5 things on the horizon that could make Ann Arbor even more bicycle-friendly
Bicyclists walk their bikes down Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor last summer.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
The city last applied for the award in 2009, when it was awarded silver-level honors. Strides have been made since then toward becoming more bicycle-friendly.
In order to make the city's application as complete as possible, city officials are asking for input from cyclists and other interested community members from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday.
The meeting takes place on the second floor of city hall, 301 E. Huron St. It's a chance to share information on the bicycling culture and infrastructure in Ann Arbor.
Community members unable to attend are invited to complete a brief online survey. The survey closes July 9. Take the survey.
Here's a quick look at five efforts under way that could be significant for the bicycling community in Ann Arbor.
What a bike sharing station could look like in Ann Arbor.
The Ann Arbor-based Clean Energy Coalition is working with the city, the Downtown Development Authority and the University of Michigan to launch a bike-sharing program. It's expected to be up and running with 14 bike share stations and roughly 125 bicycles by the spring of 2014. Stations will be located in and around downtown and the U-M campus.
Anyone interested will be able to join as either a daily, weekly or annual member for a set fee, with easy access to rentable bicycles by swiping either a membership card or credit card at the kiosk. After riding to your destination, you'll be able to return the bicycle at any station in the network.
The new Maynard bike house on a recent afternoon.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
The DDA and the getDowntown Program collaborated last month on the opening of the city's first "bike house" inside the Maynard parking garage. The 35-space secured storage area allows bicycle commuters to safely store their wheels while they're at work downtown.
An annual pass for the bike house is $75. Mary Sell of the getDowntown Program said last week there were only seven spots left available.
Given the popularity of the bike house (20 spots filled up in the first week alone), Sell says there are discussions about providing additional bicycle commuting resources downtown — and another bike house is definitely a possibility. "More than anything, we want to make sure to locate these facilities in areas where they will be accessible and utilized, so that is a discussion that we are continuing to have with our partners," Sell said, adding: "Stay tuned!"
New bicycle "fix-it" stations also were installed recently at the Maynard bike house and outside of city hall for cyclists who need to give their wheels a quick tune-up.
What buffered bike lanes could look like on Washtenaw Avenue.
SmithGroupJJR | Parsons Brinckerhoff
As part of the ReImagine Washtenaw initiative, local officials are working on plans for adding continuous buffered bike lanes (as well as dedicated transit lanes) along Washtenaw Avenue, where there already have been some notable non-motorized path improvements made.
It might take a while before the idea of bike lanes goes from concept to reality, but it has the potential to make bicycle commuting between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti a lot easier than it is today.
One scenario shows bike lanes on both sides of the road separated from traffic by a two-foot painted buffer, though no physical barrier. Another scenario shows bike lanes tucked between lanes of automobile traffic and dedicate transit lanes, without a buffer between cyclists and buses.
Two options for the North Main corridor.
Courtesy image
The city's North Main task force has been hard at work for the past year crafting plans for transforming one of Ann Arbor's major gateway corridors into a vibrant and unique destination that's both safe and accessible for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The task force has expressed interest in widening the Main Street right-of-way and improving and extending the sidewalk on the east side of North Main from Depot Street to and under M-14 to enhance pedestrian and bike access to West Huron River Drive.
There also are talks of a tunnel under the railroad tracks to safely link Bandemer Park and the Barton Nature Area, a pedestrian bridge over Main Street, and widening the Border-to-Border Trail. The task force is planning to submit its final recommendations to the City Council by the end of July.
What a two-way cycle track could look like.
City of Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor officials have released a draft update of the city's Non-Motorized Transportation Plan after a year and a half spent taking a fresh look at all things walking and biking. The 62-page report is the first update to the plan since 2007 and includes new policy recommendations on everything from bike lanes to crosswalks to new sidewalk funding.
The report highlights the city's progress since 2007 on becoming a friendlier place for bicyclists and pedestrians, noting 35.6 miles of bike lanes have been added (up to 70.4 miles now) and 5.7 miles of shared-use arrows have been added to encourage motorists to share the road with bicyclists.
New recommendations include coloring some bike lanes green to help make clear that cyclists have a place in the road, and creating special "bike boulevards" and "cycle tracks."
