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MICHIGAN
August 2013
PROMOTING BICYCLING AND THE SAFETY OF BICYCLISTS ON MICHIGAN ROADWAYS
Reimagine Washtenaw Survivor Storytelling Project State Senator Rides Hotspots Pedal and Paddle in Three Rivers And More
PALM Highlights States Bikeability Page 3 Advocacy Day Recap
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STEVEN ROACH, LMB Board Chair What is todays date? Wow, summer is almost over, and time really flies when you are having fun on your bike. accomplishments of each recipient are impressive. Congratulations to each recipient. On behalf of the LMB Board, we welcome our two newly elected board members, Sarah Colegrove and Sarah Sidelko. We look forward to working with them, and sharing with us their knowledge, insight and enthusiasm. They are great additions to the Board.
Michigan Bicyclist
Copyright 2013 On the Cover: Sam Keranen of Painesdale, Michigan (age 3 when the photo was taken in November, 2009) biking the non-motorized Houghton Water front Trail. This 4.5 mile asphalt path along Portage Lake is popular with bike commuters, recreational riders, and pedestrians. The pathway, linking parks, neighborhoods, downtown Houghton and the Michigan Tech University campus, is an integral part of Houghtons bicycle network and one reason the city of 8,000 is a Bike Friendly Community. For more information on bicycle planning and advocacy in the Western Upper Peninsula, please see page 6. Photo by Ray Sharp. Editor, Art & Design: JOHN LINDENMAYER Letters/Comments/Advertisements may be directed to: john@LMB.org
LMB Directors
DAVE BOURGEAULT ERICA BRIGGS COLLEEN BROWN JIM CARPENTER DAVID JONES VIC LUKASAVITZ, Treasurer RORY NEUNER, Vice Chair STEVEN ROACH, Chair BARBARA SCHMID, Secretary SARAH COLEGROVE SARAH SIDELKO MICHAEL SHEEAN
Your LMB makes having fun on your bike easy, particularly if you enjoyed one of the four supported tours LMB offers: Pedal and Paddle, Your LMB continues to advocate for your Sunrise, MUP, and Shoreline West. If you have rights, and we encourage you to join us. You not yet enjoyed one of these tours, mark it can help by responding to LMBs calls for asdown now for next year. If you are looking for sistance or by calling on your state or federal a fun day ride, a challenge ride, or even an epic legislator to support bicycle-friendly policies. ride, check out LMBs online Ride Calendar. Bicycle advocacy starts at home. You advoLMB started its outdoor fun with the Lucinda cate for the rights of cyclists to use the roadMeans bike parade on May 22. Following the ways when you ride your bike. You make a parade, LMB was back to business with the difference when use your bike to run errands; 2013 Advocacy Day. This edition reviews the to go to events; to go to dinner; to go to a pub; successes of Advocacy Day. Over 100 citizens to go to work; or just to enjoy your hometown. just like you attended and advocated for our Each revolution of your pedals makes a differrights as cyclists. A special thank you to each ence you will create change. of them. Create change get on your bike and ride. This edition also reports on the LMB awards, which were announced at Advocacy Day. The
Staff
Photo cour tesy of Jim LeMay, MDOT Photography Unit
JOHN LINDENMAYER Advocacy & Policy Director, Webmaster john@LMB.org JENNY JENSEN Associate Director jenny@LMB.org
to move ahead. While waiting for the light at an intersection in Clinton, a friendly female passenger rolled down her car window to ask where we were all from. Everywhere! one rider called back, returning the smile as the light turned green and we all rolled forward together across the busy street. Bicycle safety education can go a long way toward ensuring both cyclists and drivers understand and obey the rules to share the road safely and efficiently. League of American Bicyclists (LAB) certified instructor Al Lauland teaches a free bike safety class every evening during PALM. But unless an education component is written into new legislation, its pretty much impossible to get the subject into any drivers education curriculum. There is a very common misconception among motorists that bikes should not be on the road. If we had some education going on maybe that could change, said Lauland. Bikes fare best when they act and are treated as vehicles. In my estimation, the number one component to making Michigan more bike-friendly is to get drivers educated on how to share the road with bikes and educate cyclists on how to share the road with cars. We rode from Norton Shores to Grandville past rolling fields of blueberry bushes and asparagus fields, and quaint farmhouses and cottages overlooking quiet wetlands and lakes. We savored a midmorning watermelon break on the shady shore of a slow-moving river at Eastmanville Bayou Park. In Allendale, the school band boosters treated us to a fundraising lunch of sandwiches and homemade cookies in the shade, serenaded by tuba players playing Louie Louie. We pedaled through rainstorms from Lake Odessa to Charlotte, and sheltered beneath a park pavilion in Vermontville, where the village church opened its doors to hundreds of drenched cyclists seeking a clean, dry restroom break. The night before the tour hit Freeport, the owner of the Shamrock Tavern told us shed packed more than 100 box lunches in anticipation of drawing even a fraction of the 800+ tourists cycling through town. We sipped icy slushes next to a river dam in downtown Manchester, and gorged on pulled pork sandwiches at the Grass Lake Diner. In Dansville, the mayor greeted us in the gym of the K-12 school, joking that wed tripled the population of her village when we camped there overnight. In Washtenaw County, the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society hosted a rest stop heaped with fresh fruit and homemade cookies. So it surprised me to learn from route planner Gary Kenyon that some communities want no part of being on the PALM route, which changes each year. The reason is simple. Theyre concerned about cyclists interfering with traffic, said Kenyon.
