In many Michigan communities, it’s against local ordinance to roller skate, skateboard, inline skate, or roller ski on roads. There’s language in the Uniform Traffic Code (UTC) against it.

R 28.1204 Rule 204. Use of coasters, roller skates, and similar devices restricted; violation as civil infraction.

(1) A person who is riding in, or by means of, any coasters, toy vehicle, or similar device shall not go on any roadway, except while crossing a street on a crosswalk. When crossing a street on a crosswalk, the person shall be granted all of the rights, and shall be subject to all of the duties, applicable to pedestrians.

(2) A person who is on a skateboard or roller skates, including in-line skates, shall be considered a pedestrian and is subject to all of the rights and duties of a pedestrian, except as provided in subrule (3) of this rule.

(3) The traffic engineer may designate those roadways and areas where the use of skateboards, roller skates, or in-line skates are prohibited and shall designate these areas through the posting of appropriate signs.

(4) A person who violates this rule is responsible for a civil infraction.

State Representative Steve Lindberg has introduced legislation (House Bill 6125) which would allow roller skiing on Michigan roads (and in bike lanes) albeit with numerous restrictions. Given today’s lighting technology, it’s unclear one couldn’t roller ski on roads at night if properly lighting were used.

SEC. 660E. (1) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION (2), A PERSON MAY USE ROLLER SKIS ON THE STREETS AND HIGHWAYS OF THIS STATE AND IN AREAS AND ON PATHS SET ASIDE FOR THE USE OF BICYCLES AS PROVIDED IN THIS SECTION. A PERSON WHO USES ROLLER SKIS SHALL DO ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:

(A) ONLY USE ROLLER SKIS DURING THE DAYTIME BETWEEN SUNRISE AND SUNSET.

(B) ONLY USE ROLLER SKIS ON A STREET, HIGHWAY, PATH, OR OTHER AREA THAT IS OPEN TO PUBLIC USE BY BICYCLISTS AND ROLLER SKIERS.

(C) USE A BICYCLE LANE OR THE SHOULDER OF A STREET OR HIGHWAY, IF AVAILABLE.

(D) TRAVEL ON A STREET, HIGHWAY, PATH, OR OTHER AREA IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS VEHICULAR TRAVEL.

(E) TRAVEL ON THE FAR RIGHT SIDE OF A STREET, HIGHWAY, PATH, OR AREA.

(F) REFRAIN FROM UNNECESSARY MOVEMENT WHEN BEING PASSED BY A MOTOR VEHICLE.

(G) PROCEED IN SINGLE FILE, EXCEPT WHEN PASSING.

(H) WEAR A PROPERLY SECURED HELMET ON HIS OR HER HEAD.

(I) WEAR CLOTHING BEARING OR CONTAINING REFLECTING MATERIAL.

(2) A LOCAL UNIT OF GOVERNMENT MAY ADOPT AN ORDINANCE PROHIBITING THE USE OF ROLLER SKIS AS DESCRIBED IN SUBSECTION (1) ON STREETS AND HIGHWAYS, PATHS, AND OTHER AREAS WITHIN ITS JURISDICTION.

It seems silly to allow roller skis, something few people do, while ignoring skating, which many people do. Then again, Lindberg does hail from the U.P.

The bill has been sent to the House Transportation Committee.

Sandra Svoboda at the Metro Times found this historical bicycle movie made in 1925 by the Detroit News.

According to this newsreel, “Residents of Bloomfield Hills have taken up bicycle riding as a means of recreation.”

Mrs. Warren S. Booth is highlighted. Her husband eventually became the president, publisher and chairman of the board of the Detroit News — the newspaper his grandfather James Scripps founded in 1873. So, this newsreel was more of a family movie than news.

Still, those are some sweet bikes, riding clothes, and hats — a nice tweed ride.

Yesterday, Cinco de Mayo, the new Bagley pedestrian bridge over I-75 in Detroit was officially opened. Mexicantown has been divided by I-75 for over 40 years and this biking and walking bridge helps close some of that gap.

And it does it with style as the below photos show.

Here are some details from the Detroit News:

The 407-foot-long bridge is the first cable-stayed pedestrian bridge in Michigan and varies in width from 10 feet on the western approach to 31 feet on the eastern approach.

The bridge also connects to plazas at both ends. It is adorned with 335 lights and surrounded by 900 trees, plants and shrubs.

The Bagley Avenue Pedestrian Bridge?cost $5 million to build and is part of the $230 million Gateway Project, which provides a direct connection from I-75 and I-96 to the Ambassador Bridge.

The current issue of Momentum (“the magazine for self-propelled people”) features Detroit.

Following on the heals of Portland, the main article describes biking in Detroit — the conditions, culture, people and future.

There’s also a visitor’s guide, which is helpful for all those U.S. Social Forum folks who are biking to or at least biking around Detroit this June.

And, there’s a rider profile of Cassandra Spratling, a member of Sisters Cycling. We could not find the profile Wheelhouse Detroit co-owner Kelli Kavanaugh on-line, so you’ll want to head down to their bike shop and pick up a printed copy.

We really like this Momentum article and hope it brings a bit more national recognition for some of America’s best urban biking.

Disclaimer: We’re absolutely biased. We wrote the article.

The Detroit Free Press is reporting record sales for gas drilling rights on state-owned property.

Michigan oil and gas speculators bet the farm today on a newly developed natural gas field in the northern Lower Peninsula, paying well over $140 million for mineral rights at the halfway point of a record-breaking state auction.

The eye-popping auction results are a windfall for the state’s Natural Resources Trust Fund, which gets about 90% of the proceeds to buy recreational and environmentally sensitive property.

The oil and gas rush was apparently touched off by a single, deep well that went into Missaukee County over the winter. The well, owned by a Colorado-based company, has generated intense speculation on a possible boom in the Utica shale formation that underlies much of the northern Lower Peninsula. Utica shale and other deep shale formations have been productive in other states, but never before developed in Michigan.

Whether this is windfall is a long term or a bust remains to be determined.

Nonetheless, this is great news for the Trust Fund which should be able to provide more grant funding for items such as land acquisition and trail development. For example, the Trust Fund has paid for much of Milliken State Park, the RiverWalk, and Dequindre Cut — often through the DNR.

And, there may be a Trust Fund request in the near future for the Inner Circle Greenway — a trail that would combine with others and wrap around the city.

Until recently, the city of Detroit was not eligible for these funds since City Council had not endorsed a new recreation plan. As we reported earlier, Council endorsed the recreation plan which opens the door to more grant funding in Detroit.