Last Tuesday, the full Detroit City Council approved two resolutions relating to the Non-Motorized Transportation Master Plan.

Why a Master Plan?

Municipalities develop non-motorized master plans to look at their entire area and creates a vision for improved biking and walking facilities based on public input and various data sources.  Typically the plan calls for modifying existing road right-of-ways to better and more safely accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians.  It would also consider non-motorized trails needs as well as related amenities, such as bike racks.

And of course, a good plan would make recommendations on how to change city policies in order to make the planning vision a reality.

Having a good non-motorized plan helps municipalities implement them as road construction projects are planned.  Similarly, it obligates other road agencies (e.g. MDOT) to implement the plan on roads they own within the municipality.

And finally, having system-wide plans such as these improves the chances for grant funding to help implement the plan.

Detroit’s Plan

MDOT funded a non-motorized plan for Detroit.  Giffels-Webster along with other firms and the City of Detroit developed the plan.   The plan calls for various improvements for walking and biking in Detroit, including nearly 400 miles of bike lanes.

Link to Detroit Non-motorized Transportation Master Plan

City Council Resolutions

The plan was first presented to Council President Ken Cockrel Jr.’s Green Task Force.  We received a very favorable response and Mr. Cockrel got this on a council committee agenda.  With a solid showing of public support, the committee created resolutions to approve it.

Both resolutions are shown below: Read the rest of this entry »

This Wednesday we will be participating in green brainstorming sessions at the Royal Oak Farmer’s Market.  The details on this session are below in the original press release.

Our plan to briefly discuss where we are with respect to our roads, how we got here, and ideas for bringing better green transportation options to Royal Oak.

Press release:

Royal Oak, MI – The Royal Oak Environmental Advisory Board will host a brainstorming session at the Royal Oak Farmers Market on Wednesday, September 17 from 7 to 8:30pm. In an effort to make Royal Oak a more environmentally responsible city, the Environmental Advisory Board encourages Royal Oak citizens to share their ideas at the brainstorm session. Community members will have the opportunity to share their ideas regarding the following topics: recycling, yard waste/compost, air quality, hazardous waste management, energy, water quality, and transportation.

On September 24, the Environmental Advisory Board will set its goals for 2008-2009 using the ideas from the community. For more information, please contact Melissa Damaschke at 248-990-1688.
WHAT: Green Brainstorming Session

WHO: Royal Oak Environmental Advisory Board

WHEN: Wednesday, September 17 from 7 to 8:30pm

WHERE: Farmers Market (316 East Eleven Mile Road; Royal Oak)

Photo by Marvin Shaouni

Tom Woiwode knows greenways. ?He’s been at the forefront of the movement in Metro Detroit since 2001 when he led development of the GreenWays Initiative.

At the end of August, Tom wrote a series of guest blogs covering topics from the Dequindre Cut to the Riverwalk to other trails and greenways in Metro Detroit. ?The resulting blog entries are some of the best you’ll read on trails and what they mean to the people and communities that build and use them.

Thanks to Metromode and Model D for putting these on-line. ?The photo was taken by Marvin Shaouni.

It’s one very popular question: When is the West Bloomfield trail going to continue west and connect with the Huron Valley Trail. Soon we may have an answer.

But first, why is there an 8 mile missing link between these two existing trails? Unlike the other surrounding railroad segments, this one was never abandoned. In fact the dinner train (Coe Railroad) was running on this track until recently. That train has now stopped and the railroad property is being abandoned and sold.

West Bloomfield’s portion (shown in green on the map below) will be available first since there are no existing rail customers along the tracks. West Bloomfield is pursuing grants to acquire the land and extend their trail west to Haggerty Road.

The other railroad property (shown in blue) did have some rail customers, so the abandonment process will take longer. still communities along the way are looking at possibly purchasing the property for a trail. We encourage them to make that purchase to help complete the Michigan Airline trail from Lake St. Clair to Lake Michigan. (“Michigan Airline” was the name of the rail line which this trail uses to cross the state.)

The Spinal Column recently ran an article with additional details: Communities may buy Coe Railroad for trails.

Lastly, this missing link would also connect with the proposed I-275 pathway extension along M-5.  We’ve also advocated for trails along Martin Road to connect with Oakland Park and the Lakes Community Trail.

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Crain’s Detroit Business has reported that the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan (CFSEM) awarded over $4 million in grants to help revitalize Detroit neighborhoods from the riverfront to the near east side.

Two of these grants are of special interest to those following trail development in Detroit.

The first is a $500,000 grant to the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy to help create recreational, fitness, cultural and educational programming.  This programming will be developed by working with local community groups, churches, schools and businesses.  It will likely be located or involve the Riverwalk and Dequindre Cut, both of which are managed by the Conservancy.

The second grant is $100,000 for the City of Detroit to begin planning a connection for “direct and safe” pedestrian access between the Dequindre Cut and Eastern Market.