Don’t forget that the M1 Light Rail public hearings are tomorrow, Saturday February 12th.

There are two meeting options. The first is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a presentation at 11:30 a.m.; the second from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with a presentation at 4:30 p.m. The public may participate in one or both events, which will be held at the Main Detroit Public Library, Lower Level Auditorium, 5201 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202.

Note that earlier information showed the second meeting starting at 6 p.m. That was incorrect! It begins at 4 p.m.

As we’ve said before, this is a great opportunity to talk about the importance of this project positively impacting bicycling in Detroit. That means improving conditions for bicyclists using the train, riding to the transit stops, riding on Woodward, and riding across Woodward. This is an opportunity to make Woodward  a Complete Street.

And here is a video from WXYZ’s Detroit 20/20 project which provides more information on the project as well as a discussion on its potential extension into Oakland County.

If you’ve ridden Mt. Elliot on the east side of the Chevy Volt plant during the warmer months, you’re probably familiar with the serious asphalt ridge in the right lane. This ridge is likely the result of heavy truck traffic “shoving” the asphalt.

Apparently in the winter, this asphalt ridge prevents snow plows from clearing half of that travel lane.

The result? A seasonal road diet with bike lanes.

This seasonal reduction in road capacity — and the apparent lack of any negative impacts on vehicle travel — suggests this change could be made permanent with a little paint and some signs.

Streetfilms recently documented a similar situation in New York City where snow piles are acting like curb extensions.

Sure, good pavement makes most biking easier. However, when it comes to adding trails through parks and greenspace, that pavement can prevent rainwater from naturally percolating through the soil.

There has been much discussion on porous pavements as a solution.

In fact, Brewing Chemisty is hosting such a discussion at 7pm on February 15th at the Traffic Jam and  Snug. It’s a presentation on the FilterPave® Porous Paving System by David Bower, Ph.D., a Senior Research Chemist at the BASF Corporation.

The Filterpave® system provides several advances over traditional hard surface pavements which address these and other environmental issues in an attractive and cost-effective manner. It combines specially treated post-consumer recycled glass with a two component polyurethane binder to create a porous pavement that captures stormwater allowing it to slowly migrate into the soil. This nearly eliminates stormwater runoff and helps replenish the local aquifer with clean, naturally filtered water.

It does seem like this pavement could work for our trails. Not only does it allow stormwater to pass through, it uses recycled materials. The pigmentation options are an added benefit.

And trails with porous pavement don’t have puddles.

Also, if you’re still not sure what porous pavement can do, you might consider watching this interesting demo.

Laura Buhl from the Detroit City Planning Commission staff gave an introductory presentation to the Commission on January 20th, 2011.

You can watch that presentation on-line. It begins roughly 1 minute into the video and is approximately 18 minutes long with questions afterwards.

One big takeaway?

Commissioner Dr. Darryl Totty stressed the importance of involving members of the existing community.

“I know when I talk to some people they’ll see new development, sometimes they don’t believe that it will benefit their community.  I often hear the  ‘well they’re building it for those who are coming to the city’ versus ‘this is our city’ and so there’s a level of pride in a development like this — I would think — and if we could find a way to articulate that to people, that this is for us as a region.”

This echoes a comment we noted from last 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.

Yes, there is a growing, young white population in Detroit — and they love their bikes. Complete Streets will benefit them.

So, as Dr. Totty suggests, we need to make sure our Complete Streets message is inclusive and clearly tells longer term Detroiters how this will help their community as well.

One way? Detroit has one of the highest pedestrian fatality rates among major U.S. cities — a community concern that’s here today. This high rate is not due to pedestrians wearing iPods. It’s due in large part to our overly wide roads and lack of adequate crosswalks. Complete Streets addresses those issues and can save the lives of Detroiters.

Traffic calming to address aggressive driving (e.g. the notorious parking lane/drive lane which encourages passing on the right) can be rolled into Complete Streets designs and help the existing community.

Another way to get Detroiters’ support? Mention that Complete Streets have public lighting that works.

More questions

The Planning Commissioners seemed generally supportive of Complete Streets after asking additional questions.

• Could the Complete Streets ordinance include language on sustainability, including pervious pavement? Buhl suggested that expansion of the ordinance might be better down through a separate effort.
• Who would enforce this ordinance? Buhl suggested Detroit’s non-motorized external task force could provide oversight.
• Besides costs, what other negative impacts could a Complete Streets ordinance create? Buhl noted that designing streets to be complete from the beginning may not incur many costs and she provided the example of adding bikes lanes. And while some projects will be more expensive, but the overall road budget remains the same. “The pie remains the same,” said Buhl. “We’re just rearranging the pieces.”
• Is this going to be  a city wide effort or just in areas being redeveloped? It will be city wide after streets are repaved or reconstructed.
• How do you prioritize Complete Streets projects and will it collaborate with other non-motorized developments in the city? Buhl noted that this Complete Streets would be done through the city’s non-motorized master plan And of course, the implementation would be driven by DPW’s road repaving schedule. One commissioner made the excellent comment that we should look at crash data to determine the prioritization.
• How will citizen become involved in Complete Street designs? That is still an issue to be discussed, but as mentioned, it’s critical.

On Facebook

And don’t forget to join our Complete Streets in Detroit page on Facebook!

There is a new Facebook page called Complete Streets in Detroit.

We are asking that you support a Detroit Complete Streets ordinance which will make the city a safer place to walk, bike, and more.

Please consider giving this page a “Like”.

And on a related note, there is the relatively new Detroit Food and Fitness Collaborative (DFFC) web site.

In working for the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance, I serve as co-chair of the DFFC Built Environment committee. One of our major Built Environment goals is to pass a Complete Streets ordinance in Detroit. There is more information about that effort on the DFFC site.

The DFFC is funded through the Kellogg Foundation, and as we mentioned before on m-bike, William K. Kellogg was an active cyclist and lifetime member of the League of American Wheelmen.

Complete Streets in Hamtramck

Last week Model D published a story on Hamtramck’s Complete Streets resolution. Jason Friedmann, Director of Community and Economic Development noted that Complete Streets are extra important in Hamtramck given its large immigrant population and low car ownership.

He says every type of user of the streets should benefit. “People on bikes, pedestrians who are walking, people who are disabled, and not just cars,” are targeted in the resolution.

That’s important in a city like Hamtramck, a hub for new immigrants, a place where more than 30 languages are spoken in school.

“We have a lot of people coming here from different parts of the world, who don’t have cars or can’t afford cars when they first come here,” Friedmann says. “And then a lot of them end up staying here because they like not having cars, being able to get around on a bike or DDOT transportation. Half of our residents, 50 percent of our residents do not have cars.”

The article also briefly discusses the city’s plans for more bike lanes — a project that just needs some grant matching funds in order to move forward.