Meeting with Senator Debbie Stabenow's staff at the 2010 National Bike Summit

If you register for the National Bike Summit before tomorrow, February 3rd, and save money, especially for IMBA members.

Attending this year’s Summit is critical given the recent changes in Congress. We need bicyclists in DC to make sure our representatives understand the importance and value of continued federal investment in bicycling infrastructure. Without continued federal transportation funding, you can expect a major reducti0n in new bike lanes, bike parking, and more throughout Metro Detroit.

Let’s keep bicycle transportation moving forward and join us in Washington DC this March.

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Detroit on Two Wheels: Wheelhouse

A short article from Papermag gives some love to the Wheelhouse Detroit, which is now open for business.

Not every form of transportation in the Motor City requires an engine. Wheelhouse Detroit, a bicycle shop in downtown Detroit, that offers rentals, retail, and service. They also offer tours that help make little-known tourist gems more accessible in a city that is spread across many miles.

Detroiters Kelli Kavanaugh and Karen Gage opened Wheelhouse two years ago and they emphasize the ecological practices of their business, including the t-shirts and sustainable water bottles they sell. “Our store is an opportunity to get to talk to people about road safety and spread the word that cars need to share the road with riders,” said Gage, who also works as an urban planner in the city.

Real Detroit also ran a nice article on the shop.

Big plans for the future Detroit

The Detroit Free Press published a big article which compiles the various plans for Detroit — including the greenway and non-motorized plans.

The city plans to put up about 30 miles of bike lanes and more than 12 miles of routes designed for cyclists starting in September in southwest Detroit, near Wayne State and on the east side. The aim is a network of hundreds of miles of biking and walking paths connecting neighborhoods and attractions across the city.

There’s also updates on the RiverWalk and Midtown Loop. The Free Press did a find job creating a map showing bike lane projects planned for this year.

The same issue included an editorial.

For all its troubles today, Detroit is also a place brimming with hope for tomorrow.

When you assemble all the proposals, plans and dreams that have been advanced in recent months, the city of 2020 looks dramatically different than it looks today: smaller, smarter, greener, more mobile, with more job opportunities — and once again the pounding heart of a metropolitan region.

You see thousands of kids attending schools that work for them. You see people using light rail and boarding buses in a transit system that serves them. You see a gleaming, growing medical complex; banners being hoisted to the rafters of a new sports arena; and people tending little farms that nourish their neighborhoods in more ways than one. You see convention-goers strolling a crowded RiverWalk and bicyclists coasting the downhills of a new trail network.

Bicyclists coasting the downhills? It’s a nice thought, but with Detroit being built on a former lake bed, there aren’t going to be many downhills of note.

Michigan residents are winners under new state parks passport law

Howard Meyerson, a columnist with the Grand Rapids Press, has covered the state park funding situation for years. His latest column celebrates the passage of the Recreation Passport legislation. He also shined some light on those that opposed or at least delayed these bills.

It wasn’t an easy passage. The Chamber of Commerce and transportation lobby opposed it. Speaker of the House Andy Dillon held it up over the holidays, reportedly to help an old college buddy, now a transportation lobbyist.

But in the end, wiser heads prevailed.

Yes, wiser heads did prevail. The new payment system begins this October, so everyone will still need to purchase their 2010 Motor Vehicle Pass stickers.

Detroit was represented well at the 10th annual National Bike Summit in DC

And, Model D just published an article on the recent National Bike Summit. They referenced our review of the event. Thanks, Model D!

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I was attending this wearing a two main MTGA hats: Detroit Greenways Coordinator and Michigan Airline Trail Ambassador.

My highlight was Thursday morning. We had a group breakfast for last minute legislative updates and some cheerleading prior to our Congressional office visits. I was waiting behind this older gentleman for coffee. Being a bit impatient, I asked if I could cut in front. He poured my coffee and I said “Thanks”. It was then that I realized Congressman James Oberstar — one of the key bike supporters in DC and chair of the House Transportation committee — had just poured my coffee.

It was going to be a great day!

Overall I visited nine Congressional offices and met with the lead transportation legislative staffers. We also met with Congressman Gary Peters and Congresswoman Candice Miller. And, we were even invited to ride a century with Senator Carl Levin‘s chief of staff who will be celebrating his recovery from a knee replacement.

The Detroit bicycling message — Complete Streets, Active Transportation grants, Urban Parks funding — was very well received.

