Michigan Bicyclist Magazine - May 2014

• PA 1 of 2014: Right Turn Signal Revision • MDOT Ped/Bike Committees • National Bike Summit Recap • BATA’s Bike-n-Ride • Bike Lane Liability • And More

Also in this issue:

BicyclistM I C H I G A N

PROMOTING BICYCLING AND THE SAFETY OF BICYCLISTS ON MICHIGAN ROADWAYS

May 2014

Take the Share Michigan Roads Pledge

Page 5

Governor Snyder on Cross-State Trail

Page 7

2014 Lucinda Means Bicycle Advocacy Day

Page 4

1 MICHIGAN BICYCLIST | May 2014

“Small Revolutions” Create ChangeHappy Spring! Finally! Spring always brings the promise of renewal, growth and energy. LMB continues to deliver value and results to you, our members and supporters.

As discussed in this edition, the right hand turn signal legislation is now law. This law encour-ages us to point where we wish to turn, allow-ing us to be more predictable, and better able to share the road.

LMB’s Share MI Roads Pledge is a fun, interac-tive way to support our efforts. Please take the pledge and encourage your family and friends to join you. The details are on page 5. Taking the pledge allows the LMB to provide hard data to legislators regarding the importance of improving safety and quality of transportation for cyclists.

The Lucinda Means Advocacy Day on May 21 will influence the decision makers in Lansing. We will visit many Representatives and Sena-tors. This is an important, and fascinating, part of the legislative process. Be seen, be heard, be counted, and make a difference by joining us, and bring a friend. We will conclude our activities with plenty of time to make that eve-ning’s Ride of Silence.

Finally, please vote. We have mailed the ballots for the open seats on the board of directors. Our nominating committee identified ener-getic candidates, whom we believe will provide continued great leadership for your LMB. Re-sults will be disclosed at the Annual Meeting, to be held May 21 during Advocacy Day.

I look forward to seeing you on May 21 in Lansing!

STEVEN ROACH, LMB Board Chair

Michigan Bicyclist Copyright © 2014 On the Cover: Active in July and August, Southwest Rides, a seasonal bike shop in Detroit, runs a youth bike mechanic training program at the All Saints Neighborhood Center. All Saints is run by a nonprofit community development organization called Urban Neighborhood Initiatives. It serves the surrounding Springwells Village neighborhood, a mostly Latino area with a high concentration of kids and teenagers. More than 30 young people are involved with the bike program on any given day. A small garage in back of the neighborhood center serves as their shop and greasy training ground. Visit wearemodeshift.org and search “Southwest Rides” to learn more. Photo by J Singleton Photo — courtesy Mode Shift. Editor, Art & Design: JOHN LINDENMAYER

Letters/Comments/Advertisements may be directed to: [email protected]

LMB DirectorsDAVE BOURGEAULT ERICA BRIGGS JIM CARPENTER DAVID JONES VIC LUKASAVITZ, Treasurer STEVEN ROACH, Chair BARBARA SCHMID, Secretary SARAH COLEGROVE MICHAEL SHEEAN Staff RICH MOELLER Executive Director [email protected]

JOHN LINDENMAYER Advocacy & Policy Director, Webmaster [email protected]

Kyle Kirkby Administrative Assistant [email protected]

The League of Michigan Bicyclists (LMB) is a 501(c)(3) non-prof it organization devoted exclusively to the advancement of bicycling. Our mission is to promote bic ycl ing and increas e the s afe t y of bicyclists on the roadways in Michigan. M i c h i g a n B i c y c l i s t M a g a z i n e i s a benefit of membership in LMB, and is published three times a year as part of the League’s ongoing efforts to inform Michigan cyclists, law enforcement, policy makers, the engineering and planning community, and others on issues affecting bicycling in Michigan.

416 S. Cedar St. Suite A, Lansing, MI 48912 (888) 642-4537 | (517) 334-9100 www.LMB.org

League of Michigan Bicyclists

Printed with recycled content

Socialize with LMB - Find us at www.LMB.org

•

We want to thank all of our generous donors for making our 2013 year-end appeal a success. We received 162 gifts in our campaign totaling $15,290. Our goal for the campaign was $13,000 and we exceeded it by 18%! When we combine the contributions of our year-end appeal with those received throughout 2013 we totaled $22,417 in contributed dollars from individu-als. This along with the $15,022 we re-ceived from 58 Dollar Per Rider events put our total contributions for the year at $37,439.

Again, a special thank you to all who supported LMB in 2013 by contributing to our efforts to make Michigan a more bicycle-friendly state. This support will allow us to continue to work to make sure that bicycling is not left out of the discussion on transportation safety in Michigan.

To see a list of donors or to make a 2014 donation, please visit www.LMB.org/donate.

THANK YOU!

2

League of Michigan Bi-cyclists is pleased to wel-come Kyle Kirkby to the team as our new Admin-istrative Assistant. Kyle joined us in February and is providing administrative support, including mem-ber correspondence, social media communications, and assisting with events and other special projects.

Hello Everybody! I’m so pleased to be here at League of Michigan Bicyclists. I’ve spent many years supporting lo-cal non-profit organizations invested in health outreach and advocacy. I love spending time in the great outdoors gardening, hiking, birding and biking (of course!).

As a long-time recreational rider, having safe spaces to ride is key to enjoying the freedom two wheels can bring. The work that League of Michigan Bicyclists does to support biking in Michigan is the foundation for ex-periencing all the enjoyment and natural beauty of the outdoors. I’m looking forward to meeting our members and supporting the LMB mission.

LMB Welcomes New Administrative Assistant

Special Thanks to our National

Sponsors

Ann Arbor June 7, 2014

Washtenaw Community College Ride 10, 25, 40, 62, or 100 miles on the road and enjoy the Finish Line Festival with lunch, music, massage, and

more! Fun for beginner to avid cyclists!

Find your local tour and register at diabetes.org/michigantourdecure or call 1-888-DIABETES ext. 6694.

Join more than 60,000 others across the U.S. riding to Stop Diabetes.®

START A CHAIN REACTION. YOU CAN HELP STOP DIABETES.

I’m one rider, inspired by one little boy with diabetes, to join thousands of other riders across the nation, supported by contributions from thousands more. I ride for the 26 million people living with diabetes, and the 79 million more Americans currently at risk. I ride for one little boy. Who will you ride for?

Tour Filled


We are delighted to report that on Tues-day, January 28th, 2014, Governor Sny-der signed legislation giving bicyclists the option of signaling a right turn by extending their right arm horizontally. Until now, bicyclists could signal a right turn with a “L” position by extending

their left arm upward, a method developed in the 1940s when most automobiles lacked turn indicators. The legislation, signed into law as Public Act 1 of 2014, was the first bill to be signed into law by the Governor this year.

LMB, who spear-headed the proposed

changes to the vehicle code, is glad to see this simple revision adopted into law. “32 states have already adopted this common sense update to their ve-hicle codes,” said John Lindenmayer, Advocacy & Policy Director. “It’s more intuitive for both drivers and bicyclists.

Ultimately, we hope that with promo-tion of the new law, we’ll see more bi-cyclists choosing to use hand signals, improving safety and awareness for all road users.”

The bill’s sponsor is Republican Repre-sentative Anthony Forlini of Macomb County’s Harrison Township. Forlini says “most drivers are unfamiliar with bicy-clists’ traditional right-hand turn gesture.”

The legislation does not outlaw the old method of using an upturned left arm, which is still necessary for drivers with malfunctioning turn signals and for out of state bicyclists who may only know and use the universal left arm method still legal in all 50 states. “This gives bicy-clists an option. It simply legalizes what many cyclists already intuitively do,” said Lindenmayer.

Pictured L to R: Bill sponsor State Representative Anthony Forlini, LMB Member Kelly Thomas, Governor Rick Snyder, League of Michigan Bicyclists’ Advocacy & Policy Director John Lindenmayer, and Legislative Aide Joseph Aragona at the ceremonial bill signing Public Act 1 of 2014 (HB 4866).

4

Programs to Educate All Cyclists

2014 Lucinda Means Bicycle Advocacy Day — May 21

The League of Michigan Bicyclists, Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance, Michigan Mountain Biking Association, and PEAC are pleased to join forces once again for the Lucinda Means Bicycle Advocacy Day to be held at the State Capitol on Wednesday May 21st, 2014. Once at the Capitol, volunteers from all four organizations will educate legislators on key policy issues that facilitate a bicycle-friendly Michigan. Lunch will be provided after legislative visits, followed by an optional afternoon ride.

Whether you enjoy riding on Michigan roads, trails, or dirt single track, Advo-cacy Day is your opportunity to speak with one voice to help advance Michi-gan bicycling and the interests of cyclists of all abilities across the state. We hope that casual riders and die-hards alike will join us in communicating the great importance of bicycling to the Michigan Legislature.

This year’s key issues include:

• Protecting vulnerable roadway users by establishing enhanced penalties for injuring or killing bicyclists

• Establishing a standard for passing bicyclists safely on Michigan roads

• Including bicycle awareness in Michigan driver’s education • Allowing bicyclists to bypass malfunctioning traffic lights • Supporting the Pure Michigan Trails revision to the Michigan

Trailways Act • Preventing a raid on Natural Resources Trust Fund dollars

available for trails projects • Defending bicyclists rights on the roads • Speaking up for speed limit standards that take the safety of

bicyclists and pedestrians into consideration • Promoting sustainable transportation funding for Michigan

Price: Registration for Advocacy Day is $12 and includes lunch.

Preparation: If you have never communicated with policy makers before, don’t worry. No prior experience is needed to participate in Advocacy Day. We’ll make sure that you are comfortable with the issue priorities and that you get up to speed quickly.

Registration: Please register ASAP so we have ample time to pre-arrange meetings with both your State Representative and Senator. Register and learn more about the issue priorities at www.LMB.org/advocacyday or scan this QR code > > > > > >

It’s a great way to celebrate Bike Month. In fact, you’ll be there for our annual Bike Month proclamation from the Legislature. You’ll help build on past successes like Michigan’s Complete Streets law and our right turn signal revision which both have roots in Advocacy Day. It’s a great day to spend with friends united around a common passion – bicycling. By being part of the democratic process, you’ll have a big im-pact on issues that affect the enjoyment of your sport and active lifestyle. You’ll have the opportunity to ride Michigan’s “Main Street” (Michigan Ave.) to the Capitol and cruise the Capitol City by bike. It’s not “us vs. them”…talking with lawmakers allows you to re-late to them better and gives you a sense of the tough decisions they face everyday. You’ll be the first to congratulate LMB’s 2014 Award recipients at our lunch reception. (Oh, and lunch is always delicious too!) It’s all about safety – Help us enact a safe passing distance law and establish stiffer penalties for drivers who injure cyclists. More places to ride – Help create new trail funding opportuni-ties and protect current funding sources.

Better roads = better bicycling, it’s that simple! Legislators need to hear bicyclists’ perspective on why sustainable trans-portation funding is important.

10 Reasons to Attend Advocacy Day Besides getting showered with gratitude from Michigan cycling organizations for playing an essential role in shaping bicycling policy, here are 10 reasons to register today for the 2014 Lucinda Means Bicycle Advocacy Day:

12

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

United in making Michigan a more bicycle-friendly state


LMB Launches Share MI Roads Campaign

250+ Sign the Pledge at Detroit Bike City EXPO

League of Michigan Bicyclists (LMB) is proud to introduce our newest campaign, Share MI Roads. In partnership with the Transportation For Michigan (Trans4M), we have launched the campaign to develop educational resources that will reduce bicyclist in-juries and fatalities, foster goodwill between drivers and bicyclists, and create a greater understanding and awareness of the rights and responsibilities that drivers and cyclists need to know to make our roads safe for all users.

“We are really excited for this new campaign and the opportunity to engage Michigan motorists and bicyclists from across the state about roadway safety,” said John Linden-mayer, Advocacy and Policy Director for LMB. The goal is to fill the void in the training roadway users receive about how to safely share the road with one another.”

Michigan bicyclists are involved in less than 1% of traffic crashes, yet proportionally they represent a much greater number of fatalities compared to other roadway users. In 2013, according to the Office of Highway Safety Planning, there were 27 bicycle fatalities that occurred in Michigan — a 35% increase from 2012 — while 1,479 bicyclists were injured. While Complete Streets policies are creating safer roadways through engineering and planning solutions, more must be done to educate drivers and bicyclists on how to safely interact on the road. Share MI Roads is working to "humanize" the issue by em-phasizing the fact that bicyclists are much more vulnerable than drivers and are much more likely to be injured or killed if they are involved in a crash with a motor vehicle. Currently Michigan's driver's education spends only two hours on the module called Sharing the Road with Other Users. Sharing the road with bicyclists — a common in-teraction most motorists routinely encounter, and one that drivers commonly express confusion about — makes up only small portion of this section as it also includes infor-mation about sharing the road with pedestrians, motorcycles, mopeds, large vehicles, emergency vehicles, trains and public transportation, and construction vehicles and work zones. The Share MI Roads team is actively building resources that driver's educa-tion instructors can use in the classroom to supplement their current lesson plans.

In addition to educating yourself through the campaign’s resources, you can make an immediate impact by taking our Share the Road Safety Pledge. It is a great way to show others you are serious about making Michigan’s roads safe for all users, provide input on what you think is the best way to achieve safer roads, and stand with others in your community who want to foster goodwill between drivers and bicyclists.

LMB was pleased to be one of this year’s spon-sors of the 2014 Detroit Bike City EXPO held at Cobo Center in Detroit on March 29th. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that we had a great time at the fun-filled event focused on all facets of bicycling in the Detroit region and beyond. The Expo featured over 100 vendors, panel discussions, a swap meet, safety informa-tion, family activities, custom builders, and even a kids Strider course. A big thank you to all of our hard-working vol-unteers for helping us promote our new Share MI Roads campaign at the event. A heart felt thank you also goes out to the 250+ individuals who signed our share the road pledge during the EXPO. What a great way to kick off another season of riding! We are already looking forward to DBC 2015!

TAKE THE P L E D G Eto share Michigan roadsto be a safer bicyclistto be a safer driver

shareMIroads.org

Add your name at shareMIroads.org


This interview was conducted by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and appeared in the Winter 2014 issue of Rails to Trails magazine” www.railstotrails.org/magazine

In 2012, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder unveiled plans for a trail across the state, about 600 miles from Detroit through the Upper Peninsula to the Wisconsin border. The proposed cross-state trail will connect a num-ber of existing trails, many of them rail-trails. Snyder’s ambitious plan immediately attracted praise from trail advocates and the outdoor rec-reation industry. Now, all eyes are on The Wolverine State and its leaders to see how they are going to make the trail a reality.

At the state capitol building in Lansing, Snyder sat down for a discussion about what Michigan has to gain by investing in its trail systems.

Obviously you are a busy man. Do you find time to get out on the trails?Actually, I do. It’s something I really enjoy. I have a summer place at Gun Lake, right next to the Yankee Springs Recreation Area, and there are plenty of trails and opportunities to explore that area. It’s a unique place: There’s a state park, surrounded by a state recreation area, sur-rounded by a state game area. I grew up on the trails out there.

Back in the campaigning days, we did a snowmobile ride from Mar-quette to Escanaba. Well, we were trying to get to Escanaba, but we made it about halfway before we ran out of snow. It was too warm. So we had to get out the banana boat! We also did a bike ride on the De-quindre Cut [a popular rail-trail in downtown Detroit], which was a lot of fun. I wanted to highlight how you could go from the riverfront to

[Detroit’s] Eastern Market. I usually spend some time bike riding on Mackinac Island. That’s about the most I get to do on a regular basis. They keep me very busy here!

You’ve often noted that trails are important for Michi-gan. Why is that?It’s a quality-of-life issue. Michiganders love the outdoors. That’s some-thing we don’t talk about enough. A lot of people here have a second place, or if they don’t, they’re out enjoying the state parks and the recre-ation areas in our state. That’s where trails are a great opportunity, and I’m really excited about that—being able to connect Michiganders and people visiting this state with the wonderful natural assets we are so proud of.

I think one of the challenges we face is to make our trails more con-nected and to provide more information about where they are and the places they connect to. That’s all about accessibility. I’ve lived in Michi-gan most of my life, and there are so many cool places in Michigan I haven’t even been to yet.

GPS presents an interesting opportunity now, in terms of providing in-formation and promoting these great assets. I’m definitely a techie who likes trails.

What prompted you to prioritize the cross-state trail?I want to give our team credit for that—it was a terrific idea that came out of a great team discussion. Obviously the core of the project is

A Bold Vision for MichiganGovernor Snyder on the Cross-State Trail and How He Plans to Make it HappenMary O’Connor, Rails to Trails Conservancy

8

about connectivity, but right from the beginning we were conscious of the marketing and presentation of the whole concept. I was surprised how much response we got, how many people stepped up. Sometimes you put out policy ideas and they either go over like a lead balloon and nothing happens, or people start cheering and get all excited. I thought there would be good support for the cross-state trail, but as it turned out the response from the public was just incredible.

