Much of this is older news and others, like Mode Shift have done a fine job covering last month’s RiverWalk announcements. We’ll just in some gaps and clear up some misconceptions.

In case you missed it, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, Governor Rick Snyder and others broke ground more sections of the RiverWalk. More specifically, the Mt. Elliott Park makeover is underway. Not much has begun yet except for some construction fencing, but that will change soon.

As we mentioned, Mode Shift wrote a very good article on this event, as did the Free Press, Detroit News, and Click on Detroit (with video.)

The Governor has shown great interest as well and made this statement.

It’s a win for all Michiganders. The riverfront in Detroit coming back is a great thing for the citizens of Detroit and for all Michiganders. I encourage anyone in our state to come down and enjoy the experience. I’m looking forward to going for a bike ride myself one of these days.

Saddle up, Governor. Summer’s coming to an end.

The Governor continued his comments by stressing the importance of placemaking, which he views as a combination of “economic development, environmentalism, and community all coming together.” Former DNR Director Rodney Stokes has been transferred to the Governor’s office to work on placemaking, including Milliken State Park, the Globe Trading Building, and Belle Isle. This is a very positive move as Stokes is a former Detroit Recreation Department director and has put a priority on engaging urban youth in the outdoors.

Snyder also applauds the Detroit RiverWalk’s public-private partnership model, which he is also pushing for the new Detroit River bridge.

The Uniroyal site just east of Mt. Elliott Park continues to be cleaned. With some luck this work will be completed so that the RiverWalk connection to the Belle Isle bridge can be started next year.

That $44 million that was announced at the groundbreaking is funding we’ve already mentioned in earlier stories. Only now is the Conservancy able to spend it.

Some media stories have said this is the “final phase” or that these project will complete the RiverWalk. No, they won’t. They’ll complete the eastern portion of the RiverWalk. The western portion from Joe Louis Arena to Riverside Park, just beyond the Ambassador Bridge still needs to be completed.

Belle Isle

The state’s interest in helping Detroit with Belle Isle has gotten much press and attention. There’s both strong support, opposition and misinformation.

Here’s some questions and answers:

Q. The Belle Isle assistance is in city’s consent agreement. Does that mean it’s a done deal?

A. No. According to city councilmember we spoke with, it’s only an affiliated project. It’s not part of the agreement.

Q. If Belle Isle were part of Milliken State Park, would there be an admission fee?

A. No, but motor vehicles on the island would probably have to have a Recreation Passport. The Passport costs $10 a year and is valid in all state parks and state forests. It’s a bargain and costs less than a few gallons of gas.

Q. Does this bring Detroiter’s state tax dollars back to the city?

A. No. Since 2004, state parks have not received state taxpayer funding. Councilman Gary Brown, Deadline Detroit, and others have been mentioning this as a benefit, but they’re not correct.

There have been many concerns voiced about the state having a long term lease on the Belle Isle. We’re not concerned. Leases can be written to say what the state can and cannot do. It doesn’t mean the state will be building condos. These leases are common.

In fact there’s a similar lease just down the river. That land under Milliken State Park? It’s city land that’s on a long term lease to the state.

How’s that working out?

Zak Pashak and his new Detroit Bikes company has been getting some well-deserved media coverage of late.

On Monday, the Windsor Star published this article:

After two years, Pashak and his current stable of 10 employees have settled on a prototype.

Detroit Bikes will make one model, a commuter bicycle with three speeds and a coaster back brake, that only comes in black. It has a curved top tube to give it an ‘old school’ look and will sell for around $500.

Pashak plans to have bikes available by spring 2013 and hopes to eventually produce 100 a day.

He will start selling bikes in Detroit, with plans to quickly spread out. He’s also eyeing Windsor and other Canadian cities.

Just black? That reminds us of the quote from Henry Ford’s autobiography, “Any customer can have a [Model T] painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.”

Creating Jobs

Detroit Bike’s 10 employees is significant. Given the high unemployment in the city, the question of whether something creates jobs is often asked. As a part of Detroit’s burgeoning bicycle culture, this is something advocates can point to.

No, this isn’t a huge number of jobs compared with Detroit’s auto industry, but it’s better the jobs are here rather than other cities or countries.

New Live, Work, Play bike racks on Detroit’s Broadway

And, these ten jobs are not the thousands that Dan Gilbert and friends are bringing to Downtown. However, those jobs are also related to Detroit’s bicycle culture.

Young adults want to live in urban environments with transportation options. They’re willing to embrace biking as transportation rather than something that just happens at a Metropark. According to one study, Gen Y was taking 24% more bike trips as of 2009.

This is not a subtle trend. It’s an “automakers beware” trend according to the Detroit Free Press.

