The Trials and Tribulations of a Detroit Bicyclist

Winter is Coming

2011-12-08T17:39:00.001-08:00

Winter is coming, and so is another year of winter cycling.

According to Transportation Riders United here in Detroit, DDOT has received a grade of F after volunteers were sent to observe how buses didn't keep to their schedules, how buses were full and how the waiting times were long.

I'm sad to say that this year, this will be another year of DDOT riders waiting longer for buses in the snow while the city council, the mayor and the state fight among each other on how to get Detroit into financial solvency. Of course that would be difficult when the entire nation is in recession.

SMART is not exempt either. They will have to soon deal with cuts in services as well, leaving them in the same situation as DDOT riders are.

The need for mass transit is great even now for the revival of the Metro Detroit area. However it is well aware that the revival will take a long time, and there will be many in the area that won't be willing to wait patiently for change.

There will still be a decrease in Metro Detroit's population, until there is proof that things are moving up again.

Meanwhile I would like to make a suggestion for those who are waiting on DDOT/SMART buses in the snow, that don't have cars: I would suggest that if you don't know anyone that can help you get around by car, and can't afford a cab, to get a mountain bike and if necessary, a rack and some bags to attach it to.

This would also mean that you would have to wake up early to get to work, but you would be able to get some exercise and be able to get where you need to go.

I will not say that it isn't dangerous. There are risks involved. I should know.

Tomorrow I'll be back on the bike again. I have some errands to run. Also, I have a free day on Saturday, so I'll use that time to go out on my bike too.

For those who still follow my blog, I would like for you to share your experiences riding during the winter. This way it will help encourage those that could be waiting forever for a DDOT/SMART out in the snow to find alternate means to get around.

Because we are going to be in for a long....long....winter.

DDOT Rally, Time with Occupy Detroit, and Critical Mass ride

2011-10-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

When I arrive home, I was so tired. Tomorrow, I have to wake up early and ride my bike to work, since I've decided not to get a lift from family.

Let's get to the DDOT rally.

From Grand Circus Park, we walked down Washington Blvd, under police escort to the Rosa Parks Transit Center.

This is where all of the DDOT buses that are heading downtown stop at. Kids were getting out of school and parents were heading home from work, so there were plenty of people there. We walked through the transit center and then walked down Michigan Ave, on the sidewalk. Personally, I think we should have stayed on the street and stopped traffic.

After arriving at Woodward, we headed south to city hall (Coleman Young Municipal Center). We protested in front of the Spirit of Detroit. There was a few security guards protecting the building. We marched around the building a few times and returned to Occupy Detroit HQ after a handicapped woman spoke as well as a DDOT bus rider.

There was a brief discussion about trying to get these protests to continue every Friday at 3pm until there is action taken by the local government. That in itself has been suggested to the Direct Action committee in hopes that it would be addressed at a future General Assembly.

Since I had to work at 7am the next day, I was going to ride my bike home, until I saw a wide group of bikes riding around. Since they were riding along the route that I was heading, I decided to tag along. I parted ways with the bikers by the time I reached W. Grand Blvd and Third St, and took my usual ride home.

The Occupation of Detroit and Upcoming Direct Actions

2011-10-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

On October 14, 2011, the occupation movement, which started at Wall Street in New York City came to Detroit.

It was that day, that I first encountered with Occupy Detroit also part of the 99% movement.

The 99% represents everyone with the exception of those in the 1% who have most of the wealth, and have been using that wealth to divide the human race to suit their own purposes.

When I arrived there there were plenty of people, with plenty of grievances against corporations, banks, and the current state of our governments, from federal to local level. From that day forward, they occupy the west-side of Grand Circus Park.

As of today there are plenty of tents out there, to show that there are people in the movement are here to stay for the long haul. There's also a big tent where food is given to those that are there, a small library with donated books available to all. Artists that meet around the fountain daily. The movement itself, as well as all movements part of the 99% have their own websites. This is the one for the city of Detroit: Occupy Detroit

There has been support given by local churches, unions, organizations, and a nearby nightclub called LAX. Lately there have been protests against Bank of America for the high amount of foreclosures here in Detroit as well as the State of Michigan for threatening to cut off welfare.

On Friday, there will be a protests against cuts to the Detroit Department Of Transportation. That will have an effect not only on myself, but a lot of people as well. Cuts have been made to DDOT already, which is why most buses are either full, not working, and never run on schedule. There is plenty of blame to go around for why DDOT is unable to get their passengers to their destinations on time.

I will be spending my time riding my bike around the city with the fliers that I have to make sure the message gets across about the Friday protest, which I will be attending. I would encourage those who view this for the first time and live in the Metro Detroit area to please download, print and circulate this flier.

I would like to apologize once again for not updating my blog as much. However, I will be updating it more since it will become my contribution to Occupy Detroit , which is also part of the 99% movement. This movement, represents the majority of the world as well as myself.

Still ridin'!! However...

2011-09-01T12:38:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since I've posted up here.
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A lot has changed in my life. One of my bikes got stolen and I had to spend a whole paycheck to get a new one.

I found the one that was stolen, but I couldn't recover it because new locks were placed there.

But...that won't keep me off of the road!!

I'm still here in the D, and I'm sure that the thief will get his due sooner or later. I've let it go.

Today, I went to Focus Hope ITC for a Job Club meeting. On my way there by bike, I got chased by a dog. It gave up when I got to Dexter Blvd.

The Job Fair went well. I got the help I needed, so all I have to do is apply for the jobs and make sure that my portfolio is prepared. I may have to go back tomorrow and get a copy of the certificates that I have since they may be in my last residence.

However, the last time I've been on a bus, the wait times were a 1/2 hour. That's shameful for a metro area. There's still solutions that must be made for the problems in local mass transit. There are some bright sides:

More people are riding bikes now. Driving a car is starting to look like a luxury in this economy. Anyone who disagrees with me are welcome to leave a comment. I do have my facts to back this statement up.

DEMF: Day 1

2011-05-28T20:05:00.000-07:00

After parking my bike at a garage next to the Buhl Building, I walked to get my wristband.

The day was pretty interesting. I only recognized one group of DJs , ElectroBounce, at the festival. The group is the closest thing I've heard to Detroit Techno that day. Listening to the rest of the music there, was a bonus.