We brought Ginny Sullivan from Adventure Cycling to our meeting with Senator Levin’s staff to discuss the U.S. Bicycle Route System and Underground Railroad Bicycle Route. She really drove home the message that we have a major blockage: getting bicyclists across the Detroit River. We noted that it was probably easier for freedom seekers escaping slavery to get across the river than it is for bicyclists today. We brought this issue up with staff from Senator Debbie Stabenow and Congresswoman Kilpatrick too. But perhaps the biggest connection on this issue was with Congressman John Conyers staff given Conyer’s long, storied history in the civil rights movement.

We did discuss the Michigan Airline Trail with the Michigan Senators, as well as Peters and Miller. Congresswoman Miller has played a key role in finding funding for the Macomb Orchard Trail. We are hoping she has equal enthusiasm for continuing that trail east through St. Clair County as part of the Michigan Airline Trail.

I did pull on my volunteer hat to discuss the potential rail with trail project in Royal Oak with Congressman Peter.

The North Country Trail was brought up and it was a shame there was no one from the Michigan Mountain Biking Association to talk about it. I was able to discuss the IMBA talking points I’d written for last year’s Summit with some legislative staffers.

Also, I snuck in a brief conversation with Congressman Earl Blumenauer of Oregon. He never ceases to impress me. I mentioned I was from Detroit and he immediately brings up the recent M1 Rail TIGER grant.

Another very, very impressive bicycle support is the Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. He gave a rousing end-of-summit speech and once again told us we have a partner in him and the U.S. DOT. I did get the chance to thank him directly for the M1 Rail TIGER grant that Detroit recently received and how we will make sure works multi-modally with bicyclists and pedestrians. The Secretary has posted his National Bike Summit perspective as well, including this:

Today, I want to announce a sea change. People across America who value bicycling should have a voice when it comes to transportation planning. This is the?end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.

We are integrating the needs of bicyclists in federally-funded road projects. We are discouraging transportation investments that negatively affect cyclists and pedestrians. And we are encouraging investments that go beyond the minimum requirements and provide facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.

To set this approach in motion, we have formulated key recommendations for state DOTs and communities:

• Treat walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes.
• Ensure convenient access for people of all ages and abilities.
• Go beyond minimum design standards.
• Collect data on walking and biking trips.
• Set a mode share target for walking and bicycling.
• Protect sidewalks and shared-use paths the same way roadways are protected (for example, snow removal)
• Improve nonmotorized facilities during maintenance projects.

Now, this is a start, but it’s an important start. These initial steps forward will help us move forward even further.

The networking opportunities here were significant. I spent some time speaking with a software engineer that developed the Google’s bike routing. There are a number of issues that I don’t believe they have considered that I will be following up on. I also said that since the Google Trike is coming to the Detroit Zoo, it might as well create Streetview images for the Dequindre Cut and RiverWalk. That might be possible. We’ll see.

I went to dinner with Kelli Kavanaugh (Wheelhouse Detroit), Karen Kavanaugh (Governor’s office in Washington DC — not related to Kelli), and Ginny Sullivan (Adventure Cycling.) It was a great opportunity for exchanging bicycle advocacy information.

I spoke with Gary Fisher about coming to Detroit for an urban ride. He’s never ridden in the city and I think I had him convinced he needs to. I believe he was wearing tweed throughout the entire Summit — totally dapper.

The biggest disappointment? The National Bike Summit remains an event mainly attended by white adults. This lack of diversity perpetuates the stereotype that bicycles are white cultural phenomenon. There was a moderately interesting session on promoting diversity that relied largely on the efforts of the presentation by the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. Perhaps the best recommendation came from Keith Holt (Active Transportation Alliance.) He suggested groups start by diversifying their boards — a great suggestion for the League of American Bicyclists who organized the summit.

The biggest positive? MTGA getting a $15,000 grant to help Detroit become a Bicycle Friendly Community.

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I hope to do some live blogging from the event, but that’s going to be a challenge given the very busy schedule.

I will provide one teaser. Yesterday I received the following invitation from Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists, the group organizing this summit.

I would be honored if you would join special National Bike Summit guests for Lunch on Wednesday, March 10. Please take your seat at the ENVIRONMENT table near the podium.

All I can say at this point is its some more good news for biking in Detroit.

– Todd Scott

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In looking over the previous entries, it seems we never really answered that question. So here’s the list.

Complete Streets

Actually this is one topic we did cover fairly well.

Active Transportation 2010

In the current federal transportation bill, four U.S. cities received $25 million each to get more people chosing biking and walking over driving.?

The hope is to expand that pilot program to 50 cities in the next transportation bill due later this year. Three Michigan cities have applied for this program: Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, and Detroit. We encouraged our legislators to include these Michigan cities in the future transportation bill.

Detroit’s Active Transportation proposal was briefly discussed earlier.

