As reported earlier, a Royal Oak bicyclist was recently killed in a hit and run on Woodward. There had been discussion on Detroits Critical Mass discussion list about adding a ghost bike at the crash scene.

Ghost Bikes are small and somber memorials for bicyclists who are killed or hit on the street. A bicycle is painted all white and locked to a street sign near the crash site, accompanied by a small plaque. They serve as reminders of the tragedy that took place on an otherwise anonymous street corner, and as quiet statements in support of cyclists’ right to safe travel.

Apparently that discussion turned to reality.

Bill McGraw of the Free Press reported on it in today’s paper: A hit-and-run death in Royal Oak brings a ghost bike for all to see.

No one has taken credit for the Royal Oak ghost bike, though someone faxed an anonymous, handwritten press release to the Free Press.

“Our roads are meant to be shared,” it said.

Riders getting their glow sticks on

Last night was the second Motorcity Motorless bike ride out of Royal Oak.  This bi-weekly ride starts at 10 PM on Saturdays in Downtown Royal Oak at Second and Center Streets.

It’s not your typical club ride.

It’s more relaxed. For the most part, riders where normal clothes versus lycra.  Some don’t wear helmets.

But for me, the biggest positive is the ride takes main roads.  Rather than wiggle through neighborhood side streets or take sidewalks, we just take a lane on Main Street, 12 Mile Road, Greenfield, etc. And I’ve talked to many Illinois personal injury lawyers who’ve told me time and again how bad of an idea that is to the bikers.

It was among the safest group rides I’ve ever been on.  We followed the rules of the road better than any group ride I’ve been on.

Why?  Unlike other area rides, we weren’t constantly calling out turns, dealing with parked cars on neighborhood sidestreets, and going through intersections with stop signs.

Were we making a statement about bikes rights to the road?  I don’t know and it really doesn’t matter.

On a related note, this blog entry from Copenhagen talks about some of the signs they have there.

I love this sign. See it all the time. “Cyclists in the driving lane”. It is usually posted when there new segregated bike lanes are being built and the cyclists are redirected into traffic. Don’t worry. It’s not dangerous. We’re used to it, motorists and cyclists alike.

I like the tone. There are cyclists in the driving lane. Period. Adjust accordingly to this fact.

E.J. Levy recently sent me an article about Colorado State Highways and how many of them have paved shoulders 4 feet or wider — a great way to make roads safer for bicyclists.  Colorado has had a policy since 1999 to add these shoulders to their state highways.  Nine years later, 72% of their state highway roads have them.

I am not sure if this includes Interstates, where in Colorado they are sometimes open to biking (e.g. I-70, I-76.)

So what’s the story in Michigan? As of last year, 35.8% of MDOT trunklines had paved shoulders 4′ or greater.    That percentage does not include Interstates, which are not currently opening to Michigan bicyclists.

That’s 3,031 miles of state roads with wide paved shoulders.

According to Josh Debruyn, MDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, “In the last two years, MDOT has added 365 miles of paved shoulder suitable for bicycling and the number continues to grow every year.”

We expect these to grow as well now that the Governor has directed MDOT to do more.

And don’t think paved shoulders are just for bicyclists.  They help roads last longer, provide a safe pull-off area for vehicles, and allow vehicles to pass bicyclists more safely.

Now if we could only get the Metro Detroit road agencies (e.g. Road Commission for Oakland County) to step up and make this same committment to bicyclist safety.

2007 bicycle-vehicle crashes in Troy

This is a map of bicycle-vehicle crashes in Troy for 2007.  Troy had 20 such crashes in 2007, which was the second highest in Oakland County, 10 crashes fewer than Royal Oak.

While it’s difficult understanding how and where each crash occurs, it appears that all but a few crashes occured on sidewalks and crosswalks.  This coincides with national studies showing sidewalks are the least safe place to ride a bicycle.

It should be noted that, Troy is being very proactive and is looking to improve biking and walking safety within their community.

Royal Oak had the most bike-car crashes among all Oakland County municipalities in 2007

As noted earlier, last year Royal Oak had more reported car-bike crashes than any other city, village, or township in Oakland County.  In fact no one even came close.

We’ve now mapped those crashes so you can get a rough idea of where they happened.

For many years now we’ve been trying to push Royal Oak to improve biking within the city.  Neither city officials nor commissioners seem all that interested in taking any meaningful action.

Most recently I’d arranged a deal that would bring Dan Burden, one of the nation’s foremost biking and walking experts to Royal Oak for consultation on MDOT’s dime.  I even offered to complete the necessary paperwork.

Weeks later, my calls and email are still unanswered.

This free opportunity to get start improving biking and walking safety in Royal Oak has passed.

It’s time to move on to Plan B.  Stay tuned.