Here are nine bike- or trail-related Detroit projects scheduled for design, construction and/or completion in 2010.

9. Bus racks on DDOT buses

SMART buses already have racks and DDOT says their fleet should have them by the spring — or so we’ve been told.

8. Milliken State Park

Okay, technically this was opened in December, but given the weather, not many may know about this RiverWalk connection. One key is it brings the RiverWalk trail much closer to the Dequindre Cut. The DNR has already received some funding to continue the pathway around the large grassy mound.

7. Dequindre Cut Trail Extension

Construction is underway on this trail extension which connects the existing Dequindre Cut to Atwater and Milliken State Park. Construction should be completed by the fall.

6. Bagley Street Pedestrian Bridge

This critical non-motorized bridge over I-75 reconnects Bagley Street in Mexicantown. While the bridge appears complete, the ramps were not the last we’d seen them. We expect the construction to be completed early in 2010.

5. Anthony Wayne Drive/Third Avenue

Anthony Wayne Drive through the Wayne State Campus is being reconfigured to add more on-street parking and bike lanes.

4. Second Avenue

New Center Council is looking at reconfiguring Second Avenue between Grand Boulevard and the Wayne State Campus. It’s expected that the new configuration will become two-way with either bike lanes or shared-lanes.

3. Conner Creek Greenway

Two miles of this greenway are already completed near the city airport. More segments should be constructed this summer, including bike lanes along St. Jean between Mack and Jeffererson. Clairpointe from Jefferson to Maheras Gentry Park will also get bike lanes. A third segment along the Mt. Olivet cemetery and continuing north to Eight Mile is becoming ready to go as well.

2. Midtown Loop (Phase I)

Construction of the first mile of this new greenway should begin this spring along Kirby and John R. Phase II will complete the rectangular route along Canfield and Cass.

1. Corktown/Mexicantown Greenlink

Construction is expected to begin this year. The end product will be 16 miles of bikes routes and bike lanes throughout the Corktown and Mexicantown neighborhoods.

The city of Detroit currently has about 7 miles of bike lanes, nearly all of which are on Belle Isle. That number should break 40 miles by the end of the year.

There are two other MDOT road projects that should have bike lanes but MDOT is providing flimsey excuses to not do so. Advocates are still pushing MDOT on those and if MDOT does the right thing, Detroit would surpass Ann Arbor’s bike lane mileage.

This web site has been a labor of love for some time now, but perhaps more lately. It’s been a challenge publishing so much information.

But, the results have been very encouraging. According to Google, our web visits have increased by 105% this year over last. We’ve been getting some of our articles picked up in the local and national blogosphere.

What are your thoughts on making this site better or more effective?

This site was originally created to fill a void in Southeast Michigan in terms of bicycle advocacy — a void that unfortunately remains after our unsuccessful attempt to improve our local bike advocacy.

And with the exception of a handful of local communities, Southeast Michigan has become less bicycle friendly through the years — unless you’re lucky enough to be on a trail. Bicycling has received lip service and maps, but not much in terms of leadership and funding that could make some real changes on the ground. A lot of people, including cyclists seem quite satisfied with the status quo.

Vehicle mobility continues to trump the safety of all roads users. As a result, best practices and AASHTO guidelines for safe bicycling facilities are routinely ignored.

The bright spots for bicycling progress in the Tri-county region are Detroit, Troy, Royal Oak and Novi. The latter three have or are about to begin non-motorized transportation planning with qualified planners. Of course Ferndale has been a leader in the past as well. Is this enough of a critical mass to get other communities and the county to do the same? What will be the implementation timeline?

And 2010 should see Detroit emerge as the clear non-motorized transportation leader within the three counties. But, for the time being, Oakland and Macomb have a firm grip as the two worst counties for bicycling in Michigan and we don’t see that changing.

Al Fields was the go-to guy in Mayor Kilpatrick’s office when it came to getting bike projects done in the city of Detroit.

He left his position in August 2008 to work for DTE.

While we struggled to fill the void, Council President then Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr. stepped up in a major way. The passing of the Non-Motorized Transportation Plan really gave bicycling momentum within the city.

That has led to more bike/greenway projects scheduled for 2010. The Department of Public Works (DPW) also created both internal and external non-motorized transportation task forces to help push the plan’s implementation forward. And DPW has anointed Prasad Nannapaneni as the program manager.

Now, adding to this momentum is the great news that Al Fields is returning to the city of Detroit as Mayor Bing’s Group Executive of Planning.

It’s going to be a great 2010.

This article is not meant to either condone or disparage Mother’s Against Drunk Driving (MADD). We can all agree that the safety of cyclists is improved when there fewer impaired drivers on the roads.

One way to reduce the number of impaired drivers is to provide transportation choices beyond cars. Impaired individuals on buses, light rail, bicycles, and foot don’t kill other people. (Of course, being impaired can make it easier to hurt yourself.)

A MADD newsletter concurs: “Europeans do have fewer alcohol-related traffic crashes, probably because they walk and take mass transit (such as the bus, train, or subway) much more often than Americans.”

So it seems MADD should be on board pushing public transit, Complete Streets, and more — but that doesn’t appear to be the case. It’s not part of their four part campaign to eliminate drunk driving nor have they taken any official positions on these topics.

It should be noted that five of their six platinum sponsors are automotive-related, including the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, General Motors, Nationwide Insurance, State Farm Insurance, and Toyota.

Does that take the any discussion of reducing vehicle use off the table?

But MADD is not alone on this. Michigan’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan makes the same oversight. None of their strategies to reduce alcohol/impaired driving involve making it easier for people to drive less.

We reported earlier on the Senate passing the Recreation Passport legislation which should provide a stable, sustainable funding source for our state parks (including linear trails), state forest recreation, and more.

While the House speaker initially held up the House vote, it eventually went forward and passed. However, the House passed a different version of the legislation, which now much be reconciled with the Senate version.

According to a report in the Free Press, “Republican State Rep. Arlan Meekhof from West Olive tells The Muskegon Chronicle the bill has bipartisan support and should be passed in January by both legislative chambers.” That article incorrectly says that if passed by both houses and signed by the Governor, it would take effect in April.

If signed into law, the starting date would be October 1st, 2010.

The DNR provided this clarification:

We had several media outlets erroneously report on Monday, Dec. 28, that the Governor signed legislation to create the State Park Passport, the $10 fee added to Michigan license plate renewals that would take the place of the Michigan State Park Motor Vehicle Permit window sticker. This is not true.

Senate Bill 388 originally was a bill to create the State Park Passport; however, the Legislature substituted language in the bill to simply extend the expiration date on the Motor Vehicle Permits to the end of March 2010. This gives them more time to work on the agreement to create the State Park Passport – which has NOT been approved by the Legislature yet.

I would respectfully ask for a correction from any media outlets that reported this, as many DNR offices are getting calls from angry state park users who already purchased a 2010 Motor Vehicle Permit and want a refund. The State Park Passport ($10 license plate fee) has not been approved yet. And if it is approved, it would not take effect until Oct. 1, 2010. In order to enjoy a state park or state recreation area in 2010, people will need to purchase a 2010 Motor Vehicle Permit window sticker, as they have in the past. They are available at any state park, or online at www.michigan.gov/dnr.

You can also keep on top of this critical funding issue at www.OurMichiganParks.org.