MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - According to the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, there were just over 300,000 vehicle accidents that occurred in Michigan last year.

One way proposed to make driving a little safer within a community is with the creation of road diets.

Road diets refer to the reduction of the number of travel lanes due to adding bicycle lanes along the side.

With a road diet in place, the speed limit is reduced in order to encourage drivers to drive more cautiously.

Meridian Township Transportation Commissioner and MSU Bikes Manager Tim Potter has been advocating for the Township to create more road diets.

“Any community that is really concerned about its residents and the safety of its residents and wants to reduce crashing, one way to do that is by making the roads safer," Potter said. "One way to make the roads safer is more safely and slower generally.”

Road diets are also seen as a benefit to bicyclists as they allow them to be able to travel to places more easily and to places where there are no sidewalks.

According to Potter, he has been discussing with the Ingham County Road Department about places within the Township where potential road diets can be constructed.

He also hopes that conversation on creating road diets can continue with the Transportation Commission.