Ball State cyclists might have a sidewalk of their own becauseof the help of six graduate students who are gathering informationfor a bikeway system. The student will present the proposal toUniversity Senate in April.
George Smith, chairman of the master planning committee,organized the workshop held on Friday in the College ofArchitecture and Planning. The workshop allowed students, facultyand local residents to discuss possible bikeway systems to be builtalong Ball State's current sidewalks.
Lou Conklin, a graduate student in the Landscape ArchitectureProgram who created designs for the system, said the purpose of theworkshop was to give the Ball State and Muncie communities a rolein the planning process.
"It was just to get people talking; to give a voice to thecommunity," she said.
Conklin said she and the students studied existing bikewaysystems at Notre Dame, Michigan State and Cornell before they beganseveral weeks ago to create designs for Ball State's system. DuringFriday's workshop, the students not only presented their suggestedroutes for the new bikeways, but they illustrated how the bikewayswould be structured across major intersections on campus.
Several students suggested placing a bikeway trail along theDuck Pond, McKinley Avenue and the Cow Path. Others also wanted toextend the system to McGalliard Road to make bike travel easier forlocal residents and students who live off campus.
To provide cyclists with safe travel along the new system,students proposed posting bikeway marker signs, painting the newroutes and even placing steel bars near bikeway crossing strips.This would help motorists recognize the bikeways from a distance,Conklin said.
Graduate student Cory Daly proposed using boulders as bikewaymarkers for the new system. Incorporating such elements into thesystem would make it more aesthetic to cyclists, he said.
Graduate student Justin Dirig used his bikeway design to outlineseveral other strengths of having a bikeway system on campus, amongwhich were reducing traffic and promoting healthy lifestyles forstudents and faculty. The bikeways would also promote a sense ofcommunity among cyclists, he said.
To gather more input on the strengths and needs of theuniversity's future bikeway system, Smith said surveys will beavailable on Ball State's Web site by the middle of the week. Thegroup will use all of the information gathered from both thesurveys and from Friday's workshop in its report to UniversitySenate, after which the senate will decide how it wants to carryout the bikeway system plan.
Conklin said she has enjoyed playing a role in the planningprocess thus far and was glad other members of the Ball State andMuncie communities took the time Friday to provide suggestions forthe new bikeway system.
Like many of the graduate students, Smith said he is lookingforward to seeing the bikeway system come into fruition and hopesit will be ready within several years. He is confident the newsystem will be an asset to the university, he said.
"It will provide a vibrant campus we can all enjoy," Smithsaid.
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