Last week, Hamtramck City Council unanimously passed the below Complete Streets resolution.

But don’t expect the city to complete any streets in the near term. City Council is also halting all non-emergency work by their public works department as they explore the possibility of declaring bankruptcy.

Their financial issues are really a shame because they have been doing some interesting master planning. Their preliminary recommendation presentation (from July 28, 2010) included these transportation goals:

Make Hamtramck’s streets and sidewalks safer and more accessible for drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Improve right of ways to promote the city’s image, create a more pleasant public realm, and strengthen connections between neighborhoods. Create better transit connections within Hamtramck and to/from locations outside the city.

It’d be nice maker Hamtramck roads safer for all, including bicyclists and those new Chevy Volts made just down the road.

RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (MDOT) COMPLETE STREETS INITIATIVE AS OUTLINED IN PUBLIC ACT 134, AND PUBLIC ACT 135, OF 2010.

WHERAS, increasing walking and bicycling offers improved health benefits for the population and more livable communities; and

WHERAS, a Complete Street is safe, comfortable, and convenient for travel by automobile, foot, bicycle, and transit regardless of age or ability, and

WHERAS, the Michigan Legislature has passed Complete Streets legislation that requires the Michigan Department of Transportation and local governments to consider all users in transportation related projects; and

WHERAS, Complete Streets support economic growth and community stability by providing accessible and efficient connections between home, school, work, recreation, and retail destinations by improving pedestrian and vehicular environments throughout communities; and

WHERAS, Complete Streets enhance safe walking and bicycling options for school-age children, in recognition of the national Safe Routes to School program; and

WHERAS, the City of Hamtramck recognizes the importance of street infrastructure and modifications such as sidewalks, crosswalks, shared use paths, bicycle lanes, signage, and accessible curb ramps, that enable safe, convenient, and comfortable travel for all users; and

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the city council of the city of Hamtramck, Wayne County, Michigan that:

FIRST: to the extent feasible, the City of Hamtramck will incorporate Complete Streets design considerations and practices as a routine part of infrastructure and planning and implementation; and

SECOND: that the City of Hamtramck supports the continued development of the City’s Master Plan, Infrastructure Plan, and Parks and Recreation Plan, that supports the ease of use, safety, and accessibility for all users within the City of Hamtramck.

PASSED AND APPROVED BY THE  CITY COUNCIL, CITY OF HAMTRAMCK, WAYNE COUNTY, MICHIGAN THIS 9^th DAY OF NOVEMBER, 2010.

AYES: Gordon, Hassan, Jankowski, Miah, Stackpoole

NAYS: None

ABSTENTIONS: None

ABSENT: Ahmed

Time Magazine included this quote from Toni Griffin. Ms. Griffin is a lead consultant for the planning effort to re-imagine Detroit, now called the Detroit Works Project.

Detroit is the only metro region in the U.S. without a metro transportation authority. If we begin to think about the role of transportation in the region differently, how we move from place to place becomes a crucial question. Efficiency — and the idea that we shouldn’t have to rely on a car so much — becomes part of the question. I like to think of Detroit not just as the home of automobile innovation. It’s the home of transportation innovation.

We’d like to see more mention of other transportation modes beyond cars and transit. We have shared that information with the planning team.

This is likely a case of light rail being more sexy than biking.

We know bicycling is huge opportunity that provides one answer to How will things move?

We wanted to mentioned one interesting story told by Susan Zielinski, a managing director at UM SMART at this week’s CEO for Cities conference. Zielinski moved from Toronto to Detroit and quickly learned that cars are transportation. Everything else is alternative transportation.

She said that’s like saying men are just alternative women.

We’d talked about the term alternative transportation before but this was a clever retort worth sharing (and re-using.)

Streetsblog released this engaging video from Portland, Oregon that shows their neighborhood greenways – something that might work on many streets in Metro Detroit.

As far as we know, it’s not a greenway design we’ve seen around here yet. There are some ongoing planning efforts in the city of Detroit that may incorporate these designs on some key residential streets.

The video also shows Portland’s Green Streets with stormwater management, wayfinding and some interesting intersection treatments.

Portland’s Bike Boulevards Become Neighborhood Greenways from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

From the Detroit News

By early next summer, the Corktown/Mexicantown Greenlink project will add bike lanes and routes all across the area. It’s likely that these neighborhoods will have a higher density of bike facilities than any other in Michigan.

But there’s more than just biking planned for this area.

Tonight from 4pm until 7pm is a public open house:

Come share with us a Community Vision for a 20 Block Area of Vernor and Bagley in and around the Mexicantown Mercado. Over 100 stakeholders came together to strategize on the Redevelopment of this Vital Area.

Design Boards will be on display for your review and comments.

Sponsored by: Southwest Housing and Detroit Collaborative Design Center, University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture.

Today’s Detroit News has an article with additional details.

One good question is how will this area’s planned redevelopment enhance and take advantage of the new biking facilities? We’ll know more tonight.

C and G News published an article on Ferndale’s passing of a Complete Streets ordinance.

In it, Mayor  Covey (and soon to be county commissioner) astutely noted that Ferndale has already had great success with Complete Streets, citing the W. Nine Mile road diet — a key turning point in revitalizing Downtown Ferndale.

Another key benefit to the ordinance?

Councilwoman Kate Baker pointed out that having a Complete Streets policy in place will also help to get the Police Department, the Department of Public Works, the Community Development Services Department, the Parks and Recreation Department and the Plan Commission on the same page.

That’s an interesting point. In many cities now, there is no such formal departmental coordination on road projects. We recently spoke with another city’s planning commission chair. They pushed their city engineering to let their commission review and comment on the road designs before they’re finalized.

In Detroit there been a discussion on what the health department’s role is in transportation decisions. We know that road designs affect whether people can safely bike or walk. We know that these decisions affect obesity.

And, road injuries and fatalities are a health issue. New York City Mayor Bloomberg noted the increase in life expectancy for his city residents just from reduced pedestrian and cycling deaths.

One final word: Thanks to the city of Ferndale for the beautifully re-paved bikes lanes on Hilton north of Nine Mile. They’re so smooth!