Better Bicycling -- City By City

Wisconsin is one of the best states in the country for bicycling. Historically, this has been due to the state's excellent, mostly paved, town road system. But increasingly it is due to the current efforts of Wisconsin's cities and counties.

Nearly every Wisconsin county has an assortment of low volume, paved roadways -- a legacy of the dairy farming industry. These picturesque country roads make for great bicycling. Two-wheeled paradise can be found in any of the thousands of little-known farming communities along Wisconsin's backroads. Lima, Pleasant Valley, Vermont, Cold Spring and Sevastopol, this is just a sampling of rural Wisconsin cycling at its best.

In other words, Wisconsin's countryside is good for bicycling by default. However, increased noise, sprawl and traffic congestion, can degrade the Wisconsin bicycling experience.

Many Wisconsin cities and counties are working to protect or reclaim Wisconsin's bikeability. Here are some of the state's leaders in promoting bicycling.

Best Urban Bicycling - Madison has been rated one of the top cities in the country for bicycling and for good reason. It has a good bikeway system incorporating bike lanes, low volume neighborhood streets and bicycle paths. Great urban bicycling happened because the residents asked for it. The city has a lively bicycle culture and a supportive bicycle advocacy voice.

According to the Bureau of Census, more people commute by bicycle in Madison in March than in sun belt communities such as Atlanta and Fort Worth.

Best County Bike System - Milwaukee County has one of the finest bike gems in the country -- the Oak Leaf Trail. The county is almost entirely urbanized, as is the setting for the trail. So commuters benefit from the trail as much as recreational cyclists.

The original trail was laid out to commemorate the nation's 200th birthday and was 76 miles in length. It is now well over 100 miles long and serves almost every community in the County with a combination of on-road and off-road bikeways.

Best Bicycling in a Medium Sized City - Eau Claire recognized the potential of bringing the Chippewa River Trail into the university and downtown areas of the City in the late 1980s. The trail runs right along a scenic stretch of the river and is immensely popular. The city is now implementing its bicycle plan, including new trail connections to the Chippewa River Trail.

The City of Sheboygan got a jump start on many other cities by developing one of the state's first bicycle plans. The City has continued to build bicycle lanes and paths during the past 10 years. Sheboygan's visionary leaders have successfully integrated bicycle improvements into a downtown renewal effort. Honorable mention: La Crosse and Beloit.

Best Bicycling in a Medium sized county - Sheboygan County has been a leader among counties in paving shoulders and making connections to the metropolitan area. Its proudest effort, the Old Plank Road Trail connects Sheboygan, Kohler, and Plymouth.

Best Bicycling in a Smaller County - Jefferson County has recently developed one of the best bicycle plans in the state and lost no time in putting it into action. Since the county has numerous smaller cities, the county cleverly wrapped smaller community plans into its county plan. Honorable mentions: St. Croix and Marinette Counties.

Best Small Cities - Neenah and De Pere come to mind when considering small, bicycle-oriented communities. Neenah will be host and showplace for the next Governor's Bicycle Conference in September. In addition to bike lanes and trails, the city has made significant strides in bicycle education and law enforcement.

Just north, De Pere's excellent bicycle lanes serve up some fun and comfortable rides for area cyclists. Soon the Fox River Trail -- developed by Brown County -- will add an outstanding trail corridor through the middle of the city.

As you can see, many of Wisconsin's communities are hard at work building safe, convenient and fun places to ride. These efforts will go a long way towards making Wisconsin a better place to bicycle.

Tom Huber is the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's bicycle/pedestrian coordinator.