On September 2nd, Sean Harrington biked to the Detroit RiverWalk with his twin sons in a bike trailer. On the way home, he took the sidewalk north on Park Avenue, which is a one way side street heading south.

When pedestrians and construction scaffolding blocked the sidewalk, he rode on the road for about four car lengths.

That was apparently too much for Detroit Police who issued Harrington a $110 ticket and now may face charges of child endangerment.

What’s even more ridiculous is Park Avenue is a very low volume road. A 2005 study found an average of 280 cars per day on this section of road, which is lower than most residential neighborhood streets. North bound Clifford just west of Park carries ten times more traffic, and Woodward even more still.

Impeding vehicle traffic? Seriously?

This story has gotten a great deal of press locally (Free Press, Crains, mLive, ClickOnDetroit) and is starting to get some national attention as well.

MyFoxDetroit’s coverage includes this video which helps highlight the ridiculousness of this story.

Father Charged with Child Neglect after Bike Ride: MyFoxDETROIT.com

This bike polo mallet workshop is tomorrow, October 6th starting at 8pm at Omnicorp Detroit in Eastern Market. The cost, which includes materials, is $22.09 and you can register on-line.

Here is more information from the Facebook event page:

Bike Polo, you ask? It’s the hottest craze, Polo on bikes. To play, all you need is a bike and a mallet. Our guess is you already have a bike now all you need is a mallet. Come build one with us!

Mallet-Making will be from 8-10pm October 6th, @ OmniCorpDetroit 1501 Division in Detroit’s Historic Eastern Market. Walk away with your own bike polo mallet!

The Detroit Bicycle Company is a new bike manufacturer in Metro Detroit specializing in retro classic designs.

They had some of their bikes on display at the Tour de Troit last Saturday and it was impressive. They are building their own frames with Columbus SL crome-moly steel tubing and Nova lugs. They are also using classic frame geometries.

The complete bikes are dressed up with retro parts, including some with wood rims.

The results are bikes worthy of a museum — or a tweed ride.

They also have a web site where you can admire their work.

Stay tuned: You can expect some additional news on other bicycle manufacturing in Detroit…

Detroit elected Hazen Pingree mayor for four terms starting in 1889. During his time in office, he proposed a plan for a park along Detroit’s riverfront. The park would replace the industrial uses which kept the public from the river.

During the past decade, his vision for a more green waterfront has not only come to fruition but been expanded upon in length, running from just beyond both the MacArthur Bridge (at Belle Isle) to the Ambassador Bridge — if not further eventually.

George W. Stark’s book City of Destiny published in 1943 provides some background on Pingree’s pursuit.

Had Mr. Pingree had his way, Detroit’s sorely-neeed improved waterfront would have been started in his time and the city’s front door today an entrance of beauty, instead of pretty much an eyesore. For he proposed public acquisition of the waterfront from the Third street eastward [near Joe Louis Arena today] to include the old City waterworks site at the foot of Orleans Street [midpoint of today’s Milliken State Park]. He would have vacated about eighteen blocks in that area and converted it into a public park with an esplanade of shade trees, walks, lawns, pavilions and driveway.

It was a beautiful idea and periodically there is a revival of it, with plans and specifications brought down to current scale, indicating that, like all the pioneering dreams, this one will become a reality some day. In Pingree’s time, owners and lessees of riverfront property protested and conservative citizens denounced the plan as fantastic and ruinously extravagant.

If alive today, Stark and Pingree would likely agree. The Detroit RiverWalk is fantastic.

Photo from the Detroit News / Todd McInturf

Another record turnout at yesterday’s Tour de Troit bike ride. This organized ride began 10 years ago with 43 cyclists and has grown to 4,500 this year.

The ride is attracting many riders from Metro Detroit and across the Midwest as well as Ontario.

The Tour de Troit is much more than a huge group ride and a greenway fundraiser. It’s an up close introduction to the city of Detroit — the good and the bad — and one you just can’t get from driving through the city on the expressway or from the media.

Along those lines, the Detroit News quotes Kevin Kerwin of Ann Arbor: “I wish we spent more time in Detroit. We like getting the big city feel.”

The Tour is also kid-friendly. The Detroit Free Press coverage mentions two young Detroit participants turned cyclist enhusiasts.

Just before the race, Tyler Davis, 12, was running from bike to bike, filling tires with air. Along with Naja Nile, 10, Tyler built his bike from spare parts through a program at the All Saints Neighborhood Center. Both kids earned their bikes through sweat equity — 20 hours each. Supervising them was Paul Krystyniak, 27.

“I learned how to repair a bike the right way,” said Tyler, wielding an air pump. “It saves air pollution and money.”

Wayne State University’s South End and Michigan Radio also covered the event.

Governor Synder rides

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder was encouraged to join the Tour de Troit on Twitter, but he had a ride of his own. At the Michigan Republican Conference on Mackinaw Island, the Governor led a group of 100 on an 8-mile ride.

Billed as part of his recent Michigan health push, we wonder if he was just training for next year’s Tour…