While doing some preliminary work with Google Fusion Tables, we created this very basic heat map showing the locations of bicycle-motor vehicle crashes throughout the Metro Detroit region (Oakland, Wayne, Macomb, and St. Clair counties.)

The map does not weight the crashes based on the severity of the injury. Green dots indicate one crash, while orange and red indicate multiple crashes in the same vicinity.

What’s interesting is the distribution. Detroit has noticeably fewer hot spots compared with the surrounding communities.

And some roads have enough crashes that they pop out on the map. That’s true of Gratiot through Macomb County, and to a lessor extent, Woodward through Oakland County.

On Wednesday at 54-year old male cyclist was hit and killed by a motorist when she drove off the road in Michigan’s “safest city”, Sterling Heights.

Fox 2 News reports:

Police say Julia Werth was traveling eastbound on 18 Mile between Mound and Ryan when she dropped something in her car. When she went to pick it up, she allegedly veered off the road and struck a 54-year-old man, who happened to be riding his bike on the gravel shoulder just a few feet ahead.

FOX 2 has learned Werth, the woman accused in this fatal accident, is 20 years old. We found out she has twelve points on her driving record for two alcohol violations, two speeding tickets and a car accident.

It is not clear if Werth will face any criminal charges.

The Macomb Daily is reporting that charges have not been filed as of today.

No, 18 Mile is not a Complete Street though facilities such as bike lanes don’t prevent bad drivers from killing others. In this case, the victim was apparently riding on the gravel shoulder. Complete Streets can make bicyclists more visible to drivers, but whether that would have helped in this case is merely speculation

One frustrating sideline to this story? Sterling Heights Police Lt. Dale Dwojakowski told the  the Detroit Free Press:

“A bicycle can ride on the roadway and they do have all the rights a car would have,” he said. “Unfortunately, he wasn’t on the roadway, he was on a gravel shoulder. And even more unfortunate, there was a brand new sidewalk just installed about 15 feet from where he was riding.”

Perhaps it wasn’t the Lieutenant’s intent but it sounds like he would like to see cyclists on sidewalks. Fox 2 News echoed his comment as well.

At least they didn’t say it was “even more unfortunate” that he couldn’t afford a car.

The bottom line focus needs to be on the driver, who had a very poor driving record at a young age and apparently hadn’t learned from prior mistakes.

There is a Prosecute Julia Werth page on Facebook that has now grown to 203 people. UPDATE 12/6/2010: Facebook removed the original page. The replacement page is Justice for Jim Sawicki.

And if you have any tips regarding this crash, please call the Sterling Heights police at (586) 446-2892.

This is not the first bicyclist to be killed in Sterling Heights this year. This summer two motorists hit and killed a cyclist. The first motorist fled the crash scene.

In 2009 a cyclist was killed in Sterling Heights , as were two more in 2006.

From 2004 through 2009, there Sterling Heights averaged 0.40 bicyclist fatalities per 100,000 residents. These 2010 deaths will raise that rate significantly, making it much more than double the entire state of Michigan’s rate of 0.23 bicyclist fatalities per 100,000 residents. (The city of Detroit rate is 0.27.)

Clearly Sterling Heights isn’t Michigan’s safest city for bicycling — and that is most unfortunate.

From the Detroit News:

Police are looking for a black sports car today they believe was involved in a fatal hit-and-run crash Sunday night on Middle Belt Road.

Police said Redford Township resident John Sallman was riding his bicycle southbound on Middle Belt between Nine and 10 Mile roads when he was struck by a speeding car at about 10:45 p.m.

A witness told police he was proceeding southbound on Middle Belt when he was passed by a Pontiac G6 driving at a high rate of speed. The driver said the Pontiac then returned to the southbound lane in front of the witness and then struck Sallman, 44.

The driver of the Pontiac failed to stop and fled the scene.

Police believe the suspect vehicle may have damage to the front end as well as the windshield.

Anyone with information is asked to call the traffic safety section of the Farmington Hills Police Department at (248) 871-2630. After 4:30 p.m., call (248) 871-2610.

Middlebelt is not a Complete Street, just like most of the streets in Farmington Hills. This city’s attempt at bike friendliness is a short bike lane on one side of a road.

After reading their planning documents, it’s fairly clear that bicycles are for recreation and not transportation.

Many times there master plan (produced by Vilican Leman & Associates) states “Bike paths and/or sidewalks are installed to provide non-motorized access throughout the area.” Saying “bike paths and/or sidewalks” means either someone doesn’t understand AASHTO bicycle design guidelines or Complete Streets principles.

Sadly enough, Oakland County Planning and Economic Development Services reviewed this master plan and their staff “commended” Farmington Hills.

And the city’s sustainability report (produced by Hooker De Jong) is downright delusional: “Farmington Hills will continue to develop as a community that is livable, walkable, bikeable, culturally interesting and safe.”

Bikeable and safe? Where?

Certainly not on Middle Belt — and that’s how they planned it.

According to a report on myFoxdetroit.com, a local taxi driver hit a young cyclist in Melvindale.

Ten-year-old Madeline Gomez was just doing what kids do when it’s nice outside; riding her bike. Out of nowhere a taxi hit her, knocking her to the ground and knocking out her teeth.

A decent person would stop, but that cabbie just kept on driving.

The cab driver has not yet been caught.

She told the reporter “It’ll be a long time before she can think about even riding her bike again.” How sad.

We wish young Madeline a quick recovery.

Yesterday evening, a Detroit cyclist was critically injured when hit by a driver.

From the Free Press:

Detroit Police have a 25-year-old man in custody who they believe is responsible for a hit-and-run accident that critically injured a bicyclist on the city’s west side Monday night.

The 44-year-old cyclist was hit at about 7:30 p.m. as he rode his bike on McGraw and West Grand Boulevard, ending up stuck in the windshield of the car, Detroit Police spokesman John Roach said today.

“The driver allegedly stopped the car, removed the victim from the vehicle and then sped off,” Roach said, adding that investigators believe alcohol played a part in the crash. The victim remains in critical condition today in an area hospital, he said.

ClickonDetroit also reports that according to police, “the driver took the license plates off the vehicle before driving away from the accident scene.”

ClickonDetroit has a video report as well.