Kalamazoo Bicycle Club

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KBC members now have a Club Account at Ride With GPS

A Club Account at Ride with GPS is available for all members of the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club.  When using the Club Account, KBC members will have all the added features of a paid “Premium” account at Ride with GPS. A primary use of a Club Account is accessing the route library – a repository of routes the Club continues to compile that includes regular weekly ride routes, KBC annual event routes (such as the Ride to South Haven, Ride Around Kalamazoo, etc.), Kal-Tour routes, and member-submitted routes.

For more information, please visit the Ride with GPS page on the KBC website.  And, explore Ride with GPS at https://ridewithgps.com.

And, if having access to the KBC Club Account is of interest to you, learn more about becoming a member of KBC at the Members page on the KBC website.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: AllPosts, RideWithGPS

Kalamazoo College and City of Kalamazoo Create a New Bike Route

Kalamazoo College teamed up recently with the City of Kalamazoo to create a bike route from the east end of the “Westwood Wiggle” to the west edge of downtown Kalamazoo at Stadium Drive.  With a gift from an anonymous donor, Kalamazoo College funded installation of bike route signs, along with many “five-foot” signs, through its campus, along Academy St.  The new route extends into the West Main Hill neighborhood, where the new route connects with another newly established bike route, called by some the “Westwood Wiggle,” through the Westwood neighborhood in Kalamazoo Township and west to Drake Rd.  The new bike route’s green line through K’s campus (see map below) has been dubbed the “Manstrom Meander,” in honor of Paul Manstrom, soon-to-be-retired Director of K’s Facilities Management (shown with signs below the map), and his tireless efforts to help make K as “green” as possible. As in the past, this effort to improve Kalamazoo’s bicycling and pedestrian infrastructure was brought to fruition through patient and persistent work (exerted over nearly a year) by Rebekah Kik, Community Planning and Development Director for the City of Kalamazoo.

Click on Map to Enlarge

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: AllPosts, BikeRoutes

Oshtemo Improves Riding Experience on KL

Oshtemo Township recently completed renovating KL Ave between 9th and 8th streets and striped that half-mile stretch of road to provide 3.5 feet of paved shoulder by limiting the road lane for motorists to 10.5 feet.  Providing that additional six inches of space for bicyclists (see photos below) was no mean feat.  Credit for making this happen goes to Marc Elliott, Director of Public Works for Oshtemo Township, and Ryan Russell, civil engineer at Prein & Newhof.  Oversight (and encouragement) was provided by Libby Heiny-Cogswell, Oshtemo Township Supervisor.  Though Libby noted, “Nothing slower than progress!,” progress was made.  Thank you!!

KL looking east from 9th
KL looking west from 8th

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: AllPosts, BikeRoutes

“Five Foot” Magnets and Bumper Stickers Available

KBC’s Education Committee is distributing motor vehicle magnets and bumper stickers showing the 5′ passing image. So, pick some up at any of the local bike shops, put them on your car or truck, and give them to your family, friends, and co-workers.  Magnets and stickers are FREE, thanks to a grant from the DALMAC Fund, support from KBC coffers, and donations from several bike-friendly supporters. But, if you want to donate to the education fund to continue our educational efforts, please make a deposit in one of the donation jars at the bike shops.

Kzoo Swift
1305 S Westnedge Ave
Kalamazoo, MI  49008
Zoo City Cycles
4308 S Westnedge Ave
Kalamazoo, MI  49008

Pedal Bicycles, North
611 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo, MI  49007
Pedal bicycles, South
185 Romence Rd
Portage, MI  49024

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: AllPosts, Education, FiveFoot

KATS Moves Plan Proposes Doubling the Region’s Bicycling Infrastructure

The recently released “KATS Pedestrian, Greenways, and Transit Plan” provides intriguing guidelines for “a network of both on-street and off-road bicycle and pedestrian facilities” that would more than double the existing infrastructure and link it more closely with transit routes.  As noted in the plan document, the Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study (KATS) plan “lays out a prioritization and implementation guide that KATS can use to track completion of projects.  The public can use this plan to understand where and when new non-motorized projects will be constructed in the future.”  As members of “the public,” KBC members are encouraged to read (and savor!) the plan and then do what’s possible to encourage local municipalities to allocate funding and apply for grants to help make the dreams put forth in the Plan become reality.  Boosting bicycling infrastructure from 250 miles to 525 miles would be well worth the effort.  The Executive Summary is available here (KATS Plan Summary pdf file 2.7 mBytes) and with the entire KATS Pedestrian, Greenways, and Transit Plan at http://katsmoves.org/documents/.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: AllPosts, BikeRoutes

KBC Resolution Supports State-Wide Five-Foot Passing Law

At its August 2017 meeting, the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club membership voted to approve a resolution in support of a  state-wide five-foot passing law and send it to State Representatives and Senators representing districts where KBC rides take place. Signed copies of the resolution, along with copies of news articles of bicyclists who had been injured or killed in our district, were to Representatives Jon Hoadley, Brant Iden, David Maturen, Beth Griffin, Aaron Miller, Mary Whiteford, and Julie Calley and to Senators Mike Nofs, Margaret O’Brien, John Proos, and Tonya Schuitmaker.

A copy of the resolution can be obtained here – Five-foot Resolution pdf file 397 kB

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: AllPosts, FiveFoot

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  • Home
  • Rides
    • Rides
    • Club Rides
    • KBC Ride Leader Responsibilities
    • Calendar
    • Ride Safety
    • Ride Route Maps
  • Events
    • Events
    • KalTour 2025, Sunday, June 29th
    • Ride Our Routes
    • Other Events
  • Members
    • Members
    • KBC Insurance Coverage
    • Ride with GPS
    • Newsletter
    • Volunteers
    • Time Trial Results
  • Resources
  • About KBC
    • About KBC
    • Club Officers
    • Grants and Awards
    • Community
    • KBC Timeline
    • History
  • Contact
  • Donate
    • Donate
  • Log In