City officials push for bicycle, pedestrian access on Hoan Bridge
Ald. Nik Kovac and City Development Commissioner Rocky Marcoux made a pitch for bike and pedestrian access to the Hoan Bridge at a meeting of the Long-Range Lakefront Planning Committee on Wednesday.
Reporter Tom Daykin included the access issue in his write-up on the meeting.
Kovac made the case that other landmark bridges, such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge, provide bike and pedestrian access, which has helped make them tourism destinations.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has rejected proposals to include a bike and pedestrian lane on the bridge in the decades that it has been open.
Cyclists have been lobbying for access, and will enjoy a small victory on Sunday, when several routes for the Miller Lite Ride for the United Performing Arts Fund extend over the span. It will be the first legal ride over the bridge since the county stopped holding bike and walk days in the 1980s.
5 Comments for "City officials push for bicycle, pedestrian access on Hoan Bridge"
I commuted by bicycle in Washington DC for 30 years. At one time the 14th street bridge (over the Potomac) was prohibited to bikes and walkers making it impractical for many who otherwise would have commuted to work via their own power. They changed that restriction and now you can see hundreds of bikes and pedestrians crossing the bridge at any given time during rush hour.
Get with it and make the change.
John Aldridge
Colonel USMC Retired
nattybumppo69 Jun 02, 2011 2:12 PM
Dave Reid Jun 05, 2011 2:25 PM
during the UPAF ride. It was so much more enjoyable than my Bay View
commute down First Street! A pedestrian/bike lane would be such a treat
for Milwaukeans.
tomato15 Jun 06, 2011 9:32 AM
Safety is always an issue on high rise bridges. There's a lot of wind up there and most of the year, it's not a safe option for bikes. Rather than spend the money foolishly, if a bike path, trail or lane is what you want, why not cut a deal with the railroads and put a bike lane along one of their rail runs? The right of ways exist and there is room.
The winds on the Hoan can blow riders off the bridge. There are a number of rail lines running into those areas which could accommodate a bike path.
jimtherepublican Jun 07, 2011 10:22 AM
researcher4taxpayer Oct 26, 2011 5:53 PM