detroitjim

Eventually planned to circle the entire island .
Apparently reasons for building it is to have a place for pedestrians to be off the bike lane that is integral with the island roads.
Additionally,for bicyclists that aren't comfortable being on the road .
Phase 1 is currently under construction . Approximately .8 mile from the Boat Club(near MacArthur Bridge) to the beach.



Went there last Friday 12/11 ,people were already using a portion that'd been completed.
Don't know when the construction started but seemingly they accomplished a lot since the time I'd been there, two months prior.
Hadn't noticed any work being done then.
The MICHIGAN NATURAL RESOURCES TRUST FUND and the Land and Water Conservation Fund just approved money for phase 2 this year so hopefully
the entire loop will get finished shortly .Next year ?




Belle Isle loop trail
Phase 1 Dept of Interior grant 750,000 (2017)
https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/in...tion-22-cities
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/...le-loop-trail/

MICHIGAN NATURAL RESOURCES TRUST FUND (2020)
https://169.62.82.226/documents/budge...3_701698_7.pdf
Belle Isle Park - Iron Belle Trail Loop Development, Wayne County (#19-0050) C89940 300,000

Phase 2 Land and Water Conservation Fund 1.3M (2020)
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/d...t_707919_7.pdf
305 DNR - Parks and Recreation Division Wayne Belle Isle Park - Iron Belle Trail Loop Phase 2
LW20-0018 $1,350,000

okrep23

You've been out there about 3 weeks after my last trip. It is shaping up, and was already in use in parts back before Thanksgiving.
Slowly but surely, Belle Isle Park is rounding into good form. It is frustrating to me as a runner to be in the bike lane on the north side of the island for when running clockwise to be moving against traffic. These paths will be wonderful for that reason.

DTownDave22

Has anyone been to any public meetings or the like regarding infrastructure or even transit (in the last 10-15 years)? It doesn't have to be specifically tied to bicycles.

I don't really attend meetings but it crosses my mind. It just doesn't feel practical with the location and times oftentimes. This past year has not been a great year but it's been a bit easier to "attend" virtual meetings. Honestly feels like it doesn't matter much what I am to say, on top of the first point (during normal times). I follow a few people on social media that are more pro-transit/anti-car only approaches to design and they often comment on such matters locally. I asked one person, how often he attends any such meetings--out of curiosity and partly to maybe become a little inspired/motivated to do so as well. He never responded.

I find it kind of sad that this park is just now getting this kind of more connected infrastructure, where it's been lacking for several years. It's not rare either. Same story in a park Downriver, Elizabeth Park. Maybe I should at least make more of an attempt to be more involved.

When I see some of the horrible infra that is put in place in this region. There are variables that make it entirely foreseeable (like a notable length bike lane Downriver in I believe Ecorse, the first bike lane Downriver). These bike lanes that are in the gutter of the road just become filled with $hit. I don't travel in other cities with bike lanes like this so maybe it's not unique to this area.

You're not really helping cyclists out that much by going 1/2 a$$ed infra w/ bike lanes that become dirty in no time. Do they not budget in street cleaning? Who are the people making these decisions and I'm curious what went into this decision? Same deal with this little stretch of a path where I think SEMCOG had a hand in it near a mall. There are stop signs over and over, in a short 1/2 mile stretch of a path.

I remember working for the post office and one of those police departments in that area of the bike lane around Ecorse gave me this entirely unhelpful map....because I was looking for a more detailed map as I had no set route yet. I imagine if I were to look for answers about this bike lane, my answer would probably be reflective of that. A half-@$$ed answer and I ultimately cringe thinking about this and don't get involved in any way. I don't have the type of patience in dealing with a sizeable institution like a city gov, especially one that probably gives zero f***s about me or my inquiry. Maybe I'm overreacting a bit but some of these bike lanes look like someone is using a push broom and is pushing dust over to the side and it's getting ready to be pushed again another direction and picked up. Except no, it's just the dirt of the road, not being dispersed by cars and instead accumulating in the "bike lane". I've only been on here complaining about this for years and it's not likely to change.

detroitjim

I'm with you man! Mentioned it at least four times in other posts. People that design this crapola,likely aren't bicyclists nor are they from the area.
The local community representatives that approve those projects probably only ride their bikes a few miles a year .(if at all)
Most entities that are awarded grants for building bicycle infrastructure seem to be satisfied with making lines(in the gutter) that have bike icons painted in them .
Betting that some of the communities make money , (that goes into some pocket) due to the difference in actual costs verses the grant amount.