I took a few pictures, posted on Facebook of course. You'd be surprised how people would dress at the festival. I saw three guys dress in suits that covered one's entire body. Of course, I saw that yesterday too. There's a few others there too.

I did what I usually do at the techno festival. I walked around Hart Plaza with two backpacks. Played a few outdoor games while enjoying the riverfront view.

The one thing that I really didn't like about the festival was the fact that the weather didn't cooperate. At around 19:00, it started to rain, so I left to get my bike, because the parking garage closed at 20:00. Despite the fact I didn't get any new facebook friends, or female friends, I still had a good time.

When I got my bike, I rode to the transit center to catch the bus home and that was the end of day 1.

Day before DEMF

2011-05-28T07:31:00.000-07:00

I spent the whole day riding my bike around town. Had to get a prescription refilled and went to Good Girls go to Paris for the first time.

The crepes that they sell are pretty good. They kept my stomach full for a while.

I went to the Hub and Wheelhouse Detroit to get some bike accessories. I spent 1 hour and a half trying to get some new handbars on my bike.

Yesterday was also the day for the Opening day parties. I've never been to the opening-day parties so I decided to go to the Rusko and Z-Trip party at the Fillmore (formerly known as the State Theater).

During this day, my phone was on low batter power. So I stopped at the State Bar and had 3 beers. The manager was kind enough to let me use his outlet to charge my phone a little bit. It wasn't fuly charged when I left the bar, but I had enough power on the phone to make a phone call if I needed to.

I arrived there early enough to lock my bike across the State Bar. I got in line 15 mins before the doors opened.

After being searched, I had a Long Island, and walked into the main theater. I found a seat, sat down and had my drink while enjoying the opening act, which I determined to be Rusko.

He played some house music since the party was just starting and people were just getting into the party. Over time, it became warm enough for me to take my jacket and sweater off. This was after I had a shot of Captain Morgan.

I did talk to a few people for a bit who wondered around during the party, but I didn't have enough energy on my phone to store contact info. I didn't bring a notepad, which I probably should have.

As the party came to a climax, two women came to my table asking me to buy them shots of alcohol. I saw that they didn't have the drink tag on their arm that all the people who were planning on drinking got on the way in.

I, of course, got one.

During the time they were there, I was drinking a domestic beer. I had no intention of taking any chances of ending up arrested for buying drinks for minors. Even if they were 21 and up, I couldn't tell by the way they looked. The answer was automatic.....HELL NO!

Those were my exact words, and after that, they walked away to try to find another sucker.

Once I finished my second and last domestic beer for the night, I went to the bathroom. On the way out, I grabbed a pack of gum and went back to the party.

I always kept my stuff near me for fear that my items would be stolen. Before Z-Trip came on-stage, I started walking around and talked to a few people at the party. To my surprise, I met an old friend from Gesu Catholic School: Ugo.

I was surprised to see him at the party. Never thought I would meet up with a old friend that day.

When Z-Trip came on-stage, the party started jumping. At that point, I was drunk, but coherent enough to know that I couldn't drink anymore. If I was going to drink anything at that point, it would be water.

I stay for a few more hours to enjoy his music. After a brief chat with Ugo, I walked around the theater watching everyone dance, and I even danced a little, although I really wasn't that good of a dancer.

Around 21:35, I had enough. I felt tired and I wanted to make sure that I made it home. So I took my things and headed for the lobby. I was taken into a room and checked to see if I was too drunk to make it home on my own. They asked me who was the current president, and of course I got it right. Personally, I think they should have asked me a harder question.

22:00 - I left the Fillmore, unlocked my bike and rode to Rosa Parks Transit Center. I had to wait a while for the bus. When it arrived, I was lucky to see it with a bike rack on it. I had no trouble in getting home.

Overall, yesterday was fun, but I'm sure that today will be very enjoyable.

My B-Day

2011-05-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

I turned 26 years old this day.

It was a very nice day for me to ride my bike Downtown to get sushi from Oslo for the first time. It was great and so was the beer. Too bad the Tigers lost to the Blue Jays that day...

Afterward, I rode downtown and headed toward the Riverwalk and rode toward Belle Isle. I rode along the bike line and then took a rest at Gabriel Richard Park when I was finished.

I rode back to the Ren Cen to get my free salad. I, of course, paid for the second one and ate both in the restaurant. When I was finished and went back to get my bike, it was raining cats and dogs.

I was glad to have my raincoat with me along with rain bags for my panniers.

I rode my bike over to Rosa Parks Transit Center to catch my bus home. Luckily for me, the bus that was leaving, actually had a bike rack on it. Everything was fine, until a crazy passenger kept on screaming, "Wyoming!!" every 30 seconds. Like most people that catch the public bus. These crazy people are expected and there is little that can be done to keep them quiet, with lack of transit police on the buses.

Thankfully, I didn't have to ride the bus far. I got off on Joy Rd, and high-tailed it home.

Spent the remainder of the day relaxing in bed until the end of the day.

During the next post, I will explain a brief summary of the tragedy that is Detroit Public Transit.

New Year, Busy Life, still on the bike.

2011-03-10T16:51:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

I know it's been a long time since I wrote in here, but a lot of things have been happening in my life. I'm reviving this blog in hopes to encourage more in Detroit to ride their bikes, even if I decide to leave the city in the future.

I'm still in school, so that takes most of my time. I even rode on the day of the Thanksgiving Parade. Even during the winter, I still ride, despite the difficulties of riding in icy roads.

I had some time in-between the end of January and now, when my bike was in need of maintenance and I didn't have the money to get it repair. However, now I'm back on the road again, and thankful.

On DDOT, there are still a few buses that don't have bike racks on them, but I'm sure that will change in the future.

Today, when I needed one, I didn't have much good luck in finding them. In the afternoon, on my way to Gamestop, bus #3820 did have a bike rack, but it was unusable. I could fit my bike on there, but it wouldn't be mounted properly, and there was a risk of my bike falling off the rack, should I decide to use it. I asked the driver, why it wasn't available to be used, and he couldn't tell me. I do not fault the driver, he handled the situation as any driver would.

I do however blame DDOT for placing a bike rack on the bus that couldn't be used at all. I will be filing a complaint via e-mail in hopes that the rack itself would be replaced with a more "efficient" one.

Should I start driving again even after I go six months seizure free?

2010-08-13T17:17:00.001-07:00

It has been a while since I drove a car.