The east side is worse than west side; everybody is in a rush. The car is still king. As anyone whos ever planned a tour route undoubtedly knows, Kenyon spends months each year working out the complexities of moving hundreds of cyclists safely through heavily populated communities with minimum impact on traffic flow. In Kent County this year, he had to nix plans to camp at Grandville High School because it was right across from a major shopping mall on a busy multi-lane highway. Even so, leaving the middle school we had to crisscross a subdivision to avoid about three miles of heavy traffic on the main road. Complete Streets policies are slowly changing this dynamic, but the underlying need to fix the states aging transportation infrastructure is a lengthy and costly process made even more challenging by shrinking local revenues. As of this writing, the state legislature has yet to vote on future transportation funding. On Wednesdays ride from Dansville to Manchester, PALM Mail Granny Ellie Knesper received an email from a self-described concerned mom and citizen. Heres an excerpt: Austin (Road) is a 55 mph no shoulder road a major route for gravel trucks which I (find) particularly intimidating as I am forced to be nose to nose with them time and time again...PALM, find another route, a safe and appropriate one for the sake of your riders and my children! I certainly understood this drivers frustration trying to get past our endless line of cyclists. But I wonder if she realizes that her complaints exactly mirror those of most cyclists? She doesnt think bikes belong on a 55 mph no shoulder road in heavy truck traffic, and I wholeheartedly agree. I would like nothing better than to always ride on a separate nonmotorized path, or on a wide paved shoulder thats marked as a dedicated bike lane. And I think its a pretty safe bet that most cyclists feel the same. But find a safe and appropriate route across Michigan where drivers are never forced to move into the oncoming lane to pass a cyclist? To be honest, Im not sure that route exists, at least not in its entirety. And that is exactly why, even people who would never, ever ride a bicycle should be standing on a soap box, demanding that Michigans roadways be made safe and accessible for all users. If we want a physically fit population that uses less fossil fuel and engages in healthy activities that promote family and community interaction, then we need to support the kind of laws and infrastructure that encourage it. Thats why PALM donates $1 from each registration fee to LMBs advocacy efforts, said PALM Chair Kevin Novess Sr. Rides like the PALM empower us all to share the road. Now we all need to do our part to ensure those roads are fit to share.
Top Left: Elizabeth Philips Shaw, Communications Coordinator, Michigan Municipal League dips her front tire into Lake Erie at the end of PALM XXXII. Top Right: Local police and fire trucks led the PALM parade celebrating the rides end at Luna Pier on June 28. Bottom: These three cycling connoisseurs use the PALM each year as an opportunity to put aside their regular road bikes and show off their works of art. Left to right: Dave Talsma of Swartz Creek and Her Majesty, an ANT Truss bike, artist Mike Flanigans hand-built replica of a 1903 Iver Johnson track racing bike; Kim Moon of Flint and Sir Walter Raleigh, a 1930s single speed light touring Raleigh converted to a 5-speed; and Frank Rotondo of Farmington and his hand-made Stan Ridge touring bike.
