Raised bicycle lane protects cyclists from vehicles

MILWAUKEE -- Cars can pose a threat for bicyclists, but a new design for bike lanes has been unveiled that some say will make cycling safer.

Raised bicycle lanes will create improved access for cyclists between Bay View and downtown.

Going for a morning ride on his bike is a daily routine for 82-year-old Richard Knepper.  He has been a bike enthusiast all of his life. In fact, he rode his bike from Milwaukee to Fort Myers, Florida for his 70th birthday!

"I wanted to do something dramatic.  It took us 22 days, and it was a trip of a lifetime," Knepper said.

Knepper is also the founder of the Bay View Bicycle Club.

Even though he thoroughly enjoys biking, there's something that has always concerned him.  "One of the biggest things with biking is you worry about the cars behind you. Are they going to hit you?" Knepper said.  

The raised bicycle lanes make him feel safer.  Milwaukee just recently got its first one along Bay Street.  The bicycle lane is one-third of a mile long and city officials say it provides cyclists with a greater feeling of separation from automobile traffic. 

Knepper says these raised bike lanes are much needed, and he hopes to see them in other areas in the future.

CLICK HERE for more details on these raised bike lanes via the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin's website.