Green Alley construction begins

Model D is provides a significant amount of Detroit biking coverage. Perhaps due to May being bike month, they’ve got even more stories, including this one on Midtown’s Green Alley.

This is Detroit’s first green alley, and like most all things green, it caters to cyclists.

The alley will consist of native plantings and a 6-foot-wide pedestrian and bike pathway constructed of reclaimed historic brick framed by permeable pavement — which ensures emergency vehicle access. It is lit by induction lights, which are more efficient than LED and last for 25 years. “I hope one day to be have to climb up there and change a bulb!” says Tom.

The alley will provide a connection to the Motor City Brewing Works and include bike racks.

Detroit Critical Mass

Here’s a little video of the April 2010 Critical Mass ride in Detroit. Isn’t it ironic that the Motor City’s ride deals with fewer cars than perhaps all other citys’? (via Model D)

Michigan’s Top Five Bike Trails

This is part of a story from Metro Parent magazine’s May issue. This article lists great trails that the entire family can enjoy.

Bike Tent City registration now open

The U.S. Social Forum (USSF) is coming to Detroit this June. Biking is a big part of this event. People from around the U.S. are biking to Motown through the BikeIt project. Registration for their Tent Bike City is now open.

Bike Trailer Building Workshop

On a related note, the Hub of Detroit is hosting a trailer building workshop this Saturday.

When: May 15th from 3:30pm-7pm
Where: Back Alley Bikes space (entrance in alley behind of The Hub of Detroit)
What: The goal of the evening is to use wood and recycled bicycle parts to make simple bicycle cargo trailers. The trailers built will be used to pick up waste during the forum and will be a part of environmental management efforts reduce the ecological footprint of the USSF and beyond!

If you’re interested in volunteering at the Hub, their next volunteer orientation meeting is June 2nd at 6pm.

Vote for a Detroit Bike Video

Bicycle magazine’s video contest has a Detroit-themed entry named Catalyst. Voting ends on June 6th, 2010.

Fort Street Construction in Detroit

Yes, Fort Street in Southwest Detroit is being reconstucted. Yes, the Detroit Non-Motorized Plan calls for bike lanes on this road. Yes, the road is six-lanes but the vehicular traffic levels only require two. Yes, this road would likely be part of the U.S. Bicycle Route 25 through Detroit.

No, MDOT did not include bike lanes in the project.

Why? No reasonable answers have been given so far. MTGA and others are continuing to discuss this with MDOT. There’s no reason why this shouldn’t be a four-lane road with buffered bike lanes.

Yesterday evening, a Detroit cyclist was critically injured when hit by a driver.

From the Free Press:

Detroit Police have a 25-year-old man in custody who they believe is responsible for a hit-and-run accident that critically injured a bicyclist on the city’s west side Monday night.

The 44-year-old cyclist was hit at about 7:30 p.m. as he rode his bike on McGraw and West Grand Boulevard, ending up stuck in the windshield of the car, Detroit Police spokesman John Roach said today.

“The driver allegedly stopped the car, removed the victim from the vehicle and then sped off,” Roach said, adding that investigators believe alcohol played a part in the crash. The victim remains in critical condition today in an area hospital, he said.

ClickonDetroit also reports that according to police, “the driver took the license plates off the vehicle before driving away from the accident scene.”

ClickonDetroit has a video report as well.

Vandals mar new pedestrian bridge in Detroit

The Detroit News is reporting on some vandalism which has already occurred on our recently opened bike/ped bridge in Mexicantown.

Less than a day after it opened, the Mexicantown Bagley Avenue Pedestrian Bridge was vandalized, Michigan Department of Transportation officials said.

Numerous individuals have “tagged” the $5 million bridge with spray paint and used knives to carve into a wooden bench in the middle of the span. Others signed their names with pens and magic markers on the bench, officials said.

In fact, an MDOT employee’s video camera caught one woman as she used a colored pen to scrawl on a bench in the middle of the 400-foot-long bridge.

“Yes, it was me,” said Oneita Jackson, a copy editor at the Detroit Free Press and author of Sunday’s “O Street”?blog.

Unbelievably pathetic.

10 tips for downsizing Detroit

Free Press Business Writer John Gallagher lists tips for rightsizing Detroit. He saved the best for last.

10. Use greening strategies to reinvent Detroit.

With so much excess land available, the city has the option to become a much more earth-friendly, environmentally sustainable place. Use the vacancy to lace the city with greenways, bicycle lanes, nature trails, pocket parks, urban farms and wildlife habitats.

