From the Ann Arbor News:
Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje, a proponent of alternative transportation, rides his bike to City Hall from his northside home two or three times a week. He takes the “side path” along Plymouth Road, which was built wide enough to be used by bicyclists and pedestrians alike, until moving into the streets downtown, where he’s careful to obey street signs as if he were driving a car.

Hieftje said the city is rapidly expanding its bicycle path system, which is expected to grow 300 percent over the next five or six years. A recently developed non-motorized plan means that six to eight years from now, 85 percent of the city’s main roads will have bike lanes.

He said drivers should remember that every cyclist is saving a parking space, as well as well as helping the environment.

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From the Detroit News:
The City Council may amend an ordinance that prohibits cyclists from riding on main roadways.

The council approved a recommendation this week to review the ordinance, which requires cyclists to ride on sidewalks or bike paths, if available, and not on main roads.

The request was spurred by Livonia resident Ken Pumo, who frequently commutes about 10 miles to and from his retail job in Novi by bicycle.
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Today we gave a public comment to the City of Royal Oak regarding Washington Avenue from Catalpa south to Woodward. The DDA is suggesting the removal of two travel lanes and the installation of angled parking. Instead we’re proposing three-travel lanes and two bike lanes. A brief overview of our proposal is on-line.

As you know, the state collects a fuel tax. That money gets divided among various groups, including counties, cities, and villages (but not townships.) Of this money, not less than 1% must be spent on non-motorized transportation. The City of Ferndale used their 1% to pay for their bike lanes, but not all communities spend their money that well.

One reason is the law considers the paving of gravel roads as a non-motorized project. This is where the Road Commission of Oakland County spends their 1%. They were surprised to hear that cyclists often prefer gravel roads.

In Lansing, HB 4555 was signed by the Governor yesterday. It removes the paving of gravel roads from the 1%, but allows the paving of shoulders. It also explicitly allows sidewalks in cities and villages, which the City of Royal Oak and others were already doing.

Another problem is MDOT doesn’t have the resources to audit this 1% requirement. Communities are required to submit 5-year programs, but there’s no enforcement or oversight.

I made the suggestion that the 1% expenditures be posted on the MDOT web site so cyclists can audit their local agencies. Unfortunately that did not make it into the bill, though it still could be done by either MDOT or a group like the League of Michigan Bicyclists (LMB). All the 1% expenditures are public, it’s just a matter of collecting them and making them readable.

“The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) has released a framework for state and local agencies to develop and implement pedestrian safety action plans. The guide is designed to help agencies enhance their existing pedestrian safety programs and activities, including identifying safety problems, analyzing information, and selecting optimal solutions. The guide also contains information on how to involve stakeholders, potential sources of funding for implementing projects, and how to evaluate projects.”

It’s on-line at http://www.walkinginfo.org/pp/howtoguide2006.pdf