Transportation Enhancements

The current transportation bill (and recent stimulus package) funds Transportation Enhancements which is largely responsible for funding biking facilities and trails. We want to see this program continued and increased the next transportation budget.

This was an easy program to talk about since there many great examples of how this funding has been used within each congressional district.

Recreational Trail Program

This program captures a portion of the fuel tax used by off-road vehicles (e.g. snowmobiles) and directs to state trails, including non-motorized trails. We advocated for increased funding for this program.

Multi-Modal Commuter Credit

This legislation fixes the hastily passed bike commuter bill, which is another topic we previously discussed briefly.

Clean TEA

This legislation would take some of the funds generated through a cap-and-trade greenhouse gas program to pay for alternative transportation infrastructure, including biking and walking. Whether or not the greenhouse gas legislation makes it to the President’s desk remains to be seen, but if it does, we want to make sure it helps promote more non-polluting transportation choices.

There’s additional information on Clean TEA?at StreetsBlog.

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And this probably is the next best thing to being there.

Perhaps the best is of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood:

What a striking improvement over the former Transportation Secretary Mary Peters who tried re-defining “transportation” and “infrastructure” to exclude biking and walking.

Other videos from the Summit include:

• US Representative Earl Blumenauer
• US Representative Daniel Lipinski
• US Representative Doris Matsui (Complete Streets)

You’ll also want to check out this video from the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. Blumenauer’s breakfast speech beginning at :40 seconds captures a great moment from this event. Congressman Tom Petri of Wisconsin also provides some interesting commentary.

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Mike Reuter, Todd Scott, Cullen Watkins

Here’s additional information from the National Bike Summit.

Bicycle Respect and Recognition

We reported earlier that Congressman Oberstar said, We need to make bicyclists a standard transportation mode by law.

BikePortland.org published more information on Oberstar’s initiative last week:

Today at the National Bike Summit in Washington D.C., Oberstar will meet with the country’s top bike lawyers to discuss the potential of a new legislative initiative to draft the country’s first piece of legal policy that would directly relate to the respect and recognition of bicycles as users of our roadways.

Portland bike lawyer Ray Thomas… describes the initiative as a way to create a federal law to ensure equitable treatment of people on bicycles who are involved in crashes. Too often, he says, drivers do not receive serious charges in collision cases. The way the system is set up now, police officers and prosecutors (for a variety of reasons) will often not even attempt to press serious charges against motorists.

Oberstar wants to fix the system so there’s a better chance that justice will be done.

A Plan for Circuit City Stores

One of the most interesting ideas I heard at the Summit was at an IMBA advocacy session. Sitting next to IMBA trail guru Rich Edwards, I began discussing potential indoor mountain bike facilities in Detroit.

Rich mentioned another more suburban opportunity.

567 Circuit City stores have closed around the U.S. These stores are large, well-lit, have concrete floors, heat, water, and very few uses — especially in this market.

One alternative idea is to make them into indoor dirt parks.

John Burke (right) holds a Detroit Gets Green pin

Trek Ride in Detroit

I attended the Summit with Mike Reuter and Cullen Watkins from American Cycle and Fitness. They invited me to a Trek dealer event at the Summit hosted by President John Burke.

After giving John a brief overview of what we’re achieving in Detroit, he offered to come to town this spring for an urban tour.

Detroit is 140 square miles with zero bike shops stocking new bikes on their floor.

Cyclists are Important Users

Ray LaHood, the Department of Transportation Secretary has a blog where he recently left comments on attending the National Bike Summit.

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of addressing the National Bike Summit. I was invited to speak as a member of the Obama administration, but I have been a supporter of bicycling for many years and was a member of the Congressional Bike Caucus when I was in Congress.

Still, I don’t think the League of American Bicyclists knew what to expect when they invited me to their summit.

I hope they were pleasantly surprised because I am committed to investing in programs that encourage bikes to coexist with other modes and to safely share our roads and bridges. And there’s strong support in Congress for these goals as well.

Secretary LaHood also noted his excitement for the Active Transportation pilot program. The city of Detroit has submitted a proposal for participating in this program under the next federal transportation bill.

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Photo courtesy of Dan Burden

While meeting with members of Congress at the National Bike Summit, Complete Streets legislation was re-introduced. The same bill was introduced in the Senate in 2008 but died in committee.

The basic premise is road agencies should adopt a policy that ensures all transportation modes are reasonably accomodated, includinng biking and walking.

According to bill sponsor Senator Tom Harkin:

When Americans choose to leave their car at home and walk or ride a bike to school or work, they are making a healthy decision. We need to ensure streets, intersections and trails are designed to make them easier to use and maximize their safety.

