Bike Among the Ruins (Detroit, Pontiac: real estate, insurance, crime) - Michigan (MI) - City-Data Forum

azoria · 07-05-2009, 01:18 PM

"While bike enthusiasts in most urban areas continue to have to fight for their place on the streets, Detroit has the potential to become a new bicycle utopia. It’s a town just waiting to be taken. With well less than half its peak population, and free of anything resembling a hill, the city and its miles and miles of streets lie open and empty, beckoning. And lately, whether it’s because of the economy or the price of gas or just because it’s a nice thing to do, there are a lot more bikers out riding."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/op...ml?ref=opinion

waltlantz · 07-05-2009, 10:06 PM

very interesting, but I doubt it will happen

YAZ · 07-05-2009, 10:11 PM

I've driven down there; I wouldn't even ride a motorcycle.

I hear Beirut is nicer...

azoria · 07-05-2009, 10:58 PM

More from the NYT piece,

> "Despite the press, survival here isn’t so hard. Businesses like the Wheelhouse and the Hub have already shown how well Detroit can work as a new business hothouse. With the legendarily affordable real estate and without needing to pay for car payments, gas or insurance, bicyclists could rebuild Detroit into a model of a two-wheeled economy. They could pass laws promoting bikes over cars and designate entire avenues motor-free zones, which, given the state of many of them now, wouldn’t be so much of a stretch." <

Even though it may seem improbable and contrary to to convention, this kind of innovative thinking may indeed be an opportunity that needs to be recognized and nurtured.

In general, I think America has lost some of the innovative vision on which it was built. Perhaps with more creative solutions like this, a new reality may take shape to replace the worn out and unusable.

Why not?

and the · 07-06-2009, 01:52 PM

The ruins are ruined for a reason. You'd have to be nuts to ride a bike in most "ruined" areas of Detroit. The area south of I-94 and east of I-75 is the 4th most dangerous neighborhood in the country according to something I saw published on Yahoo. And that's with as much under-reporting of crime as they can get away with!

YAZ · 07-06-2009, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azoria

More from the NYT piece,

> "Despite the press, survival here isn’t so hard. Businesses like the Wheelhouse and the Hub have already shown how well Detroit can work as a new business hothouse. With the legendarily affordable real estate and without needing to pay for car payments, gas or insurance, bicyclists could rebuild Detroit into a model of a two-wheeled economy. They could pass laws promoting bikes over cars and designate entire avenues motor-free zones, which, given the state of many of them now, wouldn’t be so much of a stretch." <

Even though it may seem improbable and contrary to to convention, this kind of innovative thinking may indeed be an opportunity that needs to be recognized and nurtured.

In general, I think America has lost some of the innovative vision on which it was built. Perhaps with more creative solutions like this, a new reality may take shape to replace the worn out and unusable.

Why not?

It's kinda hard to ride a bike in Detroit in January. Maybe I'm just a wimp....

and the · 07-06-2009, 06:43 PM

Quote:

In general, I think America has lost some of the innovative vision on which it was built. Perhaps with more creative solutions like this, a new reality may take shape to replace the worn out and unusable.

Why not?

What's it a solution FOR? A lack of targets for armed robbers? Maybe they'll steal the bikes and ride them to job interviews and new jobs created by all the new pedatourists.

waltlantz · 07-07-2009, 06:02 PM

No, this plan is all else equal.

It assumes that the city would be relatively stable, then as it redevelops, it would give equal status to bicyclists as well as pedestrians.

jerky1280 · 07-07-2009, 06:32 PM

A great article. My girlfriend and I are planning on moving to Royal Oak in August or September. She'll be going to school at Wayne state and is looking at the possibility of riding a bike when the weather is good and taking the bus during bad weather. We'd love to remove one more car from the road and get rid of the payment!

and the · 07-07-2009, 08:55 PM

Depending on what kind of car she drives, if she parks it in Detroit very often, someone else may take care of removing it for you. Friend of mine was happy about the Pontiac Grand Prix he bought used. He gave his older Taurus to his grandson. A week later, the Grand Prix was stolen. He got it back a few days later and within a week it was stolen again. A week after that the grandson's Taurus was stolen.