Tag: Open Streets

Categories
Complete Streets Greenways Newsletter

News from the Trail – October 2018

Joe Louis Greenway Framework Planning

Great news! The Detroit Economic Growth Association has released a Request for Proposals for the Joe Louis Greenway (JLG) Framework Plan. Proposals are due in November with public engagement starting in 2019.

From the RFP: 

“The JLG is a 31.5 mile (estimated) family friendly, multi-use path of interwoven vehicle, transit, pedestrian and bicycle facilities. The Greenway will connect to local and regional transportation systems, and link 186 miles of existing bike lanes and bike routes to complete a total of 243 miles of non-motorized routes across greater Detroit. This project will improve safety, economic competitiveness and quality of life, while leveraging millions of dollars in recent private and municipal investment. The Framework Plan will be comprised of the best pedestrian and bicycle design practices developed from extensive community engagement. Under the guidance of the Planning and Development Department, the chosen firm will review existing conditions, determine connections and access points, incorporate effective storm water management techniques and design a signature greenway connected to local arts culture and history.”

Eastside Bike Network

Separated (AKA protected) bike lanes were recently installed on E. Jefferson, Conner Avenue, and E. Warren. These make up the backbone for what the city is calling the Eastside Bike Network. These projects have made the road more welcoming to bicyclists and scooter users. We installed our mobile bike counters on E. Jefferson and saw daily averages of 152 bicyclists at Algonquin and 373 at Beaufait. The city recently released this brief video that explains the network. The city’s web site also has educational information on how to use them and drive around them safely.

Open Streets This Sunday

Open Streets Detroit returns to Michigan and W. Vernor Avenues this Sunday from 12pm to 5pm. We’ll be there near Roosevelt Park and the old train station. Joining us will be the University of Detroit Mercy Capstone Team whose project focuses on the proposed Rouge River Greenway.

Don’t have a bike? No worries. MoGo bikes are free during the event.

Upcoming Events

  • Free Bikes 4 Kids This new program is looking for kid bike donations as well as volunteers. You can donate your bike(s) at any one of 25 participating Henry Ford Health System/HAP locations from 9am to 2pm on Saturday, October 13th. Volunteers can sign up on their web site. This is a great opportunity to get more Detroit kids on bikes.
  • Slow Roll Mondays The rain has led to a number of cancellations so far this year, but this Monday’s forecast looks good. The ride leaves from Eastern Market at 6:30pm. Also, the city made this video about the Slow Roll that happened earlier this year in Council Member Benson’s District 3.
  • SW Ontario Bike Summit We’re looking forward to being the keynote speaker for the Southwest Ontario Bike Summit on October 28th. We’ve worked closely with the event host and our counterparts across the river, Bike Window Essex. We worked together in helping get bike and pedestrian access on the new Gordie Howe International Bridge, which has officially broken ground and will be open in late 2024 — and will connect with the Joe Louis Greenway.
Categories
Complete Streets Greenways Newsletter

News from the Trail – August 2018

Open Streets Rouge Park is tomorrow

The original Open Streets Rouge Park event was postponed due to rain and is now happening tomorrow, Saturday August 11th from 1pm to 5pm. We’ll be located along the middle-west portion of the loop along with our University of Detroit Mercy MCD Capstone partner team. This team is working on community engagement and trail connections for the proposed Rouge River Greenway. They are focusing on Eliza Howell Park and surround neighborhoods. Stop by to learn more.

The city of Detroit Planning and Development Department will also located with us and can answer questions about their work.

This event doesn’t replace the original Open Streets Detroit: Southwest which returns for its third year on Sunday, October 7th from noon to 5pm.

Joe Louis Greenway update

The big news? The City of Detroit has now officially acquired the abandoned Conrail property for the Joe Louis Greenway. This roughly 8-mile section was one of the main gaps in the 26-mile trail loop and something the Coalition has been working on for many years. We initiated converstations with the railroad, did the early due diligence work, and wrote the two main grants that covered the $4.5 million acquisition cost. Naturally, we’re thrilled with this news.

This acquisition releases the $2 million Ralph C. Wilson Foundation funding for Framework Planning (with the community) and the creation of construction documents. Construction funding is not yet in hand, but the city did re-apply for a federal BUILD (formerly called TIGER) grant. We helped the city get letters of support for this grant, including a joint letter representing 32 bike clubs in Detroit.

