Here’s some breaking news from Rory Neuner from the Michigan Environmental Council and a League of Michigan Bicyclists director:

The Lansing City Council voted unanimously tonight (Monday) to adopt a Complete Streets / Non-Motorized Plan ordinance. We’re thrilled!

What does this mean?

There’s more information on this ordinance and how the Lansing Walking & Bicycling Task Force got to this milestone on their web site. But in summary, this ordinance:

1. Requires the City of Lansing to adopt a Non- Motorized Network Plan.
2. The Non-Motorized Network Plan would include, at a minimum, accommodations for accessibility, sidewalks, curb ramps and cuts, trails and pathways, signage, and bike lanes, and shall incorporate the principles of Complete Streets and maximize walkable and bikeable streets within the City.
3. To the extent financially feasible, future construction or reconstruction of City rights-of- way or any parts thereof shall be in conformity with the Non-Motorized Network Plan.
4. Encourage adequate funding for the plan.
5. Require an update of the Non-Motorized Network Plan every five years from the date of adoption.

Passing an ordinance up front is a slightly different route than what was taken in Royal Oak and Troy, but definitely works.

And perhaps the biggest benefit to what Lansing has achieved is the funding. Making plans is easy. It’s a major challenge finding the money to implement them, especially in these economic times.

Under current Michigan law (called Act 51), a minimum of 1% of the state road funds each city, village, and county receive must be spent on non-motorized facilities like bike lanes and sidewalks. Some follow this law and some don’t, but that’s a whole other topic.

The city of Lansing currently spends 2% to 3% for non-motorized facilities. Under this ordinance that  is raised to 5%.

Congratulations, Lansing!

On August 3rd, Royal Oak’s City Commission awarded the non-motorized planning project to the Active Transportation Alliance (ATA) out of Chicago. Developing a non-motorized plan is a major first step towards making Royal Oak more bike and pedestrian friendly.

This is great news, especially in light of the recent bad news regarding non-motorized crashes.

There were ten proposals submitted. Clearly four of the submitters had little to no understanding of what a non-motorized plan entailed or what the national guidelines are for developing bicycling facilities. Not surprisingly, they were also the four least expensive proposals.

Fortunately there were many other very solid proposals. And in reviewing them, it’s quite clear that non-motorized planning has risen to a new level over the past few years within Metro Detroit. The bar has been raised.

But for Royal Oak, the Bicycle Task Force and city staff recommended a planning team that is new to Metro Detroit. The Active Transportation Alliance (formerly known as the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation) has been very integral in Chicago’s non-motorized planning and implentation. And, they’ve taken those years of experience and are expanding beyond Metro Chicago.

When do we start? At this time it’s a matter of waiting for the Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant (EECBG) monies to arrive.

The city of Royal Oak has a copy of ATA’s non-motorized planning proposal on their web site.

Kathy Wendler of the Southwest Detroit Business Association addresses the ribbon cutting crowd

Bagley Bridge in Mexicantown

The ribbon cutting for the I-75 Gateway Project was Monday.

Northbound and southbound I-75 are now open. However, the Bagley bike and pedestrian bridge is not.

MDOT announced that the ramps will be completed in a later construction phase. According to the Detroit News, it won’t open until November.

Metro Detroit Trails

The Detroit News recently published an interactive map showing shared-use trails in Metro Detroit. It really shows how these trails are starting to connect into a larger regionwide network — a process largely led by the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance.

Draft Trailway Master Plan

The Spinal Column is reporting the completion of a draft master plan for the Huron Valley Trail extension eastward from Wixom to M-5.

The Commerce, Walled Lake and Wixom Trailway Management Council will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. on July 30 in the Commerce Township Hall to receive public comment on a proposed master plan for the Michigan Airline Railroad corridor.

The trailway council, made up of representatives of three communities that seek to acquire stretches of the railroad running through their jurisdiction, is expected to adopt the master plan at the July 30 meeting.

This plan was paid for by a $5,250 donation from the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance.

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

Yo, here’s a fun, snappy Friday video via Streetsblog: