The ordinance requires city officials consider accessibility for all forms of transportation when upgrading and improving city streets, including looking for locations to add bike lanes and sidewalks and making roads accessible to handicapped citizens.

City officials plan to use the ordinance during spring and summer construction on Albert Avenue and Grove Street, as well as with future roadwork.

The Albert Avenue project will update sewer lines, reconstruct the road itself and make room for new bike lanes.

East Lansing Director of Public Works Todd Sneathen said the city has considered ways to implement bike lanes and other accessibility measures in the past, but said the new ordinance puts their plans down on paper.

“It really makes it a more formal process,” he said at council’s meeting.

Sneathen also said the ordinance ties in with the city’s nonmotorized transportation plan, which promotes opportunities to make the city more biker and walker friendly. He added officials want to use the Complete Streets ordinance to connect with MSU via bike lanes and other forms of transportation.

Mayor Pro Tem Nathan Triplett said given the high population density near campus and downtown, residents and MSU community members need ways to safely get around.

“It’s important to have the infrastructure necessary so that they can get from point A to point B,” he said.

But effectively using the ordinance with road repairs might be difficult in some circumstances, as the city is planning to eliminate funding for its hazardous sidewalks program for the next five years starting next year.

“I do think that a long-term slimming of the city’s investment in that infrastructure could be detrimental,” Triplett said.

MSU Cycling Club Vice President and anthropology senior Austin Stephenson said biking conditions are particularly tough in certain areas, such as the Grand River Avenue and Hagadorn Road intersection. He hopes the ordinance will be used to add more bike lanes around town.

“When you’re riding around town, there’s not enough room for cyclists,” he said. “There’s roads we have to avoid for our own safety. … I think this is just a good first step towards making those changes.”