Tour de Lansing

Lyndon Babcock has had multiple sclerosis for 30 years, but he’s been abicyclist for 70.  And right now, he’s one of Lansing’s biggestbicycling advocates.

“Bicycling isn’t just for Lance Armstrong wannabes,” he says.

Babcockrolled up to Lansing City Hall Monday morning in his low-setthree-wheel bike for a press conference celebrating Lansing’s win of abronze-level bicycle-friendly award by the League of AmericanBicyclists and the Bicycle-Friendly Community Campaign.

It wasBabcock, a retired engineer and active member of the group Walk andBike Lansing, who began filling out a rigorous 20-page application backin November to try and get Lansing recognized as a bike-friendlycommunity. Bronze is the lowest level award behind gold, silver andplatinum.

“It’s an ongoing process seeing, really, where we need to improve,” Babcock, 76, said.

Lansingjoins Portage and Marquette in winning the bronze-level distinctionthis year. Other communities that have won it in the past are TraverseCity and Ann Arbor.

“In the next few years, we need to be evenmore bike-friendly,” said Andy Kilpatrick, headof the city’s Transportation Department. Kilpatrick is also a Walk andBike Lansing co-chairman.

Fourth Ward Councilwoman Jessica Yorko said the award gives Lansing a goal.

 “We need to be the best, and we have the capacity to do that,” Yorko said. “This just puts us on the map.”

Last year before being elected to Council, Yorko helped get a “complete streets”ordinance passed by Council, which calls for the addition ofnon-motorized transportation networks as streets are upgraded.

LansingMayor Virg Bernero said this Bronze award is part of a healthy cityboth physically and economically. Bernero, along with At-LargeCouncilwoman Kathie Dunbar and Public Service Department Director ChadGamble, unveiled a road sign Monday that reads, “Bicycle friendlycommunity.”

“This is just a springboard for ourcommunity to live up to a higher standard,” said bicyclist John Lindenmayer who is the associate director of theLeague of Michigan Bicyclists and co-chair of Walk and Bike Lansing.

Babcock said he is impressed and surprised to see how much got done with Lansing and the BFC campaign.

“Thisis just the beginning,” he said. “I’m very competitive when it comes tohaving a goal and having something explicit to shoot for that getseveryone going. I’d be really happy to come back in four years and talkabout that Silver.”