If you think you have it bad riding or walking in your town, it could be worse. You could be in India where 1% of the world’s vehicles generate 10% of the world’s traffic fatalities.
“The underlying problem… is poor design and signage.” That applies equally in Detroit. A well-engineered road decreases the reliance on enforcement and education. This is one of the fundamental principles of traffic calming.
“How We Drive” is a real interesting blog that more about roads users and transportation than just driving.
A recent entry is very relevant to bicyclists. It discusses how many drivers do not accurately assess the risks of their driving behavior. They take chances that most of the time don’t result in a crash or injury. Examples could include passing cyclists too closely on the road , crossing a double-yellow line to pass cyclists, or pulling through a crosswalk without looking for pedestrians.
Whether from personal on-road experience, or from reading studies, or from examining in-car footage of crashes and near-crashes, I am often struck by how often people seem to put themselves, and others, at great risk. Following closely at high speed on the interstate, or driving fast through a neighborhood street, they act in a way that suggests they believe that nothing could go wrong, or that they would be in control if it did. Over time, this behavior is typically rewarded, perhaps through sheer luck, until the ‘black swan’ event that they never expected actually happens. Then, as is often the case, begins a process of denial, an attempt to assuage the cognitive dissonance that has come between the image of themselves as a good and cautious driver and an event that was ‘beyond their control.’
Certainly there are some bicyclists that don’t accurately assess their risk. The difference being that the negative impacts of risky cycling behavior is generally limited to the cyclist. Motorist bad behavior around cyclists negatively impacts the cyclist.
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
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.