by Hannah Figgins
The town of Ashland, WI is home to just over 8,000 people. Most of them have lived in the north woods their entire lives, often on the shores of the great Lake Superior. The lake is a large part of their identity in these shoreline communities, yet in Ashland the community is separated from the lake by Highway 2, otherwise known as Lake Shore Drive. On one side of the wide, fast-paced street lies the town of Ashland; on the other side lies a few gas stations, a pawn shop and a few abandoned buildings with empty parking lots. Beyond these sparse buildings lies the lake, accompanied by a handy and well-built lake-front walk and bike path.
My goal with this action plan is to contribute to the connection of Ashland with Lake Superior with the eventual addition of bike-lanes to the primary streets. The bike-lanes would serve as a visual reminder to cars and trucks that bikes are allowed to be there and should be given space and respect on the road. This would then allow bikers to feel safer on the roads, and therefore be encouraged to bike more often leading to an increased number of visits to the lakeshore by youths (under the legal driving age) and those wishing to reduce their carbon emissions but still get out and about.
Bike lanes on the more trafficked roads, such as Ellis Avenue, Beaser Avenue and 6th Street West, would offer three primary benefits: sidewalks would be safer for children and other pedestrians, and the streets would be safer for all bikers; they would promote and increase bicycle commuting, reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and they would allow for a more active, environmentally friendly lifestyle. The people of Ashland could be connected in a way that they couldn’t be when inside their cars, and would be given an extra chance to connect with Lake Superior, that offers so much heritage and culture to those who have lived in the region for generations. Click here to read Hannah’s full actionÂ
