First, let’s clarify what safety paths are. The term safety path is apparently a local definition usually nearly exclusively within Oakland County, Michigan. AASHTO’s Guidelines for the Development of Bicycling Facilities contains the generally accepted standard terms and definitions for bicycle facilities. According to AASHTO’s definitions, safety paths are wide sidewalks.

Also from the AASHTO guidelines:

Utilizing or providing a sidewalk as a shared use path is unsatisfactory for a variety of reasons. Sidewalks are typically designed for pedestrian speed and maneuverability and are not safe for higher speed bicycle use. Conflicts are common between pedestrians traveling at low speeds and bicyclists… At intersections, motorists are often not looking for bicyclists.

It is important to recognize that the development of extremely wide sidewalks does not necessary add to the safety of sidewalk bicycle travel. Wide sidewalks might encourage higher speed bicycle use and increase potential for conflicts with motor vehicles at intersections, as well as with pedestrians and fixed objects.

There are two major studies that compared bicycle safety on roads and sidewalks.

Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s more video from NBC Nightly News on America’s growing switch to bike commuting. As noted, many cities across the U.S. have the infrastructure to help their residents make that switch. Unfortunately that is not the case in nearly all of Detroit’s suburbs.

Many cities… have a well-established infrastructure of bike lanes, bike-friendly public transit systems, and bike parking, making switching from four wheels to two easy for drivers fed up with high gas prices.

Although it’s not open yet, the Dequndre Cut biking and walking trail in Detroit is making huge strides. It’s now paved from Woodbridge (just south of Jefferson) to Gratiot.

As we noted earlier, Governor Granholm started occasionally biking to work.

Our Governor also said that MDOT was looking at building more bike lanes. We made some calls to MDOT to learn more.

This is apparently “a new challenge to MDOT to get more on-road paved shoulders to assist with bicycle travel.” The are especially looking opportunities where they could connect with existing regional bike networks using state trunk lines.

This is very welcomed news for Michigan cyclists.

Also, Michigan’s governor riding to work did get some ink in the Chicago Tribune recently:

You know times are tough when the governor of Michigan, the top executive in the state that put the nation on wheels and sold a generation of Americans on the virtues of gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs, is now riding her bike to work.

This symbolic gesture by Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm—pedaling a couple of days a week to the state Capitol in Lansing—is part of an evolving behavior shift by individuals, employers and governments struggling to adjust to the hard reality of gas at more than $4 a gallon, as well as higher energy costs overall.

Detroit’s Russell Industrial Center recently started an outdoor theater called the Motor City Moviehouse.

It’s more than your old-school drive-in theater. They’re encouraging folks to walk-in and bike-in by only charging them $2 and giving them special reserved seating near the front. Those who arrive by car are charged $5 and large vehicles (e.g. SUVs) cost $10.

Their schedule is posted on their myspace page. This Saturday’s movie is Dementia 13, the first movie directed by Detroit-born Francis Ford Coppola. The movie starts at 10pm.

The Russell Industrial Center is at 1600 Clay Street just east of I-75 and just below Hamtramck.

As Gadget would say, “Ride with buttered popcorn.”