A young protester at the Palmer Park rally against closing Detroit parks
Complete Streets bills pass the House
House Bill 6151 passed on a 85 to 21 vote while House Bill 6152 passed 84 to 22. Both bills are now on their way to the Senate. This is great news, but we’re not done yet. Please contact your Michigan Senator and ask them to support both bills.
Michigan was named the tenth most obese state in the country, according to the seventh annual F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2010 report from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).
Obesity rates among youths ages 10-17 from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) also were included in the 2009 F as in Fat report; 12.4 percent of children were obese in the state, with the state ranking 41st out of the 50 states and D.C. for childhood obesity.
What’s interesting is Michigan’s youth obesity rank is 41st.
We spent a big chunk of last Sunday, Father’s Day, on the RiverWalk, just a few blocks from where we live. …for my children, now 5 and nearly 7, this was just another slice of Detroit nirvana.
The riverfront is their very public backyard, where they ride bikes or scooters and marvel at the bellowing vessels headed for the Soo. They’ve seen a wedding. They’ve learned about ducks and geese and powerboats.
Their neighborhood is safe and full of nearby thrills.
10. Conner Creek Greenway: Among the numerous bike lane and greenways projects around town, I chose to single this one out because of the fact that about a third of the 9-mile project, which will ultimately run contiguously from the Detroit River to Eight Mile by 2013, is already complete. The fact that the greenway taps into Creekside’s 140 acres of riverfront parks, Chandler Park and Mt. Olivet Cemetery and that it takes you pretty darn close to the haunted and awesome Two-Way Inn knocks this project out of the park.
Detroit Parks to remain open
The budget standoff between Detroit City Council and the Mayor’s office has been resolved. The $4.5 million cut to General Services has been restored. That cut would have eliminated 40 from the city’s grass cutting crew and kept parks from being mowed.
We did it. The mayor gave his budget amendment to City Council that restored half of the funding for parks and City Council approved it this afternoon. Mayor’s office says it is unlikely any parks will close now. President Pugh and Kenyatta agreed to work with this new coalition and Kenyatta is going to start a task force.
The Detroit Parks Coalition is having its second meeting next Wednesday, July 7 at 9 a.m. at the St. Luke Tabernacle, 19633 Joy Road (at Plainview 1 block east of Evergreen).
Had those 77 parks closed, it would likely have affected greenways and trails, including those at Rouge Park, Patton Park, and Palmer Park.
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.
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..
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.
