From MDOT’s press release:

Milford Trail

The village of Milford, in partnership with the Charter Township of Milford, the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority, and the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan, will construct 2.9 miles of non-motorized trail. The trail will go from north of General Motors Road at the Milford Dam, then south across General Motors Road into Kensington Metropark, and continue south toward the intersection of Milford Road and Huron River Parkway. It will be an integral part of a much larger planned system within the county and region. A portion of the non-motorized network has been constructed, including the Kensington Metropark loop, a connection under I-96 and into Island Lake State Recreation Area, and the Huron Valley Trail that leads southwest into South Lyon and east toward Wixom.
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University of Michigan urban planning graduate students are completing a couple studies in conjunction with the Eight Mile Boulevard Association and Macomb County Planning.

One study examined how to improve non-motorized transportation along Eight Mile. Different solutions were proposed for portions of Eight Mile due to its changing density, traffic speeds, and service levels. Some suggestions included bike lanes, bike parking, improved crossings, and more. With Eight Mile being reconstructed in upcoming years, it’s hoped that some of these suggestions could be integrated with those efforts.

The second study was to connect Detroit’s Conner Creek Greenway to Warren’s Red Run Rec Center. There were two suggested routes, either or both could be implemented. The first crossed east of the Eight Mile/Van Dyke (V-8) intersection and continued north along MacArthur Boulevard and the ITC power line corridor. The other route included on-road bike lanes along Van Dyke, which like Eight Mile will be reconstructed in the near future.

Both routes look good. ?The ITC route offered more greenspace, while the Van Dyke route provide better business access. Also, the Van Dyke route isn’t too far from Sherwood Avenue which provides excellent access between Warren, Centerline, and Detroit. That makes it a tad bit redundant.

The study’s proposed Eight Mile crossing does not include a pedestrian bridge for many of the reasons we cited earlier. MDOT agreed. And there was one additional reason not to build a large steel raised bridge over Eight Mile. It would have to run just under the high-power lines which run down the center boulevard. Doh!

The alternative provides a highly-visible signalized crossing, which really seems to make the most sense for both pedestrians and cyclists. The group proposed a HAWK signalized crossing, which would require some changes to Michigan’s current road laws.

The importance of this cross-county trail link is immense from both the non-motorized and political perspectives. Starting from the Detroit River, one could eventually take the Connor Creek Greenway north to Warren, along the proposed Red Run trail into Madison Heights or Sterling Heights, with connections to the Metro Parkway and Clinton River pathway.

MDOT recently installed High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) signs along Michigan Avenue from Wyoming to Downtown.  They reserve the rightmost travel lane for vehicles with two or more passengers.  This includes buses.  It wouldn’t include bicycles.

Do that mean cyclists would have to stay out of the HOV lane and ride more in the center of Michigan Avenue?

But to back up first, as noted in the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press articles, Michigan law does not allow for the enforcement of HOV violators. MDOT is looking at changing the law and adding HOV definition and enforcement language.

I contacted MDOT Metro Region Engineer Greg Johnson and shared concerns about how bicycles fit into this mix. Preferably bicycles would continue riding on the right side of the road.  Mr. Johnson forwarded these concerns “to ensure that we take bicyclists into account in this language.”

Of course, long term Michigan Avenue is planned to have bike lanes once it is reconstructed through this stretch.  But for now we just don’t want cyclists getting tickets for riding in a safe and reasonable manner.

Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) took first place and an honorable mention for their bike maps at the recent AASHTO GIS-T Symposium.

From the MDOT press release:

Michigan is a bicycling paradise with its scenic vistas and miles of picturesque orchards and waterfront. Now, two new award-winning bike maps are available to help plan your next trip.

First Place was for the “Bay Region Road and Trail Bicycling Guide,” which includes Saginaw, Bay City, Flint, and east to Port Sanilac. This map shows “road surface types, traffic volumes, paved/unpaved trails with regional significance, recreational facilities, points of interest, and other amenities that make cycling across Michigan more enjoyable.”

The Honorable Mention was for the “Northeast Region Road and Trail Bicycling Guide.”

MDOT has these biking maps and others on-line as PDFs.  You can also order paper copies of these and county-specific maps.

But, if you prefer something on-line, try the MTGA Trails Finder.

M-DOT has just announced another $3.8 million in Transportation Enhancement funding for 11 projects across the state. These grants will be used to develop non-motorized trails, pave roadway shoulders, purchase bus bike racks and more. All projects will take place during the 2008 construction season.

Unfortunately the bus bike racks aren’t for D-DOT. Flint and Marquette requested those.

However, two of the grants are in Detroit and will undoubtedly improve biking in the City.

Here are the details from MDOT: (more…)