiden Lane.” . . .

The thoroughfares most used by Joplin motorists — Range Line Road, Seventh Street and 32nd Street — are routes that bicyclists avoid. The traffic is too heavy and moves too fast.

They prefer the openness and slower pace of traffic on Langston Hughes-Broadway, 15th Street, and Wall and Joplin avenues. They also favor the city’s newer routes with designated lanes for bicycles. . . .

Joplin does not require bicycle racks with new construction. But the city is aware of the security issue.

“We’re putting more racks downtown specifically,” said Troy Bolander, Joplin’s city planner. “They will be part of the downtown redevelopment and the extension of bicycle trails to the downtown area.” . . .

Sharing the road with bicyclists has not been an issue in Joplin, said Cpl. Ryan West, head of the Joplin Police Department’s officer-bicycle program.

“We have had very few incidents of conflict between motorists and bicyclists,” he said. “Bicyclists are using public roadways, and they have to abide by the same traffic laws as motorists.

Joplin is also one of the leaders in the state in working to create a trail network in and around the city.