Despite the downturn in the weather, there’s been an upturn in media coverage for bicycling news among communities in southern Oakland County.

And while we’ve already covered these stories, it’s great to see them in the media before a much larger audience.

Metromode has two new articles.

• Royal Oak non-motorized plan gets public jump start
• Berkley, Novi pass Complete Streets resolutions, other cities consider the same

The latter article includes a discussion of getting Complete Streets in Birmingham.

Jana Ecker, a planner with the city of Birmingham, said although that city is already a walkable community, there isn’t a resolution in place yet. For example, the city doesn’t have bike lanes. “It will require some changes from what we do now,” she says. She expects the city will take another look at the ordinance in November, after it’s reviewed.

The Detroit News published an article that covers both Royal Oak’s planning efforts and the local Complete Streets victories.

• Cities focus on cyclists’ safety

And even the Oakland Press provided some positive coverage of the recently passed Complete Streets legislation in Lansing.

• Michigan one step closer to more walkable and bikeable communities

All combined these articles reflect the significant (and relatively new) momentum behind making at least the lower portion of Oakland County a bike friendly environment.

Royal Oak Bike and Dine

Don’t forget that the Royal Oak Bike and Dine is tonight. Here’s the information:

Please join us for a Progressive Bike & Dine in Royal Oak and Berkley.  Royal Oak is conducting a non-motorized transporation plan, and Berkley recently adopted a “complete streets” policy, so this event will celebrate progress in both communities.

No RSVP is required but we would appreciate an RSVP so that we can alert each restaurant on how many guests to expect.  RSVP via the Facebook event (http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/BikeWalkRoyalOak), or reply to this email, tregan3@hotmail.com, or phone 248-797-1075, or mail to 3126 Glenview, Royal Oak 48073.  The event will begin:

• Thursday, October 21st
• Lily’s Seafood, 410 So. Washington, Royal Oak MI 48067.
• Join us in the bar any time between 5:30pm to 6:30pm to register.

The pace will be leisurely–new and occasional cyclists are welcome and encouraged.  Our schedule is approximate but the locations are confirmed:

• Optional drinks at Lily’s, 5:30pm to 6:30pm.  We leave from Lily’s to begin the ride at 6:30pm.
• Appetizers at Amici’s Pizza, 3249 W. 12 Mile, Berkley MI 48072, 6:45pm – 7:15pm.
• Entree at Royal Oak Brewery, 215 E. 4th, Royal Oak MI 48067, 7:45pm – 8:30pm
• Dessert at Pronto’s, 608 S. Washington, Royal Oak MI 48067, 8:35pm, 9:00pm
• Optional after-dinner drinks at Lily’s, 9:00pm – ?.

There is no fee outside of the bill at each restaurant.  Participants should:

• Bring cash in small bills (to make dividing up the tab easier).
• Wear reflective clothing, since we will be riding after dark.  Attach bicycle lights if you have them.
• We will NOT cancel in case of rain or cold weather.

We received this notice from the city of Novi’s planning department:

Everyone who lives and/or works in the City of Novi is encouraged to participate in the creation of the City’s Non-Motorized Transportation Plan.  As discussed with the [Walkable Novi Committee and Non-Motorized Transportation Plan Steering Committee] members, several methods would be used to collect input.  The following collection venues are now in place:

1. A web-based survey Click here for Non-Motorized Transportation Plan Survey available on the City’s web page, www.cityofnovi.org.

2. Fall for Novi – The Community Development Department will staff a Non-Motorized Transportation Plan table at the event and collect input via a paper copy of the above survey and collect verbal and written comments.  In addition, a City of Novi pathway and sidewalk map will be handed out.

3. Two workshops are scheduled:

Project Visioning Workshop
Wednesday, September 29th at 7pm
Novi Public Library

Preliminary Plan Workshop
Tuesday, October 26th at 7 pm
Novi Public Library

4. Additional information is also available on the City’s web page at www.cityofnovi.org/Community/PathwaysAndSidewalks.asp

Please share this information with everyone that works or lives in Novi.

