We’re seeing more and more bicycles on the streets of Detroit, but the sets of wheels that have been catching my eye lately are three-wheelers. They’re pedicabs or rickshaws, and Mike Rosemond of Detroit is one of a handful of operators pedaling folks around town for modest fares with his Rickshaw Detroit.
“We’re really excited about how the pedicabs are catching on,” says Walker, who was born and raised in Detroit. “We really enjoy changing people’s perception of Detroit.”
“A lot of couples leave here with a really enlightened view of the city,” he says. “I had one couple I was driving when the fireworks started at Comerica Park. They got out and took pictures. They said the ride just made their vacation.”
Jobs don’t get much greener than this.
Also, the Detroit News column included this excellent video. The city and the RiverWalk never looked better.
Dave Hurst started the conversation on his blog about Congressman and Michigan gubernatorial candidate Pete Hoekstra and his patriotic bike logo.
Hoekstra has a history of successfully campaigning by bicycle, as his web site notes:
Pete being an avid biker decided when he first ran for Congress in 1992 that he would ride his bicycle throughout the entire 2nd Congressional District in an effort to connect with people where they lived and worked. Many supporters joined Pete on this initial bike tour and since then Pete has made a tradition of riding his bike through the district every summer, and many more have joined this tradition. In recent years, for instance, the bike tour has highlighted issues such as agriculture, alternative energy and growing small businesses. By biking from location to location Pete has been able to visit with people, schools, farms and businesses -- hearing their voices and seeing the real impact local, state and federal government has on peoples daily lives.
And in his current run for Michigan governor, he’s back in the saddle. He’s been biking around the state, including places such as Hines Drive.
We didn’t see any rides in the city of Detroit, so we submitted one his Suggest a Route form. We suggested riding on Woodward from the Detroit Zoo to the Detroit RiverWalk. It’s just twelve miles and slightly downhill.
It just seems that any avid biker running for governor of Michigan should take a ride down M1 to get a better idea of the urban issues facing this state.
The U.S. Social Forum really put large, diverse group of bicyclists (and pedestrians) on Detroit’s streets for nearly a week. Is this how Detroit could look in the new future after a bit of transportation mode shift and infill?
Another Forum visitor added this excellent write up on Streetsblog: Detroit: The Return of the Repressed (Bicycling Culture). That article includes a photo caption which notes, “Detroit’s once bustling streets are a bicyclist’s paradise now, wide open and empty.”
Detroit has had a small-ish Critical Mass going back some years, but this was its biggest ever, about 375 riders. A great route was planned and most followed, which took us downtown, along the riverfront, out into eastern Detroit, through the remarkable Heidelberg Project, and finally back into the center of the City. One of the best parts of this Detroit Critical Mass was the enthusiastic reception by locals all along the way.
Detroit is a city reinventing itself. After a generation of abandonment by business and capital, the residents who have stayed are fully engaged in a process of rethinking what their city should look like, who should have the power to make decisions about it, what kinds of work should be done, and so on. The bicycle is making a comeback too, and though it’s still at the beginning of a regenerative process, the roots are well implanted and it’s very exciting to see what develops in the years to come.
Matt Dughi made this amazing, must watch video of the ride. Critical Mass is looking a little Tour de Troit-ish. Did you see Pingree smile as the ride passed?
We’re a huge fan of Tom Vanderbilt’s How We Drive blog. While he doesn’t always talk about cycling, he almost always talks about issues affecting cycling (and pedestrians!)
For instance, we recently noted how many drivers blame all cyclists as a collective group, but not all drivers. Vanderbilt says this is a psychological phenomenon called the Fundamental Attribution Error. So it’s not just us…
Model D is provides a significant amount of Detroit biking coverage. Perhaps due to May being bike month, they’ve got even more stories, including this one on Midtown’s Green Alley.
The alley will consist of native plantings and a 6-foot-wide pedestrian and bike pathway constructed of reclaimed historic brick framed by permeable pavement — which ensures emergency vehicle access. It is lit by induction lights, which are more efficient than LED and last for 25 years. “I hope one day to be have to climb up there and change a bulb!” says Tom.
The alley will provide a connection to the Motor City Brewing Works and include bike racks.
Detroit Critical Mass
Here’s a little video of the April 2010 Critical Mass ride in Detroit. Isn’t it ironic that the Motor City’s ride deals with fewer cars than perhaps all other citys’? (via Model D)
The U.S. Social Forum (USSF) is coming to Detroit this June. Biking is a big part of this event. People from around the U.S. are biking to Motown through the BikeIt project. Registration for their Tent Bike City is now open.
When: May 15th from 3:30pm-7pm
Where: Back Alley Bikes space (entrance in alley behind of The Hub of Detroit)
What: The goal of the evening is to use wood and recycled bicycle parts to make simple bicycle cargo trailers. The trailers built will be used to pick up waste during the forum and will be a part of environmental management efforts reduce the ecological footprint of the USSF and beyond!
Yes, Fort Street in Southwest Detroit is being reconstucted. Yes, the Detroit Non-Motorized Plan calls for bike lanes on this road. Yes, the road is six-lanes but the vehicular traffic levels only require two. Yes, this road would likely be part of the U.S. Bicycle Route 25 through Detroit.
No, MDOT did not include bike lanes in the project.
Why? No reasonable answers have been given so far. MTGA and others are continuing to discuss this with MDOT. There’s no reason why this shouldn’t be a four-lane road with buffered bike lanes.
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