Washtenaw Avenue runs through the heart of Washtenaw County a five-mile stretch of state trunkline that connects the Cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. The roadway is typical of many found in the State of Michigan: sprawling, unplanned commercial development, with an auto-oriented design, intended to move traffic and facilitate access to adjacent business with the automobile. The heavy traffic, peak hour congestion, high speeds, wide lanes, numerous curb-cuts, no bike lanes, and missing sidewalks means a dangerous and unfriendly environment for all users, but particularly walkers and bikers. Beginning in 2008, Washtenaw County led an effort to work with the four communities through which the corridor traversed, the Cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, and Townships of Pittsfield and Ypsilanti, to revitalize the corridor and re-imagine its possibilities. It made sense to initiate this kind of effort, not only for congestion, safety and other physical issues, but because the corridor is a vital transportation network. A diverse set of institutions, commercial areas, and urban centers rely on the corridor for exchange of goods, services, and customers. There are two public universities, one college, two hospitals, 4,500 housing units, and the Countys two biggest cities. US-23 also has a major interchange on the corridor, funneling thousands of drivers every day to various destinations. The Washtenaw Avenue corridor carries about 4,000 transit users per weekday, on top of between 25,000 and 40,000 vehicles per day. The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (the bus system that serves the two largest urban areas in the County) operates a bus line along the corridor, and is experiencing double-digit annual ridership growth. A plan emerged in 2010 to redevelop the corridor around public transit, pulsing high-density, mixed-use development nodes at seven strategic locations along the length of the corridor. Encouraging development at these strategic node intersections in conjunction with adjacent enhanced, modern bus stops is the key economic development strategy for the effort. A Complete Streets approach is being used, which considers all users of a roadway, not just vehicles. The communities are reviewing bicycle lane and pedestrian network designs along the entire length of the 5-mile corridor. The communities recognize that being a multi-modal corridor, providing safer and reasonable alternatives to the automobile, is also an economic development strategy. Its also a necessity, in that the corridor will con-
tinue to increase in congestion and start to fail for automobiles more frequently. By encouraging denser development, more housing, and concentrating commercial development in walkable nodes, trip lengths will decrease, and drivers will increasingly use transit, bikes, and walking as a mode of transportation, all of which reduce roadway congestion and add capacity. There is growing demand for livable, walkable communities with different transportation choices available. The market right now is statistically dominated by Baby Boomers and Millennials, who are both seeking livable, walkable, vibrant neighborhoods with transportation choices and access to cultural, service, and recreational facilities. ReImagine Washtenaw is actively working on multiple fronts to implement the previously-adopted 2010 vision. Reimagine Washtenaw is using HUD funding to review corridor alternatives for adding bike lanes, dedicated transit lanes, sidewalks, transit stops, mid-block crossings and other facilities that better balance auto traffic with other modes. Most scenarios being considered require mode-shift to successfully address the increasing congestion on the corridor. This is not lost on the planners leading the effort, so they recently brought the largest employers together with Smart Growth America to study Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies. TDM includes a menu of options for employers to consider that reduce impacts at peak periods on the corridor. For example, a TDM best practice may be to allow employees to telecommute once per week, or provide free bus passes for its employees, or charging more for on-campus parking to discourage the use of an automobile. An effort is also underway to allow the buses on the corridor to control the lights along the corridor, which would allow a bus to get through a green light to stay on schedule. Finally, all four communities are updating their Master Plans and Zoning Ordinances to require compact, dense, walkable development in the future. Appropriate development regulations should be in place by 2014.
The rugged and remote Keweenaw Peninsula is known as a mountain biking mecca, with an International Mountain Bicycling Association Epic Ride Center in Copper Harbor, which has some of the gnarliest single-track trails and toughest races in the Midwest, and recently was featured in several national magazines. Meanwhile, a core group of cycling advocates have been working quietly for years to make streets in the regions small towns friendlier for bike commuters.