Bike boulevards are created by deploying a system of signs, pavement markings, low speed limits and intersection treatments facilitating an environment that welcomes cyclists and discourages automobile through traffic. Similarly, a cycle track is a buffered bike lane that uses pavement markings or physical separators or barriers to protect the bike lane from traffic.
Download a PDF of the non-motorized plan update. Public comments on the plan are being accepted now and can be sent to Transportation Program Manager Eli Cooper at ECooper@a2gov.org.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.
Comments
aceduece
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 1:58 p.m.
The city needs to spend some money educating bikers on traffic laws. If bicyclists are going to ride in the streets they must obey ALL traffic laws. STOP SIGNS, RED LIGHTS, to name a few. They seem to want their cake and eat it too. Same with pedestrians!!! Lets see a few J-walking tickets issued as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Donald Harrison
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 1:51 p.m.
Ann Arbor could and should be more bike friendly, whether we're talking adding safe and contiguous bike lanes, fixing potholes, or shifting the antagonistic attitudes of some people against bicyclists. Many people are both drivers and cyclists and understand it's not an either/or proposition. You'll encounter bad drivers and bad riders going both ways, but pointing fingers doesn't get us very far. I don't care about awards, but rather reducing car traffic, reducing injuries for cyclists and improving our community's support for different modes of transportation.
mw
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 1:43 p.m.
You know, I bike quite a lot, but a lot of this stuff is just kind of dumb. Bike sharing? I might make sense where bike theft is rampant and places to store a bike are hard to find, but that's not the case here. You can buy a used bike (or a Walmart bike) for what these services charge on an annual basis and then ride your bike right from where are to where you're going (no need to hike to and from a bike station). And I don't want a 'bike house' -- I want to park and lock my bike where I'm actually going, not blocks away. Again, in big cities where bike theft is a huge problem, bike lockup areas may make sense. But in Ann Arbor, they're unnecessary and inconvenient. And Washtenaw bike lanes? No thanks! There's just no way I would use them -- not with the heavy, high-speed traffic and all the driveways. On the rare occasion I ride to Ypsi, I use the Gallup park bike trail (part of the Washtenaw border-to-border trail): http://www.ewashtenaw.org/government/departments/parks_recreation/forms%20and%20publications/brochure/brochure_b2b.pdf As you can see, it continues on past WCC, St Joe, and ends up on Eastern's campus. That's safe, beautiful ride -- even with bike lanes, Washtenaw would be neither. On the other hand, if I'm going to Arborland, I ride through Ann Arbor hills (which, again, is quiet, pleasant, and safe). The single most effective thing Ann Arbor could do for us cyclists is FIX THE DAMN STREETS!
JRW
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 1:10 p.m.
From what I've seen, most people on bicycles are young (teens and 20's), male, and dressed in shorts or jeans, not business attire. This is a very limited population using bicycles. Why is the city spending all this money on bike lanes that won't be used by anyone except a very small population? And this small population mostly uses their bikes around central campus. What a waste of tax dollars if this goes forward. In addition, stenciling a bike symbol on a narrow roadway without shoulders, such as Murfin, does nothing. The bike lane symbol is literally on the roadway where cars drive. It makes no sense and is very dangerous for everyone.
aceduece
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 1:59 p.m.
Amen JRW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
foobar417
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 1:39 p.m.
Your anecdotal evidence, is just that .. anecdote. According to US Census data, 4.9% of Ann Arborites commute to work by bike (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._cities_with_most_bicycle_commuters). That's 1/20 and growing.
jamullet
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 1:37 p.m.
Well, I'm a woman, in my 40's, and a college educated professional and I bike from my home to work all year round. Perhaps some of your generalizations are inaccurate. Or just that - over generalized and not really representative of the whole population of individuals who choose to use bicycles as a form of transportation.
Bcar
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 1:25 p.m.
Because DPRA2.
JRW
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 1:05 p.m.
This whole push for bike lanes and being bike friendly is about two things: 1. PR for city (winning awards) 2. Students (who use their bikes around campus) Professionals do not ride to work in their suits on bikes. Bikes are not used in the rain and snow, except by a few hardy students. Adding more and more bike lanes that are not used by bikes is a waste of tax dollars.
foobar417
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 1:36 p.m.
