A citywide bike network that encouraged in-town cycling could benefit cyclists and the city as a whole

By Gary Shaff

An Aug. 30 headline in Ashland.news announced: “Ashland named a top-10 U.S. bike town by a major magazine.” In fact, Outside Magazine ranked Ashland as the fifth best bicycle town in the country. Impressive!!

Ashlanders might be surprised that Davis, California, was ranked No. 1. Yet Davis doesn’t have great mountain biking and it lacks a nearby scenic bikeway — which we have here in Ashland. Ashland.news quoted Travel Ashland’s Katharine Cato as saying, ”we do have a great cycling scene here, and a little something for everyone.“ 

It’s a demanding environment for cyclists

For many local cyclists, however, the Ashland bicycle scene isn’t great if you don’t head up the trails on your mountain bike, or sport Lycra shorts, or enjoy riding 50 miles and climb to the top of the Greensprings. So, sorry, but “everyone” doesn’t include most Ashland residents.

What Davis does have and, the reason why it was ranked No. 1, is a functional bicycle network, one where residents can get from anywhere to everywhere on a bicycle. They’ve had it for a long time. 

Ashland could be at the top of the list but it will take more than the watershed’s mountain bike trails and diverse out-of-town road cycling terrain. To get to No. 1, Ashland will need to do what Davis has done, which is to create an in-town bicycle network suitable for all ages and abilities. 

More protected lanes needed

It’s not so difficult! All that is needed is for the city (and the Oregon Department of Transportation) to add protected bike lanes — as pictured above — on major streets. The City Council is onboard and directed that protected bike lanes be included on Ashland Street and North Mountain Avenue But two streets do not make a citywide network. As with auto travel, only with a complete network can people get from anywhere to everywhere in town.

A complete in-town bicycle network will do much more than attract athletic bicyclists to Ashland. It will also attract families to visit and move here, possibly reversing the long decline in Ashland School District enrollment. What could be better, as a parent, than knowing that your child can travel by bicycle to the nearby park, downtown for an ice cream, get to school, or the library, or across town to visit a friend or family? An “all ages and abilities” bicycle network can give kids, and parents, independence. 

A safe, convenient, and efficient bicycle network would also give all residents a choice as to how they travel to accomplish everyday tasks. Now, almost everyone drives a car even for short trips in town. But roughly 60% of residents, if given a choice, would ride a bicycle, if it were safe! Not all of the time, but for some of their errands. That choice, to ride a bicycle rather than driving, would reduce traffic congestion and, important in Ashland’s downtown, free up parking. Additionally, people walking or riding bikes will shop locally, and help to reinvigorate local businesses.

Cycling costs vs. car costs

But the benefits don’t stop there. A functional bicycle network would also serve to make Ashland more affordable. According to the American Automobile Association, the cost to own, operate, insure, license, maintain and repair an auto is about $1,000 per month. More households without autos could be an antidote to the high cost of housing and make it possible for people who work in Ashland to live here.

Remarkably, there are also real climate benefits of choosing to walk or ride a bicycle rather than drive. Transportation accounts for roughly 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions at the statewide level. It is likely the same for Ashland if you include travel from and to Ashland from neighboring towns.

And finally, there are the improved mental and physical health benefits associated with bicycling, and the fact that adding protected bike lanes on major streets improves safety for all road users (yes, drivers too).

Modifying our transportation system to make it practical to get around town on a bicycle has many benefits beyond bringing in more tourists. With cooperation between the city of Ashland and ODOT, it could happen by 2030. The streets and highways are the public’s transportation system, it can and should be changed to make Ashland’s future a little brighter. We can be No. 1. 

Gary Shaff is chair of Streets for Everyone, a volunteer team of the Ashland Climate Collaborative, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Learn more at  ashlandclimate.org/transportation.