Here’s an interesting blog out of Toronto called Urban Country that we stumbled on via a Howard Meyerson Tweet.

The blog article in particular is about biking to work:

Here in Toronto, the City has been handing out awards to bicycle-friendly businesses since 2001. The 2009 Bicycle-Friendly Business Awards will take place on January 19th, 2010 at the Gladstone Hotel and we will find out who this year’s most bicycle-friendly businesses are.

The consulting company that employs me imason inc. is an example of a bicycle-friendly workplace, and I felt compelled to highlight my workplace in the promo video above.?imason allows employees to bring their bicycles directly into the 8th floor office, storing them at the back of the office, while also providing shower facilities for those who feel compelled to shower after cycling in to work.

Do you work for a bicycle friendly employer?

SEMCOG recently launched a new MiBikematch service and the Free Press has an article it.

MiBikematch, a service to match up bike riders who would be more comfortable taking the trip with another rider, has been launched, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments said Wednesday.

Users register there, entering their starting point, destination, days they ride and their work hours. That information is compared to other users for potential matches. Participants may contact potential riding companions through e-mail or the Web site. The service is free, SEMCOG spokeswoman Iris Steinberg said.

The program is part of an effort by state and local agencies to encourage folks to think beyond driving to ease congestion and improve air quality in a state among the tops in the nation in the percentage of drivers commuting alone by car.

Note that after signing up, you can select how you prefer to commute: by bike, car pool, van pool, or some combination of those.

It’s apparent that in order to make this service a success, we need a lot of bike commuters signing up.

$5 per gallon of gas would hurt the program either.

Steve Roach, the League of Michigan Bicyclists (LMB) Director for Detroit and the Pointes, was recently profiled in Grosse Pointe Today.

Roach, 48, is a lawyer at Miller Canfield in downtown Detroit. Several times a week, weather permitting, he leaves his car at home and commutes from his Grosse Pointe Park house to his office by bicycle. The 8.5-mile route carries him into decaying neighborhoods, over rutted pavement and sometimes through sweltering heat, but all of this doesn’t stop him, or even slow him down, and it certainly doesn’t bum him out. Exercise is its own reward.

“It occurred to me that it takes me at least 20 minutes to drive (to my office), and I started thinking I bet I could ride (there) in 20. I’m able to clear my head and enjoy it. For an extra 20 minutes of commuting a day, I get an hour’s worth of exercise.”

Through my job as Detroit Greenway Coordinator for MTGA, I get to work with Steve quite often. He’s definitely one of the shining stars within the LMB.

And on our most recent Detroit rides we even rescued a baby goat. Serious.

While he’s been very supportive of the Detroit biking and trail efforts, he and others are also working to make the Pointes more bike friendly. One suggestion is having bike lanes on Jefferson, or at least some Share the Road signage.

Here’s a video from the Grosse Pointe Today article as well.

This past week had a concentration of biking-related news and events in Detroit.

And if it weren’t for the dire automotive news and the thrilling Red Wings results, we may have had a bit more media coverage.

Monday: Bike Registration

Detroit City Council’s Public Health and Safety committee held a public hearing on a new voluntary bike registration program. MTGA, The Hub, and Detroit Bike Riders United were gave public testimony in support of the new ordinance. The ordinance passed and went before the full council on Tuesday. We did not yet hear the results but expect it was passed.

Thursday: Dequindre Cut

Detroit’s newest greenway, the Dequindre Cut had its official grand opening.

It was a very exciting, event-filled, and sunny day. One could not ask for a better kick off.

Though just on the job for his fourth day, Mayor Bing attended and spoke positively about this trail. That shouldn’t be unexpected as Mayor Bing is a board member for the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy.

As he hustled off to another appointment, I caught up to him and gave him a copy of the new Detroit Greenways Network brochure.

Media coverage: Metro Times and Click on Detroit video

Later that evening, the Green Garage hosted the Model D Speaker Series. Tom Woiwode from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan spoke about the Dequindre Cut, Bil Lusa highlighted the Detroit biking scene and Tour de Troit, while I covered the status of greenway development in Detroit.

There was a very solid turnout (over 190 had pre-registered).

Friday: Bike to Work Day

We had two groups ride this year, one starting in Royal Oak and the other in Grosse Point. Each had about 25 riders and both ended at Campus Martius.

The weather was perfect.

And we had bike commuters looking “normal” in blue jeans, baggy shorts and cotton T-shirts.

Detroit Synergy, American Cycle & Fitness, and a host of other sponsors made these rides (and the cool T-shirts) possible.

Media coverage: Metro Times

Photo by PATRICIA BECK/Detroit Free Press

Thanks for the Free Press for running an article on biking to work. And thanks to Sally Palaian, whose highlighted in the article, for her commitment to bike to work.

But if Metro Detroit has any hope of increasing the number of people biking to work, we need to make it look normal, starting by showing bike commuters in normal clothes.

Blue jeans. Khakis. Collared shirts. Perhaps a suit on occasion.

Biking to work doesn’t mean one must dress like Lance Armstrong. We need to show people that ride bikes to work, not cyclists that ride to work.

It’s enough of a challenge to encourage people to change their mode of transportation. Why try to change their mode of clothing?

On the right is a photo from Denmark’s We Cycle to Work web site.