Advocacy
Advancing Health and Safety Through Better Infrastructure
At the Gulf Coast Bicycle Club, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to lead a healthier lifestyle—but here in South Mississippi, that choice is often limited by infrastructure that doesn’t support active living. Sidewalks are scarce, even near schools. Too often, our roadways are flanked by hazardous drainage ditches rather than safe, shared-use paths. Read more on the Mississippi Bicycle & Pedestrian Program webpage, and their link to a bicycle report card by state. These are not just problems; they are opportunities—opportunities to make changes that benefit our community today and for generations to come.
Please check out this article Mississippi Coastal Heritage Trail (MCHT) and sign the petition.
Share Our Roads
Here in South Mississippi, in some areas it can be inconvenient and less safe than it should be for our people to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Overall our state ranks in 50th place in bike safety, with the most fatalities per bike commuters and recreational cyclist fatalities per capita, and has similarly dangerous statistics for pedestrian safety. Evidence lies in the shortage of well-maintained sidewalks, including around schools, and roadside drainage ditches that our cities are already having to pay to maintain that could instead have culverts with sidewalks or green bike lanes built on top. We see these as areas of opportunity to improve our community in a way that will not only impact our lives today but also the generations to come.
Our club is passionate about promoting cycling safety and healthier lifestyles, which includes advocating for the creation of green bike lanes and bike friendly spaces in our communities. Green-colored bike lanes especially have been shown to increase motorists' awareness of bikes on the road and improve safety. We believe a safer cycling environment will encourage folks to adopt adopt healthier lifestyles. Right now, the choice is difficult for many.
These goals line up nicely with our state's Mississippi Bicycle & Pedestrian Program, the US DOT Federal Highway Administration, as well a couple existing advocacy organizations, including the Heritage Trails Partnership of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and the League of American Bicyclists.
A Path to Safety
It’s fantastic to point out that we do have a few green bike lanes in a few downtown areas, as well as a few other areas with designated bike lanes. However, bike lanes can become debris-heavy due to a lack of a regular schedule to clean them, making them dangerous in a different way. Therefore, our communities not only need the implementation of more green bike lanes, they also need more bike lane cleaning equipment for regular maintenance, so the bike lanes are more effective for their purpose.
Together we can improve the health of our local residents, as well as save lives, by advocating for these types of changes. One way you can make a difference today is to read about the Mississippi Coastal Heritage Trail (MCHT) and sign the petition. Keep up to date on local efforts such as the biking and pedestrian trail connecting downtown Ocean Springs to the center of Gautier. Check out the latest on the Heritage Trails Partnership web page, they are our biggest advocates here on the coast. Also look at organizations such as the League of American Bicyclists who advocate at the national level, and our club is a member of.
Everyone deserves the opportunity to lead a healthier lifestyle!
