If you haven’t already picked up a copy of the recent Metro Times, do so immediately.

This issue includes a great, great story on a Detroit neighborhood cycling group called the East Side Riders. This group has become much more than just some guys biking around. They’re building community in a challenged neighborhood.

Here’s an excerpt:

In early summer, with the body count rising, [Georgia Johnson] called the local TV stations and newspapers and scheduled a press conference. To show that other residents in this sparsely populated part of town were behind her, she asked the guys she’d seen riding those outlandish bikes to appear in front of the cameras with her, to demonstrate community strength. They were the biggest group she’d see gathered in the area.

“They didn’t really have nobody to come out,” Mike says. “So they said, ‘Bring the bikes up there and we want y’all to represent the neighborhood.'” And the cameras saw the surreal sight of an elderly couple, a handful of concerned residents and a large crew of large men rolling up on these strange bicycles.

Before the East Side Riders showed up, it was left to such as 79-year-old William Johnson, Georgia’s husband, to slowly walk the long distances between houses and hand out fliers, one at a time.

Instead, the bike club took a stack of them, spread themselves out and covered the streets in a fraction of the time, leaving a copy at each house. Suddenly, CARA had a fast-moving, mobile unit at its disposal. “They were a godsend,” Georgia says. She was so thankful, she made everyone in the East Side Riders members of her group. Once again, the bikers were drawn into community service.

Now there was no doubt — the club had transformed into something bigger than before. And it became a point of pride among its members.

This is much welcomed news. While it’s great that hundreds show up for Detroit’s Critical Mass ride and thousands more are at Tour de Troit, but both groups are mostly white and often suburban. The Detroit cycling scene could definitely benefit from more diversity and more neighborhood clubs like the East Side Riders and Southwest Detroit’s Latino bike clubs.

And at this year’s Pro Walk/Pro Bike Conference, Romona Williams from the Metro St. Louis Coalition for Inclusion and Equity mentioned that bike lanes aren’t always welcomed in predominantly black St. Louis neighborhoods. Bicycling is too often seen as an early step towards white gentrification.

We have not yet heard of such a response in Detroit. Having a highly diverse bicycling culture might keep us from ever hearing it.

The article’s author was also on WDET’s Craig Fahle show last week. The podcast is on-line. The East Side Riders discussion begins at 1:36.

We received this notice from the city of Novi’s planning department:

Everyone who lives and/or works in the City of Novi is encouraged to participate in the creation of the City’s Non-Motorized Transportation Plan.  As discussed with the [Walkable Novi Committee and Non-Motorized Transportation Plan Steering Committee] members, several methods would be used to collect input.  The following collection venues are now in place:

1. A web-based survey Click here for Non-Motorized Transportation Plan Survey available on the City’s web page, www.cityofnovi.org.

2. Fall for Novi – The Community Development Department will staff a Non-Motorized Transportation Plan table at the event and collect input via a paper copy of the above survey and collect verbal and written comments.  In addition, a City of Novi pathway and sidewalk map will be handed out.

3. Two workshops are scheduled:

Project Visioning Workshop
Wednesday, September 29th at 7pm
Novi Public Library

Preliminary Plan Workshop
Tuesday, October 26th at 7 pm
Novi Public Library

4. Additional information is also available on the City’s web page at www.cityofnovi.org/Community/PathwaysAndSidewalks.asp

Please share this information with everyone that works or lives in Novi.

If you have any questions or comments regarding the project, contact the City’s consultant, Greenway Collaborative, at info@greenwaycollab.com or City Planner Mark Spencer at mspencer@cityofnovi.org.

Well  over three thousand cyclists participated in yesterday’s Tour de Troit.

The Free Press coverage noted the fundraising aspect of the ride.

The Tour de Troit was organized to publicize the growing greenways network in Detroit and to raise funds for Corktown-Mexicantown Greenlink planned for 2011. The series of bike lanes and off-road pathways will connect the neighborhoods of Corktown and Mexicantown to each other and to the Detroit River.