The Keweenaws largest city, Houghton, was named a Bike Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists in 2010 and Houghtons Michigan Tech University was awarded Bike Friendly Campus status in 2013. In order to coAlso on tap for the summer of 2014 is ordinate bike planning and promoa major highway repaving project on tion efforts and reach out beyond the four miles of M-26 from Hancock, east Houghton city limits, volunteers from through Ripley to Dollar Bay. This section Houghton, Hancock, and Calumet have of two-lane state highway is avoided by formed a new regional advocacy group, local cyclists because of narrow, crumBike Initiatives Keweenaw, or BIKE! bling shoulders. Through a $500,000 BIKE! founders helped the bike and peenhancement grant, MDOT will upgrade destrian committees of Houghton and bike facilities along this stretch that links Hancock conduct a cycling survey last Houghton and Hancock to the Torch Lake fall and analyze and map the results. shoreline communities of Tamarack City, More than 700 people from a twoHubbell and Lake Linden. From Hancock city population of 14,000 responded to Ripley, there will be a 4-foot paved to the on-line survey, describing their bike lane, a curb and gutter, and beyond bike commuting routes and how often that, a raised 4-foot multi-use path. From they ride those routes in each season. Ripley to Dollar Bay, MDOT will provide Volunteers aggregated the data and an 8-foot paved shoulder with rumble produced maps of principal routes in strips. The Houghton and Hancock bike An eight-foot asphalt non-motorized trail was installed October 2011 Houghton and Hancock, color-coded and pedestrian committees have met to connect residential and commercial neighborhoods in Portage by total trips per season. More than with MDOT engineers several times to Township with the Houghtons waterfront and downtown area. 20,000 bike trips per year were reportmake suggestions and review plans for ed on Houghtons College Avenue and the project, including redesigned bike across the Portage Lift Bridge, extraordinary figures for an area with six access from the Portage Lift Bridge to M-26. This partnership will ensure months of winter and up to 300 inches of snow per year. that the project addresses cyclists concerns and advances the goal of developing safe bike commuting routes to the Houghton-Hancock area Survey results including route maps, trip data and comments are used to from all directions. identify needs and prioritize infrastructure improvements. The Houghton Bike and Pedestrian Committee incorporated findings into its Non- BIKE! hopes to work with government officials in Hancock and Calumet Motorized Transportation Plan, which was approved by the citys plan- to adopt Complete Streets policies and bike plans, to raise awareness ning commission and council in June as part of a five-year master plan. of cycling through education and promotion, and to advocate for safer The plan documents improvements to bike and pedestrian facilities cycling conditions, all part of its stated mission of empowering people since a prior survey and bike plan was conducted in 2007, and identi- to ride bikes more often. Local cyclists envision a future when the Kefies projects for the next few years, including more bike lanes and bike weenaw region will be known as a great place to bike for daily transporracks, installation of signs for safety and way-finding, and development tation, as well as for mountain biking. of a bike boulevard connecting West Houghton with the university area For more information, see the BIKE! web site, www.bikeinitiativekeon the east side of town. weenaw.org, and find Houghton policies and plans at www.cityofIn 2010, Houghton passed a bike-parking ordinance for apartments houghton.com. and businesses, and a Complete Streets ordinance, the first of its kind
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in the Upper Peninsula. The bike and pedestrian committee filled out the Leagues on-line Bike Friendly Community application in July of that year with the intention of using it as a planning rubric and gap analysis. Houghton was pleased to receive the bronze-level BFC award on its first try, and has reapplied this summer in hopes of moving to the silver level. Improvements over the last three years include additional paved bike lanes, bike parking facilities and connector trails, expanded Bike to Work Day and May Bike Month activities in workplaces and schools, Safe Routes to School planning, and plans for crosswalk improvements near the elementary and high school funded for 2014.
