- Bloomberg says the Federal Department of Transportation is reprioritizing car traffic over alternatives like bike lanes.
- Michigan's Department of Transportation says this won't affect "road diet" projects currently in progress in Jackson and Hillsdale Counties.
According to Bloomberg, the Trump Administration is stopping — and, in some cases, taking back — funding for so-called "road diets," which reduce lanes of traffic and sometimes add bike lanes — like what's being done here on Jackson's Parnall Road and Lansing Avenue.
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I asked neighbors what they think, and looked into what impact Administration policy might have on projects like this one.
Shawn Sparagowski, who works at the Shell station on the corner of Lansing Avenue and Parnall Road, sees what's happening here since the roads were narrowed to build a separated bike lane.
"We need the road for the people, 'cause there's not that many bikers," says Sparagowski.
Steve Rumler thinks more bike lanes and trails are the way to go — even if it leaves motorists with fewer lanes for traffic:
"I'm all for the bike trails. Any improvement is good, in my opinion."
With the Trump Administration prioritizing car traffic, I wanted to know what would happen to road diets in the works in both Jackson and Hillsdale Counties. I reached out to Aaron Jenkins of the Michigan Department of Transportation to ask him about any impact on Hillsdale or Jackson County projects.
He said, "No, there won't be any impacts for those areas. All of our funding for the year is obligated. All of our projects are paid for."
Bicyclists like Steve Trosin, who is also Experience Jackson's Outdoor Recreation Manager, say biking possibilities improve health and quality of life, and make a community more attractive. But he says getting people out of their cars and onto bikes does mean a change in culture.
"I don't think it's going to be something that happens overnight," says Trosin, "but, you know, we're working on building a culture of health, a culture of fitness, a culture where there's a lot of different quality-of-life amenities available to people."
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