"Professionals do not ride to work in their suits on bikes." Not true. Some ride in them and some carry them with them and change. "Bikes are not used in the rain and snow, except by a few hardy students." Again, not true. Do you have your eyes closed when you are driving?
JRW
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 1:02 p.m.
AA is all about "awards" while there are 40,000 unfilled potholes around the city. Too bad there wasn't an award for the worst road maintenance in the state. AA would win hands down.
Nice in A2
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 1 p.m.
Nice to see a town working towards such goals however there are times when I think I would trade it all if that could get motorists to stop texting/phoning/drink-driving and just pay attention to what they are doing. Oh and about Main St., or any area where pedestrians and bikes meet: These are the area's that need well maintained bike lanes. I don't think bikers would want to ride on crowded side walks if they had a better option.
JRW
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 12:57 p.m.
"As part of the ReImagine Washtenaw initiative, local officials are working on plans for adding continuous buffered bike lanes (as well as dedicated transit lanes) along Washtenaw Avenue, where there already have been some notable non-motorized path improvements made." I drive on Washtenaw Ave every day, unfortunately. It's a congested roadway. The non-motorized pathways are not used by cyclists, except on rare occasions. Adding "buffered bike lanes" along Wash Ave is a waste of money. The paths that are already there aren't used.
foobar417
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 1:48 p.m.
You need a connected infrastructure. When you can actually bike safely along Washtenaw all the way into Ypsilanti, people will use the bike infrastructure much more. This has been borne out by countless examples around the country. Right now we still have a very disconnected infrastructure, which causes people to say "90% of my ride is safe, but 10% is dangerous, so I'll drive".
Greg
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 12:57 p.m.
Here is one for you, ticket those bike riders that go out of their way to take the entire road over. Seems especially those bikers who wear thousand dollar biking outfits think they own the road.
BioWheels
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 1:41 p.m.
How about we enforce the motor vehicle code! Bikes have every right to be on the road, cars have every right as well. However, the automobile is a lot larger, faster, etc and must yield to the cyclist. And how about those $50,000 dollar SUVs that like to hog the road. What shall we do about them? How about this; we ban any vehicle that is larger than a small car, then see what happens to the bikes that "take over the road"! Get real Greg!
JRW
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 12:59 p.m.
And they think they own the walking paths in Gallup Park too. They fly by pedestrians in the park, never slow down, ride in large groups, never say "on your left" as they approach pedestrians, and go out of their way to take over the walking paths.
G-Man
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 12:57 p.m.
Perhaps we should reconsider building that next "car" parking garage? Especially if all will be riding bicycles......
G-Man
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 12:55 p.m.
Not to mention the continual "Gouging" of the citizenry with the outlandish gas prices....
golfer
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 12:52 p.m.
1 -5 is great. I have a 6th one to add. teach bikers to follow the laws of driving like cars do. this also includes staying in the bike lanes when riding two abreast.
DonBee
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 1:59 p.m.
BioWheels - I like to see cyclists on our street, however, when they swing wide into the oncoming lane with no apparent reason or signal, all I can do is shake my head. It happened 4 times that I saw on Saturday, in different locations, in each case I or a member of my family walked to the road to see if there was trash or other debris on the road, or a new pothole. We could not find any. In each case, the oncoming traffic had to brake hard to avoid an accident. The speed limit is 55 MPH here. In each case the pack of cyclists was 20 or more riding 2 or 3 abreast in the lane. In one case there were 20 or so cars following the pack of 40 plus cyclists. Swinging wide into the oncoming traffic lane where there is one of the few places safe to pass is risking your life on a road with 55 MPH speed limits. Please ride all you like, but ride carefully, I don't mind picking up dead woodchucks, but I don't want to have to call the police for a traffic accident between a semi-truck and a bicycle.
BioWheels
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 1:39 p.m.
I have a 7th one to add; teach motorists to respect the rights of cyclists! How about we include the rights (and of course responsibilities) of all vehicles in our driver's ed courses. Most people have no idea about the rights (and responsibilities) of cyclists; most motorists have no idea of the rights of cyclists! How about not passing a double yellow line when you think the cyclist is in your way! They have every right to ride on the road! Maybe a little less golf, and a little more reading might be helpful!
