Living Car Free - Will Detroit be carfree? (NYT op-ed)

The car made Detroit, and the car is now killing the city. It's time to move on!




July 5, 2009
Op-Ed Contributor
Bike Among the Ruins
By TOBY BARLOW
Detroit

ONE night a little over a year ago, crossing Woodward Avenue, I crashed my bicycle. As I flew head over heels across Detroit’s main boulevard, I thought, well, in any other town, I’d be hitting a car right about now. But this being the Motor City, the street was deserted, completely motor-free.

While bike enthusiasts in most urban areas continue to have to fight for their place on the streets, Detroit has the potential to become a new bicycle utopia. It’s a town just waiting to be taken. With well less than half its peak population, and free of anything resembling a hill, the city and its miles and miles of streets lie open and empty, beckoning. And lately, whether it’s because of the economy or the price of gas or just because it’s a nice thing to do, there are a lot more bikers out riding.

This budding culture brings some commerce with it. Down on the waterfront, and just three hundred yards or so from the headquarters of General Motors, my friends Kelli and Karen are in their second year running the Wheelhouse bike shop. One might think, given the economy, that starting a business in the D makes as much sense as stepping on a nail, but Kelli and Karen’s shop is thriving; their profits in May were double what they were a year ago.

Granted, right now neither Kelli nor Karen take a salary from the business. They’ve each kept working their other jobs, Kelli as a bartender and Karen at a local community organization. Neither of them intends for the Wheelhouse to be a volunteer effort forever, but like many entrepreneurs, they believe investing in the business’s growth right now is the prudent thing to do.

Meanwhile, up in the Cass Corridor neighborhood, another bike shop has opened up. Manned by some of the most die-hard, gear-headed gentlemen you’ll ever meet, the Hub comes with a storeroom of piled-up old bikes that they’ll refurbish for you — and a greater social mission. Their Back Alley Bikes training program, which predates the shop, teaches youths about mechanical repairs and customer service. The Hub is technically a nonprofit, but their business is also doing pretty well.

Biking in the D is the transportation equivalent of the Slow Food movement, offering a perspective that’s completely lost to those zooming in on the Lodge Freeway and I-75, those great superhighways that, once upon a time in the name of progress, were sliced deep into the heart of the city only to bleed it dry.

A bike gives you the chance to soak up what’s left, hidden neighborhoods like Indian Village with its dappled lanes and old eclectic mansions. Out near the fabled Eight Mile Road you can cruise past an almost forgotten but now happily restored Frank Lloyd Wright house. Downtown, you can circle the ruins of the old Michigan Central Depot.

Our abandoned landscape suggests an opportunity that alternative-transportation proponents should consider: instead of raging against their cities’ internal combustion machines, they might consider a tactical retreat to the city that cars have pretty much abandoned.

Despite the press, survival here isn’t so hard. Businesses like the Wheelhouse and the Hub have already shown how well Detroit can work as a new business hothouse. With the legendarily affordable real estate and without needing to pay for car payments, gas or insurance, bicyclists could rebuild Detroit into a model of a two-wheeled economy. They could pass laws promoting bikes over cars and designate entire avenues motor-free zones, which, given the state of many of them now, wouldn’t be so much of a stretch.

Maybe it sounds far-fetched, but then again maybe it’s just destiny. Look at a map and you’ll see that Detroit is designed in the shape of a wheel, with streets emanating like spokes from the downtown hub. It looks like a premonition, a city uniquely designed to alter transportation forever.

So, who knows, maybe the bike will follow the car. After all, it’s happened before. In 1896, when Charles B. King steered Detroit’s first automobile across its cobbled streets, following King’s progress with a keen and intelligent interest was Henry Ford, riding on a bicycle.

Toby Barlow is the author of “Sharp Teeth.”


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/opinion/05barlow.html?_r=1

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Wow, I didn't realize so many people are leaving/have left Detroit. You live in Michigan Roody, do you travel to Detroit much? Is this article accurate about the streets being mostly clear?

Even so, I honestly don't see Detroit becoming as bike friendly as this op-ed suggests it could be. Or any place in the US for that matter in the near future.