The legislative priorities for this years Advocacy Day included: Protecting vulnerable roadway users by establishing enhanced penalties for injuring or killing bicyclists Establishing a standard for safe passing of bicyclists on Michigan roads Revising the right turn hand signal to make an extended right arm legal in Michigan Allowing bicyclists to bypass malfunctioning traffic lights Supporting a new Michigan trails and greenways license plate to fund local trail projects Preventing the raid on Natural Resources Trust Fund dollars available for trails projects Adequately funding safe transportation infrastructure that supports multi-modal use A special emphasis was placed on the vulnerable roadway user legislation during the legislative meetings. Advocates hand delivered cosponsorship memos from Representatives McBroom and Nathan who sponsored the bipartisan bill package to create enhanced penalties for reckless drivers who injure or kill bicyclists on Michigan roadways. In a parallel effort, a virtual lobby day was held online where bicyclists See ADVOCACY DAY, page 9
ADVOCACY DAY, cont. from page 7 from across the state emailed their representatives to urge them to cosponsor the bill package. In total, 161 emails were sent to 74 separate Representatives during the short online action. The combined effort paid off, with 15 Representatives signing on as co-sponsors to the bills. The vulnerable roadway user bills were introduced shortly after Advocacy Day as HB 4792 and HB 4799. Both were referred to the Criminal Justice Committee, chaired by Representative Heise, who has since committed to holding a hearing on the legislation. cycling enthusiasts, stated Ted Welsh, Director of Advocacy for MMBA, who served on the Advocacy Day planning committee. After the legislative meetings, numerous legislators participated in our luncheon on the Capitol lawn, including Representative Wayne Schmidt, Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, who presented LMBs John Lindenmayer with a framed copy of a House Resolution 142 proclaiming May as Bike Month in Michigan.
Following the Bike Month presentation, PEAC was excited to be a new partner LMB held a short annual meeting where for Advocacy Day because individuLMB Board Chair Steven Roach presentals with disabilities do not have an easy ed a slate of board candidates for the venue to share ideas. Advocacy Day membership to vote on. See page 11 for provided a unique opportunity for our more about the election. students to share their stories, said John During the Advocacy Day luncheon, Waterman, Executive Director of PEAC. LMB also presented our 2013 Awards Non-motorized transportation is big for Representative Wayne Schmidt, Chair of the Transportation and Into numerous bicyclists who embody people with disabilities. For many, nonfrastructure Committee, presenting LMBs John Lindenmayer with a the mission of the organization in our motorized transportation is the only way framed copy of a House Resolution 142 proclaiming May as Bike Month in Michigan. work to promote and advance bicycling they can get where they need to be. We across the state. You can read more need to guarantee access for all and proabout our 2013 award recipients on tect non-motorized users through policy page 10. We once again congratulate these individuals for their efforts such as the proposed vulnerable roadway user legislation. to make Michigan a more bicycle-friendly state. After Advocacy Day, LMB received numerous communications from lawmakers requesting additional copies of the various publications that The day was concluded with a post-event bicycle tour around the City of they received during Advocacy Day including the Michigan Ride Calen- Lansing, guided by Tim Potter of MSU Bikes and Andy Kilpatrick, a local dar, What Every Michigan Bicyclist Must Know and What Every Young Michi- cyclist and engineer for the City of Lansing who highlighted a number of gan Bicyclist Must Know, and the Michigan Trail Director. Additionally, our recently installed bicycle facilities around the city. Michigan Bicycling infographic was well received (see previous page). We hope you will join us in 2014 for this important day of action where As a first time attendee, I was impressed with the organization and the enthusiasm of the cyclists who participated. It was rewarding to be able to remind our legislators of the fact that many of their constituents are cyclists speak with one voice to improve bicycling in Michigan. In 2014, Advocacy Day is scheduled for May 21.
LMB is seeking bicyclists from across the state, from communities large and small, to help advance bicycling in Michigan. The Ambassador Program is a new LMB program aimed at building a strong network of volunteers across Michigan. An Ambassadors duties depend completely on you! We work with you and what you feel comfortable doing to help your community and Michigan become more bicycle-friendly. Involvement depends on your interest and available time. Sign up or learn more by contacting Jenny at jenny@ LMB.org or visiting www.LMB.org/ambassador.