This legislation will encourage Americans to be more active, while also providing more travel options and cutting down on traffic congestion.

Everyone is encouraged to use this quick online form letter to ask your Senator and Representative to support this legislation.

We typically got receptive but uncommitted support while in Washington DC, perhaps in large part because the bills were only recently introduced.

More details from the Complete Streets web site:

The Complete Streets Act of 2009 was introduced in both houses of Congress on Thursday, March 12. Senator Harkin (IA) sponsored S. 584 with Senator Carper (DE) as original cosponsor. In the House, Congresswoman Matsui (CA-5) sponsored H.R. 1433 with Representatives Tauscher (CA-10), Maloney (NY-14), and Wu (OR-1) as original cosponsors. The Complete Streets Act of 2009 defines effective complete streets policies that are flexible enough to use in daily transportation planning practice. The introduction of these bills is a key step in ensuring safer, better-designed streets across the country.

Organizations from the YMCA to the National Association of Realtors have lined up behind the measure, because they see the benefits complete streets will provide on issues ranging from the obesity epidemic to greenhouse gas reduction to providing inexpensive transportation alternatives in tough economic times. See what everyone is saying about the bills (pdf).

There is also additional information on the Transportation for America web site.

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I didn’t need to provide much background.

He immediately noted how his cycling city roll-model Portland is different in that it’s a growing city, whereas cities like St. Louis, Detroit, and others are dealing with shrinking populations, jobs, vacant land, and more.

I spoke about the collective effort with the support of Mayor Cockrel to reinvent Detroit as a green city, where biking and walking are a strong component. I noted our non-motorized plan, greenways network vision, and our application for Active Transportation 2010 funding.

He added that we need to make sure our bike solutions at the federal level are not one-size-fits-all.

Although it seemed longer, it was perhaps only a minute of conversation. Still, it was one of the most rewarding minutes during my stint at this summit. It was very good to know that one of the primary congressional leaders in biking and walking advocacy was already on point with urban non-motorized perspectives outside of the Portland’s and Boulder’s of the world.

After our discuss, Congresssman Blumenauer addressed the entire group on his new Multimodal Commuter Credit legislation. It basically addresses some flaws in the current implementation of bike commuter tax credit and provides more flexibility.

Why was the bike commuter act flawed from the start? BikePortland.org asked Blumenauer’s staffer Tyler Frisbee that question.

Frisbee said the reason is that it was passed as part of the financial bailout package, “instead of a more orderly process.”

We reported on this back in October. Blumenauer’s bike commuter bill was added to the bank bailout bill perhaps to garner his vote — it didn’t work. He voted against the bailout and the commuter language was flawed.

Fortunately the Congressman’s commited to correcting these flaws.

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LaHood is the Secretary of Transportation, and although there was some hesitation in the cycling blogosphere when Obama nominated him. After today’s presentation, that hesitation should be gone.

He told the crowd at the opening session that we’ll build on our successes in pedestrian and bicycle promotion. He noted we’re on the verge of making more progress in doing the things America really wants to do. Creating livable communities is becoming the priority.

And finally, he assured us that we have a full partner at the Department of Transportation.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer

Blumenauer started with the rhetorical question: “How many people right now are stuck in traffic on their way to a health club to ride a stationary bike?”

He added:

• Families biking are an indicator species for livable communities
• With Congressman Oberstar chairing the transportation committee, the “table is set for us” when it comes to writing the next transportation bill.
• We need to be relentlessly bike-partisan. There are no blue or red bikes.
• There are currently 213 legislators in the bike-partisan caucus. 218 would be a majority — and that’s a Summit goal.
• The Commuter Choice act will be taken up in this legislative session. The gist is it adds flexibility to the commuter tax benefits and allows the mixing of modes, e.g. biking and transit.
• New Clean-TEA legislation would set aside 10% of a carbon tax to help communities reduce the carbon-footprint of their transportation, making it more sustainable in the long term. The justification? One-third of greenhouse gas emissions are from transportation. ?Cycling and walking can offset that. Clean-TEA would be an amendment to a climate change bill.

Also, Congressman Blumenauer biked to the Summit from the Capitol and was sporting a pant strap.

Congressman Dan Lipinski

Congressman Lipinski touted the fact that he’s not only a cyclist, but a card carrying of the League of American Bicyclists.

Lipinski did warn us that we must remain vigilant as there is still a mindset out there that bikes are not transportation.

Congresswoman Doris Matsui

Congresswoman Matsui spoke about the Complete Streets legislation that is on the verge of being introduced in the House and Senate.

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