Yesterday, the below letter was sent to the Highland Park Chief of Police, Theodore G. Cadwell II:

Dear Chief Cadwell,

I am writing to express concern that some of the Highland Park police officers may not be familiar with state law and bicycling.

Last night I was riding home from the Detroit Fireworks along Woodward Avenue through Highland Park.

At 11:11pm, I passed a Highland Park squad car at a traffic stop on northbound Woodward near Church. The police officer yelled “Sidewalk” to me. Apparently he expected me to ride on the sidewalk rather than the road. However, under state law, I have the same access to the road as any motorist (though I must stay to the right.)

According to MCL 257.657:

Each person riding a bicycle, electric personal assistive mobility device, or moped or operating a low-speed vehicle upon a roadway has all of the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this chapter, except as to special regulations in this article and except as to the provisions of this chapter which by their nature do not have application.

I would also note that bicycling on a sidewalk is far more dangerous than bicycling on a road. There have been numerous studies which have come to that conclusion.

Also, last month the Secretary of Transportation posted the article, Bicycling is only healthy when you ride safely. In the article he said, “Motorists should recognize that bicyclists have a right to ride on the roadway” and “bicyclists should ride on the roadway, rather than on sidewalks.”

I will drop off some booklets called “What Every Bicyclists Must Know” at the police station. They were printed in partnership with MDOT and help explain bicycle laws in the state of Michigan.

Here’s more positive bike news from south of the border.

The Windsor Star is reporting a warm public response to a proposal to add bike lanes to Tecumseh Road in Tecumseh, Ontario, just outside of Windsor.

A $17-million project to eliminate the two-metre deep ditch along the west side of Manning Road and add bike lanes has residents mostly asking one question.

How soon can you do it?

The town sought public comment Monday on the options for reconstructing Manning from St. Gregory Street to Riverside Drive as part of the environmental assessment process.

Read the entire article

(via Bike Windsor)

The Center for Neighborhood Technology recently released a web tool that allows you to look at different geographic data relating to housing and transportation costs.

It’s called the H+T Affordability index. The thought is we shouldn’t look just at housing costs when evaluating house affordability. We need to consider transportation costs as well.

Often you’ll hear home buyers mention how much more house they can get further in the sprawling areas. What’s often not mentioned is living there has higher transportation costs because there’s more driving, less public transit, and reduced walkability and bikeability. Combining housing and transportation costs should give a more accurate estimation of affordability.

What’s interesting about the H+T web tool is it lets you select and view different datasets. One very interesting dataset is the average street block size. The smaller the blocksize, the most walkable the area likely is.

And more bikeable.

Below is a screenshot showing average block sizes for Metro Detroit. Based on my experience, this matches well with this area’s bikeability. Detroit and the inner ring suburbs are very good while the outer suburbs are not very good at all.

There are some dark spots in otherwise bikeable communities. These are often parks, golf courses, major industrial zones, or other superblocks.

Does this map estimate road bikability in your neighborhood?

Last month, New York City released a huge manual on how to design their city streets and sidewalks.

It’s purpose is to “serve as a comprehensive resource for promoting higher quality street designs and more efficient project implementation.”

And by the looks of it, this manual is a great resource for promoting better bicycle facilities and policies.

Street Design Policy

Included in the manual is a street design policy which lists the overall goals. The first four goals include references to bicycling, which is very impressive. New York City is clearly aiming to be much more bicycle-friendly.

“Design for Safety: Prioritize safety for all street users, particularly more vulnerable groups (children, the elderly, those with disabilities) and more vulnerable modes (walking, bicycling).”

“Design for Access and Mobility: Prioritize walking, bicycling, and transit by providing safe, accessible, convenient, and comfortable facilities for these modes, particularly on designated routes and at critical network connections.”

“Design for Context: Design local streets to be green, traffic calmed environments that encourage walking, bicycling, and recreational activities.”

“Design for Livability: Design streets to encourage physical activity for all ages and populations by making walking, bicycling, and transit attractive and convenient.”

Road Geometry

Chapter 2 of the manual covers road geometry and gives many great examples of bike lanes and paths.

One particular bike lane design is shown in the above photo. The design provides additional painted buffering between the vehicular travel lane and the bike lane. Though the buffering wouldn’t stop a car from encroaching in the bike lane, they increase the perceived safety for cyclists.

Buffered bike lanes seem like a great option for city of Detroit roads since they are often overbuilt and have the spare width needed for this implementation.

For more non-motorized transportation advocacy information from New York City, visit Streetsblog.

Link: New York City Street Design Manual

We know Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood is a friend to bicyclists.

Today he posted a pro-biking entry on his blog entitled Bicycling is only healthy when you ride safely.

It’s clear that bicycling is good for the environment…when it takes vehicles off the road. It’s also clear that bicycling is good for your health…when you practice safety.

May is National Bike Safety Month. As this Administration works to develop environmentally-sound transportation options, making our streets more bike-friendly is high on the list. Our roads and communities must be built to allow people to get around safely outside of their cars, on bike or on foot.

But, as more people take to bicycling, that idea can only be sound when drivers and cyclists help each other share the roads safely.

That’s great to read from the head of the Department of Transportation.

He also included these tips.

Motorists should:

• Recognize that bicyclists have a right to ride on the roadway;
• Stay alert and keep distractions to a minimum;
• Make a complete visual check for bicyclists before entering or leaving a lane of traffic.

But, bicyclists have an obligation as well. They should:

• Ride on the roadway, rather than on sidewalks;
• Follow the same rules of the road as other vehicles;
• Wear a bicycle helmet every time you ride;
• Make yourself visible, day and night.

And because we welcome this pro-bicycling message, we’ll let him slide on the helmet “obligation”.