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  • Veteran shot while biking home from work

    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.

    Fox 2 News Headlines

  • Faygo dinner is a bike lanes benefit

    Come to Foran’s Grand Trunk Pub in Downtown Detroit this Tuesday, July 17th at 7pm for a four-course Faygo dinner that benefits bike lanes in the city.

    This event promises to be an exciting evening! We will be hosting a dinner, similar to our beer dinners, using Faygo products. This will not be a dry event, so don’t worry about that. Tickets for this event are $40 which include gratuity. You can pick yours up at the bar or give us a call (313 961-3043) and reserve them over the phone.

    1st Course: Ginger Ale
    Ginger Gazpacho with Candied Portobella Mushrooms

    2nd Course: Rock ‘n’ Rye
    Rock ‘n’ Rye Pulled Pork Slider with Green Beens Alvondine

    3rd Course: Orange Pop
    Duck a’la Orange Pop with 11 Dairy Mac and Cheese

    4th Course: Red Pop
    Red Pop and Cherry Cheesecake with Red Pop Sorbet

    Guest Chefs: Mike Torres and Brett Krogh

    We’ll be there!

  • Bicycle history in the Henry Ford Collection

    The Henry Ford has some key bicycle history. Perhaps the most well-known is the Wright Bicycle shop that Henry Ford worked with Orville Wright and relocated to Greenfield Village in 1937.

    The museum also owns a considerable amount of other bicycle history, which they are digitizing. There are over 8,000 items in the collection now and 197 match the keyword “bicycle.”

    Most of the bicycle items appear to be from other parts of the county. Still there are a few local favorites.

    We especially love this “tweed ride” photo of Edison Illuminating Company employees in 1895.

    In the 1890s, the safety bicycle became a way for many workers to travel to and from their jobs. This group of employees from the Edison Illuminating Company poses with their bikes for a photograph taken about 1895. The photographer was a fellow employee at the company and also owned a bicycle, Henry Ford.

    Mr. Ford was better at building cars than framing his photograph.

    Also among our favorites are these photos of Henry Ford with his bicycle in 1893 and famous Detroit bicycle racer Tommy Cooper in 1890-1891.

    They also have the only known version of the ten-person Oriten bicycle by Orient. They also have a photo of it from 1899 on a street in Detroit .

  • MDOT announces 2012 Training Wheels workshop dates

    The Training Wheels program is an invaluable training that provides insight on how to redesign roads to better accommodate cyclists. It’s beneficial to the seasoned planner as well as the casual cyclist looking to make their city more bike friendly. The costs vary but are minimal (e.g. River Rouge is $15.)

    Here is the press release from MDOT:

    MDOT promotes on-road bicycling facilities

    June 18, 2012 — The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is sponsoring “Training Wheels” courses around the state designed to educate communities interested in providing on-road bicycle facilities for their residents and visitors. The five-hour course includes both classroom and outdoor instruction. The courses will be offered in the following areas:

    • July 16 in Alma
    • July 17 in St. Ignace
    • July 18 in Ferndale
    • July 19 in River Rouge
    • July 20 in Kalamazoo

    “Training Wheels” shows communities how to integrate bike facilities into existing infrastructure to make bicycling safe and convenient, providing alternate transportation that makes roads more complete for everyone. Classroom instruction using a guide produced by the American Association for State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is followed by an on-road, on-bike portion. The outdoor segment provides participants a firsthand look at the benefits of providing an alternative mode of travel that does not require expensive facilities for communities to build or maintain.

    The “Training Wheels” courses are intended for city, township or county managers; council members; engineers; and related design and planning staff. The course is eligible for five Professional Development hours for professional engineers. Advance registration only. A bicycle and helmet are required – please notify local host if needed, since limited equipment may be available. Registration deadline is June 28.

    For details, contact Cynthia Krupp at 517-335-2923, or by e-mail at kruppc@michigan.gov.

  • Detroit River trails and ferries in the news

    It’s becoming increasingly challenging to highlight all the trail and bike media coverage for the city of Detroit.

    We’re even seeing great photos like this one of regular people riding the “Dequinder” Cut in a Detroit News article about the weather.

    Below are some updates primarily about the RiverWalk, ferry service, and TIGER grant.

    Detroit RiverWalk’s 10th anniversary

    The Free Press ran stories about the RiverWalk that were run during the RiverDays event. It’s great that Harriet Saperstein is part of the article as she’s been one of the longtime proponents of developing riverfront trails as well as other bicycling facilities throughout Detroit.

    …Saperstein, who still visits the waterfront and Belle Isle on a regular basis from her Lafayette Park home, said the vision developed for the riverfront in the 1970s continues to motivate fans of the waterfront today.

    “You stay patient and persistent, and you come at it again and again and again,” she said earlier this month.

    The idea for Detroit riverfront trails is more than 10 years old. It pre-dates Saperstein and goes all the way back 113 years to Mayor Hazen Pingree.

    The Free Press also created this video that interviews RiverWalk users.

    Craig Fahle Show

    Last Friday’s Craig Fahle Show included a more general discussion of trails and biking in Detroit, including changing perceptions of greenways, connecting greenways, the $10 million TIGER grant, public bike sharing, and more. A podcast of the show is available on-line.

    Detroit & Windsor Ferry Service

    This CBS Detroit article gives an optimistic update on ferry service between Detroit and Windsor, which may start as soon as next spring. As we’ve been saying for a few years now, this would be an ideal means for bicyclists to get across the Detroit River.

    Detroit Port Authority Chairman Louis James told CBS Detroit this news.

    “We’ve already been funded for the ferry, we have companies that are coming to us that own ferries who would like to contract with us, so I don’t really see any real cost at this time. We hope to have, as I said, private contractors to come in and operate them,” he said.

    James said he views the ferry as being a People Mover on the water. He said there could be one big ferry or several smaller ferries along the river, transporting roughly 200 passengers at a time.

    ?This morning we had another inquiry from bicycle tourists looking to cross the river. We’re hoping to have a good answer for them soon.