The great thing about the cross-state trail is I’ve had several people come up to me and say they want to be the first person to do the whole thing. As soon as it’s ready, they’re going to start walking!

How will you pay for it?We’ve got a number of resources available. We’ve got the Natural Re-sources Trust Fund to do some of that, and we have other resources through the other parks and recreation funds at the state level. There are also federal resources available that we have administered. I don’t spend a whole lot of time worrying about the money. I view it as, “We have the resource pots available; let’s figure out what are the key pieces of trail to add.”

The maintenance question is a big deal to me. I think we can do a better job of maintaining the trails. I think we’ve done a lot of good work, and I want to give credit to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources [DNR]—and the Michigan Department of Transportation in particular—for bringing a lot of the different constituencies together.

When you say “trails,” that means a lot of different things to a lot of dif-ferent people, and we have people who use the trails for everything from walking to skiing to snowmobiling to horse riding. So we some-times have competing perspectives on what the priorities are and how they should be implemented. I think we’ve worked really hard on having venues where we get individuals together to talk about accomplishing things cooperatively rather than compete for finite resources.

Let’s talk about the Natural Resources Trust Fund, which uses royalties from state-owned mineral rights to ac-quire land for resource protection and public outdoor recreation. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy thinks it’s a con-cept that other states can learn from. I understand some recent changes to the trust fund will make more dollars available for trails.The trust fund is a great asset, and that’s something we need to thank our predecessors for putting in place. The good part is that it’s filled up to its $500 million, so now we have the investment earnings available on a recurring basis in perpetuity. That’s a nice situation to have. That money can be used for trail improvement or to buy land for trails. That flexibility is a plus.

Since the trust fund’s inception in 1976, more than $168 million has been awarded for trail-related projects in Michigan, with two-thirds of that amount going directly to local units of government. Surveys have shown that people of Michigan have a strong public interest in trails as outdoor recreation. The trust fund board has responded to that by giv-

The Pure Michigan Trailways Package — Implementing the New State Trails PlanMembers of the Senate Outdoor Recreation and Tourism re-cently released a five-bill package (Senate Bills 873 (S-1), 874 (S-1), 875, 876 (S-1), 877(S-2)) designed to update the Michigan Trailways Act and to promote quality trail development and operation. This legislation unites and incorporates all trail types, including snowmobiling, ORV use, equestrian, hiking, bicycling, mountain biking, and winter uses, such as cross-country skiing and snoweshoeing, all under one act. A Pure Michigan Trail designation will encourage best practices for development and maintenance according to standards to be established by the Department of Natural Resources. Also, communities will have the opportunity to become a “Pure Michigan Trail Town” if they undertake a planning process and implement trail enhancements, such as physical connec-tions, wayfinding, entrepreneurial services, or other improve-ments that welcome trail users to town.

Another feature of the new legislation is that a new pilot pro-gram will establish a statewide database of trail maps for Pure Michigan Trails allowing trail users to download trail map ap-plications on their smartphones. Having this user-friendly in-formation so easily accessible will further promote trail use in Michigan. Finally, the bill will require adopt a trail programs to coordinate with other clean-up efforts on public land in close proximity to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the many volunteers who so generously give of their time and energy.

“It is hoped that these changes to the Michigan Trailways Act will elevate all of our state’s trail systems to the next level of trail development, upkeep, and promotion,” said Nancy Krupiarz, Executive Director of the Michigan Trails and Gre-enways Alliance. This legislation propels the new Michigan Comprehensive Trails Plan forward into implementation.”

ing a higher priority to trail-related projects. So expect to see more trust fund grants going for trail projects in the future.

We are currently working on a state land-management strategy. I think we haven’t done the best job in terms of having a statewide strategy that coordinates our efforts. In some cases, to be blunt, we were too focused on fee-simple purchase of land, and I don’t get the point of going out to buy land just for the purpose of buying land. To go and buy a piece of land that’s isolated, on its own, for the sake of saying the state owns it, I don’t see the value in that. But when


we can see the broader strategy and be conscious of what parcels and trail systems can be connected, then that’s very much a positive. It helps us do a better job of prioritizing, to tie it back into this cross-state trail concept, along with some other key environmental opportunities.

The cross-state trail has some gaps in it. We need to look at what alterna-tive methods we can use in terms of acquisitions. It doesn’t have to be all fee-simple; it could be easements and other access rights, which allows you to leverage those dollars even further. I have no issue with working with a private party. That said, we could put an easement for the trail on their land. They could continue to own it, they could farm it, they could timber it, but we have the rights to have a trail on it that’s maintained appropriately.

Have you thought about eventually connecting the cross-state trail to Canada?Yes, I’d love to do that. Canadians are our partners and friends. There’s a bridge I’ve been pretty keen on getting done, so that would tie well into the bridge project, wouldn’t it? It’d be just another kind of bridge—a bridge to the trail network.

Michigan has been quick to always claim its portion of TA or Transportation Alternatives [previously Transportation Enhancements] funding. Do TA funds encourage invest-ment in trail networks? And does this kind of investment play a role in helping revitalize Michigan cities?We’ve been quick to claim TA funds because I think they demonstrate a good return on investment. I don’t believe in taking federal money for any-thing if you can’t show that it has a good return. It’s not just about spending money. It’s about the fact that the citizens of Michigan are my customers, and I want to give them great customer service. This gets back to the quality-of-life point, which applies to our urban areas as well. That was part of the message of the cross-state trail concept—it includes metro Detroit, and it would potentially involve other cities as well as it went north.

It’s really about exposing people to all that the state has to offer. We ran a great program this last year, a youth initiative, where we got a lot of young people in metro Detroit involved in conservation issues. The Michigan DNR administered the program, and it was interesting to see that a lot of these kids had never been to a state park. Some didn’t know what a state park was. One of these young people I met after the program had decided that he now wanted to make that his career, going into some kind of forestry work or outdoor work.

The Globe building in downtown Detroit is going to be a really cool outdoor center. It’s right on the riverfront, next to the Dequindre Cut. I believe that will be a good hub to encourage more interaction between the outdoors and the urban environment, and to let people know they’re not mutually exclusive.

I believe it’s a symbiotic relationship, just like the economy and the environ-ment. By leveraging the assets we have across the state, you can have a great urban environment and you can provide great recreational opportunities. •

Michigan’s Safe Routes to School (SR2S) Program is gear-ing up for the third annual National Bike to School Day on Wednesday, May 7, 2014. Bike to School Day builds on the popularity and success of International Walk to School Day, an event celebrated around the world since 1997. Both Walk to School Day and Bike to School Day are great ways to bring community leaders, parents, students and other stakeholders together to build awareness for com-munities to be more walkable and bikeable.

SR2S encourages all schools across Michigan to join the Bike to School Day celebration by planning a bike-focused event on May 7. If the May 7 date doesn’t work schools can choose another date; the entire month of May is National Bike Month. Many schools are already planning special activities in May such as All Children Exercising Simul-taneously (ACES) Day, which also takes place on May 7. If your school participates in ACES Day, consider adding Bike to School Day to your ACES festivities.

All registered schools will receive planning and promo-tional resources and technical assistance. In additional all schools registered with the Michigan Bike to School Day will automatically be registered into the National Bike to School database. All nationally registered schools will be put into the Helmets for Heads giveaway, which will pro-vide 10 bikes and 20 helmets to 10 lucky schools across the country.

For more information or to register visit saferoutesmichi-gan.org and click on “Bike to School Day”, or contact Katie Johnson: 517-908-3830, [email protected].

Bike Month: May Bike-to-School Day: May 7 Bike-to-Work Week: May 12-16 Bike-to-Work Day: May 16For bike-to-work resources:bikeleague.org/programs/bikemonth Participate in the National Bike Challenge: nationalbikechallenge.org

10

•

It has been nearly a decade since the creation of a Pedestrian and Bi-cycle Committee within Southeast Michigan’s Metro Region, the divi-sion of Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) which covers Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, and St. Clair Counties. Lucinda Means, LMB’s first Executive Director, advocated for the creation of this committee in response to the recurring need for both public and private stakehold-ers at the state and local levels to discuss pedestrian and bicycle-related issues and concerns within the congested, “auto-focused” region.

Brainstorming, consen-sus-building, education, and problem-solving have all been part of the mix of the Metro Region’s Pedestrian and Bicycle committee’s success. MDOT recently decided it is time to create similar opportunities for open dialog among engineers, planners, and advocates in other regions across the state. MDOT’s Chief Operations Officer, Greg-ory Johnson, says “The success of early collabo-ration between MDOT and other road agencies with non-motorized us-ers and advocates has been demonstrated time and again via the first regional non-motorized advisory committee in the MDOT Metro Region. Implementing this valuable tool in every region will help facilitate discussions of needs, priorities, maintenance, and safety of non-motorized facilities throughout Michigan.”

Participation in the Metro Region’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Committee has included statewide, regional, and local MDOT staff, county road commissions, county planners and parks and rec officials, friends of the trail groups, statewide nonprofits, such as the League of Michigan Bicy-clists, Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance (MTGA), potential funders and others. Sometimes items on the agenda offer discussion opportu-nities to gather input from the collective expertise around the table, and other items are simply educational presentations to help bring the various stakeholders up to speed about new non-motorized initiatives. “It is a valuable opportunity for all to ask questions, voice concerns, and bounce ideas off each other,” said Nancy Krupiarz, Executive Director, MTGA, “and because so many different perspectives are heard, it of-ten encourages the go-ahead on many non-motorized initiatives.” She credits the ongoing rehabilitation and improvement of one of Michi-

gan’s oldest trails, the I-275 Metro Trail, to the continued encourage-ment and input from members of the Metro Region’s Non-motorized Advisory Committee.

“Gregory Johnson announced the expansion of the regional non-motorized committees while speaking at a LMB event a couple years back,” said John Lindenmayer, LMB Advocacy & Policy Director. “We are thrilled to see the Department act on this and are encouraged about

opportunities to create more dialogue between the cycling community and the engineering com-munity. The sharing of ideas and best practices will be vital in the contin-ued success of Complete Streets implementation across the state.”

In 2013 MDOT initiated Pe-destrian and Bicycle Com-mitees in the six other regions around the state. Regional Pedestrian and Bicycle Committees now exist in all MDOT regions: Superior, North, Grand, Bay, Southwest, Univer-sity, and Metro. Two of the regions have already had a second quarterly meeting. The composition and purpose follows the

Metro region model. Each quarter the committees gather to review best practices, discuss in detail some local projects and then share the current efforts of their various agencies and organizations. Norm Cox of The Greenway Collaborative and Leah Groya of living LAB have been retained by MDOT to help facilitate the first year of meetings. Each re-gion is unique and is shaping the committee to best fit the issues that they are facing but they share many common challenges. With seven committees now operating the committees can share information and resources between themselves. Norm Cox noted “MDOT’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Committees are a great way to get the all of the stakehold-ers involved in a project at the earliest stages of development. They are a great asset to both the implementing agency and the community advocates in their efforts to get quality projects on the ground.”

