The August 2010 Critical Mass Ride in Detroit had nearly 500 riders

Without a doubt, this weekend has more Detroit riding opportunities than any other.

Friday’s rides

• 7 PM: Critical Mass ride from the corner of Warren and Trumbull near the Wayne State University campus.
• 9 PM: University of Detroit-Mercy Midnight Bike Ride. Registration begins at 8:00pm in Kassab Mall at the McNichols campus at the Livernois entrance.

Saturday’s rides

• 6 AM: Beat the Train ride. The group rolls out at 6:30 AM from historic Fort Wayne on the Detroit River.
• 9 AM: Tour de Troit Metric Century
• 10 AM: Tour de Troit. Over 2,700 cyclists have registered as of yesterday. Registration closes tomorrow, so sign up now so you don’t miss out.

Wayne State University’s 7th annual Drive Safely to Wayne State Campaign begins today.

We think it should be renamed “Arrive Safety at Wayne State”. This name better reflects the many transportation options Wayne State University students have, which is truly a competitive advantage over suburban schools such as Oakland University.

The need to update the name should also be apparent since this year’s event coincides with changes to Anthony Wayne Drive.

According this this Free Press article:

Anthony Wayne Drive is getting new landscaping, more than 100 new parking spaces, streetlights and pedestrian crossing lights. Lanes will be reduced from four to two in each direction, and bike lanes will be installed. It’s part of an effort to make the street — between Warren and Kirby — more accommodating to pedestrians and retail customer vehicles.

The cost of the project is $900,000, with 80% of it being paid for by the Michigan Department of Transportation and the rest coming from WSU. The project should be complete by the end of October.

The bike lanes have not yet been striped as work continues on the pedestrian crossings and bump outs.

We do hope that the additional parking alleviates the need for double-parking as shown in the above photo. Or at least the added parking and bike lanes would mean stepped up local enforcement.

Time Magazine’s Detroit Blog finally visited the Dequindre Cut trail in Detroit.

These kinds of projects show what you can do with Detroit if you’ve got vision. And, baby, the future’s so bright…

This beauty opened in May 2009. It is formerly a Grand Trunk Western Railroad line on the city’s East side. Hence it is located below street level, giving it that peaceful, serene air. I hate to compare anything in Detroit to Chicago, but here goes. It felt similar to that lovely green stretch along Lakeshore in Chicago, where everyone strolls, jogs and bikes to distraction. It’s what “real” cities need.

Yes, it is great.

And it’s pleasantly surprising how quickly people from all over the area have learned about this trail, except for Time Magazine.

One favorite example is when Lt. Governor John Cherry opened the Detroit Greenways map and immediately asked, “Now where’s that Dequindre Cut?”

It’s just from Atwater to Gratiot, but with a bit more state money, Lt. Governor, we could extend it around the entire city.

Eric Sharp, Outdoors writer for the Free Press has done a fine article on the Tour de Troit.

Early fall is a great time to ride a bicycle. There’s a hint of crispness in the morning air, yet the days usually bring shirtsleeve comfort without the humidity of summer.

If you’re a neighborhood cyclist who has done a 10-mile ride and you’ve wanted to try something a little more ambitious, it would be tough to beat the Tour de Troit for that first outing.

Yes, there were 2,000 bicyclists registered as of last week. Another 1,000 are expected to sign up before the 25th.

While the T-shirt deadline has passed, it’s not too late to register and take part in one of the Anerica’s biggest bicycle rides.

Free Press Graphic

John Gallagher of the Free Press has given an update on the Uniroyal site, the large brownfield between Mt. Elliot Park and the MacArthur Bridge to Belle Isle.

Detroit’s Brownfield Redevelopment Authority this week approved agreements with three corporations for $15 million-$20 million to clean up the western half of the 40-acre site. Cleanup agreements also are expected soon for the eastern portion.

A cleanup of the old industrial site would allow the extension of the Detroit RiverWalk to the MacArthur Bridge to Belle Isle.

“This is a historic agreement for the City of Detroit,” [Mayor Dave Bing] said in a statement Friday. “The Uniroyal site has sat idle for decades. This puts us in a position to complete the RiverWalk and continue the transformation of the riverfront for future generations.”

This is great news, but this RiverWalk section won’ t be built tomorrow. The article says it will “likely to take a couple of years.”

We also mentioned previously Morgan and Wright, the world’s largest bicycle tire manufacturer relocated from Chicago to this Detroit site to make car tires. They eventually became part of Uniroyal.