Marked Bike Lanes Would Make Lakeshore Safer for Motorists, Cyclists

On a beautiful fall Saturday morning, over 4,300 bicyclist toured the streets of Detroit, many on a leisurely 20 plus mile ride, while about 200 rode 60 miles.  The routes included Michigan Ave., Jefferson, Oakman, McNichols, Seven Mile, and Grand Blvd.  Many of the streets had posted speeds of 35 m.p.h.  The two rides were part of the Tour de Troit, which raises funds for “green ways” in southwest Detroit, and promotes cycling in Detroit. 

The Tour de Troit was the third cycling event in seven days in the metro Detroit.  The first event was Celebration of Cycling, a fund raising ride for PEAC (Programs to Educate All Cyclists). PEAC uses cycling as therapy for the disabled, including children with downs, MS, and autism.  The second event was Tour de Ford, held last Sunday, as a benefit for the Tom Groth Patient Medical Needs Fund at the Henry Ford Health System.  The 35 mile route went through the Grosse Pointes, including a rest stop at Cottage Hospital. In addition to Kercheval,
the 35 mile route included Jefferson and Lakeshore.

As was reported in the Detroit Free Press on Sunday, September 25, some limited information has been released about the proposed bike routes in the Grosse Pointes. On the plus side, depending on the extent of the routes, it appears that
Grosse Pointe City, Farms and Woods may have routes that connect to the various
public and private schools, and to various parks. 

Only the City provides access to a shopping area, and none of the Pointes designates a bike route on Jefferson, Lakeshore or Kercheval. As revealed in the Free Press, the assertion is that these streets are not safe for bicyclists, Notwithstanding that Henry Ford Hospital considers them safe.

Quite disappointing is the Park, which provides no safe, designated bike route to one of its public elementary schools, to its beautiful public library, or to its private school. It provides no safe, designated bike route to either of its two water
front parks.  However, truly abysmal is the Shores, who take the attitude that if they close their eyes and bury their collective head in the sand, cyclists (and for that matter anyone who does not live in the Shores) simply will just go away and leave them alone.  But, they are in the process of changing their name to Macomb Shores, so we should cut them some slack.

As is common in most issues, there are arguments made, whether for or against an issue, that are based upon emotion, rather than evidence.  Here, the claim is that Lakeshore, at 35 miles per hour, is not safe for cyclists.  However, the stated reason from a self-proclaimed safety expert is that "I could not in good conscience encourage more bicyclists ... on Lake Shore," and then even balder assertion that:  “I would not encourage my child to ride on Lake Shore.”   These statements do not address the real issue – how do we make Lakeshore safer for all users?

We make Lakeshore safer through marked, designated bike lanes.  Bike lanes are the safest facility for cyclists.  In 1995, Professor Moritz of the University of Washington undertook a national survey on various designs. He published his results in the Transportation Research Record, Paper Number 970979. The facility with the fewest percentage of crashes was marked, designated bike lanes. The facility with the highest percentage of crashes was sidewalks -- over ten times greater risk on a side walk than in a bike lane.  Indeed, riding on a sidewalk
has five times the risk of riding on a street without any bike lane or route designation.  Riding on marked, designated bike lane is twice as safe as riding in the street without a bike lane. 

Moreover, marked bike lanes on Lakeshore will keep cyclists in a designated area of the road.  The marked lanes not only tell the motorist where they are not allowed to drive, it tells the cyclists where they are to ride.   This designation improves traffic flow, and will reduce the concerns that cyclists are obstructing traffic on Lakeshore. 

There is no evidence to support the assertion that having a marked bike route on a road with a 35 mph speed limit is dangerous.   If the safety experts truly wanted safety, they would support marked, designated bike lanes on Lakeshore.  Indeed, Lakeshore is wide enough to accommodate two lanes of traffic and a marked bike lane. 

Bike routes, however, are not a replacement for sound  parenting.  Just like a parent should not allow a child to use a power saw until they are old enough to use one safely, a parent should not allow a child to ride unsupervised in the street until they are old enough to do so safely.  The statement that “I would not encourage my child to ride on Lakeshore” does not answer the question of whether marked bike lanes will make Lakeshore safer.  It avoids the issue, while falsely inferring that bike lanes are not safe.

Perhaps the real concern is that putting in a marked bike lane will result in “riff raff” roaming the pristine shoreline of Lake St. Clair.  However, the demographics do not support such a belief.  Mr. Moritz’ survey reveals that the average cyclist is a 39 year old male professional with an annual income exceeding $45,000, not what most would consider riff raff. 

Are the shopping areas too congested to improve the safety of those who prefer to shop on their bikes?   Given that the Chamber of Commerce is behind the bike route initiative, it makes sense to encourage residents to shop at home by improving access for all, including cyclists.  Not only does it make sense, it improves safety for all.  Providing for safe, designated routes to shopping areas (for example, the Hill, Village and West Park) will move adult cyclists from the sidewalks to the street.  This will make the sidewalks safer for pedestrians, including those pedestrians who elected to make the short walk from their parked car to the front door of the business.  As demonstrated in the Moritz study, bike
lanes make it safer for the cyclists, as well. 

Will it impact motorists?   The answer is no.  Fortunately, all of the shopping areas have a fair amount of foot traffic.  Every motorist must use care while driving on
Kercheval through these shopping areas. 

Right now, how safe is Kercheval?  It is a nice, wide road, with posted speeds of 25 to 30.  It traverses three of the Pointes, connecting three shopping areas, two elementary schools, a public library and a hospital.  The vast majority of Kercheval is residential.  Unfortunately, many motorists on Kercheval exceed the posted speed limit.  Passing on the right is common place.  These motorists make Kercheval unsafe. 

Marked bike lanes on Kercheval will “calm” traffic, much like the traffic islands on Jefferson just east of Alter slow the Jefferson traffic down considerably upon entering the Park.  The marked bike lanes effectively will reduce the width of Kercheval, while leaving ample room for motor vehicles.   The narrow lanes of traffic are a visual cue to motorists not to exceed the posted speeds and not to pass another vehicle, whether on the right or on the left.

The bike routes are still under study, and are not yet final.  We have a great opportunity to improve the safety and livability of our communities.  We should not squander that opportunity through planning based on unsupported fears.