Call is a conspiracy or just a basic  contractor mistake, the wrong way bike lane pavement marking in Corktown appears to be remedied.

We went past the errant arrow yesterday and between the slush we saw that the paint had been grinded off.

This MDOT project added nearly 2.5 miles of bike lanes on both sides of Michigan Avenue from Rosa Parks to Livernois. It’s a hugely valuable addition to a super wide road that will really complement the Corktown/Mexicantown Greenlink project which should begin construction in the spring. This  backwards biker was the only one we were aware of over the 5 miles.

And thanks to MDOT for getting it fixed in a timely manner.

Last week we mentioned that the Detroit RiverWalk, Dequindre Cut, and Milliken State Park were recommended for $34.4 million grant funding. While it would be nearly impossible to top that news, there are other RiverWalk updates since then.

To begin with, the following was posted on the Detroit Riverfront page on Facebook (which has 12,929 likes!):

News Flash: The construction project on the Dequindre Cut is complete and the entire 1.35 mile greenway is open. Also, the parking lot at Rivard Plaza is now open!

While we have not been there yet to confirm, this rebuilt segment of Atwater is to have bike lanes.

More on the Uniroyal site

Today’s Crain’s Detroit Business includes an article on the Uniroyal site cleanup.

This site is the abandoned river property which sits between the MacArthur Bridge (to Belle Isle) and Mt Elliot Park. This is a major missing segment of the RiverWalk. It could also be the terminus for the Gleaner’s Greenway currently being studied.

But it’s not just development plans riding on the cleanup of the Uniroyal site.

Its access to the Detroit River makes it among the last unfinished sections of the 3.5-mile RiverWalk path, said Faye Nelson, CEO of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy.

She said the funds have been secured to build the RiverWalk on the Uniroyal site once the cleanup is finished.

“Once this site is made available to us, we can make a critical connection to make up the majority of the remaining construction,” she said. “We’re eagerly looking forward to beginning work there.”

If the cleanup begins next March and lasts 18 months as stated then the RiverWalk construction could begin as early as 2013.

A perfect Holiday gift

Want to give something that will last forever? The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is selling bricks on the RiverWalk.

Yes, Detroit now has more miles of bike lanes than all the other communities in Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne Counties combined.

This was part of a presentation given at the 2010 Oakland County Trails Summit this fall. That presentation is available with audio at the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance web site.

Neil Billetdeaux from JJR also presented at the Summit on the Dequindre Cut and other Detroit projects. A PDF of his presentation is available as well.

Below are some photos taken this week of the new Conner Creek Greenway segment from Jefferson Avenue to the Detroit River at Mahera Gentry Park.

This 1.3 mile segment includes four different types of bicycle facilities! We have photos of each type.

Photo 1: Starting at Jefferson and heading south, there is a short stretch of shared, signed-roadway. It is signed as such.

Photo 2: The bike lanes begin.

Photo 3: Bayview Yacht Club needed occasional special events parking along Clairpointe about four times a year. There wasn’t enough roadway width for bike lanes and dedicated parking, so only the latter was constructed. However, since there are very rarely any cars parked here, it becomes a wide de facto bike lane. The road is signed as a bike route, too. This is a clever win-win solution that’s been used successfully in Chicago.

Photo 4: This is where approximately 2,000 (?) feet of shared-use path winds through Maheras Gentry Park and ends along the Detroit River.

We are not providing legal advice. This is our interpretation of Michigan state law. UPDATED August 8, 2017

We’ve previously provided many situations where the rules of the road should be ignored due to their impracticality or unreasonableness. The bottom line is a cyclist’s safety is more important than strictly following the letter of the law.

Here’s another justification for those who ride on the shoulder.

Let’s start with these key definitions under Michigan’s state law.

1. Bicycles are not vehicles since they are “exclusively moved by human power.”
2. “Roadway means that portion of a highway improved, designed, or ordinarily used for vehicular travel.”
3. “Shoulder means that portion of the highway contiguous to the roadway generally extending the contour of the roadway, not designed for vehicular travel”

So, this means shoulders are not part of the roadway. This was reaffirmed in Grimes vs. MDOT (2006).

A shoulder may be capable of supporting some form of vehicular traffic, but it is not a travel lane and it is not “designed for vehicular travel.”

State law does not define “bike lanes”, however since bicycles are not vehicles, bike lanes are not designed for vehicular travel. Therefore bike lanes are not part of the roadway. Neither are parking lanes for that matter.

Riding on shoulders

State law does prohibit vehicles passing other vehicles while on the shoulder.

The driver of a vehicle shall not overtake and pass another vehicle upon the right by driving off the pavement or main-traveled portion of the roadway.

State law also states that bicyclists upon the roadway  have “all of the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle.” When you ride on the road shoulder, you’re not on the roadway and are not required to follow the same laws as vehicle operators.

So go ahead and pass on the shoulder.

Do bicyclists have to ride on the shoulders?

Actually, they don’t. The law says:

A person operating a bicycle upon a highway or street at less than the existing speed of traffic shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway.

The shoulder is not part of the roadway. Bicyclists are not required to ride in bike lanes or parking lanes either.