I used to think that when the oil runs out people will mostly return to bikes and walking for transportation, but I'm not so sure anymore. Americans have a love affair with the motorcar, and when the dino-fuel runs out, it'll just be replaced by electricity or biofuels at a tremendous cost in order to keep people driving. :( People driving cars for every last little errand is here to stay, as precious few seem willing to even consider any alternatives. :(

Wow, I didn't realize so many people are leaving/have left Detroit. You live in Michigan Roody, do you travel to Detroit much? Is this article accurate about the streets being mostly clear?

Even so, I honestly don't see Detroit becoming as bike friendly as this op-ed suggests it could be. Or any place in the US for that matter in the near future.

I used to think that when the oil runs out people will mostly return to bikes and walking for transportation, but I'm not so sure anymore. Americans have a love affair with the motorcar, and when the dino-fuel runs out, it'll just be replaced by electricity or biofuels at a tremendous cost in order to keep people driving. :( People driving cars for every last little errand is here to stay, as precious few seem willing to even consider any alternatives. :(

Right there is the key..."tremendous cost" only the rich will be driving and the remainder of the population will be doing whatever it takes to get around. It is going to take a while, there are several pundits of the opinion that oil is going to spike again and take what is left of the economy with it, if that occurs you won't see many cars at all.

Roody has long advocated clearing some blocks in Detroit for subsistence farming.:D:thumb:

Aaron:)

Who saw the movie Grand Torino by Clint Eastwood. That opening scene , along the river was one of Detroit's new bike paths..
About cars vs Detroit.Detroiters' broke their backs and worked their hands raw for auto profits.. And once they were plentiful.. Detroit labor made GM rich.. And GM blew it with bad maketing strategies. Detroiters did not fail the auto industry. The industry failed Detroit..
Should the auto industry continue to bail on Detroit. Hell with them. Buy a bike and let the auto culture go. . Maybe it will be possible to buy an American made bike instead of a foreign owned auto.. That would be my choice.

Breaking the car habit is a lot harder than quitting smoking. It isn’t a matter of assigning fault but rather how difficult it is to get around being part of a car centric society. In the US we have had a chance to build our cities to reflect our chosen mode of transportation and now it is hard to imagine life without a car in the center of it.

I like to travel and visit different places and with the distance between coasts that is hard to do even if you just want to visit the National parks. Flying is an option except many of the most interesting places to visit aren’t near the airport. Renting a car isn’t car free anymore than saying you don’t smoke because you only bum cigarettes from other people.

When I lived in a mountain community going car free was very hard. The public transportation doesn’t run at all when it snows and nothing seems to be within walking distance. There were times when I had one car for the winter and another for the other three seasons and another one for weekend off road trips. As self centered as that might seem it was just very easy to fall into.

When I moved off of the mountain I decided to try to be as car free as I could. I got a bike and trailer and started doing my shopping by bike but still the very best I could do was car light. I still have two vehicles, one for vacations and one for doctor’s appointments and late night dinner parties or visiting friends across town. Still I have managed to cut driving down by more than 50 percent in the last two years. But with the state of public transportation in our area I simply cannot imagine a place with no cars. Maybe Detroit can find a way.

..."tremendous cost" only the rich will be driving and the remainder of the population will be doing whatever it takes to get around...
Yes. In the western world, many people think their jobs are more secure than they actually are. Unfortunately, the economic basis for a great number of middle class type jobs has eroded. Globalization requires that the living standard of many formerly middle class people will be driven to parity with the living standard enjoyed by the average Chinese, Indian, or Mexican laborer. Does that include unlimited driving? I doubt it.

The majority of the people living in the city of Detroit can not afford a car. The public system is non-existant. One would think that the motor city would be an excellant plance to become the cycling city. I think it will take a very long time for a new mind set to realize that the car industry is gone.

The majority of the people living in the city of Detroit can not afford a car. The public system is non-existant. One would think that the motor city would be an excellant plance to become the cycling city. I think it will take a very long time for a new mind set to realize that the car industry is gone.

