Franklin St is a vital connection between the 8th Street Cycle Track and the Boardman Lake Trail, yet the existing street doesn’t provide a dedicated route for cyclists.
A two-way cycle track could be created using paint, flexible posts, and signs— making it an inexpensive and quick way to create a new vital piece of the bike network in Traverse City. Creating a cycle track on Franklin St was identified as a potential tactical project in the Traverse City Mobility Action Plan released in 2024.
What needs to happen to make this a reality?
Unfortunately, the current pavement condition on Franklin St is poor. Creating bike lanes on the existing road surface would be uncomfortable for cyclists. However, when Franklin St is scheduled to be resurfaced, the opportunity will arise to advocate for including bike lanes.
You can visualize a before and after by dragging the slider below:
