m-bike.org

Author: Todd Scott

  • Dequindre Cut Grand Opening Updates

    img_2244The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy has announced the many activities planned for Thursday’s much anticipated grand opening of the Dequindre Cut.

    A community parade. The MLK Band. Guided tours. Cooking demonstations. Free pizza.

    Just like the trail itself, the grand opening will be world class.

    And in preparation for this event, the unwelcomed grafitti tagging on the call boxes has been removed. The asphalt which was damaged during the Antietam Bridge construction has been replaced. Landscaping is being cleaned up.

    Speaking of grafitti, prior to the trail’s construction, we documented the best grafitti art in the Cut. Those photos are now on-line. Unfortunately some of that grafitti was destroyed during the trail’s construction.

    The Free Press and Model D have published articles about the opening as well.

  • Can we make biking look normal?

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    Photo by PATRICIA BECK/Detroit Free Press

    Thanks for the Free Press for running an article on biking to work. And thanks to Sally Palaian, whose highlighted in the article, for her commitment to bike to work.

    But if Metro Detroit has any hope of increasing the number of people biking to work, we need to make it look normal, starting by showing bike commuters in normal clothes which you can go to store to know more details, people also wear Blue jeans. Khakis. Collared shirts. Perhaps a suit on occasion.

    mange_cyklister_jpg_281_mbBiking to work doesn’t mean one must dress like Lance Armstrong. We need to show people that ride bikes to work, not cyclists that ride to work.

    It’s enough of a challenge to encourage people to change their mode of transportation. Why try to change their mode of clothing?

    On the right is a photo from Denmark’s We Cycle to Work web site.

  • Bike to Work Day is this Friday

    sm-detbks_logoBike to work day is everyday for the dedicated cyclists. But for those who need a nudge to try it, this Friday is Bike to Work day.

    There are two organized Bike to Work rides to Detroit this year. They are a combination of last year’s rides hosted by Detroit Synergy and American Cycle and Fitness.

    If you need another excuse, Armadillo Printwear is cooking up some cool T-shirts for participants.

    Here are the Friday itineraries with the estimated times:

    Woodward Avenue Route

    • 6:15AM Start: American Cycle & Fitness in Royal Oak
      29428 Woodward Ave. (just north of 12 Mile Rd)
    • 6:25AM Royal Oak Farmers Market, West Entrance
    • 6:40AM Ferndale, Southbound Woodward Ave. @ 9 Mile Rd
    • 7:35AM Cultural Center/Midtown, WSU
    • Welcome Center – Woodward Ave. @ Warren Ave.
    • 8:00AM Finish: Downtown, Campus Martius Park
    • Afternoon ride leaves Campus Martius @ 5:30pm. Arrive in Royal Oak @ 7pm

    Grosse Pointe Route

    • 6:15AM Start: American Cycle & Fitness Grosse Pointe, 20343 Mack Ave. (6 blocks south of Vernier Rd)
    • 6:35AM City of Grosse Pointe Village, Kercheval @ St. Clair. Parking at Trader Joe’s Parking Garage
    • 6:50AM Grosse Pointe Park/Detroit, East Jefferson Ave @ Lakepointe – Grosse Pointe Park Public Library
    • 7:30AM Rivertown/Indian Village, 6533 East Jefferson Ave @ Bellevue ?Parking on Bellevue Street
    • 8:00AM Finish: Downtown, Campus Martius
    • Afternoon ride leaves Campus Martius @ 5:30pm. Arrive in Grosse Pointe @ 7pm

    For more information on these rides, visit the Detroit Synergy and American Cycle and Fitness web sites.

  • Oakland County Roads are Not the Safest

    irtadIf you read the Road Commission for Oakland County web site you’d see their claim that the county has “the safest roads in the world.”

    They’re wrong.

    To jump to this conclusion, they divided the number of fatalities by 100 million vehicle miles traveled. The more miles driven on the expressways, the safer the rest of the roads look.

    And in 2008, 27% of all Oakland County road fatalities were pedestrians and cyclists. To divide those fatalities by the number of vehicle miles traveled is clearly invalid — and it reflects the low priority the Road Commission places on road users who are not inside a motor vehicle.

    What the Road Commission should be reporting is the fatality rate based on the population size.

    Here are the 2008 fatality rates per 100,000 people (based on 2008 SEMCOG population estimates):

    • Oakland County 13
    • Macomb County 13
    • St. Clair County 18
    • Wayne County 20

    These are not world class when compared with other countries.

    The U.K.’s Department for Transport’s recent report “A Safer Way: Consultation on Making Britain’s Roads the Safest in the World.” (via How We Drive) compiles road fatality rates for many countries (See the above chart).

    Our county rates show we are among the least safe. Oakland and Macomb counties are only marginally better than the U.S. average, yet double the Canadian average.

    We’re apparently neck and neck with Bulgaria.

    Oakland County clearly does not have the safest roads.

  • Hearing for New Detroit Bicycle Registration

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    Detroit City Council’s Public Health and Safety Committee is holding a public hearing on Monday, May 11th at 10:30 AM on a new bicycle registration ordinance.

    This new ordinance is voluntary and replaces the mandatory registration ordinance removed last summer.

    PUBLIC HEARING – RE: Proposed ordinance to amend Chapter 55, Article IX, of the 1984 Detroit City Code, Motorcycles, Motor-Driven Cycles and Bicycles, by adding Division 3, Voluntary Bicycle Registration, which shall contain Sections 55-9-41 through 55-9-49 (Law and Police Departments)

    Whether or not you have opportunity to register your bike, it really is important that you at least document the serial number. This number is typically stamped into your bike frame often times near the cranks. With the serial number and 99 cents, you can take advantage of the National Bike Registry in the event yours is stolen.