Having debris free lanes has more to do with which city it's in. I just happened to be driving in the south of Warren yesterday AM.
There were pedestrians walking in the bike lane since they were clean and salted (sidewalks had snow on them).
The few times I cycled on that Van Dike bike lane this past year, it was generally clean.
On those occasions that I traveled that route ,I rode on the Conner Creek Greenway in Detroit as well.
So much glass and general rubble. There were landmarks (dead possum,Patron bottle,piece of black bumper) in the lane in April ,that were still there in October.

Wonder why a cycling advocate group doesn't compel some construction company to occasionally donate time and equipment to clean lanes?

mrv 

I like that there was some effort put into Rouge Park.
But y’all are right- the maintenance folks and planners are not cycling.

DTownDave22

I was not aware of that possibility but it makes more sense now if that is what is going on in some cases. The parking spots on W. Jefferson are not wide enough nor is there a buffer. Fairly dirty with rocks, dirt and glass on a good portion of it when I rode it recently (shocker). As for street cleaning, not sure that is a contractor's responsibility--that would be expensive I would think. Sweeping around glass isn't going to do anything and is the reason why you will find a vacuum cleaner (approx. size of a golf cart) cleaning up the gutter in Downtown Detroit--it's likely paid for all or shared by an entity that has a financial interest in Downtown). In regards to dirt, I'd love to find out more. I want to think it's simply from earth dirt on the ground but I've been wondering aloud/online for how many years. Look at this screen shot here. I mainly took note of this only when using a camera on-bike for the first time because I'm largely focused on 1) pedaling 2) my safety and 3) observing my surroundings when I'm not around too much traffic but not usually very detailed manner because I'm moving at a good pace of 10-20 MPH most of the time, vs. walking on foot 2-3 MPH.

I noticed this stretch on a road I prefer riding on the shoulder vs. sidewalk that is barely wide enough does not have a curb to help keep the dirt/rocks on the edge of a roadway and it is raised above the ground by a few inches. Seems like that results in it being a bit cleaner. I don't think it's always that clean. Also seems likely the main source of dirt is simply from the ground because the road is raised above the nearest source of dirt (to the right from the POV of the screen shot) vs. the other way around (like most cases of roads that have a curb).





On W. Jefferson, driver turning onto I believe Southfield (Outer and Southfield on Jefferson, like a lot of this metro area, look largely the same to me with few distinguishing features/placemaking) was courteous is about the only notable positive of that stretch. Not that the whole lane was dirty but it feels a bit pathetic when I feel like "Well, I should be grateful the whole lane wasn't filled with rocks or glass." It should be apparent now it's not likely to change. Maybe I need to not only vent on the internet periodically but attend meetings. With virtual meetings, I think I'm going to more now. I like the fact that the city is having meetings on what people would like to see with their "Streets for People" campaign/approach, but they can't even keep them relatively clean. A little like trying to work on hitting home runs before learning how to hit singles and doubles. I did attend such a meeting for Detroit (DPW) before it was hijacked by some type of audio/video loop by someone with nothing better to do.



Claim that city of Detroit will be using cleaners for bike lanes vs. simply sweeping/pushing the dirt:

Short video sample in on W. Jefferson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnTf...ature=youtu.be

DTownDave22

Haven't been to Rouge Park tbh, but I don't live in the city. Don't venture out to too many different parts of the city but have more recently. Rode in Boston-Edison for the first time as far as new routes are concerned, for the first time last year and liked it overall.