I completely agree, but some of us are a bit ahead of our time.;)

Aaron:)

I think of a carfree movement emerging out of cities like Seattle and Portland, where there's a lot of young people and hi-tech industries. But if you stop to think about it, the bicycle could emerge as king out of pure economic necessity... it has all the characteristics of poor person's ideal transportation mode...

But would anyone actually enjoy riding a bicycle then or would it simply be grin-and-bear-it style?

Most likely, carfree cities would evolve out of each city's unique needs. Portland would be the capital of the Fixie; Detroit would be home of the mountain bike.

I think of a carfree movement emerging out of cities like Seattle and Portland, where there's a lot of young people and hi-tech industries. But if you stop to think about it, the bicycle could emerge as king out of pure economic necessity... it has all the characteristics of poor person's ideal transportation mode...

But would anyone actually enjoy riding a bicycle then or would it simply be grin-and-bear-it style?

Most likely, carfree cities would evolve out of each city's unique needs. Portland would be the capital of the Fixie; Detroit would be home of the mountain bike.

Why Detroit and a mountain bike? From what I remember Detroit is fairly flat. FWIW Chicago and Minneapolis-St Pauls are making great inroads into becoming cycling cities.

Aaron:)

Most likely, carfree cities would evolve out of each city's unique needs. Portland would be the capital of the Fixie; Detroit would be home of the mountain bike.
Actually, a signature Detroit bike might be a utilitarian city bike based on an internally geared hub. There is probably enough mechanical expertise left in the Detroit area to design an internally geared hub better than a Rohloff, a dynohub better than a Schmidt, and to make them cheap, too.

Actually, a signature Detroit bike might be a utilitarian city bike based on an internally geared hub. There is probably enough mechanical expertise left in the Detroit area to design an internally geared hub better than a Rohloff, a dynohub better than a Schmidt, and to make them cheap, too.

I find that thought pretty exciting. :) We can always hope for the best. If the former "Motor City" becomes a bicycling city, it could be seen as pretty symbolic. It might send a message to the rest of the country that bicycling is a legitimate mode of transportation. I don't know if Detroit has any public transit to speak of, but this could be a good oppurtunity for them to develop a good mass transit system which can complement the bicycle.

Assuming that a major shift does occur and a lot of people get out of their cars and onto bikes, if they're like most of the folks I know, they won't be happy about it. Some won't take long to realize that it actually can be a lot of fun and will accept it, but the rest may never get used to it and will look at it as a hardship to be overcome.

I used to think that when the oil runs out people will mostly return to bikes and walking for transportation, but I'm not so sure anymore. Americans have a love affair with the motorcar, and when the dino-fuel runs out, it'll just be replaced by electricity or biofuels at a tremendous cost in order to keep people driving. :( People driving cars for every last little errand is here to stay, as precious few seem willing to even consider any alternatives. :(
I'm not convinced we'll just switch to alternate fuels. Our society now uses a lot more electricity and energy than in the past. We don't have anything close to the technology to replace our conventional energy sources completely. What we'll need to find are low-energy alternatives including more efficient appliances and vehicles. Even then, we'll also need to cut down on our consumption further.

I'm not convinced we'll just switch to alternate fuels. Our society now uses a lot more electricity and energy than in the past. We don't have anything close to the technology to replace our conventional energy sources completely. What we'll need to find are low-energy alternatives including more efficient appliances and vehicles. Even then, we'll also need to cut down on our consumption further.

I agree we need to cut back on our consumption. We'll have to regardless when oil becomes scarce. It's just that I can't help but foresee a mad rush to develop and deploy immature alternative technologies when people realize that the oil's running out, and it's price will skyrocket and not come back down. The current alternative energy technologies such as solar, wind, ethanol, biodiesel, etc, are not at a level that can be scaled up to our current energy demands. That won't stop the demand, though, and we all know what happens when demand far outstrips supply...

The more we put into alternative energy R&D now, the less of a shock peak oil will be. I'm afraid that it may be too late, though, to avoid hardship completely.

