Time to get the wheels turning
on Grosse Pointe bike routes

The introductory meeting to discuss the idea of designated bike routes in the Pointes Wednesday night was sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and set for only an hour, which ought to tell you something right there, and it did. The Live Well in Grosse Pointe initiative contains nothing that should alarm anyone in these skittish communities, and the meeting at Beaumont Hospital might as well have ended with a group hug.

Of course, nearly everyone there was, if not a cyclist, then someone who sees bike-friendly public policy as a good thing. Presumably there are some out there who would disagree. But for now I'd like to believe that the very modest proposal laid out by the Chamber, et al, could find approval across the five municipalities, and I'll tell you why.

First, the proposal: To spend roughly $100,000 to identify, mark and designate with signs some common-sense bike routes within the Pointes. The idea is to nudge our community toward the Complete Streets standard, which recognizes that thoroughfares should accommodate more than just cars and should be designed with the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders in mind, as well. This doesn't mean jackhammers and heavy equipment (which no one could afford, anyway). It doesn't mean separate, dedicated bike paths or greenways (ditto). It does mean that many streets in the Pointes are de facto bike routes now, and a few could even accommodate a narrow lane at the curb dedicated for them.

Which ones? That's still being discussed. The Chamber has taken its PowerPoint presentation around to the five city administrations and has asked for input on where bike routes might go. The response, said Ed Lazar, representing the Chamber, has been "very enthusiastic." From looking at the hastily drawn map, and speaking from my own experience as a cyclist, I'd say Kercheval is a natural for most of its length, as are Grosse Pointe Boulevard, Jefferson/Lake Shore and Vernor/Waterloo/Ridge, just to name a few.

Some streets, like Vernor/Waterloo/Ridge, are too narrow for two-way car traffic and bike lanes. Those might take a "share the road" painted graphic on the roadbed, along with signs.

The $100,000 budget would mainly go for striping and signage, as well as for new bike racks in business districts, and benches for transit riders. Seventy percent of that would come from the Wayne County Parks and Recreation Department, the remainder from the Chamber itself. And all of that, Lazar and others stressed, would only be the beginning.

Well, let's hope so. It's long overdue.

As I've probably mentioned in this space before, I'm a relative newcomer here. In five years I think I've only scratched the surface of what there is to know about Southeast Michigan, Detroit and the Pointes. But I do know that the past decade has been a humbling one for the whole region. As population and property values have both declined, communities are going to have to work harder to flourish in whatever lies ahead. We're going to have to — stand by to faint, Muffy —  sell ourselves.

We have an enormous advantage in the Pointes already — natural and architectural beauty, excellent schools and parks, proximity to downtown attractions. The one upside you could find to the collapse in housing prices is the way we are again affordable to younger families, and these sorts of almost quaint amenities — bike-friendliness, reflecting a community-wide priority of wellness — are important to the sorts of young families we want to attract.

My husband and I chose Grosse Pointe because it had all those things I just mentioned. I can no more imagine living in a subdivision off some former rural section road than I could making a comfortable home on Mars. I like being able to throw a leg over my bike and ride, within a few blocks, to my favorite baker, butcher, fishmonger, grocery and library. I'd like to do it with just a little more support.

Someday soon, I hope to see you out there, too. 

You meet the nicest people

Lots of people are already on two wheels in Grosse Pointe, and many of them are affiliated with the cycling enthusiasts at Bike Grosse Pointe, which rides as a group every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting.

The League of Michigan Bicyclists does advocacy work, publishes maps and informational materials, as well as sponsoring rides all over the state. 

Have an extra bike in your garage? Contact No Bikes Left Behind, which will pick up your old wheels, restore them to use and give them to those in need. Then go shopping for a new one.

And this seems as good a time as any to dust off and direct you to a video piece shot by one of our GrossePointeToday.com interns last summer, of Steven Roach, a Park resident and Miller Canfield attorney, who commutes to his downtown office daily during the warm months. He's part of the Chamber's initiative, too.

Finally, if you'd like to join the conversation about bike routes in the Pointes, register or log-in and click "add new comment." We'd welcome the input.

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