Michigan lawmaker plans Arizona-like immigration bill

One state legislator is intent on stopping the illegal inflow of Canadians into Michigan according to a Free Press article.

A Michigan lawmaker believes the state’s law enforcement officers need the authority to arrest illegal immigrants and is drafting legislation similar to Arizona’s new immigration law.

Rep. Kim Meltzer, R-Clinton Township, said her bill would allow police to request proof of citizenship from people who are stopped and questioned on another offense, such as a traffic violation or selling fraudulent identity documents. Officers would have the authority to arrest people who can’t prove their legal status.

Okay, we’re kidding about the Canadians.

Still, if you roll through a stop sign on your bike and don’t have your driver’s license, it sounds like the police would have the option to arrest you.

Do you always bike with a driver’s license?

The city of Royal Oak recently changed the traffic signal at 12 Mile Road and Connecticut — a popular crossing for cyclists.

The old signal cycled automatically, giving green lights to both streets. In order to reduce delays on 12 Mile, the new signal only gives a green like to Connecticut when a vehicle is present. They added loop detectors in the ground which detect metal objects like cars. However, the contractors told the city that the loops should also detect bicycles.

And that’s where we need you help.

We want to make sure it does detect bicycles, especially single bikes with non-steel frames (e.g. carbon.) If you have such a bike, could you ride up to this light on Connecticut and see if you get a green signal? It may take upwards of 45 seconds.

Please send your results to info@m-bike.org and we’ll pass them along to the Royal Oak City Engineer.

Two bills were introduced in the Michigan House yesterday which would require all Michigan road agencies to adopt Complete Streets policies within two years as a condition for receiving transportation dollars.

An excerpt from House Bill 6151

SEC. 10P. (1) AS USED IN THIS SECTION:

(A) “COMPLETE STREET” MEANS A ROADWAY OR AN INTERCONNECTED NETWORK OF TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES THAT ACCOMMODATES ALL USERS OF ALL AGES AND ABILITIES, AND THAT ENABLES ALL USERS TO USE THE ROADWAY SAFELY AND EFFICIENTLY.

(B) “COMPLETE STREETS POLICY” MEANS A STATE OR LOCAL LAW, ORDINANCE, OR POLICY THAT ENSURES BOTH OF THE FOLLOWING:

(i) THE ADEQUATE ACCOMMODATION, IN ALL PHASES OF PROJECT PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, CONSTRUCTION, MAINTENANCE, AND OPERATION OF ALL USERS OF THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PEDESTRIANS, BICYCLISTS, PUBLIC TRANSIT USERS, CHILDREN, OLDER INDIVIDUALS, MOTORISTS, AND INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES.

(ii) THE CONSIDERATION OF THE SAFETY AND CONVENIENCE OF ALL USERS IN ALL PHASES OF PROJECT PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO AND COORDINATE WITH LOCAL ROAD AGENCIES AND METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS IN DEVELOPING COMPLETE STREETS POLICIES.

(2) EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE PROVIDED IN THIS SECTION, THE DEPARTMENT, LOCAL ROAD AGENCIES, AND MUNICIPALITIES THAT RECEIVE APPROPRIATIONS UNDER THIS ACT SHALL ADOPT COMPLETE STREETS POLICIES. THE DEPARTMENT AND LOCAL ROAD AGENCIES SHALL ADOPT COMPLETE STREETS POLICIES NO LATER THAN 2 YEARS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE AMENDATORY ACT THAT ADDED THIS SECTION. THE DEPARTMENT AND LOCAL ROAD AGENCIES AND MUNICIPALITIES SHALL ADHERE TO THE ADOPTED COMPLETE STREETS POLICY OF THE POLITICAL JURISDICTION WITHIN WHICH THE PROJECT IS LOCATED IN ALL PHASES OF PROJECT PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT.

The bill does carve exceptions, but they seem to be based on the same reasonable exceptions listed in the U.S. DOT recommended bicycle and walking policy statement.

Also, the bill does create a Complete Streets Advisory Council at the state level to “assist local road agencies and municipalities with implementation of Complete Streets Policies.”

House Bill 6152 would update Michigan’s planning enabling act by adding non-motorized transportation, Complete Streets, traffic calming and more as required elements of a municipal master plan.

If passed, this sweeping and profound legislation would clearly put Michigan on the right track by supporting active transportation and building livable communities.

What action can you take? The Michigan Complete Streets Coalition will likely have some recommend plan in the near future and we’ll be sure to pass it along.