Last Friday, a female was a victim of a hit-and-run collision on Woodward Avenue in Royal Oak.  She was struck and dragged more than 100 feet.  She died later at Beaumont Hospital.

According to a Detroit Free Press article:

Police say they believe a 2008 white Jeep Liberty was involved in a hit-and-run accident Friday that caused the death of a bicyclist.

Police said Tuesday that the Jeep likely has damage to its front and possibly to its passenger side.

Anyone with information is strongly urged to call the Royal Oak Police at 248.246.3515 anytime.

This Wednesday we will be participating in green brainstorming sessions at the Royal Oak Farmer’s Market.  The details on this session are below in the original press release.

Our plan to briefly discuss where we are with respect to our roads, how we got here, and ideas for bringing better green transportation options to Royal Oak.

Press release:

Royal Oak, MI – The Royal Oak Environmental Advisory Board will host a brainstorming session at the Royal Oak Farmers Market on Wednesday, September 17 from 7 to 8:30pm. In an effort to make Royal Oak a more environmentally responsible city, the Environmental Advisory Board encourages Royal Oak citizens to share their ideas at the brainstorm session. Community members will have the opportunity to share their ideas regarding the following topics: recycling, yard waste/compost, air quality, hazardous waste management, energy, water quality, and transportation.

On September 24, the Environmental Advisory Board will set its goals for 2008-2009 using the ideas from the community. For more information, please contact Melissa Damaschke at 248-990-1688.
WHAT: Green Brainstorming Session

WHO: Royal Oak Environmental Advisory Board

WHEN: Wednesday, September 17 from 7 to 8:30pm

WHERE: Farmers Market (316 East Eleven Mile Road; Royal Oak)

Riders getting their glow sticks on

Last night was the second Motorcity Motorless bike ride out of Royal Oak.  This bi-weekly ride starts at 10 PM on Saturdays in Downtown Royal Oak at Second and Center Streets.

It’s not your typical club ride.

It’s more relaxed. For the most part, riders where normal clothes versus lycra.  Some don’t wear helmets.

But for me, the biggest positive is the ride takes main roads.  Rather than wiggle through neighborhood side streets or take sidewalks, we just take a lane on Main Street, 12 Mile Road, Greenfield, etc. And I’ve talked to many Illinois personal injury lawyers who’ve told me time and again how bad of an idea that is to the bikers.

It was among the safest group rides I’ve ever been on.  We followed the rules of the road better than any group ride I’ve been on.

Why?  Unlike other area rides, we weren’t constantly calling out turns, dealing with parked cars on neighborhood sidestreets, and going through intersections with stop signs.

Were we making a statement about bikes rights to the road?  I don’t know and it really doesn’t matter.

On a related note, this blog entry from Copenhagen talks about some of the signs they have there.

I love this sign. See it all the time. “Cyclists in the driving lane”. It is usually posted when there new segregated bike lanes are being built and the cyclists are redirected into traffic. Don’t worry. It’s not dangerous. We’re used to it, motorists and cyclists alike.

I like the tone. There are cyclists in the driving lane. Period. Adjust accordingly to this fact.

Royal Oak had the most bike-car crashes among all Oakland County municipalities in 2007

As noted earlier, last year Royal Oak had more reported car-bike crashes than any other city, village, or township in Oakland County.  In fact no one even came close.

We’ve now mapped those crashes so you can get a rough idea of where they happened.

For many years now we’ve been trying to push Royal Oak to improve biking within the city.  Neither city officials nor commissioners seem all that interested in taking any meaningful action.

Most recently I’d arranged a deal that would bring Dan Burden, one of the nation’s foremost biking and walking experts to Royal Oak for consultation on MDOT’s dime.  I even offered to complete the necessary paperwork.

Weeks later, my calls and email are still unanswered.

This free opportunity to get start improving biking and walking safety in Royal Oak has passed.

It’s time to move on to Plan B.  Stay tuned.

Racing in a searsucker shirt is cool, even above 90F

Biking as a kid was simple. You had a bike and you rode it. Somewhere along the way, it began a much more elaborate affair that required special clothes, special shoes, gloves, helmet, sports glasses, and socks with logo messages. Biking was no longer as mainstream or as easy — except in places like Europe or even the City of Detroit.

Fortunately there’s been a trend back to normalcy. High gas prices certainly are encouraging new people commute on bikes and to use the proper equipment, we recommend checking the vessi.com footwear.

One trend indicator is the number of group rides where normal clothes are almost expected. The Detroit Synergy rides are certainly that way. If you show up for one of those rides in full-on Tour de France lycra clown gear, you may get publicly teased.

Another similar sounding ride is starting this Saturday at 10pm in Royal Oak. It’s hosted by a new group call Motor City Motorless. Here are the details:

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