The Detroit Department of Transportation is set to receive more than $500,000 in federal money to install bike racks on the fronts of all city buses.
The DDOT bus fleet would follow other local bus lines in installing bike racks under the buses’ windshields. The intent is to extend travel options for bus riders, especially those without easy and affordable access to cars.
“This is definitely something we’ve urged DDOT to do for a number of years to increase the usability for their service,” said Megan Owens, executive director of the advocacy group Transportation Riders United. “It really expands the area people can get to.”
There may be no better poster child for showing how expressways can divide a community than I-75 and Corktown/Mexicantown.
At this year’s Cinco de Mayo celebration, Bagley Street west of I-75 was closed to vehicles and packed with revelers in a huge community celebration. On the other side of I-75, Bagley was devoid of people. Even the coffee shop was closed.
It’s so apparent how I-75 and the Ambassador Bridge facilities have split these Southwest Detroit communities, but especially for those on foot or on bike. Re-connecting Bagley would certainly be a positive step forward.
Now MDOT is taking that step.
As part of their Gateway project, they are building a bike and pedestrian bridge over I-75, making Bagley Street contiguous once again.
For cyclists, Bagley is already a decent road to ride. It has low traffic and low speeds. Bagley east of I-75 will eventually have bike lanes as part of the Corktown/Mexicantown Greenlink Project.
Some of the many outstanding cycling destinations along Bagley include Clark Park, La Gloria Bakery, Los Galanes, Honey Bee Market, Cafe Con Leche Coffee House, Matrix Theatre, and my favorite Mexican restaurant, Taqueria Lupitas.
Also, MDOT is looking for artists to create public art along this bridge. Here is their press release with further details: Read the rest of this entry »
If you think you have it bad riding or walking in your town, it could be worse. You could be in India where 1% of the world’s vehicles generate 10% of the world’s traffic fatalities.
“The underlying problem… is poor design and signage.” That applies equally in Detroit. A well-engineered road decreases the reliance on enforcement and education. This is one of the fundamental principles of traffic calming.
Working quietly last month, Detroit City Council heard and approved the Detroit Non-Motorized Transportation Master Plan. That sounds deathly dull, but it’s actually exciting news for the pedalists among us. Though the state had vowed to commit funds to cycling initiatives in Detroit, and Detroit’s Traffic Engineering Department had signed off on the endeavor, the plan had never been brought before council for its approval — something MDOT needed before it would help move things forward. The plan ought to get cyclists pumped: It will track cycling destinations across Detroit with an eye to connecting them with a network of bike trails, lanes and greenways, calling for as many as 400 miles of bike lanes across the city. The plan’s organizers believe lanes could be painted down during normal MDOT road maintenance. And for groups wanting bike lanes in their neck of the woods, working in tandem with the city means it won’t be the uphill slog it used to be.
Gasoline at $4 per gallon did wonders for promoting bikes as a lean and green solution.
The price of oil has dropped 55% since July. Local gas prices are “falling like leaves.” Daylight is getting more scarce and the temperatures are dropping. All these factors might mean more bike commuters will be hopping back into their cars.
We could speculate on this, but the results will come out soon enough.
The August report from the Federal Highway Administration was recently released. In summary, vehicle travel dropped 5.6% in August (a 15 billion mile decrease.) The culmulative vehicle miles for 2008 are down 3.3% or 67.2 billion miles.
Those decreases aren’t all attributable to more bike commuters.
According to a special report from Inrix, “While consumers react to the high costs of fuel by decreasing all driving, the most significant impact to consumers is the reduction of discretionary driving.”
Even so, the report’s survey found that higher gas prices caused 8% of the respondents to bike (and use scooters) more. That compares well with increases in car pooling (9%) and public transit (7%).
Inrix also predicts that the drop in gas prices will not lead to significant increases in driving due to the weak economy. Perhaps the interest in bike will continue
