Detroit River trails and ferries in the news
Monday, July 9th, 2012It’s becoming increasingly challenging to highlight all the trail and bike media coverage for the city of Detroit.
We’re even seeing great photos like this one of regular people riding the “Dequinder” Cut in a Detroit News article about the weather.
Below are some updates primarily about the RiverWalk, ferry service, and TIGER grant.
Detroit RiverWalk’s 10th anniversary
The Free Press ran stories about the RiverWalk that were run during the RiverDays event. It’s great that Harriet Saperstein is part of the article as she’s been one of the longtime proponents of developing riverfront trails as well as other bicycling facilities throughout Detroit.
…Saperstein, who still visits the waterfront and Belle Isle on a regular basis from her Lafayette Park home, said the vision developed for the riverfront in the 1970s continues to motivate fans of the waterfront today.
“You stay patient and persistent, and you come at it again and again and again,” she said earlier this month.
The idea for Detroit riverfront trails is more than 10 years old. It pre-dates Saperstein and goes all the way back 113 years to Mayor Hazen Pingree.
The Free Press also created this video that interviews RiverWalk users.
Craig Fahle Show
Last Friday’s Craig Fahle Show included a more general discussion of trails and biking in Detroit, including changing perceptions of greenways, connecting greenways, the $10 million TIGER grant, public bike sharing, and more. A podcast of the show is available on-line.
Detroit & Windsor Ferry Service
This CBS Detroit article gives an optimistic update on ferry service between Detroit and Windsor, which may start as soon as next spring. As we’ve been saying for a few years now, this would be an ideal means for bicyclists to get across the Detroit River.
Detroit Port Authority Chairman Louis James told CBS Detroit this news.
“We’ve already been funded for the ferry, we have companies that are coming to us that own ferries who would like to contract with us, so I don’t really see any real cost at this time. We hope to have, as I said, private contractors to come in and operate them,” he said.
James said he views the ferry as being a People Mover on the water. He said there could be one big ferry or several smaller ferries along the river, transporting roughly 200 passengers at a time.
?This morning we had another inquiry from bicycle tourists looking to cross the river. We’re hoping to have a good answer for them soon.