KCV Cycling Attends Bicycle Indiana’s Statehouse Day

On Tuesday, January 28th, Bicycle Indiana hosted Statehouse Day to advocate greater protections for vulnerable road users and for safer bicycle infrastructure. Bicycling organizations from around the state were invited to attend and engage with state representatives, private citizens, and each other to learn more and share their activities.

KCV was invited for the second year to both attend and speak about what we’re doing locally to make riding safer and improve access for bicyclists. Board members Nate Callithen, Mike Cusick, and Fred Helfrich attended the session to connect with similar organizations across the state and share the great things we’ve been doing in Kosciusko County.

Legislation has been previously proposed to protect vulernable road users, but has not passed into law yet. The legislation looks to protect vulernable road users (cyclists, pedestrians, etc.) by increasing the penalties on drivers found at fault for causing accidents.

The speakers for the program included riders and pedestrians who have been injured on the road, organizations that advocate for safer infrastructure, and KCV to talk about what has been happening in our area to increase bike safety and access.

Mike and Nate spoke about advocacy, riding options, and activities all working together to improve overall awareness and safety in our county. One of the key success factors is the engagement of our local elected and community leaders in planning and creating trails, greenways, and other infrastructure to meet the needs of the community. We also hit on the multiple riding options offered in the county (greenways, mountain bike trails, BMX park, and the future Winona Lake Bike Park) that provide many different ways to ride. Finally, we emphasized the importance of offering events and rides that allow residents to safely get on their bikes no matter their skill and expereince level to encourage more riding throughout the year.

We look forward to next year’s Statehouse Day and will continue to share news and updates on legislation related to vulnerable road users.