In Ferndale

The City is installing at least five new bike racks in Downtown. And according to this, they won’t be your run of the mill, cold gray steel variety. Ferndale is Fashionable even when it comes to bike racks!

Bicycling in Ferndale is about to become a bit easier and more secure this spring. The city plans to install at least five new artistic bike racks in the downtown area as part of its on-going effort to encourage more non-motorized traffic. The city expects to put in the bike racks in March or April. Each rack will be able to hold a handful of bikes and will be decorative and artistically unique. City officials are still determining where to put the new racks and what they will look like. Cost of the project is estimated at a few thousand dollars.

In Detroit

The City of Detroit is making some streetscape improvements downtown which are mostly covered by a Transportation Enhancements grant through MDOT. Some of those improvements include bike racks. The streets to be improved are Park Street, from Woodward to Adams Streets; Witherell, from Woodward to Adams; Adams, from Park to Witherell, Grand River Avenue, from Washington Boulevard to Broadway Avenue; and Clifford/John R., from Washington Boulevard to Broadway Avenue. (more…)

From MDOT…

I-275 Bike Path Asset Management Study

You are invited to join MDOT and their consultants, Wilbur Smith Associates and Wade Trim, at an Open House to review and provide input on the draft results of the existing conditions analysis for the I-275 Bike Path that has recently been completed. This work is the first step in an overall analysis of what will be needed to allow this 40+ mile path to become an integral piece of the regions bicycle and pedestrian circulation system. Information will be available for individual reviews between 3 and 5 PM on January 30, 2008 in the Freedom Room on the lower level of the Canton Administration Building, 1150 S. Canton Center, Canton, Michigan. There will be a short presentation of the draft conclusions of the existing conditions analysis at 3:30 PM.

The project team is looking for local input and review of the draft conclusions before finalizing them and moving onto the development of improvement recommendations. The project team is also interested in hearing any suggestions you may have about trail improvements, possible connections, or other recommendations relating the reinvigoration of the I-275 Bike Path.

There will also be two evening public work session. The first will be the evening of January 30, 2008, also in the Freedom Room in Canton starting at 5:30 PM. The second will be in the Activity Room in Willow Metropark on January 31, 2008, starting at 6:30 PM.

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MDOT recently announced their most recent Transporation Enhancement (TE) grants. TE money comes from the federal government and it requires a local matching from the grant recipient. TE grants are a major funding source for on-road and trail development.

In conjunction to the announcement, Governor Granholm added, “Michigan’s trails are gateways to recreation and tourism opportunities that grow our economy by attracting residents and visitors alike. Not only do they provide transportation and recreation options, but they make many areas of our state more livable and desirable places to do business.” (more…)

From From metromode:
“The Ypsi City Council approved adding seven blocks of bike lanes along West Forest Avenue between College Place and Norris Street. A Michigan Department of Transportation grant is paying for most of the $80,000 project while the city forks up (pun intended) $16,000 of the tab. The city will widen the road at certain points to accommodate bike lanes on both sides.

“Although Ypsilanti doesn’t have a specific non-motorized transportation plan, like Ann Arbor, it does try to add in bike lanes and paths where possible when roads are being rebuilt or resurfaced.”

Congratulations to M-DOT, the GreenWays Initiative, and the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance for their award and much-deserved recognition from the Federal Highway Administration.

MDOT honored for leadership role in GreenWays Initiative in Southeast Michigan: “A 100-mile network of non-motorized trails and greenways in southeast Michigan has been honored by the Federal Highway Administration.

Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Director Kirk T. Steudle accepted the award for ‘exceptional environmental stewardship’ at the Nov. 29 State Transportation Commission meeting in Lansing. ‘This award reflects our commitment to making non-motorized trails available as a transportation mode,’ said Steudle. ‘Trails are a part of the transportation mix that is essential to protecting the health and well being of Michigan residents, and greenways contribute to enhancing quality of life.'”