Detroit’s loss of population is well documented. No matter where the recent census counts fall, the reality is Detroit has a million fewer residents since the 1950s.

And since the 1950s, Detroit lost its streetcar network while gaining one of America’s most extensive urban expressway networks.

This has resulted in roads like Forest just east of Dequindre. Five lanes one-way with limited hours of parking.

Despite its one-way design, the road’s recent repaving and lack of traffic makes this ideal for biking.

And from 2004 to 2009, there are no reported motor vehicle crashes involving bicyclists or pedestrians on this segment of Forest from Dequindre to Gratiot.

Marked in Red

However, the MDOT and SEMCOG bicycle maps say otherwise. Both bicycle maps show this road in red, which means it’s generally unfavorable for bicycling due to the heavy traffic.

Huh?

We looked at the SEMCOG traffic counts and did not find any relevant traffic counts near this section of Forest. There was one count from June 2006 taken on Forest west of Dequindre however Forest is now closed at Dequindre. Even still, that traffic count was only 6,823 vehicles during a 24-hour period. The MDOT map says over 15,000 cars a day use this section of Forest.  SEMCOG map says there are over 10,000 vehicles per day.

Unfortunately it appears Forest is not the exception on these maps. There are other super wide, one way Detroit roads with little to no traffic that are shown in red, including Rosa Parks and 14th from Warren to I-75. Second Avenue from Forest to Temple is red on SEMCOG’s map despite its lack of traffic.

This really just reinforces the idea that Detroit needs a good bike map that is designed for cyclists and provides recommended routes — like Forest.

Road Diet?

Does road dieting a road without cars make it more bike friendly? Is a road with so few cars a Complete Street? These are questions that don’t get asked in most cities but are very relevant in Detroit.

Perhaps it makes more sense to approach this with a financial perspective. Could a road diet reduce the road maintenance costs and storm water runoff? Could we convert those outside travel lanes to half bike lane, half pervious surface. The pervious surface (perhaps as bio swales) would provide some separation between the parking/vehicle travel lanes and the bike lane while also absorbing the road’s storm water runoff. Could the city maintain (e.g. sweep) a physically-separated cycle track?

Eliminating vehicle lanes on Federal aid roads (such as Forest) affects Michigan’s federal transportation funding formulas. The state would get the same amount of funding, but less would be distributed to counties and cities like Detroit. There is a financial incentive for not losing vehicle lanes on federal aid roads, but is it enough to justify the added cost?

Hopefully the answer to these questions will emerge over time from the Detroit Works Project and more analysis.

But until then, go bike on E. Forest and enjoy the wide open road.

The opening of another segment of the Conner Creek Greenway is scheduled for Friday, April 29, 2011 at Maheras Gentry Park in Detroit.

Please join us to celebrate the addition of two new miles of the Conner Creek Greenway along St. Jean and Clairpointe to the Detroit River.

• 9:00 am DTE Energy Green Team Tree Planting
• 11:00 am Arbor Day Parade (Open To The Public)
• 11:45 am Remarks
• 12:00 pm Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Motorist directions from I-94: Take the Conner exit. Head south on Conner 2.4 miles into the park.
Motorist directions from Downtown: From Woodward, take Jefferson Avenue east 5 miles to Conner/Clairpointe and turn right. Take Clairpointe into the park.

This event is made possible with the support of DTE Energy and the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.

All three of Detroit’s three Bike Friendly Businesses are hosting events this Saturday, April 23rd.

10am until 1pm

OmniCorpDetroit has their Uber Back event at 1501 Division in Eastern Market — and they’ll have frankenbikes.

Come give us a look and make yourself some swag at OCD’s first UBER HACK! There will be music, our very own Tesla Coil, Paper Helicopter workshops, Seed Bomb demonstrations, Frankenbikes and other fabulous disruptions. Curious about our space? Come and check it out, we’ve spring-cleaned just for you! You can even bring the wee ones, as there will be plenty for all to make and enjoy.

