m-bike.org

Author: Todd Scott

  • Arraignment made in Ghost Bike Crash

    The Free Press is reporting the arraignment in the ghost bike hit-and-run crash from back in September:

    Kimberly Dancy, 44, was arraigned Monday for leaving an at-fault accident that caused death — a 15-year felony. She also faces a charge of malicious property destruction, a two-year-felony, stemming from a collision in a drugstore parking lot that police say Dancy caused a few hours after striking the cyclist on Sept. 19 at 1:30 a.m.

    But Dancy’s defense attorney said hers is a case of mistaken identity, and that she is a victim of “circumstance and coincidence.”

    According to another report from ClickOnDetroit:

    Prosecutors also cited Darcy’s stained driving record. Darcy was cited in 2002 for driving on a suspended or revoked license and her license was taken away in 2005 for drunken driving. It was reinstated in 2006.

    Judge Terrence Brennan said there was no indication Darcy was driving drunk on the night of the fatal hit-and-run, but he has ordered her to stay away from alcohol and she must not leave the state.

    Bond was set at $20,000 or 10 percent. Darcy posted $2,000 bond and was released.

    ClickonDetroit also posted  on-line video coverage.

    The arraignment was also covered by C&G Newspapers and the Detroit News.

  • More on the Royal Oak Hit-and-Run

    Today’s Free Press has additional coverage of this tragic event, including comments from the victim’s family:

    “I’m glad to see there was an arrest. Now we just have to see how justice turns out,” said Heather Weeks, Robinson’s cousin. “You have to wonder because you’d think a normal person would stop even to help an animal.”

    The victim’s cousin said the arrest brings a measure of relief but no closure.

    “We still have two little kids who are going to have Christmas without their mom,” Weeks said.

    Reminder: Donations can be made in the name of Robinson’s mother, Judith Parent, who is caring for the boys. The address is Bank of America, 28746 Woodward, Royal Oak 48067.

    ClickonDetroit also has an article on-line along with this older, but well-done video coverage. It’s clear that the victim’s family and Royal Oak Police are supportive of the ghost bike since it memorializes Ms. Robinson and may have helped in the investigation.

    The video image of her bike clearly showed a very damaged rear wheel and an undamaged front wheel. This appears to confirm the police report that she was traveling north on Woodward and was struck from behind.

  • Arrest warrant issued for Woodward Hit-and-Run

    Yesterday morning, an arrest warrant was issued for Kimberly Cooley Dancy, a 44-year old Royal Oak resident who is charged with the fatal hit-and-run crash that killed cyclist Jacqueline Marie Robinson.

    The charges?  According to the Daily Tribune, “Leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both; leaving the scene of a serious injury accident, a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a $5,000 fine or both; and malicious destruction of property over $1,000, a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both.”

    Dancy is expected to turn herself in on Monday.

    According to the Daily Tribune:

    Dancy tried to mask the damage to her white 2008 Jeep Liberty by driving it into a parked car one day after Jacqueline Marie Robinson, 40, of Detroit was killed, Royal Oak Detective Frank Bonnette said.

    “She intentionally damaged her vehicle by striking another vehicle,” Bonnette told 44th District Court Magistrate Kenneth Roy, who signed an arrest warrant. The experts in Rosemead area criminal defense lawyers can help in such cases.

    “It was the only vehicle in the parking lot and she rammed her Jeep into it at the same point of impact where the bicyclist was struck,” he said at a hearing Wednesday.

    According to a story in The Mirror, Dancy had filed a lawsuit against the City of Royal Oak for impounding her vehicle as evidence. The Police were planning on arresting her when she appeared for the initial hearing at the 44th District Court.

    She never showed.

    While there are still a few hours left on this day, there’s no better time to give thanks to the Royal Oak Police Department for their investigative efforts in this crime.

  • Tri-Centennial State Park Construction Update

    These photos are from the Michigan DNR and were taken last week. Phase II of Tri-Centennial State Park is coming along.  It’s going to be a great addition to the Detroit Riverwalk.

    According to the DNR, this construction is very dependent on the weather, but they are hoping to get many of the key elements completed before winter really hits.

    You can see in some of the photos where sand is being placed along the bottom of the wetland area.  This will be the base for the clay liner, which should hopefully be installed soon.  A layer of top soil will be placed on top of the clay liner, preferably before winter really sets in.

    The state park construction is expected to be completed by Fall 2009.

    Although they’re not required at Tri-Centennial, keep in mind that buying motor vehicle passes does support our state parks — and they make great gifts.

    The concrete benches adjacent to the proposed Peter Stroh Memorial pond.
    Sand is installed as a base for the wetland area

  • How many bike to work in Detroit?

    www.pedbikeimages.org / Dan Burden
    www.pedbikeimages.org / Dan Burden

    Ever wonder how many people are biking or walking to work in Metro Detroit?  How do we compare with the bike friendly cities of Chicago and Portland?

    Fortunately the U.S. Census publishes statistics on how people get to work. The below numbers are from 2007, which is before gasoline hit $4 a gallon and encouraged increased bike commuting.  We look forward to seeing the 2008 numbers.

    Note that the Metro Detroit error margins are generally +/- 0.1%. For cities, the error margins are much larger which makes comparing these numbers somewhat precarious.

    One conclusion that can be drawn is women don’t bike to work as frequently as men, but especially in some areas such as Wayne County, Southfield, and Grand Rapids.  Even in more bike friendly cities like Ann Arbor, Chicago, and Portland, women workers are much less likely to bike to work.  There is no corresponding gender difference among those walking to work in many of these regions (the City of Detroit is an exception).  In Metro Detroit, women  walk to work more often than men (1.6% vs. 1.4%).

    Another conclusion: Detroit has much room for improvement compared to places like Ann Arbor, Chicago, and Portland.

    City/Region Total Workers
    (age 16 & over)    		 Walk
    to work    		 Bike to work
    Overall Male Female
    Michigan 4,400,918 2.3% 0.4% 0.5% 0.2%
    Metro Detroit 1,925,690 1.5% 0.2% 0.3% 0.1%
    Wayne County 758,034 1.9% 0.3% 0.5% 0.0%
    Oakland County 577,367 1.6% 0.2% 0.3% 0.2%
    Macomb County 383,058 0.9% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1%
    Genesee County 170,312 1.0% 0.1% 0.2% 0.0%
    Detroit 249,970 2.7% 0.3% 0.7% 0.0%
    Southfield 33,936 2.2% 0.4% 0.7% 0.0%
    Troy 42,211 0.5% 0.3% 0.2% 0.3%
    Ann Arbor 55,336 13.8% 2.6% 3.4% 1.8%
    Lansing 52,690 2.5% 0.4% 0.5% 0.3%
    Grand Rapids 90,481 3.6% 1.1% 2.0% 0.1%
    Traverse City region 66,557 2.8% 0.5% 0.7% 0.4%
    Flint 31,579 0.8% 0.4% 0.6% 0.2%
    Chicago, IL 1,230,933 5.4% 1.1% 1.4% 0.7%
    Portland, OR 280,933 4.4% 3.9% 4.9% 2.8%

    One question we have is how does the Census Bureau count workers that use bus bike racks?  Are they counted as public transit commuters, as bicyclists or both?