Here is the latest all-in-one schedule for bike to work week in Detroit. Note that the Wednesday American Cycle and Fitness ride is now on Thursday due to the weather forecast. Their Commerce-to-Southfield route is canceled. Detroit Synergy’s Grosse Pointe ride has also been canceled.

• May 14th, Wednesday, 7pm, REI’s free Bike Commuting workshop at their Troy store.
• May 15th, Thursday, 6:30am, American Cycle & Fitness, Royal Oak to Campus Martius.
• May 15th, Thursday, 6:30am, American Cycle & Fitness, Grosse Pointe to Campus Martius.
• May 16th, Friday, Detroit Synergy
  • 6:25am Royal Oak Farmer’s Market
  • 6:40am Ferndale Post Office
  • 6:55am Palmer Park, Woodward at Merrill Plaisance
  • 7:20am New Center/Techtown at Java Exchange
  • 7:35am Cultural Center/Midtown at Wayne State Welcome Center
  • 8:00am Campus Martius
  • 5:30pm Campus Martius back to Royal Oak
• May 23rd, Friday, Detroit Synergy
  • 6:45am Dearborn City Hall
  • 7:30am Corktown/Southwest Detroit at 14th Street/Mercury Coffee Bar
  • 8:00am Campus Martius
  • 5:30pm Campus Martius back to Dearborn

You can still register to win a commuter bike from American Cycle and Fitness.

If you still need motivation, the AP recently ran a story on bike commuting’s growing popularity.

Bicycle shops across the country are reporting strong sales so far this year, and more people are bringing in bikes that have been idled for years, he said.

“People are riding bicycles a lot more often, and it’s due to a mixture of things but escalating gas prices is one of them,” said Bill Nesper, spokesman for the Washington. D.C.-based League of American Bicyclists.

“We’re seeing a spike in the number of calls we’re getting from people wanting tips on bicycle commuting,” he said.

American Cycle and Fitness is expanding on their 2007 Ride to Work Day this May 14th. Rather than just one ride, they’ll have three. You can register for free and one rider will win a Trek 7100 commuter bike.

The ride from Walled Lake will include LIla Lazarus from Fox 2.

From their web site, the three rides on May 14th are::

• Walled Lake American Cycle & Fitness to Fox 2 News. The route will takes us past Southfield Town Center for those who work there or nearby and end at Fox 2 News on 9 Mile in Southfield . Leave at 6:30am.
• Royal Oak American Cycle & Fitness to Campus Martius. The route will take us straight down Woodward. Leave at 6:30am.
• Grosse Pointe American Cycle & Fitness to Campus Martius. The route will take us down Mack Avenue in. Leave at 6:30am.

Note that these rides are weather permitting, so keep watching the American Cycle and Fitness web site for updates. There will be rides back to the stores at the end of the day.

A request came before the Royal Oak Traffic and Safety Committee to address the traffic light at 12 Mile and Connecticut. Currently that traffic light gives green lights to both crossing streets. However, there is not much traffic on Connecticut.

The city staff recommendation was to give a green light to 12 Mile traffic and only give a green to Connecticut when a car was present. The City would need to add a car detectors in the pavement.

The problem I saw was Connecticut is a major north-south connector for cyclists. The Red Run Golf Course prevents other north-south routes. I did not want to see cyclists waiting at Connecticut, failing to trigger a green light, and simply going through a red light.

I recommended the City add pavement markings letting cyclists know where they need to locate their bike on Connecticut in order to receive a green signal. There is a national standard for such markings as well as information signs. That recommendation turned into a motion that was approved by the Traffic and Safety Committee and is going before the City Commission tonight.

At that same Traffic Safety Committee meeting, I brought copies of Ann Arbor’s Traffic Calming guide, which I blogged about earlier this year. That Guide is in the Commissioners packets tonight as well.

From metromode:

Geysering fuel prices and the clamor for sustainable lifestyles and cityscapes bode well for bicycle commuters, with Oregon congressman Earl Blumenauer leading the pack. As head of the bi-partisan Congressional Bike Caucus, a group promoting public investment in bike transportation, Blumenauer’s regular coasts to the office and the White House are Washington, D.C. legend.

Cities from Portland, Oregon to Boulder, Colorado are threaded with cycling networks.

So will the Motor City region (with three Congressional Bike Caucus members) shrug off its shroud of automobile exhaust and feel the oxy rush from the two-wheel revolution?

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