As we posted earlier, the Detroit police will soon enforce a 1964 ordinance requiring all bicyclists within Detroit to have a licensed bike.

As expected, the Detroit News published a follow up article:

Detroit Police spokesman James Tate insisted the reason for enforcing the obscure ordinance is not to fine bicyclists.

“We’re trying to get people to register their bikes,” Tate said. “We’ve got hundreds of bikes piled up with no way of knowing who they belong to. The idea isn’t to start handing out tickets to little kids on tricycles.”

If the Detroit Police are seriously concerned about returning stolen bikes, why aren’t they using the National Bike Registry system? The National Bike Registry does provide a way of finding the owners of stolen bikes — and it does it on a nationwide basis.

Unfeasible to Enforce

Yesterday we spoke with attorney Michael Salhaney, who represents the City of Birmingham. We discussed the state law that allows cities to register bikes. He concurred that the state law requires appropriate signs through out the city, making bicycle license enforcement “unfeasible.”

Unreasonable Expectation

Also, as Dustin commented earlier, imagine if all cities started enforcing similar registrations? It’s an unreasonable expectation for cyclists to visit the police station of each city they ride through to register their bike. And it’s even more unreasonable in Detroit since the bike licenses are only for sale Mondays through Friday from 9am until 5pm.

Note that riding an unlicensed bike to the police to get it registered is against Detroit’s city ordinance.

A Better Solution

A much better solution for registering stolen bikes is to use the National Bike Registry, especially since the advent of craigslist and eBay mean stolen bikes are less likely to stay in the city where they were stolen. Cyclists can register their bike on a nationwide basis for roughly $1 per year. Or, they can pay 99 cents to register a recently stolen bicycle, which is a no-brainer.

It’s also critical that cyclists record the make, model, color, and serial number of their bikes. In case a bike is stolen, this is invaluable information that make it more likely the bike can be found. Bike serial numbers are typically found underneath the bottom bracket, where the pedals go through the bike frame.

If you have a camera, you may want to take some photos of the bike and serial number. They may come in useful in case it’s ever stolen.

Another part of the solution? The Detroit Police should set up an account with the National Bike Registry so they can clear out their “hundreds and hundreds” of recovered bikes.

Last Friday was Detroit Synergy’s organized bike to work day from Downtown Dearborn to Campus Martius in Detroit.  It was a light turnout, which was surprising giving the great weather and high gas prices.  Perhaps many were getting an early start on their Memorial Day Weekend plans.

Nonetheless, we had a great ride straight down Michigan Avenue.  Channel 7 came out and covered the ride. Thanks to Alex, Detroit Synergy, Michael Boettcher (East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority), the Dearborn Police, and the Mercury Coffee Shop.

It’s getting closer.

The expected completion date for Phase I is this summer. It appear the electrical is currently being installed. There is still a lot of steel beams which may be for the Antietam Bridge replacement. The main trail portion (the east half of the right-of-way) is graded, along with the two vehicle access points at Gratiot and Lafayette.

One clarification should be made. Many, including myself thought the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy was responsible for constructing the Cut. They aren’t. The City of Detroit is with the DEGC managing the project. However, once completed, the Conservancy will handle this trail’s operations, maintenance, and programming.

Today began the third annual Detroit Synergy bike to work day.  Today we had a great ride from Royal Oak to Campus Martius in Downtown Detroit.  Next Friday’s ride is from Dearborn to Campus Martius.

One of the riders today was going out of his way to ride with us.  His normal bike commute is from Royal Oak to Wixom.

Also, congrats to fellow bike commuter and Friend of the Clinton River Trail, Mark Pompetski.  He got some much deserved ink describing his bike commuting in the Hometown Life:

Three years ago, when Michigan’s perennial orange barrels sprouted along his route to work, Mark Pompetzki’s daily commute became even more of a grind than usual.

But prompted by a co-worker, Pompetzki found a way to take some of the pressure off the drive between Rochester and Southfield. He started riding his bike to work when the weather and his schedule permitted. He’s still doing it today, averaging one day a week.

Read the complete article