Terri has been a Jim Dougherty long-time LMB vol2013 LMB Award Recipients (Top to Bottom), all Distinguished unteer. Over the with Rich Moeller, LMB Executive Director: Bicycle years, she has volService Award Advocate Award - Bryan Waldman; Bob Gibbs Passion unteered for the for Pedaling Award - Donna Moll (Photo of Jerry Swift Michael Sproul accepting the award on behalf of Donna Moll, with Bob Sunrise and MUP BiMichael has been a long Gibbs); Jim Dougherty Distinguished Service Award cycle Tours and has time LMB supporter and Michael Sproul; LMB Volunteer Award - Terri Riopelle; been a tireless advolunteer. In 1998 he beCommunity Support for Bicycling Award - Auburn vocate for bicycling Hills Police Department (accepted by Officer Brian came a member of the in the Alpena area. Miller). Not pictured: Bicycle Educator Award - Fred Board of Directors. Over Schaafsma; Ralph Finneren Encouragement Award In 2012, she was inthe years he has volunRe-Bicycle Lenawee. strumental in the teered for various LMB relocation of the tours and other events, in Sunrise Bicycle Tour from Rogers City to Alpena, working with various addition to serving on the LMB board. He has been a tireless advocate community leaders to encourage them to pursue becoming the host for bicycling in his community. He can often be seen attending various city for the event. She then took a leadership role in recruiting a planning public meetings vocalizing the need for accommodations for bicyclists. committee made up of local residents in the Alpena area. Her tireless ef- He routinely works with bike shops in his community to make sure that forts helped make the first Sunrise Tour in Alpena a huge success. See AWARDS, next page
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LMB Holds Annual Meeting Welcomes New & Returning Board Members
LMB held their annual meeting on May 22nd in conjunction with the 2013 Lucinda Means Bicycle Advocacy Day. The annual meeting was held in Lansing during the luncheon on the Capitol Lawn where LMB Board Chair Steven Roach presented a slate of board candidates for the attending membership to vote on. LMB is pleased to welcome Sarah Sidelko to the LMB Board. Sarah was part of the initial core-group that developed and coordinated Back Alley Bikes (Detroit) in 2001-2007. In the Fall of 2009, she helped to co-found Fender Bender Detroit. Fender Bender is a women, queer and trans centered bicycle workspace rooted in justice principles that values the bicycle as an accessible and fair transportation option and also as a vehicle for transformation within Detroit. The Fender Bender Detroit shop also organizes a bi-yearly seven week mechanic training series, public-access repair hours, community conversations, group rides, private tours, as well as sells and rents refurbished bicycles. Sarah has also worked closely with Wheelhouse Detroit as an employee, and currently teaches on-site bi-monthly bike maintenance classes. We are also excited to welcome Sarah Colegrove to the board. Sarah has been practicing law for 21 years. Her firm, Briggs Colegrove, P.C., often help athletes injured in bicycle and sportsrelated accidents. She co-authors articles for the LMBs Michigan Bicyclist Magazine that address legal issues facing cyclists. She serves on the Board of Directors of Back Alley Bikes in Detroit, and is an avid cyclist. Sarah looks forward to serving on the Board of Directors to help further the LMBs goal of promoting cycling and safety on Michigan roadways. Rounding out the election slate, Rory Neuner of Lansing and Jim Carpenter of Redford were both reelected to serve another term on the LMB board. Jim formerly served as Board Chair and Rory currently serves as Vice Chair.
they have LMB educational materials and Ride Calendars. He has served as a liaison with numerous local bike clubs. Michael has also advocated for safe cycling by regularly meeting with local and state politicians. He attends LMBs Bicycle Advocacy Day each spring, and often meets with his state legislators when they are back in their district. Michael stepped off the LMB Board in 2013 and become a member of LMBs new Ambassador Program where he will continue his outstanding service to bicycling in Michigan.
Stretch out those muscles, dust off your bike, and lets get ready to be active this summer! This is the advice I gave to constituents before we embarked on the inaugural Hansens Hotspots tour of the 34th state senate district located in West Michigan. My district, which includes Mason, Muskegon, Newaygo, and Oceana Counties, contains a number of hiking and biking trails, lakes and rivers, and many miles of coastline along the beautiful Lake Michigan. At the same time, the district I represent is well known for its agricultural industry with crops that include asparagus, sweet cherries, and more! This summer, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Outdoor Recreation and Tourism and an advocate of physical fitness, I wanted to promote a Pure Michigan experience and the unique assets of my district. Using primarily bicycles and other non-motorized transportation I decided to tour local hotspots. The first leg of the tour took place in June and began in my hometown of Hart in Oceana County. At the Starting Block Kitchen Incubator I welcomed constituents and special guest Jamie Clover Adams, Director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The Directors participation reflected the significant impact agri-business and agritourism has on our local economy. Before we began our ride we all lined up with our bicycles for a group photo. It was encouraging to know that everyone there was up for the challenge ahead, as most of us were novice riders and intermittent rain showers were in the forecast. During our one-day tour of Oceana County we cycled over 20 miles and were able to visit Snug Harbor Marina in Pentwater, Silver Lake State Park in Mears, Fox Barn Winery and Cherry Point Farm Market in Shelby, the Country Dairy, Lewis Farm Market and Petting Farm, and Oceana Winery and Vineyard in New Era. Along the route I had the opportunity to recognize the re-designation of the William Field Memorial Hart-Montague Trail with Michigans Lt. Governor and decedents of Mr. William Field. Together we worked with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to rename the trail after its local visionary. Following a great day in Oceana County, the Hansens Hotspots tour visited Newaygo County. There we cycled and kayaked over 20 miles while visiting agri-business and agri-tourism related sites to promote physical activity and a Pure Michigan experience.