Which brings me back to the original topic of the thread, personal motorized transportation will get a lot more expensive. Will this affect the driving habits of Americans? Will it promote alternatives such as bicycles for transportation? Probably to some extent, but I just don't see people giving up their cars that easily. When it costs more to drive, most people will just pay more before they drive less. Even last year when the price of gas shot way up, people cut back some on their driving, but not much. Many not at all, they just *****ed and moaned as they emptied their wallets.



P.S. I don't mean to belittle people's suffering. I feel for them, really I do. Many Americans (and citizens of some other industrialized nations as well) have put themselves into a situation of dependence on the personal automobile without even realizing that they did it. But times are changing, and people will need to think long and hard about how much they drive (among other energy intensive activities) if they are to thrive in a future without oil.

The more we put into alternative energy R&D now, the less of a shock peak oil will be. I'm afraid that it may be too late, though, to avoid hardship completely.
I think it's already too late. Under current economic conditions we are unable to marshal the financial capital needed to do any of the following:

1 - rebuild the electric grid to accommodate decentralized generation as implied by commonly mentioned alternative energy sources such as solar and wind

2 - construct a sufficient number of new generation nuclear power plants

3 - do any meaningful expansion of public transit facilities

Over and above those issues, I think going forward that middle class incomes in western countries will simply not support what we used to think of as middle class lifestyles.

Under these circumstances it is not necessary to "run out" of oil in order to put unlimited driving out of the reach of many formerly middle class people. Arguments that Americans will continue to drive at any cost fail to consider what might happen if Americans simply can't afford that cost. The belief that a magic technology will appear that will enable continued universal, unlimited driving is just that, a belief and an article of faith, which reflects a kind of entitlement thinking. The statement that Americans must continue to drive because the alternatives are unthinkably inconvenient isn't really a deduction, it's more of a realization of the serious nature of the problem.

As always, events may prove me wrong, this is only my personal opinion.


But if you stop to think about it, the bicycle could emerge as king out of pure economic necessity... it has all the characteristics of poor person's ideal transportation mode...
I think that's where we are headed.

I think of a carfree movement emerging out of cities like Seattle and Portland, where there's a lot of young people and hi-tech industries. But if you stop to think about it, the bicycle could emerge as king out of pure economic necessity... it has all the characteristics of poor person's ideal transportation mode...

But would anyone actually enjoy riding a bicycle then or would it simply be grin-and-bear-it style?

Most likely, carfree cities would evolve out of each city's unique needs. Portland would be the capital of the Fixie; Detroit would be home of the mountain bike.

The ails of Detroit extend way out into it's suburbs.. Detroit was mostly devastated long ago. Now most plant closures are 20-30 miles from the city center. Last time in the Detroit area, I noticed many younger people using bikes in far greater numbers than I ever can remember.
. Is it because they choose to . Or mabye too often, that their car was repoed.. . Anyway the suburbs seems to be making strides at putting in bike lanes.. But. how does the north central states deal with the snow.. I recall many bike paths that said, not winter maintained. Ride at your own risk..
How does bike friendly cities such as Minneapolis handle snow and bike lanes come January..

it'll just be replaced by electricity or biofuels at a tremendous cost in order to keep people driving.

the only thing that has much chance of producing copious quantities of cheap energy, I think, is nuclear. And I suspect that's where we're headed soon, too. Fortunately, as dangerous as nuclear power is, it's nowhere near the ecological disaster that coal is. Unfortunately, maybe, people are going to keep driving way too many cars if nuclear power is promoted as a cheap, low-carbon-footprint alternative to coal.


Actually, a signature Detroit bike might be a utilitarian city bike based on an internally geared hub. There is probably enough mechanical expertise left in the Detroit area to design an internally geared hub better than a Rohloff, a dynohub better than a Schmidt, and to make them cheap, too.

That would be freakin' awesome. I'd love to have a cheap high quality internal-gear-hub and a cheap high quality dynamo like that.

Wow, I didn't realize so many people are leaving/have left Detroit. You live in Michigan Roody, do you travel to Detroit much? Is this article accurate about the streets being mostly clear?

