m-bike.org

Author: Todd Scott

  • Flint is becoming a Bicycle Friendly Community

    sharrow pavement marking for bike routesBikes Belong grant awards were recently announced.

    Congratulations Flint!

    This is a well-deserved nod for the regional bike efforts to make biking easier and safer in Flint. (And we’re jealous of you having sharrows — perhaps a first in Michigan.)

    Five designated and aspiring Bicycle Friendly Communities will receive funds to help them make bicycling more safe, convenient and appealing places to ride.

    These grants, designed to pinpoint specific needs outlined by each community in their Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) application, help pay for bike plans, technical assistance, pilot projects and innovative cycling initiatives.

    Flint, Michigan
    The Safe and Active Flint Coalition will receive $5,000 to improve bike safety and awareness through a Sharrow program. Flint received honorable mention in the last BFC round. They identified Sharrows—pavement markings encouraging cars and bicycles to share the road—as key to marking the first designated bike routes in the city.

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  • Off to the IMBA World Summit

    IMBA 2008 World SummitToday finds me flying to Park City, Utah to participate in the International Mountain Bicycling Association’s (IMBA) 2008 World Summit. It’s going to be a full three days of networking, attending training sessions, and hitting the trails.

    I’m hoping to provide updates on this site as the Summit progresses.

    On Thursday I’m presenting a session with IMBA board member John Bliss. John and are will be discussing Developing Effective Club Leadership and Boards.

  • Royal Oak Tops in County for Bike & Pedestrian Crashes

    Royal Oak is tops in Oakland County, but this time it’s not a good thing.

    For 2007, Royal Oak had the most reported bicycle and pedestrian crashes in Oakland County. For bicycle crashes, it wasn’t even close. We had 50% more than second-place Troy. For pedestrian crashes, we were second to Pontiac.

    m-bike provided copies of these crash data charts to Royal Oak’s City Commission yesterday. After a couple failed previous attempts, we’re hoping this time there’s enough resolve and momentum to pursue our recommended first step: a non-motorized transportation plan for Royal Oak.

  • Bike to Work Ride from Dearborn

    I just received these photos from Michael Boettcher, the Executive Director for the East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority. We had a small group which was perhaps due to it being the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend. Still, it was a great ride from Dearborn to Campus Martius.

    We got media coverage!
    Leaving Dearborn City Hall
    Taking Michigan Avenue to Downtown

  • Bike Leaders meet with Obama

    UrkelBicycle Retailer magazine is reporting a recent “historic” meeting with presidential nominee Barack Obama.

    Barack Obama, in a private 20-minute meeting with members of the Bikes Belong board of directors, told them if he were elected president he would increase funding for cycling and pedestrian projects. And the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee also said he would support Safe Routes to Schools programs.

    He also told them he seldom makes promises on what he would do if elected president, but that this was a promise he would keep. Tim Blumenthal, executive director of Bikes Belong, laid out the industry’s position on boosting funding for cycling-related projects and for Safe Routes to Schools at the meeting.

    Stan Day, SRAM’s president, said that Obama “gets it.” He pointed out that Obama understands that bicycles can be part of a solution to issues as diverse as health care, obesity, energy and environmental policy.

    On a less serious note, Obama recently went biking with his kids in Chicago. He commented that he looked like Urkel (see photo) in the media’s photographs. On the bright side, he’s apparently better at biking than bowling, but has a ways to go to catch up with President Bush.

    The bike industry is hoping to set up a similar meeting with Republican candidate John McCain.