If you have any questions or comments regarding the project, contact the City’s consultant, Greenway Collaborative, at info@greenwaycollab.com or City Planner Mark Spencer at mspencer@cityofnovi.org.

Congratulations to the city of Novi! Last night, their city council unanimously adopted a Complete Streets Resolution.

According to Novi City Councilmember Andrew Mutch:

“The resolution declares Novi’s commitment to adopting and following Complete Streets principles. It also directs City staff to develop a set of proposed standards and ordinances to implement “Complete Streets” policies and practices in the City of Novi. These efforts, in concert with the newly initiated master plan for non-motorized transportation, will enable the city to better meet the strong desire of Novi residents to live in a more walkable and bikeable city and to provide a transportation system that takes into consideration the needs of all users.”

We believe this is the first community in Oakland County to have a Complete Streets resolution or ordinance.

As for the master plan noted my Mutch, the city has hired a top-notch team. Leading the team is the Greenway Collaborative, which has a web page for more information on this planning effort, including this overview:

The City of Novi is continuing its efforts to promote healthy, active lifestyles through the creation of a comprehensive non-motorized transportation plan. The plan will result in a clear vision and implementation strategy to establish a safe, convenient and enjoyable environment for bicyclists, pedestrians and other non-motorized users. This project got underway in July and should be completed by the end of the year. The public is encouraged to participate in the creation of the plan through a web based survey available later this summer and two workshops to be held this fall.

The page does list two public meetings:

Project Visioning Workshop

This workshop will be held on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 from 7:00pm to 8:45pm in the Full Meeting Room at Novi Public Library. During this workshop participants will express there hopes and concerns and identify areas in the community where different types of non-motorized elements would fit.

Preliminary Plan Workshop

This workshop will be held on Thursday, October 26, 2010 from 7:00pm to 8:45pm in the Full Meeting Room at the Novi Public Library. During this workshop participants will prioritized and evaluated the Draft Non-motorized Network Plan.

Mark your calendars. The city of Novi is really moving forward.

Construction season is upon us and there are many trail- or bike-related projects in the works. Here are some brief updates:

• Construction on the Clinton River Trail bridge over Telegraph in Pontiac is expected to begin in a month and be completed this year.
• The bridge construction which is causing weekday closures of the Dequindre Cut is apparently on schedule and should be completed by September.
• Atwater Street is also under construction between Rivard and Orleans in Detroit. When completed, we heard it will have bike lanes from the Ren Cen to Jos Campau.
• The city of Detroit is updating the bike lanes on Belle Isle and adding more on some of the internal roads thanks to some unexpected, but much welcomed grant funding.
• The contract for Wayne State University’s bike lane/streetscape project on Anthony Wayne Drive shows the project being completed by November.
• MTGA and others are still working with MDOT to try and get bike lanes on Michigan Avenue from Livernois to Rosa Parks in Corktown.
• Construction of the new MDOT trail along M-5 between 13 Mile and 14 Mile is underway — and it looks like the trail will be an awesome ride once completed.

And some non-construction updates:

• The city of Royal Oak has received their federal funding for their non-motorized planning efforts. We can expect them to start soon.
• The city of Novi has issued a Request for Proposals to develop a non-motorized plan.
• Wayne County has submitted an MDOT grant application which would extend the Conner Creek Greenway from the Mt. Olivet Cemetery to Eight Mile. This project is a mix of shared-use path and bike lanes.

Novi Councilmember Andrew Mutch passed along this information.

MDOT is conducting a transportation study of the I-96/12 Mile/Grand River corridors through the Novi and Wixom areas. For those interested in sharing your thoughts related to transportation-related issues, there’s an online survey to complete on the web site. Quite a few questions are related to non-motorized transportation concerns.

According to the site, the survey only takes 15 minutes to complete. This is a good opportunity to express your concerns with respect to non-motorized transportation options within the study area.