Mike Reuter (American Cycle & Fitness), Nancy Krupiarz (Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance), Tim Blumenthal (Bikes-Belong), and Todd Scott discuss Detroit bike advocacy strategies

Most cyclists in Metro Detroit recognize the shortcomings of biking in this area.  So what should we do about it?  Just opining on the Internet doesn’t create the change we want to see.

One idea we continue to push is for Metro Detroit communities to develop non-motorized transportation plan or bicycle plans.

And since safe and effective bicycling facilities are foreign concepts to most cities in this area, it’s best to have these plans created by professionals outside of city government.

Cities, villages, and counties receive a portion of the state fuel tax and no less than 1% of that must be spent on non-motorized transportation.  MDOT has stated that creating non-motorized plans is a good and proper use of this state funding.

As reported earlier, the City of Detroit has recently endorsed a non-motorized transportation master plan.  The City of Troy issuing a request for proposals to do the same.

But for one great example of a bicycle plan, we point to the Village of Oak Park in Illinois where the village manager is Tom Barwin, Ferndale’s former city manager.

The Village of Oak Park recently adopted a bicycle plan that was developed by the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation.

The first objective of the plan will be to develop a comprehensive bikeway network consisting of marked on-street bikeways, signed routes, and multi-use trails where possible.

The second objective of the plan will be to develop a safety and education plan for the Village. Many people do not bicycle because of a perceived risk to personal safety.

The final objective of the plan will be to market bicycling to the community. Marketing is one the most cost-effective means to increase bicycling.

Links: The Oak Park Bicycle Plan | Chicagoland video interview

One major benefit the Chicago-area enjoys is having a well-organized, experienced, and active non-profit bicycle advocacy group — the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation.  We do not have anything equivalent in Metro Detroit.  While the League of Michigan Bicyclists is the statewide bicycle advocate organization, they play only a minor role in local advocacy efforts.

This is another change we need to consider as we push bicycle advocacy forward in Metro Detroit

Last Tuesday, the full Detroit City Council approved two resolutions relating to the Non-Motorized Transportation Master Plan.

Why a Master Plan?

Municipalities develop non-motorized master plans to look at their entire area and creates a vision for improved biking and walking facilities based on public input and various data sources.  Typically the plan calls for modifying existing road right-of-ways to better and more safely accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians.  It would also consider non-motorized trails needs as well as related amenities, such as bike racks.

And of course, a good plan would make recommendations on how to change city policies in order to make the planning vision a reality.

Having a good non-motorized plan helps municipalities implement them as road construction projects are planned.  Similarly, it obligates other road agencies (e.g. MDOT) to implement the plan on roads they own within the municipality.

And finally, having system-wide plans such as these improves the chances for grant funding to help implement the plan.

Detroit’s Plan

MDOT funded a non-motorized plan for Detroit.  Giffels-Webster along with other firms and the City of Detroit developed the plan.   The plan calls for various improvements for walking and biking in Detroit, including nearly 400 miles of bike lanes.

Link to Detroit Non-motorized Transportation Master Plan

City Council Resolutions

The plan was first presented to Council President Ken Cockrel Jr.’s Green Task Force.  We received a very favorable response and Mr. Cockrel got this on a council committee agenda.  With a solid showing of public support, the committee created resolutions to approve it.

Both resolutions are shown below: (more…)

The good news is the Detroit Non-Motorized Transportation Plan was resoundingly supported by the City Council’s Public Health and Safety Committee. It’s expected to go before the entire Council for a final vote next Tuesday.

One common comment was that Detroit needs some positive news during the recent challenges and getting this plan approved and implemented is very positive. Chair Alberta Tinsley-Talabi said that this was a wonderful way to come back from council recess.

During the discussion, Detroit’s Traffic Engineering Department assured councilmembers that they support the Corktown-Mexicantown greenlink project.  The City will apply for the MDOT transportation enhancement grant to get the project built, possibly starting as early as next year.  This project includes many miles of bike lanes throughout the Corktown neighborhood.

Thanks to all who came to the meeting in support of the project.  Our continued appearances before city council shows the community support and helps build further momentum for improved biking and walking in Detroit.

On Monday, September 8th at 11:15 AM, the Detroit City Council’s Public Health and Safety Committee will be discussing the Detroit Non-Motorized Transportation Master Plan.  This plan has never been brought before City Council for their approval — a necessary step before groups like MDOT will recognize and help implement the plan.

When: September 8th at 11:15 AM
Where: City Council, 13th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, Jefferson at Woodward

So what does this plan do? As we noted earlier, this plan takes inventory of the many cycling destinations across Detroit, including parks, schools, cultural centers, recreational centers, etc. It looks at how to best connect them with a network of on- and off-road bike facilities — trails, bike lanes and shared signed routes. The plan calls for nearly 400 miles of bikes lanes across the City of Detroit that could be implemented during normal road maintenance by simply re-striping existing roads.

The authors of the plan, Giffels-Webster will be there to give a presentation on it.  Detroit’s Traffic Engineering Division, the city department that is ultimately responsible for implementing this plan will be at the meeting as well.

We need public comment from cyclists, walkers, and other residents to voice their support for this plan!

Note that current changes in city government may affect this meeting time, causing it to be delayed or changed.  If you want to be certain the meeting is still on as scheduled, call the Office of the City Clerk at 313.224.3266.

We hope to see you there.

Last Thursday was another monthly Green Tea event, this time promoting biking in Detroit. It was a great success with a very large and diverse turnout.

Wheelhouse Bike Tours

The Tea began with an introduction from our hosts Kelli and Karen from the Wheelhouse Detroit bike shop on the Detroit Riverwalk. The shop specializes in rentals, service, accessories, and bike tours. They have a freebie Wednesday night ride (9 PM). Now the are offering guided Neighborhood Tours, some of which include lunch. And of course you can rent a Wheelhouse bike as well. Check out the Wheelhouse web site for further details.

400 Miles of Bike Lanes

Next, I spoke to the group about Detroit greenways and the Non-Motorized Transportation Master Plan. The latter was developed by Giffels-Webster and was funded by MDOT. The plan inventoried the many cycling destinations across Detroit, including parks, schools, cultural centers, recreational centers, etc. It looked at how to best connect them with a network of on-road bike facilities — bike lanes and shared signed routes.

In summary, the plan calls for nearly 400 miles of bikes lanes across the City of Detroit that could be implemented during normal road maintenance by simply re-striping existing roads. [Additional details regarding this plan will be posted to m-bike in the upcoming week.]

And while this plan was accepted by Detroit’s Traffic Engineering Division, it had not gone before City Council. The GreenWays Initiative and MTGA worked to change that. Last month Giffels-Webster gave a presentation of the plan to Council President Ken Cockrel’s Green Task Force. We discussed the plan with other City Council members and distributed the copies of it.

On September 8th, City Council will have a discussion of this non-motorized plan. We need pedestrians and cyclists to attend and voice their support during the public comment period. The Council is meeting on the 13th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center on September 8th at 11:15AM.

Biking to Eastern Market

Next, the group hopped on their bikes and rode from the Wheelhouse to Eastern Market. We were greeted at Shed 2 by Market President Dan Carmody and a box of healthy snacks. We discussed how to make Detroit more bike friendly and how the Dequindre Cut trail will be an excellent connection between the Riverwalk and the Market.

Special thanks to Kathryn Underwood and others for helping make this Green Tea a big success.