m-bike.org

Author: Todd Scott

  • Pumping up Bikes with Record Oil Prices

    Nodding donkeyAccording to the Associated Press, “Oil prices marched past $103 a barrel on Monday, the latest in a recent string of record-high oil prices, before settling at $102.45… ‘It’s like throwing sands in the wheels of the economy,’ said Brian Bethune, economist at Global Insight.”

    No doubt. But, it’s also be throwing more air into America’s bicycle tires.

    For the next three days, bicycle advocates from across the U.S. will be in Washington D.C. for the National Bike Summit. Their collective message? Biking is one way to conserve energy in light of these high prices.

    Michigan is sending a contingent of advocates primarily from the League of Michigan Bicyclists. Local Detroit area cyclists Dante Lanzetta and Steve Roach will be part of that group.

    Many of the bicycling facilities we now have — or are getting — are a result of bicycling’s inclusion in the federal transportation bills ISTEA, TEA-21, and SAFETEA-LU. That’s why it’s so important that cycling advocates continue the annual trek to DC and make sure we continue to receive transportation funding.

    The Daily Press (Virginia) ran an article today that asks, “Will the high price of oil help make 2008 the Year of the Bicycle?”

    We sure hope so.

  • More Bike Racks

    In Ferndale

    The City is installing at least five new bike racks in Downtown. And according to this, they won’t be your run of the mill, cold gray steel variety. Ferndale is Fashionable even when it comes to bike racks!

    Bicycling in Ferndale is about to become a bit easier and more secure this spring. The city plans to install at least five new artistic bike racks in the downtown area as part of its on-going effort to encourage more non-motorized traffic. The city expects to put in the bike racks in March or April. Each rack will be able to hold a handful of bikes and will be decorative and artistically unique. City officials are still determining where to put the new racks and what they will look like. Cost of the project is estimated at a few thousand dollars.

    In Detroit

    The City of Detroit is making some streetscape improvements downtown which are mostly covered by a Transportation Enhancements grant through MDOT. Some of those improvements include bike racks. The streets to be improved are Park Street, from Woodward to Adams Streets; Witherell, from Woodward to Adams; Adams, from Park to Witherell, Grand River Avenue, from Washington Boulevard to Broadway Avenue; and Clifford/John R., from Washington Boulevard to Broadway Avenue. (more…)

  • Detroit Trail Updates

    Detroit Riverwalk as shot from Tri-Centennial State ParkWhile it still needs final approval from Detroit’s City Council, it appears the biggest missing piece from the East Riverwalk is moving forward. This piece is between Mt. Elliot Park and MacArthur Bridge to Belle Isle. It’s on the old Uniroyal site which is undergoing environmental cleanup.

    This is a major missing Riverwalk segment because the alternative routes are currently Jefferson Avenue or Lafayette. Both are out of the way and Jefferson is not a welcoming road for many cyclists.

    Dequindre Cut in DetroitIn conjunction with the announcement, Phase II of the Dequindre Cut design is moving forward. Phase II continues the trail north past Eastern Market and up to Mack. At Mack, the abandoned railroad is back at the street level grade.

    A third bit of good news is that the Free Press printing press building on the West Riverfront is currently being demolished. That property was purchased by the Riverfront Convervancy and will help jumpstart development on the West Riverwalk. (more…)

  • March 10th Meeting for Clinton River Trail Bridge

    Rendering of proposed trail bridge over TelegraphI was just discussing this bridge with someone recently and said I didn’t think anything was happening with it due to the current budget crunch in Pontiac. I was wrong. Under Act 51, 1% of the road funding each city, village, and county receives must go towards non-motorized transportation. Perhaps that is the grant match funding source in this case.

    There is a public meeting on March 10th to discussed the proposed bridge. Here is the press release from the City of Pontiac: (more…)

  • Public Service Video: Getting People on Bikes

    Building a bike facilities is a great start, but you also need to devote some resources to getting the word out. We did this in Ferndale by creating videos that described why and how the bike network came about, as well as how to properly use them from a cycling and driving perspective. These videos were run on the local public access channel.

    This week I came across a couple excellent public service announcements that also get the word out and get more non-cyclists on a bike.

    This first one is from London, England (where they apparently had a decent budget):

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK5K6pNBEes

    (more…)