The below message is from Steve Roach, LMB Director for Detroit and the Pointes. Norm Cox is one of the premier non-motorized planners in the Midwest:

Norm Cox of The Greenway Collaborative will make a presentation 7:00 p.m. May 4, 2011, Connelly Auditorium, Beaumont Hospital Grosse Pointe (468 Cadieux in Grosse Pointe, just north of Jefferson.)

The Community is invited to hear Mr. Cox and a presentation regarding plans to implement a bike route throughout the five Pointes.

This is your opportunity to give input, engage in dialog, and learn how to help.

Detroit Greencycle

By signing up for their services, Detroit Greencycle will pick up your recyclables transport them by bike to the recycling center. They also pick up compost items for eventual use in local gardens. They currently operate in the Corktown and Woodbridge neighborhoods.

This business fills a gap created by the lack of curbside recycling in the city of Detroit (except the two neighborhoods where it is being tested.)

Their services are given on their web site:

Detroit Greencycle offers curbside pick-up of recyclables and compost on a weekly ($20/month) or biweekly ($15/month) basis.  Pick-up is limited to one 18 gallon bin for recyclables and one 5 gallon compost bin. Additional bins for each are available for an additional $10/month.

Detroit Greencycle can make deliveries of 300 lbs in weight and less from local businesses including the hardware store, grocery store, local farms, and between neighbors.

They also have a Facebook page.

Corktown Cycles

According to the Corktown Cycles web site, they plan on being “the Newest Bike Shop In Detroit’s Oldest Neighborhood.”

Services will include new and used bicycles and equipment as well as full service repair and restorations

Our focus is to be a friendly neighborhood bike shop. We plan on offering discounts for kids, college students, and area residents.

They are located on 14th Street just north of Michigan Avenue and I-75.

Detroit could use more bike shops, so this will be a much welcomed addition.

Another section of the Conner Creek Greenway was opened yesterday in Detroit on Arbor Day — a holiday for tree planting created by a J. Sterling Morton, a Michigan Wolverine from Monroe, Michigan.

The event at Maheras Gentry Park began with a parade, music, and a long line of kids from the Detroit Merit Charter Academy. The kids were dressed in frog costumes they had made earlier. The frog theme was a nod to the parks historic condition as marshland. It was an amazing site to see.

Following the parade, remarks were made by those who helped make this greenway possible (i.e. the funders): Karla Hall of the DTE Energy Foundation, Tony Kratofil of MDOT, and Tom Woiwode from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.

During his remarks, Kratofil announced MDOT’s commitment to funding the next portion of the Conner Creek Greenway. That portion is along Conner Avenue from McNichols to Eight Mile. That project includes a new section of sidewalks, bike lanes, bike routes, and some landscape improvements.

Wayne County Commissioners Tim Killeen and Bernard Parker also presented a resolution from the commission as well.

The new sections of greenway had been mostly completed late last year. That included bike lanes from Jefferson to Maheras Gentry Park along Clairpointe and a shared-use path from the park entrance to the existing paths near the river. The bike lanes on St. Jean built earlier last year were also part of the opening celebration.

Crain’s Detroit Business and Model D has media coverage prior to the event, while TV20 News has post-event coverage.

Last August, MDOT solicited comments on the State Rail Plan.  We asked cyclists to comment in favor of AMTRAK allowing roll-on bicycle service for all of its trains in Michigan. Currently AMTRAK requires bicycles to be partially disassembled and boxed.

In the last legislative session, a rider was attached to the 2010 MDOT budget appropriation bill which said:

For rail passenger service supported in any part through capital or operating assistance from funds appropriated in this act, the department shall work with the rail carrier to identify ways in which reasonable transport of bicycles by passengers can be accommodated.

There are three AMTRAK lines in Michigan. Only two, the Pere Marquette (Grand Rapids to Chicago) and the Blue Water (Chicago-Lansing-Port Huron) are provided operating assistance from MDOT.

Our concern was the Wolverine line (Chicago, Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Pontiac) would not get roll-on bicycle service.

We spoke with an MDOT staff person yesterday. She said AMTRAK has told them all three lines will have roll-on bicycle service and they are aiming for spring.

We asked if the bicycles would be in a separate baggage car but apparently AMTRAK is removing some seats and installing bicycle racks. We don’t know how many bikes these train will accommodate. It varies among the current AMTRAK lines, with some allowing three bikes per passenger car.

Apparently one potential hold up is their reservation system needs to be updated.

There are more details on AMTRAK’s onboard bicycle rack accommodations on their web site, including:

You can reserve space for bicycles when you make a ticket reservation. We charge a fee (generally ranging from $5 to $10 depending on route and distance traveled) for reserving a space in the bike rack. If space is available, you will be issued a ticket for bike rack space. Be prepared to give this ticket to the conductor when boarding with your bicycle.

However, you will not be able to use the onboard racks if you have a “tandem, recumbent or other unusual bikes.”

Start planning your summer bicycle trip to Chicago now… Hopefully Amtrak will have the service up and running by then.

The Metro Times has a best of Detroit 2011 issue which lists winners based on a public survey and staff picks. As in years past, some of these awards are bike-related.

Readers Poll

Best Bicycle Shop in Detroit — The Hub won this for the third time. “How can you not love a place that’s making a difference on, with and for two wheels?

Best Bicycle Shop in the Suburbs — Downtown Ferndale Bike Shop grabbed this award, which was a bit of a surprise given their that they’re new. Last year it went to Continental Bikes in Hazel Park.

Staff Picks

Best Food Delivery Business — Hot Spokes, the group delivering food on bike in the Midtown/Downtown area, was picked by the MT staff.

Take-out delivered via bike may not be big news in most major cities, but as are many things, it’s a bit of a novelty in Detroit. But novelty or not, it also makes sense — pedaling from Midtown to downtown takes noticeably less time than fighting traffic and hunting down a parking spot (and who ever has change for the meter?)

Best Antidote to a Beer Belly — Staff chose the indoor Roller Races which have been hosted at various bars around the Detroit area. And last week the Hub hosted a very unique tandem roller race.

The new trend that popped up in the last year of racing on stationary bikes in bars allows for just such a thing — drink, race, drink some more. Bikers who usually hibernate during fall rains and winter snows can stay in shape, maintain their skills and show-off in front of bar flies and curious first-timers. It’s a new way to pick up chicks, settle scores and challenge friends and strangers for free beers.

Best Blog for Bicyclists — m-bike.org won. We’re blushing. It’s recognition like this that makes the late-time, labor of love efforts worth it.

The stated goal, says author Todd Scott, is to promote safe and convenient bicycling in metro Detroit. Whether it’s announcements of community forums, analyses of master plans and their inclusion (or exclusion) of cycling, collections of media reports about cycling events and policies or just plain funny cycling tidbits, find it here.

Thank you, Metro Times — and all that you do for cycling coverage in Southeast Michigan.