Last night, city councilwoman Melanie Piana’s tweeted, “Tonight, Ferndale city council unanimously adopted a Complete Streets ordinance.”
Congratulations, Ferndale!
They join Berkley and Novi as the three Oakland County communities with Complete Streets ordinances or resolutions.
We typically shy away from posts not directly related to Detroit, but this one is too good to pass by.
It’s a video about the non-motorized work being done in New York City being led by Mayor Bloomberg. They have aggressively moved forward with their greening efforts through increased public space, greenways, bike lanes (over 200 miles in 3 years!), and more. One significant comment was when the Mayor mentioned New Yorkers have increased their life expectancy by reducing crash rates. With Detroit having the second highest rate of pedestrian fatalities among U.S. cities (Atlanta is #1), our efforts could provide that same benefit here.
Link: PlanNYC
To be successful, it is critical that bike and trail advocates have a diverse voice.
That’s one reason we remind others that efforts like Complete Streets are not just about Lycra-clad cyclists.
For example, the AARP is one of the major advocates for Complete Streets. Why?
In a poll conducted for the AARP study, 40 percent of adults age 50 and over said the sidewalks in their neighborhoods are inadequate. Nearly 50 percent reported they cannot cross main roads close to their home safely, yet half of them would walk, bicycle or take a bus more often if the problems were fixed.
Mobility activists assert that the best way to address these problems is with “complete streets” policies, which allow pedestrians, bicyclists and those who use public transportation to share the road safely and comfortably with automobiles.
And at the other end of the age spectrum, MTGA recently led guided tours of the Dequindre Cut and Detroit RiverWalk to Councilmember Cockrel’s Green Task Force Youth Committee and the Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit.
Building an interest in trails for these younger groups is clearly important, as is making the connection between walking, biking and being green.
But it’s also key that we encourage their active participation in programming and advocacy. They are a key stakeholder.
The more they can be involved in these efforts now, the more likely they will continue making Detroit more walkable, bikeable, and green.
Another Detroit Tweed Ride is set for tomorrow, Sunday October 24th at 2 PM — rain or shine — at the corner of Warren & Trumbull.
From the very stylish Detroit Tweed web site:
Our Ride will last 2-3 hours with a break for refreshments in the middle. We will tour some of the historic areas of the city and wrap up at the Woodbridge Pub, (the proprietors of which are kindly offering a drink special of $1.50 per bottle of Pabst or Stroh’s for riders wearing tweed.) The Ride is open to all, but please try to wear some tweed or at least something with an historical feel. Look through the links at right if you seek inspiration.
Tell your friends and enemies, and encourage them to find us on facebook!
So wax your moustache, button your Knickerbockers, pull on your argyle, mount your velocipede, and join us for a rollicking ride!