FREDERICK, MD - Bicyclists in Frederick will now be able to get around easier and safer.

The city completed a pilot program along the entire 7th Street Corridor from Fort Detrick to East Street.

"Bicycling is becoming more popular and is becoming a way of transportation for folks as gas prices rise," says Kelly Russell, (D), Frederick alderman. "Environmental concerns become more important. We need to find ways to reduce our carbon footprint."

Bicyclists will be able to use new bike lanes and shared lane markers, or sharrows, where cars and bicycles share the same lane. Crews also replaced storm drains and put new bike lane signs up.

"By putting sharrows on the ground, signage, and designating bicycle lanes, it raises awareness for motorists that bicycles are on the road, and it also helps bicyclists understand where they need to be on the road in order to share with motorists so everybody can use the roads together," says Russell.

Russell, who serves on the city's ad hoc bicycle committee, says the improvements make Frederick more bicycle friendly.

"It's exercise. It's good recreation," she says. "We as a population have a tendency to not be as healthy as we could, so this is a way to recreate and also get around town."

You can view the city's video on how to use the new bike lanes by clicking here.