If you represent a bicycle club, organization, or business, or are an ad-vocate interested in participating in your Regional Pedestrian and Bi-cycle Committee, please contact John Lindenmayer, LMB’s Advocacy & Policy Director at [email protected] or (517) 334-9100.

Chief Operations Officer for the Michigan Department of Transportation Greg Johnson (far right) enjoys bicycling with MDOT staff and bicycle advocates in the Grand Region. The June 13, 2013 event was the second in a series of bicycle rides and meetings MDOT staff hosted in an effort to better engage represen-tatives from the bicycle advocacy community across the state.

Six New MDOT Regional Pedestrian & Bicycle Committees

A version of this article originally appeared in MTGA’s Trailblazing in Michigan, Fall 2013.


Amid several inches of snowfall and high winds, 700 of the brightest minds and leaders of the national bicycle movement converged to ad-vance efforts towards a more bicycle-friendly America on March 3-5 in Washington D.C.

The theme of this year’s National Bike Summit was “United Spokes: Mov-ing Beyond Gridlock.” The Summit — and Women’s Forum — shared success stories and best practices from the federal, state and local level; examined new means of messaging and communications; and took on some of our critics’ most challenging arguments against investing in bicycle-friendly policies and funding.

Each year Michigan sends a strong delegation to DC for the Summit and 2014 was no exception! John Lindenmayer, Advocacy & Policy Director, represented LMB. The Michigan delegation was also comprised of Laura Padalino and John Waterman of PEAC, Scott Christie of Brasco Interna-tional, Yvonne Rucker of BikeVon, shop owners Michael Reuter of Ameri-can Cycle and Fitness, Tim Krone of Pedal Bicycle and Kelli Kavanaugh of Wheelhouse Detroit, and LMB members Sue Kropscott of Holland, Glen Ashlock of Westland, and Meredith Begin of Detroit.

“The National Bike Summit is always an inspiring, informative, fun ex-perience. There is something for everyone in the many topics offered, from advocacy to business to social and cultural issues to health and

environmental data to laws and law enforcement," said Kropscott.“The educational sessions at the National Bike Summit were an oppor-tunity for me to learn more about what products the bicycle industry and its advocates are looking for. As a manufacturer of bike shelters and fixtures, we listen to cyclists and design products that meet their needs. And as cyclist, it was great fun to hang out with so many that shared a common interest,” commented Christie.

“This isn’t just an issue of recreation; it’s an issue of equality, bringing people together, expanding the middle class and helping people who are trying to get into the middle class.”Those were heartening words to hear coming from keynote speaker US Transportation Secretary An-thony Foxx. Themes of diversity, equity, and inclusion were underlining messages throughout the Summit.

In addition to hearing from Secretary Foxx, speakers included top lead-ers such as Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ), former Chicago Transportation Commissioner and current fellow at the Urban Land Institute Gabe Klein, and more.

On Wednesday morning, bike advocates from across the country, in-cluding the Michigan delegates, flooded Capitol Hill for Lobby Day. Heading into Lobby Day, the common “ask” all of the advocates were making on the Hill was simple:

National Bike Summit Recap

12

• Co-sponsor the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Act (HR3494 and S1708)

• Co-sponsor the Safe Streets Act (HR3978)

• Co-sponsor the New Opportunities for Bi-cycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure Financing Act (HR2468 and S2004)

In the Michigan meetings, we also requested help promot-ing our new Share Michigan Roads campaign and safety pledge. Many of the legisla-tive offices expressed inter-est in helping to promote the campaign by including in-formation about sharing the road in future newsletters to their constituents.

“This was my 6th visit to Capitol Hill to advocate for more bicycle friendly communities and I would characterize our meetings with our elected of-ficials as very approachable,” said Michael Reuter, CEO of American Cycle and Fitness. “We stood face to face with Senator Stabenow and discussed cycling issues and the same was true with Representative Candice Miller. Showing up does make a difference and that’s why I go each year.”

Scott Christie of Brasco International echoed this point, ”Michigan is fortu-nate to be a leader in complete street design, and we wanted to share that message with our Members of Congress. As a business that relies heav-ily on transportation funding, I wanted my legislators to know that issues like the upcoming transportation bill and safe streets can have a very real impact on small businesses in their districts. I felt we received good re-sponses, even from those that couldn’t support the legislation. Regardless of political party, everyone walks or bikes and understands the need for safe streets.”

“I particularly enjoyed the Women’s Forum,” said Padalino of PEAC. “It was really exciting to see so many groups working to empower under-repre-sented groups in cycling, and so many people who were fired about the bike being a vehicle for social change and empowerment. PEAC is looking forward to continuing to work with LAB equity team on integrating indi-viduals with disabilities into their mission.”

Of course, Twitter was buzzing with coverage of the Summit (and if you missed it, search hashtag #NBS14 to read all the tweets).

To see more coverage of the National Bike Summit including a complete list of speakers, presentations for the breakout sessions and more details about the “asks”, visit the League of American Bicyclists’ Summit page at bikeleague.org/summit.

The League of Michigan Bicyclists needs your help is spreading the word about the Share MI Roads campaign (see page 5). We have created a campaign toolkit to help drivers, bicyclists, and organizations get involved with the campaign to promote safety between bicyclists and drivers on Michigan roadways. The toolkit includes more specific information about campaign objectives, promotional materials, and instructions on how you can help collect names for our safety pledge. Toolkit resources can be used to educate you or your organization about the campaign, help you plan an event during Bike Month, write an article for a newsletter, promote the campaign within your organization, etc. The Share MI Roads team is committed to making Michigan a more bike-friendly state. If you are interested in joining the team, would like a toolkit, or would like to contribute to the campaign, please contact [email protected].