More than 30% of American 19-year-olds in 2010 (30.5% to be precise) did not have a driver’s license, according to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

That’s the highest percentage ever, and a sharp increase from the 24.5% in 2008 and only 12.7% in 1983, based on data from the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Census Bureau. The unlicensed population is almost certainly larger today.

“Detroit has become a magnet for ambitious young people” and many?Metro Detroit employers have taken note and moved to the city. Some are starting to contribute to Detroit’s bike infrastructure and planning.

It certainly will be interesting to see the results all these trends produce over the next couple year.

The Huffington Post also covered Pashak and Detroit Bikes.

Saturday, August 11th is the Colin Hubbell Ride in Midtown.

This is a great ride that raises funds for causes that were important to Colin, which of course included cycling. And if riding is not a good enough motivator, consider the great food at the finish from the Traffic Jam and Snug.

There is a 22 mile and an 8 mile option — or you can just make a donation.

On-line registration is available through EventBrite.

Detroit River ferry service was back in the news last week – the Windsor news that is.

This CBC video and article provide a good background on where we stand with ferry service, including its potential to help bicycle tourism.

Gord Orr with Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island said the idea holds great promise.

“The potential of the bicycle tourism part of it is very exciting as we start to look at more trails and routes and see how we can increase more of that healthy lifestyle,” Orr said.

We agree. We need to connect the Detroit RiverWalk and Windsor River trail, as well as provide a crossing for the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route and future U.S. Bicycle Routes.

The CBC ran a similar article that spoke with MP Brian Masse of the Canadian Parliament.

“To me, this would be an exciting opportunity to put pedestrians and cyclists back and forth along the water,” Masse said. “Detroit has a marvellous waterfront now. They’ve worked hard on it and need to be commended for it. Ours, of course, is really nice and has been remodelled recently. This could be an exciting time to share both of our cultures again.”

The Windsor Star also chimed in with an article that also quoted Orr.

“I think that allowing passenger travel on ferry and bicycles included would also help the interest in cycle tourism. We have a number of trails to be enjoyed by cycle tourists and obviously this would eliminate the hassle of parking, crossing an international border at the tunnel or the bridge.”

It sounds like we’ve got the message out about the importance of this crossing, at least on the Canadian side.

What about the new bridge?

Progress continues to be made on a new Detroit/Windsor bridge – the NITC.

As mentioned earlier, the plans call for a bicycle/pedestrian path on one side of the bridge. We spoke with State Representative Rashida Talib. She said that if it’s in there, it’s unlikely MDOT can renege.

On the Windsor side, bicycle advocates are now making sure Canadian Customs is prepared to handle bike and pedestrian traffic. They also want to ensure their new greenways connect with the bridge. MTGA submitted comments to U.S. and Canadian officials asking that greenways are connected to the bridge.

Do cyclists need a bridge and ferry service? We think so. The bridge would be a 24/7 option, but it comes with a steep price – a steep climb. It’s also located a short distance away from the riverfront trails and downtowns. Ferry service would be more centrally located and you’d only have to climb on board a boat. However, ferry service might not be available year round. The bridge would also provide some amazing views.

Zeboats offers a wide range of solutions for boating enthusiasts as well as all kinds of boating related products. If you are looking for a perfect boat we suggest you start your search on easy to use platform and because they offer a range of different boats to suit every budget from a small single person craft right up to a large speedboat.

Bridge path a greenway?

Also, one suggestion is to create a name for this trail connecting Detroit and Windsor. Something like the International Freedom Trail sounds much better than just calling it the bike path on the bridge. Who could be against a trail with a name like that?

Or can you think of a better name?

This is a tragic story of a 54-year old veteran biking to and from work on Detroit’s west side. On Monday morning at 5:30am, he was shot in the leg and his bike was stolen.

From Fox 2 Detroit:

Rick Neely is a 54-year-old. An army veteran who worked for a steel company for 20 years before losing his job in the economic crisis. Now, he rides dozens of miles to work each evening for his midnight shift at a packing plant.

But Monday morning, as he was riding home about 5:30, his family says four men on bicycles surrounded him – demanded his bike. They then shot him in the leg.

Neely has had his bike stolen twice before. He just got a new one last week. Now it’s gone too and he’s hospitalized.

Neely’s sister has already bought him a new bike. We wish him a speedy recovery.

Based on Fox 2’s reporting, it appears the crime happened on Michigan Avenue just east of Wyoming.

Property crimes and shootings are far from uncommon in Detroit. But before concluding the safety of biking in the city, one should recognize the likelihood that a greater number of pedestrians are assaulted and motorists carjacked. Still, it’s something to be aware of in most any major urban environment.

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