M-DOT has just announced another $3.8 million in Transportation Enhancement funding for 11 projects across the state. These grants will be used to develop non-motorized trails, pave roadway shoulders, purchase bus bike racks and more. All projects will take place during the 2008 construction season.
Unfortunately the bus bike racks aren’t for D-DOT. Flint and Marquette requested those.
However, two of the grants are in Detroit and will undoubtedly improve biking in the City.
Senator Tom Harkin from Iowa has introduced the Complete Streets Act of 2008. According to the Senator’s web site, “To reduce accidents, legislation will create ‘Complete Streets’ to keep motorists, transit vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians safe.”
Making our streets bike and pedestrian friendly is a win-win for us all. It not only promotes healthier lifestyles, it lowers the amount of traffic congestion that many people deal with every day.
So, what would this bill do for the Detroit area? It would require M-DOT and SEMCOG to adopt policies ensuring “that the safety and convenience of all users of the transportation system shall be accommodated.” That means all new road construction and reconstruction should include bicycle facilities unless very specific justifications can be documented.
Some U.S. cities and states already have Complete Streets policies. In Michigan, only the City of Jackson has done so.
What can you do to help? Make a quick call to Senators Levin (202.224.6221) and Stabenow (202.224.4822) to let them know you support Senator Harkin’s Complete Streets Act of 2008. If no one answers, just leave a message of support, your name, and address. Read the rest of this entry »
The video below is from the Knippels Bridge in Copenhagen during rush hour. If this were in Detroit, people would assume it’s an organized group ride. Is it any wonder than Danes make up the happiest nation?
Note that a dedicated bus (and tulip truck) lane provides some separation between the cars and bikes.
Imagine how many more lanes of roadway would need to be built if these cyclists were in their own individual cars.
There’s a new blog GoogleMapsBikeThere.org that’s leading a petition to get bike directions added to Google Maps. In other words, when you type an address into Google Maps, you could request biking directions instead of driving directions.
In some cities, there is an option to select public transit options rather than driving directions. It’s called Google Transit and Detroit SMART bus routes are included. It’s a very cool mashup.
So why not do that for bikes? Google apparently likes bikes. They sell Google bike jerseys. Their Ann Arbor office has secure bike parking. They encourage their Birmingham employees to commute by bike.
According to the Associated Press, “Oil prices marched past $103 a barrel on Monday, the latest in a recent string of record-high oil prices, before settling at $102.45… ‘It’s like throwing sands in the wheels of the economy,’ said Brian Bethune, economist at Global Insight.”
No doubt. But, it’s also be throwing more air into America’s bicycle tires.
For the next three days, bicycle advocates from across the U.S. will be in Washington D.C. for the National Bike Summit. Their collective message? Biking is one way to conserve energy in light of these high prices.
Michigan is sending a contingent of advocates primarily from the League of Michigan Bicyclists. Local Detroit area cyclists Dante Lanzetta and Steve Roach will be part of that group.
Many of the bicycling facilities we now have — or are getting — are a result of bicycling’s inclusion in the federal transportation bills ISTEA, TEA-21, and SAFETEA-LU. That’s why it’s so important that cycling advocates continue the annual trek to DC and make sure we continue to receive transportation funding.
The Daily Press (Virginia) ran an article today that asks, “Will the high price of oil help make 2008 the Year of the Bicycle?”
M-DOT has just announced another $3.8 million in Transportation Enhancement funding for 11 projects across the state. These grants will be used to develop non-motorized trails, pave roadway shoulders, purchase bus bike racks and more. All projects will take place during the 2008 construction season.