The reason being, has been because of my epilepsy. I've been having seizures since high school. Although I take medications for it, there are times that I will publicly admit that I forget to take it, and I end up having seizures again.

My car currently doesn't work, so for those of you who just started reading this blog, I ride my bike as my primary means of transportation.

I have to go at least six months seizure-free before my family would consider helping fixing my car.

Every time I have a seizure, the countdown starts over again.

I've been used to riding my bike around the metro-Detroit area. It helps also to have buses with bike racks as well. However, with the recession, I feel that I'm too poor at the moment to maintain, let alone own a car, not to mention the cost of auto insurance in Detroit is high, compared to "other" areas.

So continuing to ride my bike is not only healthy but soft on the wallet.

I think that in time, once I obtain a portable bike that can be carried across the border to Canada, or Canada and the US decides to build a bike-accessible bridge here in Michigan, I can do more of my riding in Canada.

Even then, I have seen that it can be possible to live a life without a car...

I'll probably be better off without one.

Reality

2010-08-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

At my current age, I always hoped that I would live in a city that would have decent mass transit, since because of my medical condition, I'm unable to drive a car. I've still been able to get around with my bike, and the support of family.

I would always think about how people in other cities who have been able to get around sans car. When I went to Chicago and Los Angeles, it was a fun trip, considering that they are years head in this department. When I return home, it's like walking around in a post-apocalyptic movie.

Except it's all too real.

A visitor can look at the riverfront, and downtown and see some positive sides. However, travel through the neighborhoods, and one would be depressed just looking at it.

The suburbs of course looks like it's suppose to look, but even they haven't been spared hardship that Detroit experiences. Their hardships I feel have been delayed. Ours continue, even to this day.

For those who aren't from Detroit and decide to come visit. Just remember, this fact: "that you have to have a car in order to get around" hasn't changed much. Hope for a regional authority to handle the public transportation needs of metro Detroit still runs dim.

This is also the month where the suburbs get to vote to maintain SMART or not.

Ever since Livonia opted out of the SMART bus system, I had to ride my bike in order to get to Livonia to visit my doctor, or get my parents to drop me off there. I changed my doctor for that reason.

Each city that opts out of SMART will be one less city that I will make a visit to. SMART isn't perfect, but it is the closest thing that we have to a regional authority, except it only represents the suburbs.

DDOT on the other hand, only travels through the city, with exceptions through Dearborn and Southfield, which of course are where the malls are. The service is definitely in need of improvement but the city is in a deficit so bad, that some of the routes and drivers were eliminated.

The buses were late majority of the time and most of the buses didn't have bike racks on them, so you were out of luck if you are a bike rider and needed a break from the wheel. Something has to happen.....soon.

I'm too young to continue to deal with a metro area that continues to act like this is cold-war Berlin, using 8 mile as a dividing line. Detroit doesn't have a 1 million people anymore and for good reason. The city is barely safe enough anymore, jobs are leaving, and insurance costs are rising.

Bing is right....It took a long time for the city to become what it is, and it will take almost that same amount of time before things get better. However, as an impatient youth, who rides his bike to work and even the grocery store, things have to speed up.

I know that Detroit can do better...metro Detroit can do better. Show me, or I will move to a city that has done better.

Movement 2010: Last day did not go as planned.

2010-05-31T17:33:00.001-07:00

Last Day

I woke up this morning to find the other side of my right leg to be bruised as well as my left. So I fixed a foot bath and in hopes of continuing to go to the festival, I put another icy hot patch on my ankle.

I checked the schedule and I saw only two artists I really wanted to see. Kenny Larkin and Model 500. They are suppose to be @ the main stage tonight, but before I intended on leaving, I fell asleep while trying to keep my ankle elevated. When I woke up, it felt like a lot of blood was being pumped to my leg. So I took off my medical bandages and saw my leg was still bruised on both sides. I checked the weather only to find out that it was raining for the remainder of the day. I also realized after last night that I really didn't have enough money left either.

I ended up staying at home to allow my leg to recover. The summer is far from over, so I'll have plenty of time to go to any techno parties that may go on later this summer. I won't be able to play hackensack for a while.

I have made mistakes this year that I hope to never make during next year's festival. Next year I will:

Always have spending money saved a month in advanced.
Try to convince a friend to ride with you on a bike to the festival.
Work on my reflexes before the festival.
Tune up my bike before the festival. (I almost fell off on my way home yesterday.)

I checked my bike today to find my back tire flat, again. It seems I'm going to have to check the inter-tube today and fix it. I won't be able to ride on it for a while. Hopefully I'll be fully healed by the end of the week.

Movement 2010: Day 2

2010-05-31T10:21:00.001-07:00

Day 2

Yesterday I overslept the night before so I didn't get downtown until late. I rode my bike along the riverfront; planning to go to the techno festival to see some of the artists that I already know of. However, I later decided to ride my bike over to Rivard Plaza to fill my water bottle.

I met up with a fellow rider who had a group that was riding together to Belle Isle. I decided that it would have been more fun to ride around there than to lock my bike and go straight to the festival. So after I filled up my water bottle, we traveled along the Riverwalk toward Belle Isle and rode around the island.

It was crowded with cars. Some of the drivers couldn't drive and were driving in and out of the bike lanes. We were going a lot faster than they were because car traffic was slow. After leaving the island, we went to the eastern-most part of the Riverwalk: Gabriel Richard Park. I filled up my water bottle there and we rode back toward the Dequindere cut and headed north toward Gratiot.

We head south down Beaubien toward Greektown and looped around there. Made a quick stop at a small cafe across the Compuware building and I ate a pita along with some cookies and a lemonade. I headed home afterward.

Riding from downtown straight home was pretty fun. I hope that next year that there are a few more artists that I would recognize. Most of them that were there yesterday I didn't really know them.

Well I'll be sure to document Day 3 in the next entry.

Movement again in 2010, day 1

2010-05-29T17:01:00.000-07:00

First I would like to apologize for not posting in a long while, school and work has kept me busy. I continue to ride my bike, and have rode at least 1,700km this year.

Unfortunately for me, yesterday, my bike computer started acting up, so now I have to reset it again and put new settings on it.

Some good news since my last entry:

DDOT has purchased 50 buses with bike racks equipped.

I'll put a pic of one of them in a later entry

The only thing that I didn't like was that DDOT didn't put bike racks on all of the buses. However, with budget issues, I can see that they have bigger problems.

