A request came before the Royal Oak Traffic and Safety Committee to address the traffic light at 12 Mile and Connecticut. Currently that traffic light gives green lights to both crossing streets. However, there is not much traffic on Connecticut.

The city staff recommendation was to give a green light to 12 Mile traffic and only give a green to Connecticut when a car was present. The City would need to add a car detectors in the pavement.

The problem I saw was Connecticut is a major north-south connector for cyclists. The Red Run Golf Course prevents other north-south routes. I did not want to see cyclists waiting at Connecticut, failing to trigger a green light, and simply going through a red light.

I recommended the City add pavement markings letting cyclists know where they need to locate their bike on Connecticut in order to receive a green signal. There is a national standard for such markings as well as information signs. That recommendation turned into a motion that was approved by the Traffic and Safety Committee and is going before the City Commission tonight.

At that same Traffic Safety Committee meeting, I brought copies of Ann Arbor’s Traffic Calming guide, which I blogged about earlier this year. That Guide is in the Commissioners packets tonight as well.

Oakland County Parks is in the final stages of developing a Strategic Master Plan.

It is expected that this Plan will be approved by the Parks Commission in May. The Strategic Master Plan Summary Report should be posted on parks website sometime after May 7th.

On Wednesday I attended the public forum, which included a brief overview of the Plan and a chance for feedback. I was impressed with the Plan’s thoroughness.

The main concern brought up by three of us was this is great but when is the Road Commission of Oakland County going to make the roads safer to bike on? We want it to be easier and safer to ride to Oakland County Parks rather than rely on motor vehicles.

In fact I happened to ride to the meeting out in Waterford and was forced to use some unsafe county roads to get there. I had no choice — a point I raised at the meeting.

To their credit Oakland County Parks did meet earlier this year with the Road Commission to discuss trails and on-road bike facilities. It’s a start, but more needs to be done.

Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) took first place and an honorable mention for their bike maps at the recent AASHTO GIS-T Symposium.

From the MDOT press release:

Michigan is a bicycling paradise with its scenic vistas and miles of picturesque orchards and waterfront. Now, two new award-winning bike maps are available to help plan your next trip.

First Place was for the “Bay Region Road and Trail Bicycling Guide,” which includes Saginaw, Bay City, Flint, and east to Port Sanilac. This map shows “road surface types, traffic volumes, paved/unpaved trails with regional significance, recreational facilities, points of interest, and other amenities that make cycling across Michigan more enjoyable.”

The Honorable Mention was for the “Northeast Region Road and Trail Bicycling Guide.”

MDOT has these biking maps and others on-line as PDFs.  You can also order paper copies of these and county-specific maps.

But, if you prefer something on-line, try the MTGA Trails Finder.

The City of Troy is making some real headway in making their community a better, safer, and easier place to bike and walk.

It wasn’t always like that, Just a few years back it held a very auto-centric view of transportation and roads — a view that’s unfortunately shared by many Metro Detroit municipalities and road agencies.

What changed in Troy?

They did a number of surveys asking what Troy residents wanted in their community. Biking and walking trails came out on top across the board. That opened some eyes.

In response, the City formed a Troy Trails and Pathways committee of citizens and supporters. The committee has been meeting for more than a year under the guidance of Troy Recreation Director Carol Anderson. Being involved I can say it’s a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable group.

To date our mission has been to help form a vision for Troy’s biking and walking facilities, including trails, bike lanes, sidewalks and more.

The next Troy Trails and Pathways committee will meet at the Troy Community Center on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 7:30pm in room 402.

The League of Michigan Bicyclists (LMB) is hosting a Bicycle Summit in Lansing on March 29th, 2008 from 9AM until 4PM.  There will be “full day of workshops, presentations on LMB’s advocacy and education efforts and discussions about coalitions.”

The workshops include

• Advocacy at the Local Level
• Complete Streets
• On Road Facilities
• Regional Coalitions

The cost is $25 and includes lunch.

Additional information and registration