Help Collect Share the Road Pledges

TOOLKITPLEDGE

National Bike Summit Recap

•

The Michigan delegation with U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow at the 2014 National Bike Summit in Washington DC. L to R: Sue Kropscott of Holland, Yvonne Rucker of BikeVon, John Waterman of PEAC, Glen Ashlock of Westland, Tim Krone of Pedal Bicycle, Senator Debbie Stabenow, John Lindenmayer of League of Michigan Bicyclists, Meredith Begin of Detroit, Michael Reuter of American Cycle and Fitness, Scott Christie of Brasco International, and Laura Padalino of PEAC.


•

By Sarah W. Colegrove and Todd E. Briggs Being subject to liability for injuries or property damage is arguably the most effective way to motivate governmental agencies to keep roadways, shoulders, sidewalks, trailways, crosswalks and bike lanes in good repair for its users. Howev-

er, recent changes by the Michigan Legislature to the “Highway Excep-tion” to governmental immunity reduces accountability by requiring governmental agencies to repair and maintain only two areas of public travel in reasonable condition: (1) the part of a roadway used by motor-ized vehicles and (2) sidewalks that fit an extremely narrow definition. These changes negatively impact bicyclists.

The “Highway Exception” that regulates governmental liability states that each governmental agency having jurisdiction over a highway shall maintain the highway in reasonable repair so that it is reasonably safe and convenient for public travel. A person who sustains bodily injury or damage to his or her property by reason of failure of a governmental agency to keep a highway under its jurisdiction in reasonable repair and in a condition reasonably safe and fit for travel can recover the damages suffered by him or her from the governmental agency. MCL 691.1402.

Until March 12, 2012, the Michigan statute defined a highway as a “pub-lic highway, road, or street that is open for public travel and includes bridges, sidewalks, trailways, crosswalks and culverts on the highway.” However, effective March 13, 2012, MCL 691.1402 was amended by the Legislature to state that “the duty of a governmental agency to repair and maintain highways, and the liability for that duty extends only to the improved portion of the highway designated for vehicular travel and does not include sidewalks, trailways, crosswalks, or any other installa-tion outside the improved portion of the highway designed for vehicu-lar travel.” As a result of this change, there is no longer any motivation to maintain a trailway, shoulder, bridge or crosswalk in reasonable repair. If a bicyclist is injured because of the condition of a trailway, shoulder, bridge or crosswalk, he or she is prohibited from recovering damages from the governmental agency who has control or jurisdiction over it.

Liability for maintenance of a sidewalk is part of the “Highway Excep-tion” to governmental liability and can be found at MCL 691.1402a. The statute states that a municipal corporation in which a sidewalk is installed adjacent to a municipal, county, or state highway shall main-tain the sidewalk in reasonable repair. A sidewalk is defined as “a paved public sidewalk intended for pedestrian use situated outside of and ad-jacent to the improved portion of the highway designed for vehicular travel.” MCL 691.1401(f). The Michigan Court of Appeals in Stabley v Huron-Clinton Metro Park, 228 Mich. App 357 (1998), further limited the definition of a “sidewalk,” stating that it must be (1) a path designated for pedestrian use; (2) usually paved; (3) running alongside and adjacent

to a public road; and (4) within the right-of-way of that road. Further, the sidewalk cannot “meander” away from the side of a roadway to be considered a “sidewalk” for liability purposes. If a sidewalk is separated from the roadway by a swath of “trees and bush” it is not considered a “sidewalk” and subject to reasonable maintenance. See, Hatch v Grand Haven Twp., 461 Mich. 457 (2000).

The growing number of bicycle lanes, and the uptick in bicycle usage in Michigan is worth considering. Who is responsible for failing to main-tain bike lanes? No case law has been reported on the issue to date, but it appears that the answer may fall under the “Highway Exception,” which, as stated above, extends only to the “improved portion of the highway designated for vehicular travel and does not include sidewalks, trailways, crosswalks, or any other installation outside the improved portion of the highway designed for vehicular travel.” As we have previ-ously written about, in Michigan, bicycles are not considered vehicles, yet "each person riding a bicycle...upon a roadway has all of the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle..." Does a governmental agency thus have any liability for the improper design, construction and maintenance/repair of a bike lane? There is certainly gray area when it comes to this issue. As mentioned above, there is currently no case law on the matter, so for now, the question remains unanswered.

After the March 2012 statutory changes to the Highway Exception, no matter how egregious the condition of the defect, the length of time the defect existed, or how many times the defect was reported, noted as dangerous or caused damage and injury, if the accident or damage occurred on a roadway, shoulder, trailway, crosswalk, bridge, culvert, or any other avenue or part of public travel you cannot recover damages or injury caused by negligent maintenance. If the “defect” is outside the portion of a roadway designed for use by motor vehicles, no liability will be triggered. Liability of governmental agencies for damage and injury under Michigan’s “Highway Exception” only attaches from failing to maintain the area from fog line to fog line or certain sidewalks that meet a very narrow definition.

As always, feel free to email us with you questions or comments. Ride safely!

