The Royal Oak Police have found the Jeep Liberty involved in the hit-and-run accident on Woodward which killed Jacqueline Marie Robinson as she biked to work.

According to the Royal Oak Review:

The SUV belonged to a Royal Oak resident and had been already repaired before the department took it in as evidence, O’Donohue said. “(We found the vehicle) through a variety of sources and some really good detective work,” O’Donohue said. “The investigation is continuing. That is all we are really releasing right now.”

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Royal Oak police at (248) 246-3515.

Also, donations can be made in the name of Robinson’s mother, Judith Parent, who is caring for the boys. The address is Bank of America, 28746 Woodward, Royal Oak 48067.

If you live, work and bike in Royal Oak — we need you on Monday, November 10th at 7:30 PM at City Hall (third floor).

Royal Oak City Environment Committee, the Sierra Club, and concerned local bicyclists are speaking before City Commission to ask for improved bicycle and pedestrian safety in Royal Oak.  In short we are asking them to develop a non-motorized transportation plan.

Here are some tips from Tom Regan, who’s down a lot of work getting us to this point:

We will speak at public comment, which is at the very start of the meeting, so you must be on-time.

Idea — Bike to the event and carry your bicycle helmet into the meeting. Hold your helmet when you speak at public comment.

The themes are very simple. You can address any one or more of these points when you speak:

• Royal Oak can be a dangerous place to ride a bike.
• All Royal Oak citizens will benefit if Royal Oak becomes a safer place to walk and ride a bike.
• Royal Oak should write a non-motorized transportation plan as a way to set community goals and reach them in an intelligent and efficient manner.

Be very brief, or take the whole 5 minutes, or just give your name and address and say “I would like Royal Oak to write a non-motorized transportation plan.” If even that sounds scary just stand next to someone else when they talk and hold your bike helmet!

The local Sierra Club has jumped into this effort with both feet. They are an extremely well-organized and active chapter, we are very fortunate to have their help. The Royal Oak Environment Committee has also endorsed the effort.

Please send your letters-to-the-editor now. There will be a sudden drop in letters with the election over, now is a good time to get published. Nothing long or involved is needed, just dash off something quick on how Royal Oak would benefit if it were safer for walking and biking:

• Royal Oak Mirror
• Royal Oak Review
• Royal Oak Daily Tribune
• Oakland Press

We look forward to seeing some helmets at Monday’s meeting.

There’s been plenty of debate about the value of two Southeast Michigan ghost bikes.

One positive thing they have resulted in is front page media coverage.  The October 1st Royal Oak Review put the story on page one with a photo.  The October 5th Mirror Newspaper just did the same.

For many, the incident, and the stark reminder of it, have heightened the awareness for bike safety in what is still largely a car-dominant metro area.

It was great to read informed public officials talking about bike lanes as an option for safer cycling in Metro Detroit.  Cullen Watkins, store manager for American Cycle & Fitness also said the same.

He thinks bike lanes would go far to protecting bicyclists. “When all is said and done, every community can put in bike lanes. People are walking on the sidewalks; we don’t belong on the sidewalks.”

So at this point is remains to be seen if this recent media attention will help put this issue on the City of Royal Oak and the City Commission agendas’ — something we have not been able to achieve to date.

The insignificant traffic levels on Woodward during the early morning (left) make it an ideal choice for bicyclists

The Detroit Free Press ran a followup article on the bicyclist who was recently hit and killed in Royal Oak:

Who rides a bike along Woodward Avenue near 12 Mile at 1:30 a.m.?

The answer: a single mom raising two kids. With no car, she commuted by bike from southwest Detroit to Royal Oak to care for a 92-year-old man.

Friends and family members describe Jackie Robinson as a fighter who had battled adversity and was working hard for her two boys, Bruce, 13, and Keith, 11.

“She was a good person,” said Heather Weeks, a cousin. “She would give you the shirt off her back.”

You can read the entire article here.

As much as I enjoy and respect Bill McGraw, the article’s author, he does make one significant mistake.  He implies Woodward is always busy and perhaps not ideal for biking:

Riding a bike on multilane Woodward north of 8 Mile can be harrowing: The speed limit in Royal Oak is 45, and an average of about 75,000 vehicles pass 12 Mile every day.

Woodward Avenue south of 12 Mile at 1:30 AM is not harrowing.  The latest SEMCOG traffic count for this northbound stretch of road shows only 140 vehicles per hour on this well-lit, four-lane road.

That’s just one car going past every 26 seconds across four lanes of traffic.  Harrowing?  That’s an ideal road choice for a cyclist.  There’s plenty of room for vehicles and bicycles to share Woodward in the early morning hours.

And the frosting on the cake is according to MDOT, traffic levels have been declining on Woodward Avenue.

Don’t Forget:  Anyone with information about this hit-and-run is strongly urged to call the Royal Oak Police at 248.246.3515 anytime.

As reported earlier, a Royal Oak bicyclist was recently killed in a hit and run on Woodward. There had been discussion on Detroits Critical Mass discussion list about adding a ghost bike at the crash scene.

Ghost Bikes are small and somber memorials for bicyclists who are killed or hit on the street. A bicycle is painted all white and locked to a street sign near the crash site, accompanied by a small plaque. They serve as reminders of the tragedy that took place on an otherwise anonymous street corner, and as quiet statements in support of cyclists’ right to safe travel.

Apparently that discussion turned to reality.

Bill McGraw of the Free Press reported on it in today’s paper: A hit-and-run death in Royal Oak brings a ghost bike for all to see.

No one has taken credit for the Royal Oak ghost bike, though someone faxed an anonymous, handwritten press release to the Free Press.

“Our roads are meant to be shared,” it said.