Bicyclists not being seen by drivers is a major cause of crashes.  That’s especially true this time of year with the shorter days and Daylight Saving Time.

MDOT recently issued a related press release:

“Drivers should always pay close attention and look out for other users of our roadways,” said MDOT Director Kirk T. Steudle. “In addition, pedestrians and bicyclists should wear bright and/or reflective clothing to significantly improve the likelihood of being noticed by motorists.”

Increasing ones visibility doesn’t have to be all that expensive.  Wearing brighter clothes with reflective strips and adding bike lights are a good start.  Those rear red LED blinky lights are almost a necessity.

Momentum Magazine has created a cheesy but fun video about getting more visible.  Note that the video production lighting was powered solely by bike lights.

Click to play

Presented by: VACC, B:C:Clettes and Momentum Magazine
Videography by Gwendal Castellan and Dave Niddrie

Visibility accessories generously donated by:

• Halolux - Halolight Bicycle Helmets and Haloracer Bike Illumination Light
• Monkeylectric - Monkeylectric Monkey Light
• Rock the Bike- Down Low Glow Lights
• Sweetskinz - Reflective Coloured Tires
• Knog - Frog, Gecko and Gator Lights
• Hutchinson - Reflex Reflective Tires
• Lazer -Urbanize Helmets

First, we must thank all the cyclists that came to Monday’s City Commission meeting.  It was impressive and that made the difference, as noted below.

And thanks for being patient.  It took more time than expected (and more time than normal) to get to the public comment period.  There’s an old adage that lawmaking is like making sausage.  You don’t want to see how it’s done.  Monday’s meeting was no exception.

But, once we were able to speak about improving cycling in Royal Oak, the Commission listened and acted.  They modified the evening’s agenda and added a discussion on cycling.

That discussion led to the creation of a small bicycling task force that will work with the city manager to develop recommendations on how we can improve biking safety in Royal Oak.

Our task force has already arranged a meeting later this month with Tom Hoover, Royal Oak’s city manager.  The Woodward Avenue Action Association is supportive of our efforts and will participate in this discussion as well.

There was media coverage of the event by the Detroit News, Daily Tribune, and Mirror.

I also got a quote in the November Complete Streets e-Newsletter:

It’s difficult to ride your bike to the zoo when it shouldn’t be.  Royal Oak spends so much on parking.  If we increased the number of people riding bicycles in the city we’d save money.

If you think you have it bad riding or walking in your town, it could be worse.  You could be in India where 1% of the world’s vehicles generate 10% of the world’s traffic fatalities.

“The underlying problem… is poor design and signage.”  That applies equally in Detroit.  A well-engineered road decreases the reliance on enforcement and education.  This is one of the fundamental principles of traffic calming.

“How We Drive” is a real interesting blog that more about roads users and transportation than just driving.

A recent entry is very relevant to bicyclists.  It discusses how many drivers do not accurately assess the risks of their driving behavior.  They take chances that most of the time don’t result in a crash or injury.  Examples could include passing cyclists too closely on the road , crossing a double-yellow line to pass cyclists, or pulling through a crosswalk without looking for pedestrians.

Whether from personal on-road experience, or from reading studies, or from examining in-car footage of crashes and near-crashes, I am often struck by how often people seem to put themselves, and others, at great risk. Following closely at high speed on the interstate, or driving fast through a neighborhood street, they act in a way that suggests they believe that nothing could go wrong, or that they would be in control if it did. Over time, this behavior is typically rewarded, perhaps through sheer luck, until the ‘black swan’ event that they never expected actually happens. Then, as is often the case, begins a process of denial, an attempt to assuage the cognitive dissonance that has come between the image of themselves as a good and cautious driver and an event that was ‘beyond their control.’

Certainly there are some bicyclists that don’t accurately assess their risk.  The difference being that the negative impacts of risky cycling behavior is generally limited to the cyclist.  Motorist bad behavior around cyclists negatively impacts the cyclist.

Most cyclists in Metro Detroit recognize the shortcomings of biking in this area.  So what should we do about it?  Just opining on the Internet doesn’t create the change we want to see.

One idea we continue to push is for Metro Detroit communities to develop non-motorized transportation plan or bicycle plans.

And since safe and effective bicycling facilities are foreign concepts to most cities in this area, it’s best to have these plans created by professionals outside of city government.

Cities, villages, and counties receive a portion of the state fuel tax and no less than 1% of that must be spent on non-motorized transportation.  MDOT has stated that creating non-motorized plans is a good and proper use of this state funding.

As reported earlier, the City of Detroit has recently endorsed a non-motorized transportation master plan.  The City of Troy issuing a request for proposals to do the same.

But for one great example of a bicycle plan, we point to the Village of Oak Park in Illinois where the village manager is Tom Barwin, Ferndale’s former city manager.

The Village of Oak Park recently adopted a bicycle plan that was developed by the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation.

The first objective of the plan will be to develop a comprehensive bikeway network consisting of marked on-street bikeways, signed routes, and multi-use trails where possible.

The second objective of the plan will be to develop a safety and education plan for the Village. Many people do not bicycle because of a perceived risk to personal safety.

The final objective of the plan will be to market bicycling to the community. Marketing is one the most cost-effective means to increase bicycling.

Links: The Oak Park Bicycle Plan | Chicagoland video interview

One major benefit the Chicago-area enjoys is having a well-organized, experienced, and active non-profit bicycle advocacy group — the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation.  We do not have anything equivalent in Metro Detroit.  While the League of Michigan Bicyclists is the statewide bicycle advocate organization, they play only a minor role in local advocacy efforts.

This is another change we need to consider as we push bicycle advocacy forward in Metro Detroit