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Resident urges Rapid City to build winter-capable bike network, citing economic benefits
Summary
During public comment, Adrian Epp urged the Rapid City Council to build and maintain a comprehensive cycling network usable in winter, saying maintenance and connected routes—not cold or snow—determine winter cycling rates.
Adrian Epp told the Rapid City Council on Tuesday that winter conditions should not be used as an argument against building a comprehensive cycling network and maintaining it through the winter months.
Epp said he has commuted year-round, including four years on a unicycle, and that factors such as connected routes and maintenance, not temperature or snow alone, determine whether people will cycle in winter. “The determining factors of whether people will cycle in the winter are it's not the amount of snow and it's not the cold. It is whether there is a comprehensive cycling network and if those paths are maintained,” Epp said.
He also told the council that most of Rapid City is relatively flat and bikeable and suggested that connected infrastructure would expand access for people in many neighborhoods. Epp cited studies he said show increases in local business sales of 10% to 50% in areas where cycling paths connect people to destinations, and argued that cyclists and pedestrians often spend more locally than drivers.
Epp concluded by urging the city to plan for year-round cycling access, noting that maintenance and connections make winter cycling practical for many residents.
