La Crosse may finally become more bicycle-friendly

La Crosse likes to boast that it is a bicycle-friendly city. But the reality is, it can be difficult to navigate the city on two wheels. Drivers of cars aren’t always polite to those on bikes. And trying to cross some streets can be a long wait. That is why it is good to see that the city of La Crosse is finally willing to do more than put up signs declaring itself bicycle friendly. The city is finally ready to adopt a bicycle and pedestrian master plan that was approved five years ago. The plan, if implemented, would make significant steps to provide a path for bicyclists. There would be better signage and clearly designated routes for cyclists, including seven miles of bike boulevards. And some intersections, like at West Avenue and King Street, would be modified to make them more bicycle friendly. No final decisions have been made by the city, but just coming up with plans makes it more likely the federal government will cover much of the construction costs. We should work to make it easier to navigate the city by bike. Doing so increases the likelihood more people will travel by bike, and helps get more cars off the road. That makes the calls for a new north-south corridor, a source of much contention between the city and state, ring more hollow. It may be nice that La Crosse is a bicycle friendly community, but we need more than a blue ribbon for that to actually be true.