I can truly understand that it is going to take a while for this city to make a comeback, and that's a reality that the city government has already accepted. Apprently they have shown their acceptance to this reality though the televised city council sessions. However, I am still divided between being patient and staying to make Detroit into the city I want it to be, or leaving to find a city that already has the services necessary to my ideal urban environment.

Today is the first day of the 10th anniversary of what is known in Detroit as the "techno festival". For the rest, it's the first day of Movement 2010. Those who wish for more information on the festival can go here: Movement 2010's official site

I will be riding my bike to the festival since I already purchased a weekend pass and since I don't live very far from there. Who knows, maybe some of you who read this blog will see me down there. I hope to post good pics here on the blog.

Day 1

I left after 12pm and rode my bike to Greenfield and Michigan to ride the SMART 200 toward downtown. I made a stop at Greyhound station to see if I could find a place to put my bike bags. However, Greyhound didn't have any change for a $20, so I decided to find another place to store my bag.

I then stopped at Book-Cadillac Hotel to see if I could have my luggage stored. I gave it to them and grabbed a ticket. I later rode my bike to the parking lot next to the Buhl Building to lock my bike. I left my helmet with the security guard.

When I got to the festival, it was great, but because I got their in the early hours, there weren't many people on the dance floors of the stages. So I walked around for a while and when I saw a hackensack circle, I joined in.

Everything was great.....until.......while playing the game, I twisted my right ankle.

So I had to go to the First Aid.

They had me checked.....and suggested that I got some ibuprofen to lower the pain. I came alone, so even though I tried walking to the ibuprofen booth, with the samples, I couldn't make it.

So I had to be transported to Detroit Receiving Hospital to get my ankle x-rayed. I also was tested for diabetes and found out I was border-lined.

After I was checked, my father came to pick me up. My leg was still hurting a bit, but I could still walk when I was released. I still plan to go the other two days but I'm going to make sure that I pack light.

As a result of that incident, I have decided for the sake of my health to not return to the festival today, but return tomorrow.

It's unfortunate, but my health comes first.

Detroit continues to fall behind.

2010-04-23T20:26:00.001-07:00

Today I rode my bike around town like I usually do. I rode along the Riverwalk and the Dequindre Cut to keep my legs going. Even made a stop over at the Ren Cen to see if anything has change, only to find out that nothing has. There really isn't enough retail in the Ren Cen to be considered a mall, so there's no way of it competing with Fairlane, or Northland.

I stopped at the Rosa Parks Transit Center and this is what I found....

Last I checked, all the buses are supposed to be equipped with bike racks this year. Yet from what I see, the city has seem to forget who they work for.

There have only been a few times that I've been able to ride a DDOT bus that has bike racks equipped, and those times have occurred by chance. At least with SMART, bike racks are guaranteed on every bus that runs under a fixed route.

This would not be an issue with a regional transit authority. The Ann Arbor Transit Authority has bike racks on every bus, something that DDOT should have been doing years ago. Although having all of DDOT buses with bike racks on them would be a great early birthday present for me, I'm a impatient person when it comes to things like this that I deem important.

While I was there I saw a man that had a custom designed electric bike. I wanted to take a picture of it but he wouldn't give me permission because it wasn't fully completed. I will make sure that if I see the man again after he finishes working on it, that it will be posted here on this blog.

I know that my postings haven't been very frequent. That's been because of school and work, which doesn't leave a lot of time for me to work on my blog. So I try to post when I can.

Over 1,000km accmulated this year and waiting patiently for efforts to be made to make Detroit more bike-friendly.

2010-04-08T06:20:00.000-07:00

I understand that this isn't Portland, Oregon, but they have the right idea when it comes to rapid transit and bicycling. I find it disappointing that since I'm in class I won't be able to attend Detroit's Green Task Force meetings as often as I should. In time, I hope the day will come that it shall be easier for everyone to get around the "historical" motor city, not just people with cars.

My odometer has reached over 1,028km. You can feel free to use Google to convert that into miles. It is a very wonderful milestone considering that I ride my bike a lot as my independent means of transport. I do use DDOT and SMART every now and then, but on rare occurrences. One day, I have seen a DDOT bus with a bike rack on it. It was early one morning while I was riding east on Schoolcraft and I passed bus #3820, the bus that had a bike rack on it, heading in the opposite direction.

Also, news has been spreading far and wide about Google's new bicycling feature on Google Maps. I've tested it already and I love the features. It is in beta version, so some kinks do need to be ironed out and I encourage those that ride in Detroit to let Google know were the trouble spots are.

It is understandable that the city is going through a lot, so is the state. It is going to take a while for things to recover. I continue to ride my bike around since it also keeps me fit. I'm glad to know that I received some communication from one of Cockrel's representatives. DDOT is receiving new buses with bike racks already equipped. By the end of the year, all DDOT buses will have their bike racks equipped. Hopefully by then, the transportation authorities of both city and suburb will merge into one for the sake of saving money.

I'm doing my part by riding around and showing others how beneficial it would be. There has always been naysayers and those who simply are too closed-minded to new ideas. I apologize that I haven't posted in my blog lately. There's been a lot of personal things going on in my life.

I did find out some good news today:

http://www.freep.com/article/20100408/NEWS01/4080359/1318/Detroit-to-add-30-miles-of-bike-lanes

However, although it is a start, there needs to be bike lanes on the important streets such as Grand River, Woodward, Michigan, Gratiot, Fort, basically those streets.

I may be waiting patiently for Detroit to become a bike-friendly city, but my patience is starting to run thin. I'm considering moving to Portland, OR not just because it's a bike-friendly city, but I would have better chances of finding a better job there. People are leaving Michigan because there's too much unemployment. Those that have jobs here are barely getting by, and I can count myself amongst them.

Some may say that other places are no better, but in my personal opinion, it has to be better than where I am.

I want Detroit to thrive, but I don't want to be an old man when it does.

Over 600 km later...and give me a reason to stay in Detroit.

2010-02-16T15:43:00.000-08:00

I'm back in class again at Focus:HOPE. As of last week, I have rode a total of at least 600km this year. This is since I bought the cycling computer from Jack's Bicycle store in January. I can feel the toughness in my legs. Gotta work on the upper body too though.

One day when I rode my bike, I made the mistake of leaving my helmet at home. It's a good thing that I wasn't hurt that day. I didn't make the same mistake again when I went to work the next time.

