m-bike.org

Category: General bike news

  • Arrest warrant issued for Woodward Hit-and-Run

    Yesterday morning, an arrest warrant was issued for Kimberly Cooley Dancy, a 44-year old Royal Oak resident who is charged with the fatal hit-and-run crash that killed cyclist Jacqueline Marie Robinson.

    The charges?  According to the Daily Tribune, “Leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both; leaving the scene of a serious injury accident, a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a $5,000 fine or both; and malicious destruction of property over $1,000, a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both.”

    Dancy is expected to turn herself in on Monday.

    According to the Daily Tribune:

    Dancy tried to mask the damage to her white 2008 Jeep Liberty by driving it into a parked car one day after Jacqueline Marie Robinson, 40, of Detroit was killed, Royal Oak Detective Frank Bonnette said.

    “She intentionally damaged her vehicle by striking another vehicle,” Bonnette told 44th District Court Magistrate Kenneth Roy, who signed an arrest warrant. The experts in Rosemead area criminal defense lawyers can help in such cases.

    “It was the only vehicle in the parking lot and she rammed her Jeep into it at the same point of impact where the bicyclist was struck,” he said at a hearing Wednesday.

    According to a story in The Mirror, Dancy had filed a lawsuit against the City of Royal Oak for impounding her vehicle as evidence. The Police were planning on arresting her when she appeared for the initial hearing at the 44th District Court.

    She never showed.

    While there are still a few hours left on this day, there’s no better time to give thanks to the Royal Oak Police Department for their investigative efforts in this crime.

  • How many bike to work in Detroit?

    www.pedbikeimages.org / Dan Burden
    www.pedbikeimages.org / Dan Burden

    Ever wonder how many people are biking or walking to work in Metro Detroit?  How do we compare with the bike friendly cities of Chicago and Portland?

    Fortunately the U.S. Census publishes statistics on how people get to work. The below numbers are from 2007, which is before gasoline hit $4 a gallon and encouraged increased bike commuting.  We look forward to seeing the 2008 numbers.

    Note that the Metro Detroit error margins are generally +/- 0.1%. For cities, the error margins are much larger which makes comparing these numbers somewhat precarious.

    One conclusion that can be drawn is women don’t bike to work as frequently as men, but especially in some areas such as Wayne County, Southfield, and Grand Rapids.  Even in more bike friendly cities like Ann Arbor, Chicago, and Portland, women workers are much less likely to bike to work.  There is no corresponding gender difference among those walking to work in many of these regions (the City of Detroit is an exception).  In Metro Detroit, women  walk to work more often than men (1.6% vs. 1.4%).

    Another conclusion: Detroit has much room for improvement compared to places like Ann Arbor, Chicago, and Portland.

    City/Region Total Workers
    (age 16 & over)    		 Walk
    to work    		 Bike to work
    Overall Male Female
    Michigan 4,400,918 2.3% 0.4% 0.5% 0.2%
    Metro Detroit 1,925,690 1.5% 0.2% 0.3% 0.1%
    Wayne County 758,034 1.9% 0.3% 0.5% 0.0%
    Oakland County 577,367 1.6% 0.2% 0.3% 0.2%
    Macomb County 383,058 0.9% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1%
    Genesee County 170,312 1.0% 0.1% 0.2% 0.0%
    Detroit 249,970 2.7% 0.3% 0.7% 0.0%
    Southfield 33,936 2.2% 0.4% 0.7% 0.0%
    Troy 42,211 0.5% 0.3% 0.2% 0.3%
    Ann Arbor 55,336 13.8% 2.6% 3.4% 1.8%
    Lansing 52,690 2.5% 0.4% 0.5% 0.3%
    Grand Rapids 90,481 3.6% 1.1% 2.0% 0.1%
    Traverse City region 66,557 2.8% 0.5% 0.7% 0.4%
    Flint 31,579 0.8% 0.4% 0.6% 0.2%
    Chicago, IL 1,230,933 5.4% 1.1% 1.4% 0.7%
    Portland, OR 280,933 4.4% 3.9% 4.9% 2.8%

    One question we have is how does the Census Bureau count workers that use bus bike racks?  Are they counted as public transit commuters, as bicyclists or both?

