E.J. Levy recently sent me an article about Colorado State Highways and how many of them have paved shoulders 4 feet or wider — a great way to make roads safer for bicyclists.  Colorado has had a policy since 1999 to add these shoulders to their state highways.  Nine years later, 72% of their state highway roads have them.

I am not sure if this includes Interstates, where in Colorado they are sometimes open to biking (e.g. I-70, I-76.)

So what’s the story in Michigan? As of last year, 35.8% of MDOT trunklines had paved shoulders 4′ or greater.    That percentage does not include Interstates, which are not currently opening to Michigan bicyclists.

That’s 3,031 miles of state roads with wide paved shoulders.

According to Josh Debruyn, MDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, “In the last two years, MDOT has added 365 miles of paved shoulder suitable for bicycling and the number continues to grow every year.”

We expect these to grow as well now that the Governor has directed MDOT to do more.

And don’t think paved shoulders are just for bicyclists.  They help roads last longer, provide a safe pull-off area for vehicles, and allow vehicles to pass bicyclists more safely.

Now if we could only get the Metro Detroit road agencies (e.g. Road Commission for Oakland County) to step up and make this same committment to bicyclist safety.

2007 bicycle-vehicle crashes in Troy

This is a map of bicycle-vehicle crashes in Troy for 2007.  Troy had 20 such crashes in 2007, which was the second highest in Oakland County, 10 crashes fewer than Royal Oak.

While it’s difficult understanding how and where each crash occurs, it appears that all but a few crashes occured on sidewalks and crosswalks.  This coincides with national studies showing sidewalks are the least safe place to ride a bicycle.

It should be noted that, Troy is being very proactive and is looking to improve biking and walking safety within their community.

Royal Oak had the most bike-car crashes among all Oakland County municipalities in 2007

As noted earlier, last year Royal Oak had more reported car-bike crashes than any other city, village, or township in Oakland County.  In fact no one even came close.

We’ve now mapped those crashes so you can get a rough idea of where they happened.

For many years now we’ve been trying to push Royal Oak to improve biking within the city.  Neither city officials nor commissioners seem all that interested in taking any meaningful action.

Most recently I’d arranged a deal that would bring Dan Burden, one of the nation’s foremost biking and walking experts to Royal Oak for consultation on MDOT’s dime.  I even offered to complete the necessary paperwork.

Weeks later, my calls and email are still unanswered.

This free opportunity to get start improving biking and walking safety in Royal Oak has passed.

It’s time to move on to Plan B.  Stay tuned.

This is an interesting Disney animation from 1950 that shows how “normal” people can become maniacal behind the wheel of a car. Sadly enough, cyclists and pedestrians are still the brunt of this motorist abuse 58 years later.

[Source: Commute by Bike]

Bike lanes in Ferndale

here’s been much discussion on this web site concerning bike lanes.

In summary, bike lanes…

1. Have been found to be the safest place for bicyclists to ride.
2. Can be funded from a variety of sources dedicated to non-motorized transportation.
3. Are not a significant liability concern for road agencies according to the state attorney general’s office.

In addition, the Road Commission for Oakland County and Wayne County Road Division have undocumented policies that prohibit bikes lanes.

Now this Macomb Daily article notes that old school opposition to bike lanes is in Macomb County as well.

Robert Hoepfner, chief highway engineer for the road commission, has no complaint with bicyclists. But he is concerned about safety. Many county roads simply aren’t wide enough for the kind of designated lanes Forlini described, Hoepfner said.

If county residents want designated areas for bicyclists, “Then let’s build bike paths and make them safe,” he said.

Apparently Mr. Hoepfner has not done his homework. Bike side paths are significantly less safe than bike lanes. If he was truly concerned about bicycle safety, he’d be building bike lanes. And if a county road is not wide enough for bike lanes, widen it. There is non-motorized funding available for this.

There are no excuses for not providing safe cycling opportunities in Metro Detroit.