Recently I purchased new panniers because one of my old ones went missing the last time I went downtown. However, there were some positives that came out of that day. I found out that there was bike parking at a parking garage on Larned and Griswold. This will prove useful for me, when I go to the DEMF again this year. I hope to have a smaller computer with me, and I hope to find a locker available for rent in the area.

I have every intent of taking time off around that time. I barely get time off of work as is. Considering I'm the only part-timer left, I can understand why.

However, I have too much time off available, and I'm not using it. I would like to use it during the electronic music festival. Of course, that will be up to the "good graces" of my supervisors. The worse that could happen is that I'm not allowed to take time off AT ALL!! I hope that it doesn't come to that.

The city hasn't really changed that much. Winter has finally come in, at last. I had at least one snow day this week and I'm expecting at least one more before spring rolls through.

I know for sure that if I wanted to ride my bike to Chicago, that I can easily do it. I just need to make sure to save money and prepare. It would take a few days, instead of hours on the track or the freeway. I wanted to take the train to Chicago during my last visit instead of the Megabus.

I've been living ok, without a car so far. But when it comes to getting groceries, that's when it becomes a problem. I have to ask family for help to get groceries. The grocery store down the street charges more than the one that's out in the suburbs. Of course that depends on what you buy. I find it stupid that this is the case and this is something that needs to change. I don't know what it will take for that to happen.

It is things like that which causes me to ask the city government, why should I stay here in Detroit?

I will not say that the city isn't trying to reinvent itself. What I will say , is that it doesn't have a lot of time. The population will continue to decline unless there is an incentive for people to stay. There must be a benefit for people to stay in the city. I hate to say it but I've never seen a city so depressed in the winter other than my own hometown. The abandoned homes are bad enough, but it looks worse during the winter.

The Detroit Department of Transportation is now a national embarrassment after being featured on Blueprint America: beyond the motor city. The director should be fired! That's putting it bluntly and the documentary was just the summary of our transportation problems. Whenever I ride my bike, and I ride it often, I always pass by those who have to wait for a bus that rarely shows up on time. I can understand why the city may want to fire some of the drivers. Some are too early, and some are too late, they can never stick to schedule. No bike racks on the buses, not yet anyway, and still no sign from DDOT other than a rumor between the drivers that all buses would have bike racks by May.

That's a long away from now, and sadly, I have little choice.....but to wait.

Bike and pedestrian access for all on new Cleveland Innerbelt bridge

I post this in hopes that Detroit will get the hint that we really need to increase our activism here. Historically, Detroit will always be the motor city, but now it is a shadow of what it used to be. Detroit needs to adapt or I, as well as a lot of other young Detroiters that are still here will be leaving the state, not just the city. The suburbs isn't enough of a refuge anymore, especially for a bike commuter like me. And I already have a list prepared on which cities have a higher walk score than Detroit.

Check the link for http://www.walkscore.com

Interesting progess within Detroit and timely events.

2010-01-29T10:28:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I rode to the city-county building to go to the Green Task Force Meeting. Along the way, I stopped at Henry Ford Hospital to look for my cellphone charger, but I found out that it wasn't there. So I made a brief stop to talk to Cortez again, but by the time I left, I only had 15 mins to get to the building.

By the time I arrived, I was late. The meeting already started, and I had to find a place to park my bike. I couldn't find the bike racks around the building so I parked it at a meter near the W. Jefferson entrance. I had to go through a metal detector, which took a lot of time since I had a lot of stuff with me.

If anyone has just started reading this blog, I'm a proud bike commuter. So I have a lot of stuff with me most of the time.

By the time I got to the room, the meeting was underway. It was a good thing that there was seats available. Todd was already there, he didn't ride his bike this time. He's already part of the City's green task force.

I then started to take notes on the issues I considered important. Of course, I noticed that they were also discussing an issue that my Uncle Bryant is interested in, urban farming. My uncle has started his own garden last year. He was growing lettuce as well as tomatoes. I'll be sure to get him an almanac next month.

While I was there, I waited in anticipation for the report from DPW for the Non-Motorized Transportation Plan. The person didn't show at the time so his presentation will have to take place during the next meeting, which will be on the 18th of next month. I'll be sure to be there since my upcoming class is a morning class and the meetings are all during the afternoon.

Then Todd Scott gave an update on the Michigan Rails to Trails:

The Dequindre Cut will be extended southward toward Atwater to be connected to the Riverwalk. There will also be bike trails along Corktown, Mexicantown and Midtown. Plans are also being made to purchase unused rail areas throughout the city and turn them into trails.

Also, I asked Richard Bowers, my contact to city councilman Kenneth V. Cockrel Jr., about the status of the bike racks.

"A memo has been sent to DDOT requesting the timetable of those racks."

I've requested a copy of the reply memo as soon as city council receives the timetable. If all the buses are equipped by May, it would be a great birthday present. However, I would like all of them to be equipped as soon as possible.

In short, by March.

But let's be realistic, I'd probably expect it to be done by May.

I asked Councilman Cockrel about where the bike parking was for the building, and he stated that it was on the Randolph side of the building. I'll be sure to remember that tomorrow when I go to the environmental meeting at 11am.

When I left, I saw the 255 Ford Rd Express show up on Woodward so I sped toward Griswold St to make sure to catch it. I took the bus toward the Dearborn Ice Skating Center otherwise known as the DISC. Along the way, there was a lot of traffic on Michigan and Third, by the MGM Casino as a result of people getting off of the Lodge Freeway and people trying to get on the freeway. I was able to ride my bike home the rest of the way after disembarking at the DISC.

After lunch/dinner and a nap, I woke up and turned the TV to the government channel. I found out that my favorite councilman mentioned the importance of checking on the status on the bike racks on DDOT buses at another meeting that probably occurred earlier in the day.

I'm happy to know that all of my efforts have paid off. I got the attention of city government so action will be taken.

Today at the environmental meeting, I will mention about the graffiti that is already in the Rosa Parks Transit Center. I will show the pictures that I've taken that are already posted on my last entry. I'm sure that there will be an increase in attention to that area since it was just recently built. I'm sad to see that it didn't take long for it to be desecrated. I'm sure that if Rosa Parks lived long enough and came to see this occur that she would agree with me.

