As reported today by the Detroit News:
The Detroit City Council voted 7-0 Tuesday to repeal a controversial ordinance that allows police to issue tickets to people who don’t register their bicycles.
Bike registration law rolls toward repeal
A Back Alley Bikes/Trips for Kids Detroit ride through Downtown
Detroit’s Council’s Public Health and Safety Committee wants to put the brakes on enforcing the bicycle licensing program. During today’s public hearing, the Committee heard many perspectives from the police and public.
Councilwoman Sheila Cockrel motioned for removing all of the current bike licensing language. She wants to meet with the police and stakeholder groups (including cyclists) during the Council’s August recess to develop new bicycle ordinance language that makes sense.
There was perhaps a three dozen cyclists in attendance, most of whom provided public comment in support of the motion. Some cyclists in the audience had already received tickets for riding a bicycle without a license. One cyclist had also received a ticket for not having a bell or horn on their bike — another Detroit ordinance.
Perhaps the best quote of the day was from Bike Riders United’s Ron Scott. Scott invited the police to “Get on the bike with us and ride in the same direction.”
The Committee motion was approved and will be voted on by the entire Council tomorrow.
After recently experimenting with a custom handlebar camera mount, I took some sample video along the soon-to-be-officially-opened Dequindre Cut trail in Detroit. Yes, the video is a little jittery, which was due in part to the stiffer ride of my road bike. Future trials will be from a mountain bike.
Detroit, Michigan
The Detroit City Council’s Public Health and Safety Committee is holding a public hearing to remove the Detroit bike license requirement. That meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 28th at 10:30 AM at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center (Jefferson at Woodward.) Please plan on arriving prior to 10 AM to avoid disturbing the Committee meeting.
We certainly could use some Detroit residents at this hearing to voice their support for this change.
The hope is that Council and Mayor can remove the required licensing prior to their August recess. During that recess we will work with Council and others to look at alternative ordinance language that would still allow police to identify and return stolen bikes without heavy fines for those cyclists who are unlicensed.
The City Council members at yesterday’s Public Health and Safety Committee meeting expressed support for biking in Detroit. Council President Ken Cockrel commented that he rides 3-4 times a week. He rightfully noted that unswept streets with broken glass is one issue he faces during his rides.
Overall it was a great discussion and it certainly seems we are making lemonade from the original lemon.
The Trust Fund helped acquire the Clinton River Trail in Rochester Hills, Michigan
Governor Granholm recently signed Senate Bill 978 into law. This bill adds the following directive for the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund:
The board shall give particular consideration to the acquisition of land and rights in land for
recreational trails that intersect the downtown areas of cities and villages.
Trails in urban areas have often been at a disadvantage when applying for Trust Fund grants. They often don’t offer pristine natural resources yet they cost more than land located in more rural parts of Michigan. To offset this disparity, the Trust Fund scoring system did provide extra points for regional trails.
It’s not clear how much of a change this will have in the grant process, but it should make trails in Southeast Michigan a bit more attractive.