State Senator Goeff Hansen, his wife Tami, and riders bike along the re-designated William Field Memorial Hart-Montague Rail Trail.
Plans are being made for the Hotspots tour of Muskegon County, where local residents and visitors are fortunate to have access to the Musketawa Trail and William Field Memorial HartMontague Trail. I encourage you to visit my district, bring your bicycle, and experience Pure Michigan!
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Training Wheels
ALY ANDREWS and DEBRA ALFONSO, Michigan Department of Transportation, Intermodal Policy Division DAVE HARTWELL, Vestry Member Saint James Episcopal Church
Saint James Episcopal Church in Grosse Ile, Michigan celebrated the 2nd Annual Blessing of the Bicycles on Sunday, April 21, 2013. The weather was heavenly and the response from both our church family and the Grosse Ile community was enthusiastic. The afternoons activities began at 1 pm for those cyclists who arrived to take advantage of free Earth Day bicycle safety checkups. Tire pressure checks, seat height adjustments, and brake inspections were some of the services provided by Saint James church family volunteers. The Blessing of the Bicycles ceremony started just after 2 pm as the steeple bell in the historic Saint James Chapel rang out. After a warm welcome to everyone in attendance, Father Phil, accompanied by his guitar, led us in singing the hymn How Great Thou Art. Officer Julie Cortis of the Grosse Ile Police Department then read verses from the book of the Prophet Ezekiel (1:15-21). Father Phil spoke to us about the invention of the bicycle and how it, much like the home computer, has empowered people by expanding our worlds and enriching our lives. After leading us in prayer, he blessed all the bicycles, motorcycles, and other wheeled vehicles with holy water. Father Phil then made the following benediction, May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be ever at your back. May all your journeying be joyous. And until we meet again, may the Lord hold you and your bicycles in the palm of his hand. Amen. After a brief safety talk by the Grosse Ile Police Department, we departed for a short ride, complete with a police escort. A good time was had by everyone and we look forward to hosting the 3rd Annual Blessing of the Bicycles next Spring.
Training Wheels participants in Grandville, MI learn about potential on-road bike facility options.
In June the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) partnered with T.Y. Lin International to conduct a series of Training Wheels courses in communities throughout Michigan. The bicycle facility design program is now in its 8th year of helping to educate Michigan planners, engineers, and other community officials and stakeholders about the benefits of on-road bicycle facilities and how to properly design them. The five communities hosting this years training included Manistee, Grandville, Dexter, Coldwater, and Niles. Each community was encouraged to invite neighboring communities and approach incorporating bicycle facilities from a regional perspective. Each session had up to 25 participants and lasted from five to six hours. Senior transportation professionals from T.Y. Lin, Nate Rosenberg, P.E. and Mike Amsden, AICP, began each class with a two hour presentation for community stakeholders on the design criteria of various on-road bike facilities based on updated guidance from the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHTOs) Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities 2012. Following the presentation, participants rode a bicycle route planned by the host community with assistance from MDOT, and T.Y. Lin. The route was designed so participants could experience a variety of common road cross-sections, some with bicycle facilities such as bike lanes or shoulders, and some without these facilities. The group stopped at key points along the route to discuss possible solutions for applying bicycle facilities to give cyclists a more comfortable place to ride on the road. To conclude the class and synthesize the information from the classroom and bike tour, participants were divided into small groups and provided with an aerial image of a primary or typical road condition in the community. They were asked to brainstorm how these roads could be redesigned to better accommodate bicycles. Each group then sketched their design on the aerial map and presented their ideas to the other participants. The purpose of this exercise was to help community stakeholders see different approaches to the same roadway or intersection, while also providing the host community with ideas for incorporating bicycle facilities after the course.
