The Varsity News is reporting on a transportation symposium held at the University of Detroit-Mercy last week.

The symposium included a discussion on the proposed light rail project currently being planned for Woodward. It is hoped that ground will be broken on the first phase of this project by late next year.

According to the article, one person raised concerns about pedestrian and bicyclist safety.

[Board president of M1 Rail, Matt] Cullen said the system “will be very pedestrian friendly.”

The rail line will have stops at major sites, such as stadiums, colleges and the New Center area. It will create more foot traffic, and there will also be a bike bath.

“It allows you to explore further,” Cullen said.

We wonder if he meant bike lanes on Woodward. Others have asked for them and rumor is they are feasible.

If this is the case, it’s a big improvement over what Cullen told us last winter. He said bikes might be pushed off Woodward.

Light Rail Community Workshops

And speaking on the light rail project, DDOT is hosting community workshops next week.

Here are the details:

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Today is the last day to submit comments to DDOT on the proposed Woodward Avenue Light Rail Transit project. Comments should be emailed to woodwardlightrail@detroitmi.gov.

The scoping booklet is on-line and presents a number of different options. One key issue with cyclists is the track alignment: curb-running versus median-running.

Curb-running makes bike lanes difficult to impossible. Do you really want to ride near the trains, their tracks, and their stations?

The best answer is median-running. In the scoping booklet, that is Design Option A. It would be great if many cyclists requested that option in their comments.

Transport Michigan also has some great thoughts and comments regarding this project and cycling.

Link: Additional information on Detroit’s light rail project

DDOT and the Federal Transit Authority are hosting the initial public meeting for the Woodward Light Rail project this Saturday. The meeting purpose is “discuss the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Woodward Avenue (M-1) Light Rail Project from Downtown Detroit to Eight Mile Road (M-102).”

The EIS will consider impacts to bicyclists using Woodward — which is key. Light rail tracks along the curb are not always the best choice for bicyclists.

Earlier discussions were to not have biking on Woodward, at least below Grand Boulevard. It was suggested cyclists could use some streets paralleling Woodward. That overlooks the fact that people want to ?ride to destinations on Woodward.

Not accommodating bicycles on Woodward might just give Detroit’s Critical Mass something to protest.

Meeting Details

When: Saturday, August 14, 2010. Attend from 11am to 1pm or 5pm to 7pm.

Where: Considine Light Rock Family Life Center Auditorium (8904 Woodward Avenue, Detroit)

Former Red Wing Chris Chelios biking home from work on Woodward in Royal Oak

The Oakland Press has an article on the newer planning efforts to make Woodward more bike friendly.

Heather Carmona, the executive director of the Woodward Avenue Action Association, said the study is a step toward making the Woodward area more attractive to businesses and young residents, who tend to view walkability, rideability and mass transit more favorably than their older counterparts.

“The economy as a whole is forcing us to look at new ways of doing things, but this is more about making living in the Woodward area more pedestrian-friendly and livable,” she said. “We have users of all types — those who would like to walk, others who would like to ride their bikes. We’re looking at ways to make moving around without a car easier.

“Look at cities like Portland, Oregon and other cities have plans in place for non-motorized transportation,” Carmona said. “It’s one of the factors that we believe is attractive to the younger people that we’d like to see stay in the area.”

The initial plan has received much feedback. We’re not convinced the plan is where it needs to be. If you want to be like Portland (or even follow AASHTO bicycle design guidelines), you don’t put in sidepaths where there is a fair amount of cross streets and driveways.

We prefer Planner Dan Burden’s suggestions to treat the outside lane of Woodward as a local lane for turning traffic, buses, and bicycles. That lane could even be painted or marked to indicate it’s not designed for high-speed through traffic. That is an inexpensive solution that doesn’t remove a vehicle lane yet improves bicycling opportunities for intermediate and advanced riders.

UPDATE: Heather Carmona also discussed this on the July 15th Craig Fahle show on WDET. The Woodward discussion begins 38 minutes into the show.

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.