m-bike.org

Author: Todd Scott

  • Green Tea Bike Highlights

    Last Thursday was another monthly Green Tea event, this time promoting biking in Detroit. It was a great success with a very large and diverse turnout.

    Wheelhouse Bike Tours

    The Tea began with an introduction from our hosts Kelli and Karen from the Wheelhouse Detroit bike shop on the Detroit Riverwalk. The shop specializes in rentals, service, accessories, and bike tours. They have a freebie Wednesday night ride (9 PM). Now the are offering guided Neighborhood Tours, some of which include lunch. And of course you can rent a Wheelhouse bike as well. Check out the Wheelhouse web site for further details.

    400 Miles of Bike Lanes

    Next, I spoke to the group about Detroit greenways and the Non-Motorized Transportation Master Plan. The latter was developed by Giffels-Webster and was funded by MDOT. The plan inventoried the many cycling destinations across Detroit, including parks, schools, cultural centers, recreational centers, etc. It looked at how to best connect them with a network of on-road bike facilities — bike lanes and shared signed routes.

    In summary, the plan calls for nearly 400 miles of bikes lanes across the City of Detroit that could be implemented during normal road maintenance by simply re-striping existing roads. [Additional details regarding this plan will be posted to m-bike in the upcoming week.]

    And while this plan was accepted by Detroit’s Traffic Engineering Division, it had not gone before City Council. The GreenWays Initiative and MTGA worked to change that. Last month Giffels-Webster gave a presentation of the plan to Council President Ken Cockrel’s Green Task Force. We discussed the plan with other City Council members and distributed the copies of it.

    On September 8th, City Council will have a discussion of this non-motorized plan. We need pedestrians and cyclists to attend and voice their support during the public comment period. The Council is meeting on the 13th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center on September 8th at 11:15AM.

    Biking to Eastern Market

    Next, the group hopped on their bikes and rode from the Wheelhouse to Eastern Market. We were greeted at Shed 2 by Market President Dan Carmody and a box of healthy snacks. We discussed how to make Detroit more bike friendly and how the Dequindre Cut trail will be an excellent connection between the Riverwalk and the Market.

    Special thanks to Kathryn Underwood and others for helping make this Green Tea a big success.

    Kathryn Underwood kicks off the Green Tea
    Karen Gage and Kelli Kavanaugh discuss Wheelhouse Detroit
    Riding from the Riverwalk to Eastern Market
    Part II of the Green Tea under the renovated Shed 2
    Dan Carmody of Eastern Market discusses the Dequindre Cut

  • Bike Rentals at the National Conventions

    Bikes Belong, the bike industry advocacy group certainly seems to be making some smart political moves right now.

    Their latest is a partnership with Humana to provide 1,000 free bike rentals at both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. The program is called Freewheelin’ and so far it’s been a huge success in Denver.

    Just one day into the Democratic National Convention, more than 1,400 convention delegates, visitors and Denver residents are ready to vote yes … for Freewheelin. The innovative bike-sharing program from Humana and Bikes Belong recorded 1,429 rides, 2,937 miles ridden, 92,000 calories burned and a carbon-footprint reduction of just more than one metric ton.

    “If the first day of the DNC is any indication, bike-sharing has tremendous potential in the U.S.,” said Jonathan Lord, M.D., Humana’s chief innovation officer. “Riding a bike is great for your body, great for the environment, and a lot of fun. So many people are returning their bikes with big smiles on their faces, reminded of all the fun they had riding bikes as kids.”

    Here’s a video showing the program in action.

    There are additional details on the Bikes Belong web site.

  • Clinton River Trail: Making a World Class Trail

    Rail bridge over the Clinton River in Pontiac
    Original trestle over the Clinton River in Pontiac

    The Clinton River Trail has come a long way after some long struggles. The negotiations to buy the land seemed endless at the time. One of the low points was when the railroad put up for sales signs on the property while we trying to negotiate an affordable price. Fortunately a lot of good folks were pushing for the trail, including Dan Keifer and County Commissioner Bob Gosselin (then a state representative.)

    That low point was soon forgotten as the trail was acquired and developed into what it is now.

    Last night was a visioning workshop to discuss and determine on what trail features and amenities need to be added in order to make the Clinton River Trail world-class.

    It was a very successful workshop that was very well attended. There were the usual faces that have been supportive through the years, along with many new faces. It’s great to see the continued interest in this great community asset and it leaves little doubt that the trail is well on its way to becoming world class.

  • It’s Official: Bike Sales are Skyrocketing

    Sue Moretto and Harriet Saperstein ride in Detroit
    Sue Moretto and Harriet Saperstein ride in Detroit

    It certainly seems like there are more people riding bikes recently. Now Bikes Belong has surveyed bike shops around the U.S. These shops are seeing a significant increase in sales.

    Here are the highlights:

    The majority of retailers who responded said their sales of transportation-related bicycles, accessories, and service have increased in 2008 compared to 2007:

    • 73% said they are selling more bikes.
    • 84% said they are selling more accessories.
    • 88% said they are selling more service.

    Is this increase in sales because of high gas prices? Most retailers who we surveyed think so:

    • 95% of shops said customers cited high gas prices as a reason for their transportation-related purchases.
    • 80% of retailers said gas prices were helping them sell more bikes for transportation.
    • 86% thought accessory sales were getting a boost.
    • 89% said they were selling more service because of high gas prices.

    Many new customers are dusting off old bikes and bringing them in for repair. There appears to be a surge of interest in riding bicycles for short trips, errands, and commuting.

  • Arts, Beats & Eats goes Green

    We made a suggestion that it’d be real nice if the Art, Beats, and Eats festival in Pontiac had a secured bike corral for bikes commuters.  After all, the Clinton River Trail will eventually pass through Downtown Pontiac once completed.

    The organizers were listening.

    My bike will be in the corral on Friday and Saturday.  Hopefully it’ll be parked next to yours!

    From the Arts, Beats, and Eats web site:

    Take your bicycle to the festival, as well feature a bicycle corral where festival volunteers will register bikers to win cool gear.  Downtown Pontiac is easily accessible from the Clinton River Trail, which extends through Rochester on the eastern side and Waterford to the west.  You bring a lock and well have a place to park your bike, and we will have security watching them as well. More information on the ITC Greenways Biking Corral is coming soon