Even so, I honestly don't see Detroit becoming as bike friendly as this op-ed suggests it could be. Or any place in the US for that matter in the near future.

I used to think that when the oil runs out people will mostly return to bikes and walking for transportation, but I'm not so sure anymore. Americans have a love affair with the motorcar, and when the dino-fuel runs out, it'll just be replaced by electricity or biofuels at a tremendous cost in order to keep people driving. :( People driving cars for every last little errand is here to stay, as precious few seem willing to even consider any alternatives. :(

Detroit started losing population in the 1960s. This was due partly to "white flight," but it was always a complex issue. Michigan laws that made it difficult for cities to annex or merge with neighboring townships had something to do with population loss also.

Whatever the causes of declining population, clearly the automobile enabled it. The oldest suburbs in metro Detroit (like Ferndale, Royal Oak, Pontiac) were along streetcar and commuter rail tracks. But now if you look at a map of the area, population growth is clearly alongside I-75, I-94, I-96 and other expressways.

I agree that people won't give up cars. I think they will give up a lot of car trips. Some of the car trips they give up will be made on bikes, others on buses, trains, walking, etc. And I think people will start making fewer trips in total, like you said.

Who saw the movie Grand Torino by Clint Eastwood. That opening scene , along the river was one of Detroit's new bike paths..
About cars vs Detroit.Detroiters' broke their backs and worked their hands raw for auto profits.. And once they were plentiful.. Detroit labor made GM rich.. And GM blew it with bad maketing strategies. Detroiters did not fail the auto industry. The industry failed Detroit..
Should the auto industry continue to bail on Detroit. Hell with them. Buy a bike and let the auto culture go. . Maybe it will be possible to buy an American made bike instead of a foreign owned auto.. That would be my choice.

I sometimes think that the real solution for Detroit and Michigan (and other regions in the Rust Belt) is to just let the population go elsewhere. Let 20 % (or whatever) of the people just move on. Michigan is a beautiful state, with great agriculture and tourism. F*** industry!

Another factor is that the state of Michigan alone holds something like 10 % of the fresh surface water in the entire world. We also have a nice climate that will probably get better as it gets warmer over the next few decades. By the end of the century, there's a good chance that migration will reverse, and people will be flooding out of the southeast and southwest, and fighting to get (back) into Michigan.

BTW, the movie Gran Torino takes place in my hometown of Highland Park, MI.

Is this article accurate about the streets being mostly clear?

Even so, I honestly don't see Detroit becoming as bike friendly as this op-ed suggests it could be.

Too late. Detroit already is this bike friendly (http://www.m-bike.org/blog/2009/07/05/city-of-detroit-americas-best-urban-biking).

In many ways, Detroit leads in urban bicycling because of our lack of motor vehicle density means we aren't forced to develop separate bicycle facilities (e.g. bike lanes.) Prior to the 1920s, perhaps all U.S. cities were bicycle friendly due to the fewer motor vehicles on the road.

I would expect the vehicle levels on some Detroit roads are similar to the pre-1920s numbers. That would be more attributable to the Interstates that crisscross the city since we have about the same population size as back then, but greater car ownership.

Too late. Detroit already is this bike friendly (http://www.m-bike.org/blog/2009/07/05/city-of-detroit-americas-best-urban-biking).

In many ways, Detroit leads in urban bicycling because of our lack of motor vehicle density means we aren't forced to develop separate bicycle facilities (e.g. bike lanes.) Prior to the 1920s, perhaps all U.S. cities were bicycle friendly due to the fewer motor vehicles on the road.

I would expect the vehicle levels on some Detroit roads are similar to the pre-1920s numbers. That would be more attributable to the Interstates that crisscross the city since we have about the same population size as back then, but greater car ownership.

And Detroit has put in some off-street infrastructure. Didn't they just open a new bike path?

I think Detroit is at least 25 % carfree population. But the suburbs are car-heavy and sprawled as much or more as other American cities. In area, the metro area is huge. I don't know how many miles it would be from Pontiac in the north to Monroe in the south but more than 30 miles i think. Similar from east to west.