This little video is interesting. It's curious what he said, and what he meant by it. He said he could never quite let his guard down. I wonder if he at all meant if he found it less safe to ride here on avg. vs. other places in the U.S. he's ridden (as he rides a lot of places). I find one can let their guard down a bit, but you're also putting your own safety a little more into the hands of others in big metal boxes on wheels that can accelerate quickly, some are impaired, some are in a "I need to get where I need to get to, NOW" driving mode and different levels in between. It's why I go on longer rides on the weekend mornings mostly. Also one of the reasons I liked going on large group rides like Critical Mass..basically saying to drivers: "We're going to take over the road for a couple of hours like a moving road block and you can wait."

Troul 

Generally speaking, How is it not common to think & be aware of this happening?

Society as a whole cannot possibly be that naïve nor foolish? Corruption is Michigan's Way.

mrv 

I'll have to check out the video. 37 minutes!
Anyway - as far as "keeping your guard up" - it all depends where you're going and what time of day.
Going through D'born during traffic-y hours - yep - you have to keep your guard up. Or know which neighborhood roads to use to staff off the main roads.
I've ridden down Jefferson Ave through the Del Ray neighborhood past Fort Wayne - I would only do that very early in the AM, as the neighborhood is so bad the Detroit police stay away for the most part.
A few years out and there will be a second bridge span through there, with bike access to Canada - that'll be way cool. Should gentrify the area.

Riding the River Walk to Belle Isle - keep your guard up for walkers and kids!

Heading to Rouge Park on Chicago Ave or Tireman - I find the traffic REALLY accommodating. I typically only go through there on Saturdays. In the video, it looked like a weekend at Ford WHQ, but we've been working from home since early-2020, so there's that. And there's underground parking for execs at WHQ also.
There should be a single word to describe how lower income folks are more accommodating to "vulnerable" road users, compared to how the affluent areas (like Northville, MI - yeah! callin' the whole town out!).

Thanks for the video. I recommend cycling Detroit if you get a chance. River Walk, Belle Isle, Dequinter Cut - all good and getting better.
Coffee at the Red Hook or Great Lake Roasting - lots more around the Campus Martius area. Art - like the Joe Louis Fist, the Spirit of Detroit, all near the RenCen. Good stuff.

cheers.

detroitjim

Hadn't been to Belle Isle for about three months . Went there there this past Sunday 10/9. Discovered in that time more of the trail has been added.
Only a short portion was added to where it previously ended.(from the bath house lot to the end of the beach)

The other part added goes from the Riverbank fishing site to the lot at the lighthouse end of the island.


They built this section by eliminating one lane from the roadway.

Troul 

i haven't been on the island in a long while, but ride past it at times. Is there a fee to enter the island now (driving) ? I used to go on the island a lot with my father for fishing, but that was decades ago.

detroitjim

This is all that I can find regarding an entry fee. I've never seen anyone stop at the booth . Not sure that anyone bothers.
Maybe because they buy it when renewing their license plates??

Recreation Passport entry

For just $12 (or $6 for motorcycles), residents get year-round access to state parks, state-sponsored boating access sites, trail parking and more. To purchase a Recreation Passport, check "YES" at the time of license plate registration renewal through the Secretary of State or buy one at the park contact station.

chas58

Yeah, we were spending more money for toll booth attendants than we were making in tolls, so that went out when it went to the licence plate thing. But yeah, you can be ticketed if you don't have the plate or a pass.

chas58

Wow, that is a huge change. I loved the room that 3 lanes of traffic gave the island. I'm typically doing the island with friends, and we are doing near the speed limit. That looks like there really isn't any room for a bike to be doing 25mph any more (without pissing someone off).

chas58

Looking forward to watching that one. You know, we have 3 velodromes? Although that video starts at the velodrome that is only used for cyclocross these days. I kinda like doing a CX race at the cement velodrome in the AM and then doing some short and fast racing at the indoor velodrome in the evening. ;-)

detroitjim

Yup....When I drove the auto through there the first time it seemed a bit tight . I'm thinking that they need to put those plastic vertical blind type bollards (as in the photo in reply #5 of this thread) as a delineator for the existing bike lane.

It surely will slow the drivers down in that section of the island.

There will be a small increase of motor vehicle traffic in that area as well since a parallel path Oakway road(it went from the Nature Center to the old golf course start building) is being eliminated. Plans are that it will be converted to a trail.

chas58

good plan on Oakway. That thing practically is a trail already!