They’ll have some pickle lights, too.

12pm to 3pm

The Wheelhouse Detroit has already kicked off their bike touring season. This Saturday is their Belle Isle tour ($25 or $35 with bike rental)

Explore the architecture of Detroits island gem, including the Eero Saarinen-designed Flynn Pavilion, the Albert Kahn-designed Aquarium, the Boat and Yacht Clubs, the Casino and Livingstone Lighthouse. A sampling of the parks numerous statues will be discussed, including General Alpheus Starkey Williams and his famous horse Plug Ugly and Scott Fountain. The tours includes stops at the Conservatory, Nature Center and Dossin Great Lakes Museum.

4pm to 7pm

The Hub of Detroit is having their Spring Open House.

This basically gives everyone a chance to come by and see our space, ask questions and find out how they can link into what we do. If we’ve ever been too busy to answer a question of yours, now is the time to come ask. We will also have many of our community partners on hand to tell you about their projects as well.

We’re not sure if the scheduling of these events was intentional, but one could certainly do all three.

Pure Detroit has a real interesting interview with Shayne O’Keefe and his bike-based food delivery service called Hot Spokes.

We had mentioned this back in January but the interview provides the back story to the operation.

PD: When did cycling become a major element in your life?
O’Keefe: I got into bikes pretty recently. I’d always liked bikes, but I was just at this place in my life where I wasn’t doing anything really constructive…  I had heard about Back Alley Bikes in 2007, which is a volunteer program. You can go in there and do work trades in exchange to learn how to work on bikes. So, I started going there and I loved it. I met all of these strange, exciting people. They weren’t people that looked like they would be in my peer group. It was really great. I eventually earned a bike. I went and picked out this busted old ten speed and started learning how to work on it. It took me months to build it … but it definitely awakened something in me. My friends were all super jealous, wondering where I was and what I was doing.

And it looks like our old article is out of date. Hot Spokes now delivers from Shangri La which  has replaced the now closed Salad Creations. Cass Cafe and Union Street still round out the options.

The interview does make the case that living in Detroit can be inexpensive, especially without a car. That’s certainly attracting artists, but also enabling some bike-based entrepreneurs like Hot Spokes and Mr. Bow Tie.

And we learned about Malcolm Carey and his Mr. Bow Tie business from a MetroTimes article by Detroitblogger John.

You can’t miss him because he shouts at passing traffic through a megaphone. Or he dances on the grass, whirling a sign in his hands, volunteering his skills. Sometimes he blurs by on his bicycle, pulling a wagon festooned with two banners advertising his work.

He’s offering a single service — cleaning dirty headlights. Nothing else. Regardless of how the rest of the car looks.

There are more photos of Mr. Bow Tie in action on detroitblog.

Thanks to Wheelhouse Detroit for sharing that Pure Detroit link on Facebook and giving us something to write about.

Ferndale is hosting the 3rd annual Green Week starting tomorrow, April 16th.

And Sunday the 17th  is dubbed Bicycle Day and includes a group ride.

The Sierra Club Green Cruise presents – Spring Bicycle Ride – starts @ 10am at the Downtown Ferndale Bike Shop (163 W. 9 Mile Rd., 48220)

• Distance – 20 miles at easy to moderate pace
• 16 yrs. old and older
• Helmets required
• SAG vehicle supplied by The Night Move bio-fueled bus
• Free bicycle check-ups at the Downtown Ferndale Bike Shop – 10am – 2pm
• Free massages by Greenleaf Bodyworks at the Downtown Ferndale Bike Shop – 4.17 – 10am – 2pm
• Western Market will provide free bananas

The route has been posted on Bikely.

Green Week wraps up on Friday, April 22nd with an Earth Day Celebration Party at The Loving Touch starting at 7pm. The party includes a special Sierra Club and Beer gathering, roller races, and more.