Bicycling is a form of transportation that can promote a high quality of life, said Janet Foran, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Transportation, or MDOT.

“Certainly, if you could use your bike for commuting purposes, not only would you be saving in commuting costs, but getting a great healthy start to the day,” she said.

“If you’re a student, you could certainly bike and speed up the time between classes.”

East Lansing is working on its nonmotorized transportation plan to promote biking and pedestrian use throughout the city.

“What we’re proposing to do is really develop some policies about where appropriate places for bike lanes are — off-street, on-street and trails,” said Todd Sneathen, director of public works for the city of East Lansing. “We’re looking at this for recreational bicyclists, as well as commuter bicyclists.”

The East Lansing City Council approved moving forward with the developmental plan for the nonmotorized transportation plan in October. In early December, requests for proposals will be issued to consulting firms, Sneathen said.

Procedures for the plan are expected to be developed by the city and the community during the next nine months, he said.

“One of my ultimate goals out of this is really to get some connection between major destinations and people, whether it’s their homes, parks or downtown,” Sneathen said.

A commutable community is especially appealing to young professionals, as it provides a healthy option for traveling, Foran said.

The university in East Lansing not only brings people who do not use cars on a regular basis, but also hosts events that people would want to walk to, Sneathen said.

Psychology and premedical freshman Allison Dovi said she does not have a bike at MSU because she is an out-of-state student, but if there were more bike trails, more students would ride their bikes and she would think about getting one.

“It seems like everyone is riding (a bike) around here,” she said. “I always talk about how much I wish I had one.”