Usual Suspect
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 12:26 p.m.
It's pretty funny that for an article about "bike friendly" they have a picture of for bicyclists monopolizing a whole sidewalk by walking four-abreast.
DJBudSonic
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 12:22 p.m.
Love how that picture shows bikers hogging the sidewalk. I use the bike lane for my moped sometimes, is that legal?
Bcar
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 2:01 p.m.
looks to me like they're walking on the sidewalk... so people cant walk side-by-side now?
Brad
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 12:25 p.m.
A four-wide flying wedge down the sidewalk. Nice.
Katherine Griswold
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 11:49 a.m.
Ann Arbor needs a healthy balance between new features and maintenance of its existing bike lanes. The proposed Non-Motorized Transportation Plan needs to address two additional areas: maintenance of the existing infrastructure and improved sight-distance at street and driveway intersections. Recommendations on the sight-distance issue: 1. Research the relevant ordinances and practices of other progressive cities, and then improve upon them. For example, revise Chapter 40 based on the sight-distance code of the three platinum award winning Bike Friendly Cities of: Davis, California; Boulder, Colorado; and Portland, Oregon. A benchmark analysis of these cities reveals ordinances with well-defined sight-distance specifications. 2. Consolidate all sight-distance requirements in Chapter 40, regardless of whether the obstruction is vegetation, signage or other material. 3. Streamline the user interface for reporting sight-distance complaint and for other safety issues impacting cyclists, such as potholes and vegetation over the bike lane. Expand the Citizen Request System on the City's home page to include these categories and implement a mobile application for problem reporting that is integrated into the City's server-based systems. A good example is Grand Rapids' GRCity 311.
JRW
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 1:01 p.m.
"maintenance of the existing infrastructure" There are thousands and thousands of unfilled potholes around the city on the existing roadways. I am not optimistic that the city will maintain any other existing infrastructures when they can't FILL THE POTHOLES!
KJMClark
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 11:32 a.m.
Ann Arbor's a shoe-in for a silver award again, but not quite gold. Personally, I hope we don't try buffered bike lanes or cycle tracks. What we really need is the police on board. A bike lane is only about half as valuable when trucks and buses are constantly driven in them. Last week on Plymouth I spotted people driving three city buses, an armored truck, another truck, and at least four cars, in the bike lane, in the space of about 10 minutes. If you were concerned about biking in the street, and saw that kind of traffic in the bike lane, would you use it? It's illegal to operate anything other than a bicycle in a bike lane. It's not that hard. But a lot of people seem to think bicyclists are required to use them (they aren't) and motorists can use them if they want (they can't). Also, under state law and a Michigan Supreme Court ruling, trucks and buses have to pass cyclists at more than 4'. Close passing has always been at the top of bike harassment complaints in the County. But have the police ever written a ticket for passing a cyclist unsafely? Would you want a semi passing you at 2-3' when you're on a bike? And yes, the police should enforce all laws for all road users. Including cyclists and motorists who don't at least come to a rolling stop at stop signs. This seems to be an equal opportunity broken law around here.
Craig Lounsbury
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 12:04 p.m.
a rolling stop at a stop sign isn't a stop.
Brad
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : noon
So bikes can ride on the sidewalk, bike lane or traffic lane and the rest of us are supposed to be psychic about their intentions at all times. Did I get that right?
KJMClark
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 11:54 a.m.
Linda, you hit the obvious solution yourself. Pass the cyclists when it's safe to do so. This isn't hard, motorists have been doing just that for almost a century. The police don't write tickets to motorists who pass cyclists when it's safe, even if you cross a double-yellow to do it.
KJMClark
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 11:52 a.m.
Sorry, but you'll have to be the one to move. The laws in the rest of Michigan are more pro-biking than Ann Arbor's, and the rest of the country are more pro-bike than Michigan's. Maybe you can move to China or something. I hear they're trying to get cyclists off of their major roads.
Linda Peck
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 11:51 a.m.