I'm also looking forward to retail to be located in the area. There's enough space in that building for at least one 24hr restaurant or small store. Even if its a small business like the outdoor vendor that I've seen outside. The building has Wi-Fi, the least that could be done is to open a cafe on the second floor. Currently the second floor is closed off and only a few entrances to the building are open.

M-1 Rail, hope for the future and yesterday's journey home.

2010-01-28T09:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I rode my bike toward my Uncle Bryant's house to visit him briefly. Before arriving at the Main Library, I stopped at the McDonalds lot to see Cortez, a co-worker, and we had discussions on the medical properties of hemp, and the senseless illegalization of it.

I arrived early and locked my bike nearby the Children's Library entrance. The advanced viewing of Blueprint America: Beyond the Motor City took place in the Friends Auditorium in the basement level. It will be broadcast in full on Detroit Public TV next week.

I also saw a few friends, Megan from Transportation Riders United as well as Todd Scott, who like me, also arrived at the library by bike. We sat together having a conversation about the current issues with Detroit Transit.

I took a look at the M-1 rail flyer. There are some places where I disagree as far as possible locations for station placement.

The stations south of Grand Circus Park seems redundant. We have the People Mover already covering the entire downtown area. It doesn't seem to make sense, to me, to have stations at those areas when many of those areas are within waking distance of the DPM.

The People Mover has been considered a setback in regional transportation which resulted from bickering between city and suburban government officials. I hope that the future transit projects are not like the People Mover.

I look forward to the day that driving a car becomes a choice not a necessity!! I can choose to purchase my own car, not be forced to have one just to maintain employment.

I would also like the option of bringing my bike on the rail. According to the CEO of the M-1 Rail, bikes will be allowed on the train.

The news is getting better. I also saw Joann Watson there as well. She was the only councilperson there though and a few other city officials that were there.

The ride home was pretty tough. I rode toward the Rosa Parks Transit Center to catch the 200 Michigan toward Oakman Blvd. Outside of the transit center, there was a outdoor vendor that The bus took too long so I decided to go inside briefly to use the restroom as well as fill up my water bottle.

When I walked into the restroom I was disappointed to find out that it didn't talk long for the center to become victim to graffiti:

I would like to apologize about the date markers on each picture. These were taken yesterday, not on the date that is marked on the camera. These were taken in the Men's restroom. I also showed these to the officers that were standing outside making sure that order was maintained. They said that someone is suppose to come and clean the area every now and then. I'm not very confident that they are doing a good job to keep the transit center clean. Those who placed that there should be ashamed considering the place is dedicated to a woman who fought for equality in public transportation. Defacing this building is a slap in the face as far as I'm concerned and those responsible for the graffiti should be forced to clean it up once caught.

After showing the pictures to the officers, I walked out of the building toward my bike and rode around until I got frustrated with waiting. I then started riding down Michigan Ave. When I got to the I-75/I-96 bridge, the 200 showed up. I tried to flag it down but it kept going. So I decided, "to hell with it", and rode my bike toward W. Grand Blvd. I passed by Jeremy's old neighborhood and rode down Tireman toward Beechwood. Took the street toward Chicago and headed west toward home.
Here's the route:

01/27/2010, The journey home

It's a 15k route and it was cold as hell that night. I've been through worst though.

New City Officials, great hope for the future.

2010-01-27T06:03:00.001-08:00

After sitting at home waiting for a package yesterday to come in the mail, I left and rode to Michigan and Wyoming to catch the 200 Michigan Downtown and the 560 Gratiot to St. Elizabeth's Church for a evening city-council meeting. I bumped into a few old friends. Some were from my graduating class at Cass Tech who work for the council now, and others were from community meetings that I've previously attended.

I asked about the current status of the city's Non-Motorized Transportation Plan. I also asked about the issue of taxicabs parking on Atwater directly on a bike lane, a public danger in itself.

After talking to Mr. Shaw of the Transportation Dept. I decided not to speak on the current status of DDOT equipping the bike racks. The have until spring before I address the issue again.

Unfortunately, I've left my camera in my rack bag outside of the building on my bicycle. Those who wish to watch the meeting should be able to watch a recording on the city government's website or on government TV. It's not available yet but it should be within a couple of days.

When my name was finally called, my heart skipped a beat. When I finally spoke, I received a reply from one of my favorite councilman, Kenneth Cochrel Jr. He's a known bicyclist, and I'm surprised that he doesn't have a blog as well. This was how I meet Rick Bowers from the Green Initiative, a group of people within the city that includes other bicyclists that set policy on implementing the Non-Motorized Transportation plan.

There's a meeting Thursday at 3pm at the City-County building. I'm going to make sure to attend to get the full information as well has put in my two cents to the plan. I do have a copy of the plan, but it hasn't been updated since 2006, so I need to make sure I have an updated copy.

I'm very happy to know that I've received a lot of contacts as far as that.

Today, there will be a forum at the Main Library about Detroit becoming a leader once again, this time, I hope, in public transportation. There's a advanced screening and discussion on the video Blueprint America: Beyond the Motor City at 5:45pm.

I'll be sure to post what happened on the next entry.

New Year, Same Problems

2010-01-19T18:06:00.001-08:00

I would like to wish all of my readers a Happy New Year. I know it's a little late, but I've been very busy.

There's been a lot going on in my life since my last post. Most of it having to do with my personal life.

I have much hope for progress in Detroit's rebirth this year. However, as reality set in today, I'm still aware that any changes that would benefit all bicyclists and those that don't commute by car will take years and currently little progress has been made.

Today was the first time that I slipped on ice and fell to the ground while riding to school. I only scraped my knee and thankfully I had my helmet so I wasn't hurt. However, it wasn't until late in the day that I found out that I would need to take my bike back to the store again for repairs because of the difficulty in shifting my front gears. On Thursday, I will have to take it to the shop after class and pick it up the next day.

After class, I went to a Verizon store in Highland Park not far from my school to check if they had a replacement case for my phone, since part of mine broke off while riding my bike. They did have it, but I didn't have the money, so I caught the SMART bus Downtown.

When I arrived, I rode from Grand Circus Park to the Rosa Park Transit Center. It didn't really smell that well when I arrived, of course that depended on which area you walked through. It's going to need to be cleaned daily, as I saw trash around the bus bays. I walked inside to fill my water bottle after locking my bike at the racks. There was many areas within the building that was closed off. It was a lot different when it first opened. There's many areas that haven't been used to its potential yet, but I'm sure that in time there will be at least one 24hr small restaurant that would make a lot of use of the WI-FI already covering the entire building. I didn't have the time to ask why some of the areas were closed off while I was there, since I was waiting for the SMART 200 Michigan.

