The Varsity News is reporting on a transportation symposium held at the University of Detroit-Mercy last week.

The symposium included a discussion on the proposed light rail project currently being planned for Woodward. It is hoped that ground will be broken on the first phase of this project by late next year.

According to the article, one person raised concerns about pedestrian and bicyclist safety.

[Board president of M1 Rail, Matt] Cullen said the system “will be very pedestrian friendly.”

The rail line will have stops at major sites, such as stadiums, colleges and the New Center area. It will create more foot traffic, and there will also be a bike bath.

“It allows you to explore further,” Cullen said.

We wonder if he meant bike lanes on Woodward. Others have asked for them and rumor is they are feasible.

If this is the case, it’s a big improvement over what Cullen told us last winter. He said bikes might be pushed off Woodward.

Light Rail Community Workshops

And speaking on the light rail project, DDOT is hosting community workshops next week.

Here are the details:

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Here’s an exciting Journey to Detroit video that explores the types of transportation choices we could have in this area.

Notice that bike sharing systems at transit stops and hubs are among the transportation choices. There have been some preliminary discussion of bringing a bike sharing system to Detroit much like other big cities are currently doing. In speaking with NYC DOT Commissioner, she said she believes bike sharing systems will transform America’s large cities.

But what can make bike sharing systems work well is a connection to public transportation. For example, bike sharing could greatly improve the usability of the proposed M1 Rail on Woodward. Bike sharing could connect the M1 Rail to places like Corktown and Eastern Market.

Minneapolis, Minnesota recently studied public bike sharing an developed a non-profit business plan. It seems this plan could possibly be applied to Detroit.

Minneapolis will launch their “Nice Ride” bike sharing program this summer. They recently chose a vendor and will have 1,000 bikes in 80 kiosks — 65 of those kiosks by this June. It’ll be interesting to see how well their system works and how it could be replicated in Detroit.