detroitjim

Detroit Greenways Coalition is hosting a public meeting on 3/31/14 at Focus: HOPE about the 25-mile Inner Circle Greenway.

It will be nice if true bicyclists attend .

Some of the painted lines on the road that they call bike lanes are just plain dangerous.
No way were they planned by real cyclists! Haven't seen anyone use the 2 miles or so,of lanes,near me, that were installed last summer.
I get the feeling that those supposed bike lanes and some of the proposed lanes are just being touted by certain folks that say "We got 25 new miles of lanes" . However useless and perilous that the designated cycling zone maybe.


Focus Hope
March 31, 2014
4-6 pm
1355 Oakman

fishtoes2000

We do hope many people can attend. This is one of the most ambitious bike projects in the U.S.

And Detroitjim, I'm interested in hearing your design concerns with Detroit bike lanes. Detroit, MDOT, and Wayne County are following national design guidelines, so these bike lanes are no different than ones you find in other U.S. cities. Most of the designers who work on them are bicyclists.

Although it might seem like it, bike lanes aren't added for the numbers. They're added based on the city of Detroit's non-motorized plan and available funding. Sometimes isolated 2 mile segments get built with the intention to build connections later. They don't see much use until those other connections are built.

Are you referring to Forest Avenue?

DTownDave22

Did anyone attend? Anyone get a sense anything may have been accomplished whether learning or giving input? (I feel like I wasted my time attending a local transportation-related meeting here Downriver a week ago).

I have not ridden a large enough sample size of bike lanes in Detroit and not often enough to be cemented in my memory, but I'm going to take a stab at it, and say that the city of Detroit's roads are paid for mostly by the city of Detroit (at least 60%). The bike lanes I've ridden the most, in order from most to least are: W. Vernor, Michigan Avenue, Belle Isle, W. Lafayette, and W. Grand Blvd.

My main complaint on some bike lanes is that, my feeling, likened to DetroitJim, is that the bike lanes seem to a modest extent at least, more about the numbers, marketing and appeal rather than actual functionality...bike lanes that are more designed for road bicycle/ road tires, are not capable of handling the grit and dirt and other hazards that can collect in that "bike lane". It is not that way for most lanes that I've ridden, but between the dirt and poor road conditions of some roads, I don't think it matters for some of the stretches whether there are bike lanes or not.

Also, there are definitely limitations regarding design and room, but it's largely the case that when there is on-road parking next a bicycle lane, the lanes do not have much, if any buffer at all. That makes it hard to believe Detroit is truly committed to cycling and its infrastructure.

fishtoes2000

You guys can quibble amongst yourselves.

To hear it's "hard to believe Detroit is truly committed to cycling and its infrastructure" while the city is in the midst of a $22 million trail expansion project is ridiculous.