Fog Line to Fog Line:

© 2013. Todd E. Briggs and Sarah W. Colegrove. Todd and Sarah are lawyers in private practice. In addition to helping athletes injured in bicycle and sports-related accidents, they concentrate in the areas of civil litigation, including personal injury, commercial litigation, probate and estate planning law. Todd and Sarah are competitive cyclists, triathletes and adventure racers. Each has competed in many national and state running, biking and triathlon competitions, including the Hawaii Ironman. Sarah also currently serves on the LMB board. You can read past articles from Sarah and Todd on our web site at www.LMB.org/legaldesk B r i g g s C o l e g r o v e , P. C . 6 6 0 W o o d w a r d A v e . , S u i t e 1 5 2 3 D e t r o i t , M I 4 8 2 2 6 (313) 964-2077 | [email protected]

Roadway, Shoulder, Sidewalk, Trailway, Crosswalk and Bike Lane Liability for Governmental Agencies

On February 5th, LMB’s Advocacy & Policy Director John Lindenmayer testified before the Local Government and Elections Committee in opposition to legislation that would further limit the rights of pedestrians and bicy-clists using Michigan roads. Read more on our website:

14

Annual Memberships q New q Renewal

Membership/Donations

q Individual/Family. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $30q Organization/Club/Shop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $60

q Life-Individual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $450 (3-Pay Plan - $170/yr)q Life-Organization/ Club/Shop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1000 (3-Pay Plan - $350/yr)

Name

Contact (for Shops/Clubs/Orgs)

Address

City State Zip

Phone

E-mail

Website

Membership Total

Additional Donation Total

Grand Total $

Join, renew, or donate by check or credit card today!

Please make checks payable to: League of Michigan Bicyclists

q Visa q MasterCard q Discover q American Express

q I’m interested in volunteering with LMB

Name on Card

Card #

Card Address (q Same as Above)

Expiration Date (mm/yy)

Signature

Donations (tax deductible)q . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $500 q . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $250 q . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $125 q . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$75q Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $_______

•

By Carrie Thompson, Director, Business Development BATA

Northwest lower Michigan's Cherry Capi-tal known for its growing foodie scene, cultural richness and a hop, skip and a jump away from the Sleeping Bear Dunes, voted "the most beautiful place in Ameri-ca," is now also ahead of the curve in pub-lic transit.

Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA)'s Bike-n-Ride program is one of few such programs in the U.S. and the first in Michigan. The successful service encourages groups of recreational riders to pedal 17 miles on the paved Leelanau Trail between Traverse City and Suttons Bay and return on one of two retrofitted school buses with capacity for 11 bicycles and child trailers.

Doug Dowdy, Manager of Transportation Services for BATA, says that the "important spoke" of the success of the Bike-n-Ride initiative is its ability to move families and riders of varying abilities, like Judy Walter, a senior rider from Suttons Bay. She loves that the Bike-n-Ride service allows her to ride her bike in to Traverse City on the Leelanau Trail, ac-cess the amenities downtown, including spending time with her grandchildren, and ride the bus back a couple hours later, which to her is "truly a gift."

Walter is not the only cyclist who thinks the Bike-n-Ride program answers a need. Because the Bike-n-Ride service "enriches the experience" of locals and tourists alike with "more ways to enjoy all that is wonderful about northern Michigan including active access to farms, water, restaurants and the towns," posits Lee Maynard of Traverse Area Recreational Trails (TART). The project collaborators see growth potential and more economic impact on the region. They are eyeing other trails, connections with other municipalities (like the Village of Suttons Bay) and seasonal opportunities for service growth to fulfill the transit need in line with organizational missions.

Organizers expected the service to be successful after they saw an increase in the use of the Leelanau Trail after the final paving was completed. A 68% increase in ridership along the route, however, has facilitated unexpected local economic impact as well.

"We have really been feeling the boost to business here in Suttons Bay. I've been hearing from a lot of people that this is their best season ever. Half of all our guests have been grabbing bikes and completing the trip," shares Nick Wierzba, owner of Suttons Bay Bikes. "The Bike-n-Ride program makes it more accessible for all ages." The service provides a "safety net" that encourages riders to experience the scenic trail and know they can ride the bus back if desired. 45th Parallel, a café in Suttons Bay, has also experienced increased restaurant traffic. Owner Tim Lambdin, exclaims "with doubled or more bike traffic, we've experienced a phenomenal summer."

For more information, visit bata.net.

Northwest Michigan’s BATA Solves Transit Need In Innovative Way

Fog Line to Fog Line:

15

MICHIGAN BICYCLIST

416 S. Cedar St. Suite A, Lansing, MI 48912

NON-PROFIT ORGUS POSTAGE PAID

LANSING MIPERMIT #686

Dated Material: May, 2014

LeagueofMichiganBicyclists

@MIBicyclists

Please mark your calendars and reserve Wednesday May 21st to help raise awareness for Michigan bicycling.

Celebrate Bike Week with cyclists from across the state by partici-pating in the Lucinda Means Bicycle Advocacy Day at the State Capitol in the morning and your local Ride of Silence in the evening.

The League of Michigan Bicy-clists, Michigan Trails and Gre-enways Alliance, and Michigan Mountain Biking Association, and PEAC are pleased to join forces once again in 2014 for the Lucinda Means Bicycle Ad-vocacy Day.

Join us as we advance vulner-able roadway user protections and safe passing distance standards for bicyclists, a Pure Michigan Trails revision to the Michigan Trailways Act, defend bicyclists rights on Michigan roads, and other issues that support a more bicycle-friendly Michigan. To register for Advo-cacy Day or to learn more about the 2014 legislative priorities, see page 4 or visit www.LMB.org/advocacyday.

Then, that evening after Advocacy Day, join cyclists from across the state and globe at your local Ride of Silence at 7 PM for a slow paced a silent procession to honor friends and family who have been killed

or injured while cycling on pub-lic roadways. The ride aims to raise the awareness of motor-ists, police and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public roadways.

Ride of Silence is free and will take place in dozens of commu-nities across Michigan. You can participate in your local event or stick around in Lansing after Advocacy Day and participate in the Lansing/East Lansing Ride of Silence as we ride to the State Capitol.

Both Advocacy Day and Ride of Silence demonstrate that Michi-gan bicyclists are organized and united around advancing bicy-cling and the safety of bicyclists across the state.

To find a Ride of Silence event near you, please visit www.rideofsilence.org.

Michigan Bicyclist Magazine - May 2014

Documents

Transcript of Michigan Bicyclist Magazine - May 2014