Peddling beneath a canopy of West Michigan trees, Michigander Bicycle Tour cyclists hit the trails July 16-22 for the 20th annual Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance two-, six- and seven-day bike tours.

For 60 years, Michigan’s roads have been designed with little else in mind besides the automobile. Today, many in Michigan realize we can and should do better to incorporate the needs of all other road users. Doing so means safer streets, increasingly walkable and bikeable central cities, and more vibrant business districts.

Complete streets will maximize tools like sidewalks, bike lanes and curb cuts to link people to businesses, public transit and workplaces.

Walking on streets designed more for speeding cars than for people on foot can be deadly. More than 4,500 Americans died last year while crossing the street or walking to school, a bus stop, or the grocery store.

Lists of reasons to support policies making it easy to walk, bike and connect seamlessly with public transit read like a too-good-to-be-true advertising gimmick: save money, burn less gas, spew less pollution, revitalize core cities, get in better shape, curb obesity and make our streets safer.

If Complete Streets in Michigan were just about bicycle riders, it would just be another small interest group lobbying in its own self-interest.

The Lansing City Council voted unanimously last night to adopt a Complete Streets and Non-Motorized Plan Ordinance. This is a big victory for cyclists and pedestrians in Lansing, and for the Complete Streets movement in Michigan.