From the League of Michigan Bicyclists:

The League of Michigan Bicyclists and the Michigan Fitness Foundation announced today that they will host a statewide conference call to assist businesses and communities to learn about the League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly Communities and Bicycle Friendly Business Program. The call is free to any interested individual or organization and will be held on Tuesday, June 29th from 12:30PM to 1:30PM. To RSVP and receive call-in information, please email jlindenmayer@lmb.org

The Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) program recognizes employers’ efforts to encourage a more bicycle-friendly atmosphere for employees and customers. The program honors innovative bike-friendly efforts and provides technical assistance and information to help companies and organizations become even better for bicyclists. This new initiative complements the League’s Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) program, which has been recognizing cities and towns for their bicycle friendliness since 2003.

The conference call will feature a presentation from Alison Dewey, a Washington, DC-based Program Specialist with the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America program. Alison will outline the programs and offer guidance on completing the application process. Joining Alison will be three Michigan-based advocates with previous experience working on BFB and BFC applications: John Lindenmayer, Associate Director of the League of Michigan Bicyclists; Rory Neuner, LMB Board Member; and Sarah Panken, the Active Communities Coordinator at the Michigan Fitness Foundation.

As of Spring 2010, six Michigan communities have received designation as a Bicycle Friendly Community at the Silver or Bronze level, and three Michigan communities have received an Honorable Mention. Three Michigan businesses, including the League of Michigan Bicyclists, have been designated as Bicycle Friendly Businesses.

MTGA at Detroit RiverDays

The Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance had a booth at the Detroit RiverDays event this past weekend. ?It was a great opportunity to discuss greenways, bike lanes, and Complete Streets ?in Detroit. The most popular question? “How do I get to the Dequindre Cut.” The MTGA booth was staffed with help from the Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion, the Detroit Eastside Community Collaborative, Villages CDC, and Southwest Detroit Business Association.

Conner Creek Greenways Update

Model D has an article about the recently complete bike lanes added to St. Jean, which add another mile to the Conner Creek Greenway. This Greenway is on Detroit’s east side and will be 9 miles when completed. It will run from the Detroit River to Eight Mile near Van Dyke.

Going Green in Warren

The city of Warren is also looking at how to continue the Conner Creek Greenway north of Eight Mile. Different on-road routes are being evaluated.

In addition, Todd Scott and Nancy Krupiarz of MTGA are featured this month on the city’s Going Green program on Warren cable television. The half-hour segment discusses biking, Complete Streets, and much more.

Serious Summer Leisure Rides

Last week the Metro Times continued their love affair with cycling by creating a fine list of places to ride throughout Metro Detroit. It does include Hines Drive and their summertime closures to motor vehicles. This is a great time for cyclists to take over the street. Happening since the Eighties, this type of car free event (called a Ciclovia) is now gaining in popularity across the U.S..

In some Metro areas, like Detroit, it can be very difficult to go car free. One option is to simply rent a car as needed.

However, that option is increasingly more expensive as governments across the U.S. have added car rental taxes.

According to a Detroit News article:

Since 1990, local and state governments have collected $7.5 billion in rental car taxes. Often, the money is used to bankroll programs and projects such as sports stadiums and convention centers.

It really doesn’t make sense for locals to pay for stadiums and convention centers when renting cars. And Detroit’s Big Three and UAW agree. They are asking Congress to “to bar new rental car taxes.”

“The main argument used to support these discriminatory taxes on rental cars is that tourists, who are incorrectly assumed to be affluent, are paying them. So it’s supposedly some type of ‘luxury tax.’ This is factually not true,” said Stephen Collins, AAPC president.

“The reality is that a major percentage of cars are rented in the U.S. by low- and medium-income consumers. That fact is backed by figures showing that more than half of all cars rented are from neighborhood locations, not airports. This pattern of misdirected and clearly discriminatory taxation hurts consumers of all income levels, absolutely hurts American jobs.”

We agree this taxation is misdirected but especially as it makes the car rental option more expensive for cyclists who don’t own their own vehicle.

Metro Detroit bicyclists and trail users have just lost a good friend as Oakland County Commissioner Jeff Potter (R-South Lyon) passed away this morning.

Jeff was a former mayor in South Lyon and very involved in the Huron Valley Trail (which connects South Lyon, Island Lake State Recreation Area, Kensington Metropark, and Wixom.)

This spring Jeff had shared with me a letter of support he’d written for the trail grant to expand the Huron Valley Trail over to West Bloomfield. One would be hard pressed to write a better letter of support. And in retrospect, it really shows Jeff’s thorough understanding of trails and their benefits from both a user and municipal perspective.

A favorite quote is, “…bike paths are not simply a resource for a small minority of bicycling enthusiasts and long distance riders, recognizable by their specialized gear (and physiques to match) but a valid transportation resource, and also a way to give our communities back to us from the dominance of the automobile and the outsize features which support it.”

While his support letter is long, it’s worth reading. It’s shown below in its entirety.

Rest in peace, Jeff Potter. We’ll miss you and continue to carry that torch.

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John Waterman, the executive director of PEAC (Program to Educate All Cyclists) will be in Lansing this Wednesday to discuss how we can better support cyclists with disabilities in Michigan. He’s wanting to get as many people to the meeting as possible.

Here’s more information from John:

PEAC is excited to share with you that Senator John Gleason, the Chair of the Michigan Legislative Disability Caucus, has invited PEAC to address Michigan?s Representatives and Senators, Wednesday, June 23rd. The topic of the meeting will be cycling and persons with disabilities. From 12pm-1pm PEAC will educate the Caucus about its mission and programs, and advocate for greater state support for cycling for persons with disabilities. John Waterman, Executive Director of PEAC, as well as several children who have benefitted from PEAC?s programs, will address the Caucus.

This is a crucial opportunity for us to share with legislatures the importance of providing opportunities for people living with disabilities. If you are planning on attending please contact me by at jwaterman@bikeprogram.org at leave a message at 734-484-2758. The meeting will be in the Capital Building, ?Speakers Library? 2nd Floor, West Wing. We already have a couple of carpools started and would like to organize more, so we can pack the house.

One interesting note: getting more persons with disabilities on bikes can save taxpayer dollars. It’s very expensive providing paratransit options. If we can make it easier and possible for people to ride, they might be able to use the existing linehaul bus system. Reducing paratransit needs can save a significant amount of money.