“This is one of my favorite days in the city,” [Chris Frey] said. “It shows everybody Detroit is a wonderful city for cycling and there are a lot of things you can really only see by bike.”

It’s expected that over 30 miles of bike lanes will be added to the Corktown, Mexicantown, and West Vernor Business District by early next year. That’s in addition to the Michigan Avenue bikes being installed this Fall by MDOT.

The Detroit News coverage included some reaction from those who watched the procession of bikes.

Jan Rutzel and Pat Buckler marveled as scores of cyclists in bright gear zipped up and down Michigan Avenue today.

The buddies were on Rutzel’s porch on Wabash and became excited when told the cyclists were getting ready for a 30-mile tour of the city that included sweeps through some of Detroit’s most historic neighborhoods.

“That’s wonderful,” Rutzel said. “Anything that helps the city is thrilling.”

That’s one of the best parts of the Tour — the welcoming spectators along the route, especially the wide-eyed children. Many spectators took photos of the riders just as cyclists took photos of the city.

Of course 3,000 riders is quite a huge group. To give some perspective, the lead cyclists were already miles away at the Dequindre Cut while others were still leaving the start. As the first riders were coming off the Belle Isle Bridge, other riders were still going on the island — meaning the group was stretched over 6-miles.

An amazing showing for the Motor City!

Also, this wonderful video from MattMTB really shows just how many riders were on the streets of Detroit yesterday.

Free bike parking at the 2010 Arts, Beats and Eats in Royal Oak

“Parking policy exerts great influence on mode choice and urban design.”
U.S. Parking Policies: An Overview of Management Strategies, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.

“The widespread practice of employer-subsidized parking is a significant but often overlooked determinant of mode choice for the journey to work.”
Employer-subsidized Parking and Work-trip Mode Choice, Pickrell, D. H. and Shoup, D. C.

Mode choice — whether someone choices to drive solo, carpool, take transit, bike, or walk is often determined by cost to park ones car.

Recently. this was proven very vividly in the city of Royal Oak.

With the Arts, Beats, and Eats festival moving to Royal Oak, the city looked to recover some city costs by charging for all parking around the event. The $15 parking price was high enough to prompt locals to keep their cars in their driveways and walk or bike.

And fortunately the event organizers partnered with KLM bike shops to offer free valet bike parking. There were two parking lots and both were quite full as the photo shows. In addition, bikes were parked all around the event perimeter.

Clearly, vehicle parking policy is a major determining factor in whether people drive, bike, or walk to downtown. If you provide below market pricing (including free) vehicle parking, don’t expect a lot of people to doing anything but drive solo downtown – especially downtown workers.

Recently the city of Royal Oak announced increasing the downtown parking fees a small amount – not to $15. This should help encourage biking and walking downtown, as well as ride sharing.

And according to “parking guru” Shoup, parking rates should be raised until there is a 15% parking vacancy rate. This reduces traffic levels by helping motorists find parking more quickly and it will likely encourage other modes of travel.

The key, however, is to re-invest those parking fees into the downtown.

From the press release from the Active Transportation Alliance:

Royal Oak city officials are creating a plan to make it easier for bicyclists, pedestrians and transit users to get around in the community. As they put this plan together, they want to hear your thoughts and ideas. Attend the public meeting on Sept. 28 to tell them where you bike and walk and where you wish you could bike and walk in the city. They also want to hear your ideas on how public transportation in Royal Oak can be improved.

• What: Non-Motorized Plan Open House
• When: Tuesday, Sept. 28, 7 p.m.
• Where: Farmers Market, 316 E. 11 Mile Rd., Royal Oak

All Royal Oak residents are invited to attend. This is your chance to help shape the city’s first plan for non-motorized travel.

Remember: The bike parking is always free at the Farmer’s Market!