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Tag: Milliken State Park
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News from the Trail – May 2019
Detroit Bike to Work is Friday, May 17th
Register your pledge to ride to work and receive a free commemorative Bike to Work Day tech shirt.
We very excited to announce our 2019 title sponsor, Henry Ford LiveWell. Henry Ford LiveWell is Henry Ford Health System’s wellness center of excellence and aims to optimize the well-being of Henry Ford employees, patients and community members.
Wheelhouse Detroit Bike Shop is once again providing free valet bike parking at the Spirit of Detroit plaza from 7am until 6pm. Thanks, Wheelhouse!
Other event sponsors include the office of Detroit Council member Scott Benson, American Cycle and Fitness, MoGo, SEMCOG, Wayne State University, Avalon Bakery, and Wheelhouse Detroit.
Detroit Commuter Challenge & Survey
May is SEMCOG’s Detroit Commuter Challenge Month in Southeast Michigan. The Challenge is an excellent opportunity to reduce roadway congestion, improve air quality, and save commuters money. Single passenger drivers are “challenged” to try a new method of travel to work (carpool, bus, vanpool, bike, walk, or work from home) during the month of May, and participants are eligible for great prizes.
SEMCOG is also asking citizens to take this survey. Input received will help SEMCOG develop its regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan for Southeast Michigan, as well as coordinate and develop strategies for local mobility issues. Gaps and areas where people cannot walk or bike will be reported back to local communities for input into their planning efforts.
Riding for Peace on May 10th
The Detroit Police Department is inviting everyone to ride with them on May 10th from 6pm to 8pm as part of National Police Week. The ride begins at the Third Precinct, 2875 W. Grand Boulevard. There will be beverages and snacks after the ride. Event Flyer
Registration is required by May 9th. Just call NPO Tamyra Harris-Hardy at (313) 570-4364.
Milliken State Park & Harbor planning on May 13th
The third public meeting on the new master plan for the park is May 13, 2019 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm at the Belle Isle Boathouse (6 Riverbank Drive). This planning will lead to significant changes to the park/RiverWalk with additional land, a possible Dequindre Cut extension. You’ll want to see it and share your input. In case you missed it, we did post this update from the February meeting.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is creating a master plan for the Milliken State Park and Harbor. Besides being a key piece of the RiverWalk, it also includes the lower end of the Dequindre Cut. Both of these trails are part of the Joe Louis Greenway as well.
Below are our comments that have a major focus on improvements to Atwater for bicyclists and scooterists, as well as the Dequindre Cut connection to the RiverWalk.
Joe Louis Greenway meetings this Saturday
First, we want to thank all those that contributed to our successful Fall Fundraising campaign. This funding is critical to our organization’s effort to help create greenways like the Joe Louis. (Can we start calling it “The Joe” yet?)
Exciting News! Two community insight meetings are planned for this Saturday, January 19th from 11am to 1pm and again from 2pm to 4pm. This is an great opportunity for residents to get more involved in the greenway planning process for this 31.5 mile biking and walking trail that touches Detroit, Ferndale, Dearborn, Hamtramck, and Highland Park.
According to the City of Detroit web site:
At the meeting, residents will also have a chance to meet the two finalists on the short list of consultants that will be chosen to complete the planning, view the Greenway’s total footprint, discuss phases of construction, and share insights and opinions. The finalists, Spackman Mossop and Michaels, LLC and SmithGroup, Inc., will be in attendance to present their plans for the Greenway and answer questions from residents.”
We’ve also updated our Joe Louis Greenway page with up to date information.
Milliken State Park meeting this Wednesday
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is holding a second public meeting about the Milliken State Park & Harbor Master Plan Update. That meeting is January 16, 2019 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm at Orleans Landing (1568 Franklin Street).
Saving Athens Avenue at Conner Playfield
We regularly scan the Detroit City Council agendas. Now and then this tedious work pays off — and it just did. An eastside company had asked the City of Detroit to close Athens Avenue, the street that runs along the west side of the Conner Playfield, north of Harper Avenue. The onstreet parking on Athens is the only vehicle parking for the Playfield, which is home to the Titan football teams as well as a portion of the Conner Creek Greenway and Iron Belle Trail. We alerted Council member Scott Benson, who quickly contacted all parties and brokered an agreement to not close Athens. This is great news for those who use the park.
Survey says…
As part of the Gordie Howe International Bridge project’s Community Benefit Plan, $10 million will be invested on each side of the border. Before they finalize the Community Benefits Plan, they are seeking community feedback on the final selection of initiatives through this survey.
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) also has a survey for their State Long Range Transportation Plan. PLEASE TAKE THIS WHEN YOU CAN. We need to continue pushing MDOT to a more realistic, human-focused transportation system.
Joe Louis Greenway
The City of Detroit is very close to signing off on the acquisition of 8 miles of abandoned rail corridor. Once that is complete, the city will begin Framework Planning for the greenway corridor. Unfortunately Detroit was not awarded a TIGER grant for construction, which is still a ways off.
In the meantime, we’ve update our Joe Louis Greenway map brochure with funding from the Doppelt Family Fund. We’ve updated the greenway’s web page on our site and included a link to a PDF of the map.
We’ve also been attending events to distribute the printed version.
Important Bike Lanes Meeting
We are hosting a public meeting on April 18th from 6pm to 8pm at the Northeast Guidance Center (2900 Conner St, Detroit, MI 48215) to discuss bike lanes in Detroit.
WE REALLY NEED DETROIT BICYCLISTS HERE!
We’ll be presenting on our vision — that the city build and maintain bike lanes, that it prioritizes creating safe connections, that it provides enforcement so that we’re not dealing with vehicles parking in the bike lanes, event barriers, or other obstructions, and that we don’t have standing water in the lanes.
The Planning and Development Department will present on the new E. Jefferson bike lanes. The Public Works Department will be there to talk about their maintenance plans for these and other Detroit bike lanes. The Department of Neighborhoods will be on hand. We have asked that the Detroit Police Department and Municipal Parking have representatives present as well.
This is a great opportunity for bicyclists to show the city that this is more than just more plastic posts and paint. We need quality, safe infrastructure that will continue to encourage more Detroiters to ride more often.
Other Meetings this Week
- Tonight, April 10th: Eastern Market is having a Neighborhood Framework and Stormwater Management Master Plan meeting from 5:30pm to 7pm at the Detroit Edison Public Academy (1903 Wilkins).
- Tomorrow, April 11th: The Department of Natural Resources is having a kickoff public meeting for Milliken State Park and Harbor’s master plan at the Outdoor Adventure Center (1801 Atwater Street) from 6pm to 8pm.