Memphis City Council – the Rodney Dangerfield of local politics – does so much right and gets so little credit for it.

Bill Morrison is the architect of this year’s budget resolution.  Jim Strickland pushes for more cuts in costs.  Shea Flinn is courageous enough to demand the kind of honest debate that illuminates issues.

Myron Lowery sacrificed any chance to get elected as mayor with principled stands.  Even Barbara Swearingen Ware voted for cuts to the salaries of the highest-paid city employees (we’re trying to ignore her comments about the dog park).  Reid Hedgepeth led the way to jump start the plan for the Fairgrounds, getting the project under way to add a promenade, stage, kinetic lighting and fountains.

Add to the list Chairman Harold Collins who recently gave city staff an ultimatum: Get serious about biking lanes or we’ll make you serious.

Show of Force

It was a welcome show of forceful support for the hard work by a number of bike/ped advocates, notably Livable Memphis, and is an encouraging sign that the importance of livable neighborhoods has reached the mainstream of local policy.  The problem has long been getting city engineers to make it happen, and Chairman Collins left little doubt that he’s prepared to champion the cause and force the issue if necessary.

It’s high time.  It’s not just Portland that’s pursuing all kinds of bicycling initiatives these days.  From Fort Wayne to Louisville, city governments are thinking of new ways to support burgeoning bike communities, including bike-sharing.

The U.S. Department of Transportation reported this week that biking and walking trips have increased 25 percent since 2001. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is using the increase to continue his push for safe alternatives to driving. “By making biking and walking safer and more accessible, we’ll be able to provide Americans with more choices and help foster more active, livable communities,” LaHood said in a press release from DOT.

Hearing Test

Back here at home, we are left to feel hopeful because MATA put bike racks on its fixed-route buses.  But, with 100% federal funds from the ARRA stimulus program, the city engineer has the chance to prove that he heard Chairman Collins.  I

In the past, the engineer’s office has shown little regard for bicycling or “complete streets,” but proving that hope springs eternal, we are hoping that the engineer’s office will make bike facilities part of its plans.  In addition, it would be a clear signal that he heard Mr. Collins if he led a campaign for a bike/ped coordinator and included bike facilities (striped bike lanes, signed shared road or a signed wide outside line) in all paving projects.

As for striped bike lanes, the only sections we have are on Shady Grove Road between Briarcrest and Humphreys – about one mile long – and another short section on Briarcrest – about half a mile.  As for signed roads, we have the City of Memphis bike routes.  They are recreational routes – about 60 miles – so they aren’t the same as “sign shared roadways” (which would include an emblem like “share the road”).

We Did It

We often act in Memphis as if we are mere spectators to forces shaping our lives.  In truth, we have exactly the kind of city that our policies set out to create – sprawling, unhealthy, unbikable, and more.

As a result, it’s no surprise that we are ranked by Bicycling magazine as one of the three worst biking cities in the U.S.  It’s exactly what we set out to be. All three of the worst cities have suffered from suburban sprawl and don’t have enough bike lanes. Efforts to improve cycling have also been ineffective, said Loren Mooney, Bicycling‘s editor-in-chief.

Bicycling magazine released its list of bike-friendly cities in America and said Birmingham joined Jacksonville, Fla., and Memphis as one of the least bike-friendly cities.  “Despite community interest in cycling, these cities have fallen victim to suburban sprawls that lack bike lanes, and slow-going planning and implementation of improvements,” said a news release.

The Right ROI

Keith Laughlin, president of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, said that cities that invest seriously in walking and biking access are demonstrating solid results.  The lead example: $57 million has been spent in Portland on a 300-mile bikeway/pedestrian network since 1991, and $100 million in trail investment is planned for the future.  By 2040, he said Portland’s net benefit from better health and reduced fuel savings will be $1.2 billion, and 8:1 ROI.

Anthony Siracusa, the guiding force at Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop, sums it up best: Biking “is an indicator for quality of life for a city. It’s an indicator for livability and democracy.  It’s not a matter of whether it is a priority.  It’s not optional any more.  It’s a necessity.

“People are moving out of the city.  We have to reconsider business as usual.  How can we improve the infrastructure to keep our tax base?  We have to take a fundamentally different approach.”

No Business As Usual

He said that there is a “new shift in leadership opinion,” citing Sustainable Shelby as a catalyst and pointing to its biking strategies and the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s growing understanding that its job is about more than cars.

“Cities that promote cycling also are cities that seem to take care of their people and have great quality of life,” Siracusa said. “People are moving out of Memphis. We have to reconsider business as usual. It’s no longer a matter of whether cycling is a priority. It’s now a necessity. There’s not an option anymore, because this is about more than cycling. It’s about making Memphis a livable city.”

And that, in the end, will help determine if Memphis’ future is as a successful talent and job magnet and a city of choice.