Here’s more video from NBC Nightly News on America’s growing switch to bike commuting. As noted, many cities across the U.S. have the infrastructure to help their residents make that switch. Unfortunately that is not the case in nearly all of Detroit’s suburbs.
Many cities… have a well-established infrastructure of bike lanes, bike-friendly public transit systems, and bike parking, making switching from four wheels to two easy for drivers fed up with high gas prices.
As we noted earlier, Governor Granholm started occasionally biking to work.
Our Governor also said that MDOT was looking at building more bike lanes. We made some calls to MDOT to learn more.
This is apparently “a new challenge to MDOT to get more on-road paved shoulders to assist with bicycle travel.” The are especially looking opportunities where they could connect with existing regional bike networks using state trunk lines.
This is very welcomed news for Michigan cyclists.
Also, Michigan’s governor riding to work did get some ink in the Chicago Tribune recently:
You know times are tough when the governor of Michigan, the top executive in the state that put the nation on wheels and sold a generation of Americans on the virtues of gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs, is now riding her bike to work.
This symbolic gesture by Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm—pedaling a couple of days a week to the state Capitol in Lansing—is part of an evolving behavior shift by individuals, employers and governments struggling to adjust to the hard reality of gas at more than $4 a gallon, as well as higher energy costs overall.
Bike lanes, bicycle boulevards, bike commuting, and more are highlighted in this NBC Nightly News video about Portland, Oregon and other progressive cities in the U.S.:
So much of life these days comes back to the price of gas, the high cost of simply getting around, which is why, any number of American cities and towns… are following the example of Portland, Oregon.
Construction is still underway on Detroit’s Dequindre Cut Greenway. Light posts and emergency call boxes are still being installed. It appears the trail surface base is ready for paving. The Antietam bridge has not been completed and it appears to still require considerable work.
Will it be ready for the planned grand opening in August? We hope so.
They don’t disappoint. The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) puts on an incredibly valuable and inspiring world summit every couple years. This year’s in Park City, Utah continued that winning streak.
Of course, how can you go wrong when you combine perfect weather, cold beers, the world’s foremost mountain bike advocates and Park City’s 300 miles of singletrack?