  • Wise Words from Congressman Earl Blumenauer

    This brief interview with Congressman Earl Blumenauer was recently published in Parade Magazine:

    Why care about cycling now?
    Right now, the U.S. consumes about 10% of the world’s oil supply just to get back and forth to work. If we are able to reintroduce the bicycle into our communities, we are going to make it easier for people to break our addiction to oil. I have cycled to work in Washington, D.C., for 12 years. I’ve burned over 300,000 calories and saved $94,000 in car costs, 206 gallons of fuel, and 4800 pounds of carbon dioxide.

    Your city—Portland, Oregon —is very bike-friendly. What has worked?
    We have expanded the number of bike lanes, established bike routes throughout the city, and turned major streets into “bike boulevards” so there is less through traffic. It’s making a huge difference. People in Portland use their cars much less than the American average. That translates into savings of more than $2500 per year per family. There should be a bicycle master plan for cities large and small.

    How do you balance the competing demands of cyclists who want more lanes and drivers who worry about congestion?
    It’s not about competition. Cycling actually helps improve traffic flow on roads. If all of those thousands of people who bike every day in Portland were to get back in their cars, we would have more traffic congestion and more frayed nerves. Cycling helps with parking, too—you can fit a dozen bikes in the space one car would take.

    Link: A Greener Commute by Meg Massey

  • Push for Better Biking in Royal Oak Continues

    Photo of Madison, Wisconsin from www.pedbikeimages.org / Dan Burden

    Last week we spoke before the Royal Oak Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and asked them to support our push for safer biking and walking in Royal Oak.

    While our public comment echoed much of what we said before the City Commission last week, we did try to focus a bit more on the downtown area.

    For example, we noted that on average 1% of Michigan trips are currently made by bike.  They’ve made a big commitment in Portland, Oregon to improve biking and now 8% of their trips are by bike and it’s growing.  (Amsterdam is at 40%!) If we followed Portland’s lead, we could save money by decreasing our need for more car parking.  And bicyclists shop local.

    Overall, the DDA was receptive and was interested in having a representative on our bicycle task force.

    At the same meeting, the DDA approved nine new bike racks throughout Downtown Royal Oak.  SMART is covering the cost for eight of the racks.

    We’ve also received additional media coverage from The Mirror and the Royal Oak Review.

    We are meeting with City Manager Tom Hoover and staff this Tuesday.

  • Support your State Parks

    In 2004 our state legislators removed all taxpayer support for Michigan’s state parks.

    The result is our state parks rely heavily on camping fees and motor vehicle passes to keep the front gate open.

    You can help keep our state parks operating by buying a $24 motor vehicle pass for 2009.  You can also buy them to give as gifts.  The DNR also offers gift certificates.

    “Most Michigan residents are located within a one hour drive of a state park, recreation area or boating access site.  The permits provide Michigan residents, and non-residents, access to 98 Michigan state parks or recreation areas and over 800 access sites located statewide,” said Ron Olson, DNR Parks and Recreation chief.  “Giving a motor vehicle permit, a boating access site permit, or a gift certificate is giving the gift of outdoors, and it also helps support our state park system.”

    These state park passes are really quite a deal.  For only $24, one can have year-long access to one of the nation’s premier state park systems.   California State Park annual passes are $125.

    People have asked why the DNR doesn’t raise the motor vehicle entry fees to help make ends meet.  The bottom line is they can’t.  The price is set by the state legislators who have been reluctant to make any changes.

    Gift certificates and permits can be purchased year round through the Michigan e-store or by calling 517-373-9900.