Amtrak gets Roll-on bicycle service

Nine years ago, we initiated advocacy efforts along with the Active Transportation Alliance (in Chicago) to get roll on bicycle access for Amtrak in Michigan. It took a while but the Wolverine line that runs between Pontiac, Detroit, Dearborn, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo and Chicago now offers that service. Space is limited so reservations are required. Amtrak will be getting new passenger cars in the near future with more bike carrying capacity.

Photo credit: MDOT Photo Services 2018

East Jefferson protected bike lanes

The new protected bike lanes on E. Jefferson are complete from Rivard to Lakewood. The older lanes from Lakewood to Alter are currently being improved based on community feedback.  It appears these are the longest protected bike lanes of their type in the U.S.

It had been suggested that no one was using the bike lanes, so we used our mobile bike counters to measure the use. Near Conner Avenue, a daily average of 154 bicyclists were counted. Further west near Beaufait, the daily average was 373 bicyclists. These counts do not include those still riding on the sidewalk. They were also taken shortly after the construction was completed.

The city has now installed protected bike lanes on Conner Avenue from E. Jefferson to Warren. Next they will add them on Warren heading east.

We are working with some Detroit clubs to host a group ride on them in September. We’ll let you know when we get a date.

But wait, there’s more news…

  • We released our report on how Detroit’s improved streetlighting appears to have drastically reduced pedestrian fatalities, saving more than a dozen lives annually.
  • The Detroit Sustainability Community Series is this month. There are four workshops planned where one can help shape the city’s Sustainability Action Agenda.
  • Wayne State University is hiring  new Transportation Ambassador (TA) for the 2018-19 school year. The TA position is designed to help familiarize students and employees with local mobility options.
  • The Friends of Chandler Park are having a Meet and Greet on August 16th from 6pm to 8pm at 4401 Conner. Attendees can learn about what’s happening at the park and how to get involved. It also just got a whole lot easier to ride you bike to this event!
Categories
Greenways Newsletter Safety & Education

News from the Trail – July 2018

Joe Louis Greenway Fundraiser Ride

Photo by Daniel Mears, The Detroit NewsThanks to everyone who participated and supported our very successful inaugural fundraiser bike ride for the Joe Louis Greenway. We had a great turnout to match the perfect weather. Media coverage before the ride, including this fun Fox 2 Detroit video, helped raise awareness of the future greenway.

Extra thanks to the Oloman Cafe, Wheelhouse Detroit, the Bikes & Murd3r club, and other volunteers — but especially Paul Vial.

Prior to the event, the city of Hamtramck received a $410K SEMCOG grant to construct bike lanes along Joseph Campau — a key part of the Joe Louis Greenway. We also partnered with the city of Highland Park on their $336K grant to build bike lanes on Hamilton Avenue which will help connect with the greenway.

Detroit Public Lighting Improvements Reducing Pedestrian Fatalities

In 2015, Detroit had the highest pedestrian fatality rate among major US cities. While still much too high, the fatality rate has decreased during the past couple years while the rest of Michigan has increased. There were 19 fewer pedestrian fatalities in 2017 compared with 2015. Based on our analysis, this is due to the major improvements in Detroit’s public street lighting.

This shows how investments in infrastructure can have dramatic affects on the health and safety of Detroiters. We expect this trend to continue as additional Complete Streets treatments, such as road diets, bike lanes and other pedestrian infrastructure improvements reduce motor vehicle speeding and pedestrian exposure. Read more at DetroitGreenways.org

Open Streets at Rouge Park

Rouge Park will host its first Open Streets event this Saturday from 1pm to 5pm. This event wills turn three miles of road in Detroit’s Rouge Park into a safe, open and car-free zone for local families and community members to run, bike, skate, shop and play together along Spinoza, Outer, and Rouge Park Drives. We’ll be there along with the University of Detroit Mercy Capstone project team focusing on the planned Rouge River Greenway. More information is available in this Event Flyer and Event Map.

Amazon Smile donates to Detroit Greenways Coalition

When shopping through Amazon Smile program, a percentage of your purchase goes towards the Coalition. It’s an easy way to give and it doesn’t cost you anything extra.