Yes, we just opened the Dequindre Cut with much fanfare. We have plans for a 60-70 mile greenway/trail network across the city. About 7 miles are completed today. We could add upwards of 20 more miles within the next two years.

About 18% of Detroiters do not have access to cars -- about the same as Milwaukee. However, that's more access than Chicago, Cinncinati, Cleveland, etc.

But yeah, Metro Detroit is a far different beast with respect to bicycling.

Why Detroit and a mountain bike? From what I remember Detroit is fairly flat. FWIW Chicago and Minneapolis-St Pauls are making great inroads into becoming cycling cities.

Aaron:)

Three reasons for a mountain bike: potholes, snow and cost. My son lives in an Ontario city not too far from Detroit. It's pretty much flat, but there are mountain bikes everywhere... many of them older Canadian Tire models.

Under these circumstances it is not necessary to "run out" of oil in order to put unlimited driving out of the reach of many formerly middle class people. Arguments that Americans will continue to drive at any cost fail to consider what might happen if Americans simply can't afford that cost. The belief that a magic technology will appear that will enable continued universal, unlimited driving is just that, a belief and an article of faith, which reflects a kind of entitlement thinking. The statement that Americans must continue to drive because the alternatives are unthinkably inconvenient isn't really a deduction, it's more of a realization of the serious nature of the problem.

As always, events may prove me wrong, this is only my personal opinion.


Several more rounds of oil price fluctuations may be sufficient to put many people out of the driving game... as well as the housing market and, for some, the eating habit... It's almost reached the point in the US where no one know knows where they should buy a house... or what type of car to buy. Should they move to the inner city with access to as-yet-unbuilt urban transit...? Should they move to the exurbs, hoping that the price of fuel and cars will remain low? For many young people, it must seem like a roll of the dice. I can see why growing numbers of people are re-thinking their car purchases.

Several more rounds of oil price fluctuations may be sufficient to put many people out of the driving game... as well as the housing market and, for some, the eating habit... It's almost reached the point in the US where no one know knows where they should buy a house... or what type of car to buy. Should they move to the inner city with access to as-yet-unbuilt urban transit...? Should they move to the exurbs, hoping that the price of fuel and cars will remain low? For many young people, it must seem like a roll of the dice. I can see why growing numbers of people are re-thinking their car purchases.

I'm not sure that anybody should buy a house right now, unless they have a good stable income. But if you were to buy a house, Detroit would be the place to do it, with median home prices at only $7,500, according to the Chicago Tribune (http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/jan/29/nation/chi-detroit-housingjan29). You could literally buy a house with your credit card!

(Median home prices for other cities are here (http://www.realtor.org/research/research/metroprice).)

Right there is the key..."tremendous cost" only the rich will be driving and the remainder of the population will be doing whatever it takes to get around. It is going to take a while, there are several pundits of the opinion that oil is going to spike again and take what is left of the economy with it, if that occurs you won't see many cars at all.




By this time next year, we'll be past $4.00 dollars a gallon so dream of inexpensive motoring forever is finished. You're not going to save any money buying a new electric/bio fuel car at all. In fact, that just means you'll have to shell out more for a down payment and insurance.

From the article:

Despite the press, survival here isn’t so hard. Businesses like the Wheelhouse and the Hub have already shown how well Detroit can work as a new business hothouse. With the legendarily affordable real estate and without needing to pay for car payments, gas or insurance, bicyclists could rebuild Detroit into a model of a two-wheeled economy. <<<<<<<

The jobs won't come back because we allowed European and Asian car manufacturers dump millions of cars killing our auto industry while protecting theirs. Unless Americans are willing to work for 10 cents an hour in some sweat shop, there's no way the manufacturing jobs that left to Mexico and Asia are coming back.

A bicycle cottage industry in Detroit will have people working for little or nothing. I guess when there's nothing left, all you can dream about hitting rock bottom

Detroit is spending 3 million dollars to destroy it's historic train station instead of using that money to attract more business or develope housing. They have no money to fix the city but they have millions to destroy it. Incredible.