I would ask you, KJMClark, how two abreast cyclists would expect a 4 foot space between the outside cyclist and the car, unless you expect the car to move over into the oncoming car traffic.
GoNavy
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 11:41 a.m.
I can hear the city of Copenhagen calling your name. Please, let us car-driving luddites (and our lesser-appreciated affiliates, pedestrians) alone and proceed immediately to the two-wheeled utopia across the pond.
Brad
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 11:32 a.m.
Let's see ... we already won "silver" in 2009 and "Strides have been made since then toward becoming more bicycle-friendly". So can we stop with the silly road diets and general obsession over bikes now?
Goober
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 11:29 a.m.
Yes! A town with leadership that is catering to the minority. Go figure!
Brad
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 2:02 p.m.
Try again: mi·nor·i·ty /m??nôr?t?/ Noun 1.The smaller number or part, esp. a number that is less than half the whole number.
Major
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 2:02 p.m.
Talk about facts pulled from your....imagination! AA.com story says, Of the 39,095 people who live in Ann Arbor and work in Ann Arbor, 50 percent drive alone to work, 5% bike, that clearly defines a minority, a very small minority at that!!
BioWheels
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 1:37 p.m.
Goober Actually it is not the minority! There are more cyclist on the road now than ever before; and it is the most economical and ecological way to travel. Try it, you might like it!
RUKiddingMe
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 11:02 a.m.
You know, you read about the millions and millions of dollars going into these years-long studies, plans, commissions, think tanks, blueprints, phases, etc., and you drive around town bumping along, listening to the creaking and grinding in your brakes and shocks getting worse and worse. You see these crumbly sidewalks, weed-infested planters, and graffiti, and it just doesn't seem like the money you pay to live in this town is going to the right places. Did the city do any talking to the people who were looking into launching the exact same bike sharing business as a private enterprise here in A2? There was a story about this in A2.com. Did the city want to rush in and spend a bunch of tax money first, before seeing if this local business might be able to handle it successfully first? I get the feeling this city could be better run, cleaner, and look better with about 2/3 the taxes we pay if we could just have 50% of people just do their job instead of trying to figure out new ways to spend money.
Barzoom
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 10:47 a.m.
Ann Arbor would not win any "Real Tax-Payer Residents Award",
Bob Zuruncol
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 12:36 p.m.
I pay property taxes in Ann Arbor. And I ride a bike. More bikes means fewer cars.
Bcar
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 10:31 a.m.
what about placing a greater emphasis on mountain biking? Ann Arbor is a hidden gem when it comes to mountain biking! There are more miles of trail accessible from A2 than most any other city in MI. Open up Bird Hills to mountain biking again and allow the Poto Chapter of the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) to build and maintain more trails for ALL users! They already do the bulk of trail maintenance as it is. What is this "green space" for? Just as a barrier, or for all users to enjoy!?!? And when it comes to riding on the road, the city needs to realize that bikes do NOT need to be on EVERY street. We dont need a bike lane on Huron/Jackson. We've got Miller and Liberty for bikes, leave Huron/Jackson/Wash for the cars. ..this coming from a city rider!
Bcar
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 12:45 p.m.
At foobar417 I don't mean that we should mandate people to go somewhere else, but that we can encourage them to do so by putting in bike lanes on streets one block away, and not putting them on other roads. This will discourage them from riding on Huron/Jackson (even now who in their right mind would want to bike down that road? Too bumpy and too many cars), and encourage them to ride miller/liberty. Every street doesn't need bike lanes until bikes outnumber cars (that's not going to happen in my lifetime). The whole MDOT Jackson/huron 3 lane thing is a debacle, there are just too many cars to try to reduce the number of lanes, and what about when those two lanes need to merge into one? There are currently not many serious accidents on that stretch, they may pitch "drivers safety" but there are other motives to this stupid change. @molly The Poto chapter of the IMBA has this on the radar, but we haven't decided anything yet. Maaaay make a push for it next year, it is a very touchy subject and wont be easy. But multi use trail work everywhere else in the city w/o issues.
Usual Suspect
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 12:42 p.m.
Entitlement-minded bicyclists along the entitlement-minded dog owners. Sounds like an interesting combination.
molly
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 12:07 p.m.
