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Date: 3/17/2022
HOLYOKE – The Holyoke Biking and Pedestrian (BikePed) Committee hosted a presentation by Amelia Neptune, director of Bicycle Friendly America, at their most recent meeting on March 7.
The BikePed Committee works to help make Holyoke a more bicycle-friendly community through education, public outreach programs, recommendations, studies and more.
Neptune discussed the Bicycle Friendly America organization, the benefits of having a bike-friendly community and how Holyoke can apply to become a part of the League of American Cyclists program during the next application season.
Currently, Northampton is the only Western Massachusetts city that participates in this program. Neptune said that the goal is to create a more bicycle-friendly America and Western Mass. for everyone.
According to Neptune, bicycling helps with sustainability by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from cars and transportation. It also makes the community safer overall.
“There’s a lot of evidence that shows that creating places that are better for biking are actually safer roads for all users, so people walking, people driving, people getting around on wheelchairs or scooters or any mobility device are all safer if we prioritize infrastructure for people,” she said.
Bicycling also contributes to good health and wellness, mobility, access and equity in the community, a greater quality of life and a better economy, according to Neptune.
“In short, bicycle friendly communities are places where people want to live, work and visit,” said Neptune.
The city of Holyoke is looking to receive public input on becoming a more bicycle-friendly community and to research what intersections or areas need work to become more bike-friendly. They also hope to educate and encourage local business owners on why having bike-friendly areas are important to the community overall.
The application to become an official Bicycle Friendly Community is not open currently, but will reopen in the future according to Neptune. Those interested in learning more information are encouraged to visit bikeleague.org.
Those interested in sharing ideas or becoming a member of the BikePed Committee are encouraged to visit https://www.holyoke.org/bikeped-committee/.