m-bike.org

Author: Todd Scott

  • Rolling Stops for Bicycles

    Bicyclists in Idaho have enjoyed a law that other states are now trying to adopt.

    In Idaho, bicyclists can legally treat stop signs as yields under many conditions when it won’t adversely affect others, including pedestrians.

    The benefit for bicyclists is threefold:

    • It conserves momentum, making bicycling easier
    • It conserves time, making bicycling quicker and more convenient
    • It adopts the common existing practice, making bicyclists more law abiding

    Bicycle advocates in Oregon recently tried to get the same law in their state. Spencer Boomhower made a great animation that explains the proposed law.

    Bicycles, Rolling Stops, and the Idaho Stop from Spencer Boomhower on Vimeo.

    Unfortunately the effort was for naught. The bill died in the Oregon House.

    Could we get this law in Michigan?

    It would be an extremely valuable law change for those living in older communities that improperly use stop signs as neighborhood traffic calming. It would be equally valuable in Detroit where traffic levels have dropped dramatically since the 1950s yet the old traffic control devices remain in place.

    Unfortunately there are obstacles.

    stop_sign_with_bicycle_yield
    Sign photo from BikeJax

    In speaking with the League of Michgian Bicyclist staff, they don’t see this as a priority.

    And, since this Idaho law is not in the Uniform Vehicle Code (upon which most states based their road laws), it would take considerable effort to get this passed in Lansing much less supported by the Michigan State Police.

    One alternative idea is to post some signs along popular or designated bike routes with modified stop signs. This modification could indicate bicyclists would only need to yield whereas others must stop. It’s unclear how easy this alternative signage would be to implement. Regulatory signage has to be in the Michigan Manual on Traffic Control Devices before it can be installed on a road. The bike yield sign shown on the right is not in our Manual.

    Piloting this short term signage solution may provide enough data to justify changing the law.

    So there are no easy answers, but they’re rarely are. We need to continue to push for changes that making bicycling an easier, safer, and more convenient mode choice in Michigan.

  • Those No Bikes Signs on the Dequindre Cut

    img_2312Yes, there are “No Bikes” signs on the Dequindre Cut.

    Yes, bikes will be allowed on the Dequindre Cut.

    Those signs are merely in place to discourage use while the trail is under construction. They will eventually be removed. That’s also why the gated entrance at Lafayette Boulevard has been closed.

    Don’t forget the Dequindre Cut grand opening is set for 10am on May 14th at the south end of the trail (at Woodbridge.)

    Bring your parade bike and we’ll see you there!

  • Recycle Royal Oak

    Our minimal table and transportation at Recycle Royal OakRecycle Royal Oak was held today.

    Tom Regan and I were there to distribute biking and trail information while talking about our efforts to make Royal Oak more friendly and safe for biking and walking.

    We had a steady of crowd of people from Royal Oak and the surrounding communities that we very interested and supportive of our work.

    Just looking around the event, it was apparent that our booth had the lowest carbon footprint. Both Tom and I biked there and trailered our table, chair, and literature. In progressive green cities like Portland and Boulder, we probably would have been the rule rather than the exception.

  • Spring means Bicycle Love in Detroit

    Biking on the Dequindre CutThe Metro Times just released their 2009 Best of Detroit lists.

    Among the staff picks was Best Place to Break a Sweat with the winner being “bicycling”.

    Detroiters have been getting more and more serious about bicycle love in recent years. First came the flirtation. It wasn’t love at first ride. No, it’s hard to fully commit to a self-powered two-wheel approach when you’re dubbed the Motor City, when coney dogs, cheap beer and Flaming Hot Chee-tos are local fare and, well, let’s face it, there aren’t too many bike-friendly paths. But flirt we did. After a couple dates, we started to grope the spokes and pump the brakes. One thing led to another and here we are … With the HUB of Detroit – that funky full-service (not-for-profit) bike shop set in the pit of Cass Corridor – the seed was planted. Then came “bike gangs” such as Ferndale’s Defying The Law B/C, and city-wide races like Alley Cat. Last year (almost to the day this goes to print) we witnessed the birth of Wheelhouse Detroit, a bike retail, rental and repair shop that lives right on the river and offers a wide array of bike tours that take riders through the architectural anomaly that is Detroit, through Corktown, Hamtramck, along the river and a number of others. A missing piece was put into place a couple years ago when the Dequindre Cut project was announced. The Cut runs along the Grand Trunk rail line, through Eastern Market, and ends at Detroit’s riverfront parks. The paved, lit, emergency phone-equipped bike-walk-jog stretch from Gratiot to south of Jefferson will get its grand opening May 14.

    In last year’s polling, the Dequindre Cut won for the best project that’s not yet completed. Phase I will be completed this year, and as noted, the grand opening is May 14th at 10AM.

    And in the Reader Polls, Best Place to Buy a Bicycle went to The Hub of Detroit.

    The Hub of Detroit grew out of Back Alley Bikes, a youth program designed to get low-income youths their very own bicycles. The volunteer organization needed a way to fund their philanthropic endeavors and saw a need in Detroit for a bike shop. So the Hub was born, killing two birds with one ultra-cool stone. Not only do Detroiters now have a place to purchase a used bike, fix up an old set of wheels and to buy biking accessories, but all proceeds from the shop go directly to Back Alley Bikes. The staff which consists primarily of volunteers runs a variety of classes and programs for area youth, including having kids 13-18 clock volunteer hours in the shop to earn their own bike.

    To see all the other 2009 “Best Of” winners, check out the Metro Times web site.

  • Detroit’s Green Alley Project

    3444653538_ede36fc7b0This could be one of Detroit’s shortest yet coolest greenways for peds and bikes.

    It’s called the Green Alley Project and it’s located in Midtown near Second Avenue and Canfield. This Green Garage project will eventually connect to the planned Midtown Loop.

    The project’s goal is “to create a model for sustainable alleys of the future for our city and region… yeah, maybe the world.” For now, we’d settle for it being a model for other Detroit alleys.

    There is an opportunity to take leadership action in creating a new vision for one of the most under utilized assets of Midtown and the City of Detroit…our alleys. Today our alleys look abandoned with trash, broken pavement, overgrown weeds, and neglected sides of buildings. They are ribbons of blight throughout our communities. Imagine if one by one we changed our alleys into beautiful greenways that people wanted to be in because they expressed the best of our community.

    This project represents that leadership action. We plan to transform one of our worst abandoned alleys in Midtown into a beautiful greenway for pedestrians and bicyclists to enjoy the beautiful gardens, stop and shop at the business establishments or gather with a few neighbors to talk about the day.

    This is already a very bike-friendly part of town, but what makes this extra special is its proximity to the Motor City Brewing. This may be a great opportunity to emulate Buffalo’s Rusty Chain Beer program and raise funds for the bike racks to support the alley concept or to add more bike racks around town.

    We’d raise a Ghettoblaster to that effort!