I would LOVE to ride Bird Hills! I agree that A2 is a mtn bike gem... I live on the northside and I have bike trails right out my front door. Who do we have to lobby to get Bird Hills opened to bikers?
foobar417
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 11:32 a.m.
As has been noted in repeated articles and stated by MDOT, the primary incentive for transforming Huron / Jackson is to improve driver safety, not to add bike lanes. That said, the idea that you should tell drivers or cyclists or pedestrians to "go somewhere else" is fundamentally at odds with the idea of individual liberty. Let individuals decide if they want to drive, bike, or walk, and try to make it safer for *all* modes of transport.
Bcar
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 11:06 a.m.
It is about getting cyclists onto safer routes. We dont need to reduce the number of lands on Huron/Jackson to the determent of THOUSANDS of drivers for the benefit of a few DOZEN cyclists who don't want to ride a block or three out of the way to get to Miller or Liberty... Majority rules. or at least thats how it should/is supposed to be. Again, this is coming from a cyclist... There are really not that many people who live on those roads who ride bikes a lot. So they ride on the road or sidewalk for 1-2 blocks until they can take a side street to Miller or Liberty, just as they can today. Vets? they can take a side street to Miller, or perhaps a walk/bikeway from Wardon rd to vets area. Look at Chicago, they dont have bike lanes on EVERY street, why? bec they dont need nor want that. Keep bikes on every other street and leave the rest for the cars, you know, the primary mode of transport for most people...
foobar417
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 10:41 a.m.
By that logic we should close Liberty and Miller to cars. What about people who live along Huron / Jackson who might want to use a bike? What about destinations along Huron / Jackson that one might want to bike to (e.g. Vets pool). By law, bikes are entitled to use all roadways except limited access highways. Lets make it safe for them to do so, just like we try to make our roadways safer for cars.
a2grateful
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 10:27 a.m.
None of your five adds to the general quality of life for existing cyclists. How about these? 1. Smooth pavement on roads. Bikes are especially vulnerable to potholes. Smooth pavement is infinitely more important than bike lanes. Smooth pavement is required for safe lanes for cars and bikes. 2. Well maintained shoulders. No debris. Run the street sweepers. 3. Clear shoulders and bike lanes. No recyclers, garbage bins, tree limbs, leaves, etc. 4. Bike lanes situated only on streets designed for them. No more "paint brushes on existing pavement" for a2's infamous instant, dangerous bike lanes. 5. Traffic signal sensors that detect cyclist motion/weight.
snark12
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 12:16 p.m.
Totally agree on #1 and #2. Much, much more important to me than bike lanes.
KJMClark
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 11:45 a.m.
#4 - what streets aren't designed for lanes? What would constitute "designed for them"? AASHTO has a couple of good books on this... It's funny, if you evaluate the level of service on our roads for bicyclists, like we do for motorists, the roads that most need bike lanes are the ones people complain the most about actually putting them on. The best traffic signal sensors to detect cyclists are slightly modified versions of the ones we already put in. There's special pavement symbols they can also put down to make it clear where the loop is most sensitive for cyclists. The problem is that we only rarely put in detector loops, and the city has never been willing to take out existing ones to revise them. They agreed back in ~2000 that future detectors should be designed to detect cyclists. I know of one that was supposed built that way, though they didn't put down the pavement marking, and it's not clear that it really works as they say.
foobar417
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 10:42 a.m.
All good ideas, but why do they preclude making it easier to get around downtown (#1 and #2), improving connectedness o the the bike infrastructure (#3 and #4), or having a a plan (#5)? They seem like good feedback to give to #5.
America
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 10:15 a.m.
I hope some of these things really happen. Ann Arbor has potential to be such a great cycling town.
HeavyMental
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 10:04 a.m.
It's like a bad dream that keeps getting worse.
nvragain
Mon, Jun 24, 2013 : 1:09 p.m.
This is the reality of Ann Arbor. The attached picture says it all. One bicycle-walker has on flip flops, none appear to have helmets, and they are using the sidewalk four wide (the word abreast doesn't do it for me). For the next article maybe a picture of a bicyclist with headphones in will paint a clearer picture of the culture of cyclist here in Ann Arbor.