When it arrived, I took the bus to Fairlane Mall in hopes that a DDOT bus with a bike rack would show. However when the Greenfield did show, it was a bus that didn't have a bike rack equipped. I guess some things happen only once. There wasn't a SMART bus available that could take me to Fairlane North, so I pretty much had to ride straight home from there.

That's when I found out that there was a need for me to take my bike back to the store for repairs. I had trouble shifting on the front while I was riding home.

During that customer information meeting in September 2009, I asked about the bike racks, and the official stated that all DDOT buses will have bike racks equipped by Spring of this year. I heard from an anonymous source within DDOT a few weeks earlier this month, that the bike racks would be equipped in time for Transportation Week in May. Bike racks are something that is equipped on nearly every bus ran by a transportation authority in the United States of America. It is beyond me that of all transit authorities, DDOT is one that doesn't have them equipped.

With that on top of service cuts which seem understandable with a decreasing population and a dependence on one's viewpoint, I have little to no confidence that DDOT can provide an efficient transit service for the citizens of Detroit and surrounding areas.

It's going to take more than a new transit center and a few buses with bike racks equipped to impress me.

Today became a test of whether DDOT or SMART could provide my transit needs at it's current state.

The results:

SMART was able to get me Downtown and to Fairlane Mall without any problems. It wasn't until I needed to get to Fairlane North that it failed to provide my transit needs.

Today, on Woodward and Manchester, there was a Chicago-Davison bus that passed by as I was riding to the Model T retail center in Highland Park. That bus could get me home without the use of any transfers, but it didn't have a bike rack equipped. At the Rosa Parks Transit Center, the bike racks were available so I will give them points for that. However, at the one bus route that would get me home without transfers, the Joy Road, the bus that arrived at its bus bay, as well as all of the other bus bays, with the exceptions of the one reserved for SMART and Transit Windsor, didn't have bike racks equipped on their buses.

On Thursday, there will be a Customer Information meeting. I'll be sure to post about its details in the next entry. In the meantime I ask those that will read this a question.

What has been your experiences as a urban commuter with the current transit system in Detroit?

Please feel free to leave comments.

It wasn't all that bad, not for me (Dec 19-20th)

2009-12-28T17:11:00.000-08:00

The 19th and the 20th were interesting days.

I rode my bike to work like I do most of the time. Unfortunately, I was unable to ride with studded tires, but I managed to make it.

The weather wasn't all that bad. Yes, there was snow and salt on the ground, but I didn't have to worry about flats at all.

Of course, the snow wasn't very deep, so I haven't experienced the deep snow yet, but I know it's coming so I'm going to need to get those studded tires.

My hands didn't catch frostbite those days either. However, I know I'm going to have to deal with that issue when it comes.

I'll admit, I was late on the 19th. I overslept, thanks to the epilepsy medicine that I have to take. The doc increased my dosage after having too many seizures last month. The medicine makes me sleepy so I take all of it at night to avoid falling asleep during the day.

While riding through the slippery streets, I made sure not to make to make too many sporadic movements for fear of falling on my behind. That hasn't happened yet so I will consider myself lucky.

What did happen though was one of my panniers fell off my bike as I was riding home on the 20th.

While I was on my journey, I took a long look at those that had to catch the bus during the weekend. I truly felt sorry for them, especially on Sunday. I saw a few people waiting at night at a bus stop on my way home for a bus that would take an hour to show up, if it did at all. Some of them would make fun of me as I rode by. However, the real joke was on them, since they would have to wait 30-60 minutes for a bus that may never come.

However, it's going to get worse since the bus cuts were made. When school starts again after break, there will be a lot of people standing outside during the week waiting a long time for a bus. If it's full, it will be even worse.

I should know. I used to be one of those kids standing there waiting for the bus. I sometimes had to wait for another one because the first one was full.

I'm not going to be able to drive a car until May if i'm lucky. Since I've been riding my bike and catching the SMART and DDOT (when there is a bike rack available) everywhere, I haven't really cared much since I have more money than I did when I had a car. I would literally be broke over the money I'd have to spend on gas for my car. Of course, it doesn't work so even if I could medically drive, I can't drive the car anyway for that reason.

This is the time when multi-modal transit is needed. When people need to have two modes of transit available, especially in times like these. Winter cycling should be encouraged, especially when you have a transit system that has proved to be unreliable. There are benefits to this:

1. instead of waiting on the bus, you can ride toward your destination, thus decreasing waiting time.
2. if a bus with a bike rack comes while you are riding, you can stop at the nearest bus stop and take the bus the rest of the way to your destination. *This is, of course, dependent on those bike racks being available.
3. You stay fit while riding toward your destination.
4. If you don't have any money, that won't stop you from getting anywhere.

SMART has every bus with the exception of their connection service with bike racks available. Why DDOT can't do it, is based on the present incompence within city government.

My next entry will show pictures of DDOT's incompence.

The snow is here!!

2009-12-11T04:35:00.001-08:00

I looked out the window Tuesday night and saw it.

Even though the snow isn't as deep as it will be in January, I've already received a preview of the puddles of frozen ice on the road yesterday. It's a good thing that I didn't slip and fell on my ass on either of them.

Ever since my last entry, not much has changed. With it being the holiday season, everyone should be happy. However, here in Detroit, the holiday spirit is a little dismal here.

We've been getting bad news after another. Just read the News and Freep.

In my case, there has been a lot of delay with the bike racks being placed on DDOT buses. Plenty of excuses have been made to me. I of course have planned accordingly. The only DDOT buses that I will catch will be those with bike racks, and the drivers who drive them will receive commendations for doing their job. If only the higher ups can do the same.

I will write a letter to my favorite city councilman, in hopes that things will move more quickly. I know that there is a chance that nothing may be done, but I can't think of anything else that can be done right now.

Yesterday, when I went outside, the winds were totally high. By the time I got to Hubbell and Plymouth, my fingers were frozen. I had gloves on that were suppose to be weather proof. Apparently they couldn't handle Michigan winter weather. The only way I could try to keep them warm was to keep pedaling and use a little psychology. I started thinking about all the memories I had of going to warm places like California, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia. I had to do that to keep my mind off of my fingers being frozen.