13 MICHIGAN BICYCLIST | August 2013
Bikes on Trains, Cont. from back page booth (two total) Amtrak made ample room for four angled bike racks. The racks have a floor base that the bicycles front wheel sits in and use simple bungee style tie downs to secure the bike tight against a padded posts that supports the bike in multiple places. The prototype racks are a vast improvement over their initial design. All in all, LMB is very pleased with the new design. While the racks were relatively intuitive, we did encourage Amtrak to provide signage with visual instructions on how to use the racks. When we tested the racks, the caf car was empty, so we also noted that it could be a bit more difficult to board the train and park your bike during peak times. Our biggest concern was not so much about the racks themselves, but simply about the boarding process. Without raised platforms at most Michigan stations, a bicyclist must carry their bike through a very narrow door and up narrow stairs, before making an immediate 90 turn to get into the caf car. We were traveling light during the test ride, but having additional luggage would likely make the boarding process more difficult. This problem can likely be addressed by having Amtrak attendants available to help bicyclists with the boarding and deboarding process. Since bicyclists will be required to reserve space for their bicycles in advance, however, Amtrak would know when and where bicyclists were getting on and off, and could have an attendant available to assist. The current racks will not accommodate non-traditional bicycles such as tandems, recumbents, tricycles, or oversized items like pull behind trailers. We are optimistic that in the future Amtrak will be able to accommodate these larger bikes within the baggage cars currently under construction. Lastly, LMB encouraged Amtrak to offer bike service at no additional cost to passengers, as is currently the policy on a number of their lines across the country including the Capitol Corridor, San Joaquin, Pacific Surfliner, and Piedmont lines. Pending the feedback from the Michigan bicyclists involved in the May 15th test ride, and a previous demonstration that involved bicyclists from Active Transportation in Chicago as well as the Illinois DOT, Amtrak plans to systematically install bike parking within existing caf cars. Due to funding cuts caused by the sequestration, however, Amtrak is currently unable to comment on how long it will likely take to modify enough of the existing caf cars to officially offer this as a service on Michigan lines. They currently plan to retrofit caf cars one at a time as the cars are brought in for service. To make the service widespread across Michigan they will need to convert at least seven to nine caf cars to ensure consistent service across the system. Amtrak considers expanded rail travel one of the solutions to address climate change and traffic congestion. Marrying passenger trains and bikes is a no-brainer and a winwin for the traveling public. Well continue our work at making it easier for our customers to complete that last mile to or from our stations, whether on foot, by transit, or on a bike, stated Derrick James, Director, Government Affairs - Central Amtrak. While bikes on trains is still not yet a reality in Michigan, LMB is pleased that we continue to make positive strides towards accommodating bicyclists. We sincerely thank Amtrak and MDOT for inviting us to participate in the demonstration ride and we look forward to promoting the new service once it is officially available across the state.
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LeagueofMichiganBicyclists @MIBicyclists Dated Material: August, 2013
Rory Neuner, LMBs Board Vice Chair and John Lindenmayer, LMBs Advocacy & Policy Director with Derrick James, Director, Government Affairs - Central Amtrak during the May 15th bikes on trains demonstration ride.
Amtrak to accommodate bicycles on Michigan service lines. Thomas C. Carper, Amtrak Board Chairman at the time, responded favorably stating, Amtrak has placed an order for 130 new, single-level cars. This order...includes 55 new baggage cars and 25 new baggagedorm cars. These two types of cars will be equipped with bicycle racks. Additionally Carper stated, Amtrak Mechanical has been working on designs to retrofit food service cars used on some Michigan services to accommodate bicycle racks. One design has been tested and proved unsatisfactory, but our design team has developed an alternate solution based on what was learned from the initial design. LMB provided feedback on that initial design, which indeed proved unworkable, as it had three parallel floor wheel racks that were boxed in on three sides. The tight spacing made it nearly impossible for it to be used by more than one bicyclist at a time. The May 15th demonstration, however, showcased Amtraks take two on a proposed caf car retrofit. By removing an additional See Bikes on Trains, page 14
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