A group of local bikers is working to make the Valley's bike trails less dangerous and more accessible.

Biker Rich Harris said biking is a part of Valley tourism and how he exercises.

"It connects a community when you ride a bicycle," Harris said.

Harris said he's biked all his life, but he's had some close calls, especially on Highway 42, where a bike path ends.

He said biking can get dangerous if a path ends too quickly.

"You immediately tense up, when I have closer calls with cars and trucks, that's where it is, so you're much more tense," Harris said.

Local bikers hope to connect lanes in the more dangerous parts of town to help keep bikers and drivers safe.

That's why Harris is part of Rockingham County's newly-formed bicycle advisory committee.

The committee hopes to have a master bicycle plan to expand the city's trails, and to make dangerous intersections safer.

Harris said the City of Harrisonburg has worked for the past two decades to expand its biking trails, but he'd like to see more trails connect to make travel easier.

Biker Debbie Warnaar said she knows what it's like to have a bike trail end while she rides.

"Sometimes I ride my bike to work, and it's kind of a challenge," Warnaar said. "I'd like it to be easier, so I could do it more often."

Warnaar said she understands bikers from a driver's perspective.

"Just even in a car, seeing the bike lane ends, where's the cyclist supposed to go?" Warnaar said.

Harris and his crew hope to figure that out and to keep everyone safe, even beginners, who want to try out the trails.

"There's already momentum, so we're feeling good," Harris said. "I think the awareness in this area among the general public has really increased in the last year or two."

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