Okay, so this USA Weekend article is Photoshopped. Detroit was not listed.

Still it could be listed in the future.

A stunning network of trails and greenways is being developed. There is a plan for 400 miles of bike lanes.

And because Detroit is under one government, it’s going to be much easier to implement consistent city-wide biking plans compared with nearby counties. In the counties, bike advocates need to convince many individual city, village, and township governments to get on board, which is no small task.

Last Thursday was another monthly Green Tea event, this time promoting biking in Detroit. It was a great success with a very large and diverse turnout.

Wheelhouse Bike Tours

The Tea began with an introduction from our hosts Kelli and Karen from the Wheelhouse Detroit bike shop on the Detroit Riverwalk. The shop specializes in rentals, service, accessories, and bike tours. They have a freebie Wednesday night ride (9 PM). Now the are offering guided Neighborhood Tours, some of which include lunch. And of course you can rent a Wheelhouse bike as well. Check out the Wheelhouse web site for further details.

400 Miles of Bike Lanes

Next, I spoke to the group about Detroit greenways and the Non-Motorized Transportation Master Plan. The latter was developed by Giffels-Webster and was funded by MDOT. The plan inventoried the many cycling destinations across Detroit, including parks, schools, cultural centers, recreational centers, etc. It looked at how to best connect them with a network of on-road bike facilities — bike lanes and shared signed routes.

In summary, the plan calls for nearly 400 miles of bikes lanes across the City of Detroit that could be implemented during normal road maintenance by simply re-striping existing roads. [Additional details regarding this plan will be posted to m-bike in the upcoming week.]

And while this plan was accepted by Detroit’s Traffic Engineering Division, it had not gone before City Council. The GreenWays Initiative and MTGA worked to change that. Last month Giffels-Webster gave a presentation of the plan to Council President Ken Cockrel’s Green Task Force. We discussed the plan with other City Council members and distributed the copies of it.

On September 8th, City Council will have a discussion of this non-motorized plan. We need pedestrians and cyclists to attend and voice their support during the public comment period. The Council is meeting on the 13th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center on September 8th at 11:15AM.

Biking to Eastern Market

Next, the group hopped on their bikes and rode from the Wheelhouse to Eastern Market. We were greeted at Shed 2 by Market President Dan Carmody and a box of healthy snacks. We discussed how to make Detroit more bike friendly and how the Dequindre Cut trail will be an excellent connection between the Riverwalk and the Market.

Special thanks to Kathryn Underwood and others for helping make this Green Tea a big success.

Bike lanes in Ferndale

here’s been much discussion on this web site concerning bike lanes.

In summary, bike lanes…

1. Have been found to be the safest place for bicyclists to ride.
2. Can be funded from a variety of sources dedicated to non-motorized transportation.
3. Are not a significant liability concern for road agencies according to the state attorney general’s office.

In addition, the Road Commission for Oakland County and Wayne County Road Division have undocumented policies that prohibit bikes lanes.

Now this Macomb Daily article notes that old school opposition to bike lanes is in Macomb County as well.

Robert Hoepfner, chief highway engineer for the road commission, has no complaint with bicyclists. But he is concerned about safety. Many county roads simply aren’t wide enough for the kind of designated lanes Forlini described, Hoepfner said.

If county residents want designated areas for bicyclists, “Then let’s build bike paths and make them safe,” he said.

Apparently Mr. Hoepfner has not done his homework. Bike side paths are significantly less safe than bike lanes. If he was truly concerned about bicycle safety, he’d be building bike lanes. And if a county road is not wide enough for bike lanes, widen it. There is non-motorized funding available for this.

There are no excuses for not providing safe cycling opportunities in Metro Detroit.

Al Fields (DTE) and Greg Johnson (MDOT)

Al Fields was the primary bicycling proponent within the City of Detroit Mayor’s office. He was our “go to” guy for helping cycling advocates get things done, such as the mountain bike trail at Rouge Park. He was also responsible for getting bike lanes on Belle Isle. Outside of cycling, Al was instrumental in the success of Detroit’s Super Bowl and Red Bull Air Races. He also played bass in Torch with a Twist — and if you know what that is, I don’t need to highlight its coolness.

Unfortunately Al recently changed jobs. He’s now working for DTE. However, he does expect to still be quite involved in promoting cycling.

So thank you, Al, and we wish you the best of luck in your new job at DTE.

Mark from Canada posted the below comment on the MTGA web site.  We’ve reprinted it here (with his permission) because it echoes our push for safe AASHTO on-road bicycle facilities in Oakland County.  It’s great that Ontario is so forward-thinking and progressive with respect to cycling.

I’m accustomed to road cycling in Canada, and planning a visit with a friend in Oakland County. I can’t believe I’m being pushed onto “recreational trails” if I want to cycle! I want to get places and see the community, not paved trails in woodlands or parks! Bikes are classified as a vehicle by Ontario’s road authority, and there’re active advocacy groups successfully pushing for bike lanes on current and future roadways. Maybe we have a healthier mindset in Canada. Or maybe Michigan just can let go of the narrow minded car mindset. I recall seeing some arterials without sidewalks even!