Oakland County Parks is in the final stages of developing a Strategic Master Plan.

It is expected that this Plan will be approved by the Parks Commission in May. The Strategic Master Plan Summary Report should be posted on parks website sometime after May 7th.

On Wednesday I attended the public forum, which included a brief overview of the Plan and a chance for feedback. I was impressed with the Plan’s thoroughness.

The main concern brought up by three of us was this is great but when is the Road Commission of Oakland County going to make the roads safer to bike on? We want it to be easier and safer to ride to Oakland County Parks rather than rely on motor vehicles.

In fact I happened to ride to the meeting out in Waterford and was forced to use some unsafe county roads to get there. I had no choice — a point I raised at the meeting.

To their credit Oakland County Parks did meet earlier this year with the Road Commission to discuss trails and on-road bike facilities. It’s a start, but more needs to be done.

The City of Troy is making some real headway in making their community a better, safer, and easier place to bike and walk.

It wasn’t always like that, Just a few years back it held a very auto-centric view of transportation and roads — a view that’s unfortunately shared by many Metro Detroit municipalities and road agencies.

What changed in Troy?

They did a number of surveys asking what Troy residents wanted in their community. Biking and walking trails came out on top across the board. That opened some eyes.

In response, the City formed a Troy Trails and Pathways committee of citizens and supporters. The committee has been meeting for more than a year under the guidance of Troy Recreation Director Carol Anderson. Being involved I can say it’s a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable group.

To date our mission has been to help form a vision for Troy’s biking and walking facilities, including trails, bike lanes, sidewalks and more.

The next Troy Trails and Pathways committee will meet at the Troy Community Center on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 7:30pm in room 402.

Senator Tom Harkin from Iowa has introduced the Complete Streets Act of 2008. According to the Senator’s web site, “To reduce accidents, legislation will create ‘Complete Streets’ to keep motorists, transit vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians safe.”

Making our streets bike and pedestrian friendly is a win-win for us all. It not only promotes healthier lifestyles, it lowers the amount of traffic congestion that many people deal with every day.

So, what would this bill do for the Detroit area? It would require M-DOT and SEMCOG to adopt policies ensuring “that the safety and convenience of all users of the transportation system shall be accommodated.” That means all new road construction and reconstruction should include bicycle facilities unless very specific justifications can be documented.

Some U.S. cities and states already have Complete Streets policies. In Michigan, only the City of Jackson has done so.

What can you do to help? Make a quick call to Senators Levin (202.224.6221) and Stabenow (202.224.4822) to let them know you support Senator Harkin’s Complete Streets Act of 2008. If no one answers, just leave a message of support, your name, and address. (more…)

I was just discussing this bridge with someone recently and said I didn’t think anything was happening with it due to the current budget crunch in Pontiac. I was wrong. Under Act 51, 1% of the road funding each city, village, and county receives must go towards non-motorized transportation. Perhaps that is the grant match funding source in this case.

There is a public meeting on March 10th to discussed the proposed bridge. Here is the press release from the City of Pontiac: (more…)

According to this Detroit News article, “Wayne County Parks has allocated a $200,000 grant for a seven-mile bike trail. The trail will encompass central business district, several county and local parks, a golf course and schools and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.”

A little digging at the Redford Township web site revealed these proposed plans: (more…)