I made it to class, and I was asked to come in to work after my class was over. So I go to get my bike, and my rear tire is flat. Yesterday, I used my last spare intertube. I had to bring it inside the school to patch up the intertube.

By the time I made it to class, I caught a cold and was coughing the entire shift.

After coughing for so long, there was no way I could make it home without there being a chance of being too sick to continue pedaling.

So I had to call Dad to pick me up when my shift came to an end.

I'm still not feeling well, so I'm going to try to spend today trying to recover.

Today's Journey (12.4.2009)

2009-12-04T17:36:00.001-08:00

Usually when I ride my bike, I would write about my adventures only in the bicyclist blog and have pictures to back it up.

Unfortunately, I spent more time riding and I didn't take any pictures at all.

Also, I find it important for me to post this on Facebook as well.

My journey began when I spent some extra time at Focus:HOPE for some extra study time. I stayed until almost 4pm.

Afterward, I rode down Oakman to Manchester toward Woodward. I decide to make a pit stop at a Wi-Fi cafe in Highland Park. I would like to visit it next week. Hopefully, I get time off next week Saturday, since I can't have tomorrow off, but that's OK. I'll grin and bear it. The days are getting shorter, and Christmas is around the corner.

I continued on down Woodward until I reached Jefferson and rode toward Atwater, to get closer to the Riverwalk. I found out that there was a new section of the Riverwalk that just recently opened.

http://www.m-bike.org/blog/2009/12/03/milliken-state-park-is-officially-open

So I rode around there briefly and headed up to the Dequindre Cut. I rode toward Gratiot and headed west toward State and then toward Washington Blvd. Along this route I had a few close calls..on Gratiot and on Woodward. I almost got hit by an impatient white SUV driver on Gratiot I almost hit a parked truck because no one would give me room to move over to the side until the last second.

It is a risk that I take every time I ride, one that I accept, but I will not accept the intentional assault and harassment of bicyclists just because of the refusal of drivers to respect the rights of bicyclists that are written in State law.

I then went south to Michigan and was about to stop at the Transit Center, but I found out that the 255 Westland was coming so I waited for it and it showed up.

I caught that bus toward the Dearborn Ice Skating Center and rode through the park toward the side streets that would take me closer toward home.

It was a good ride except some things were missing.

I didn't take any pictures. I couldn't because the camera on my phone wasn't of good quality.

When I ride my bike, I see other bicyclists ride around. Some ride out of necessity. Other do it for fun or for exercise.

However, with winter coming, this is truly where the trial begins. As I've been riding today, everyone knows that the temperatures have been below freezing. That means its really going to be hard out there when the snow comes through. Last night I was looking for whatever could help me during the season since I have decided to continue riding despite the weather. If there's anything that I get for Christmas, that's pretty much the only stuff I would want on my list. Just some clothes and studded tires to keep me moving. Our winters aren't as bad as Chicago, but they are bad enough to be well prepared.

I look forward to more comments.

The long ride home.

2009-12-01T16:26:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I went to see my neurologist about the necessary prescriptions for my epilepsy. Those prescriptions make me very drowsy which is why I take it at night.

But today, they had an effect on how I rode my bike home from school.

By the time I got to Schoolcraft, my eyes started to close. I had to pull over a few times and stop at a gas station on Wyoming to buy some granola bars to eat to keep me awake. Good thing they only cost a quarter each.

I still managed to make it home, but I was very tired so I went to sleep the majority of the afternoon. I didn't wake up until 6pm.

Updates

2009-11-27T19:18:00.001-08:00

I know I haven't wrote in here for a while, and for that I'm sorry.

During the month of November, the accommodation for bicyclists on city public transportation has been abysmal. I have documented these facts in previous entries. I've also seen sights like these Downtown as well as at Wayne State University and throughout Midtown:

The bike on the far right belongs to me. This was taken at the Rosa Parks Transit Center. I have only been able to catch a DDOT bus with bike racks equipped once from this Transit Center. Ever since then, no DDOT bus with a bike rack has been available to me. I continue to catch the SMART buses for mainly that reason.

But today, after stopping at the bank in Fairlane, I was able to catch DDOT bus #3820 that had a bike rack on it (Note: only six DDOT buses are known to have bike racks equipped.) I have a few pictures of the bus here:

We bicyclists are not going away. Accommodation on public transportation, is something that suburban cities served by SMART as well as other cities throughout the United States and around the world have taken for granted. It seems that the message isn't getting through to the local politicians, especially the mayor. This image that is shown here should be a regular occurrence throughout the city and it must become one in order for Detroit to "rise from the ashes". I will never be satisfied until this picture is an everyday occurence. I truly think that it is going to take more than meeting with DDOT officials and city politicians. Protests will have to be made similar to the enforcement of the bicycle licensing fine which took a level of protest to eliminate.

Today I managed to pick up another front light as well as some lights that I could mount on the wheels. I'm going to post a pic here of what my bike looks like now:

I'm sure that some people will notice something new.

I was unable to find an all-weather cover for my bike today, but I hope to get one before the first snow. It is going to be a very interesting winter. I'm sure that everyone has heard, but if they haven't, SMART is raising their fares next week. DDOT has decided not to raise their fares after making service cuts in September.

On my way home today, I almost got lost nearby Rouge Park, trying to take Lasher to W.Chicago not knowing that there was a dead end around Outer Drive after leaving the G & R bike shop. I had to ride through a few side streets in order to get close to home, but I made it.

I hope to add a few more accessories to my bike before first snow, but at the same time, I would like those who read my blog to express to me what would be a more public form of protest against the failure of city government to provide accommodation for bicyclists on public transportation as well as on the street.

I look forward to more comments on this blog than seen recently.

Sightings of bike racks on buses, a tune up, and it's time to work on two road bikes.

2009-10-26T18:15:00.001-07:00

While I was out today, there was a good sign that I've noticed that things were getting better.

When I went to class today, I saw a bus with a bike rack on it along the way. However, I was already at school by the time I saw the bus.

On my way home from Fairlane, I saw a Greenfield bus with a bike rack on it as well. It's good that DDOT is finally wising up to the importance of having bike racks available on their buses. However, not all of their buses are equipped with bike racks on them. I was unable to make it to the customer information meeting that is usually every month, but it is still important that bike racks are made available on every bus, whether city or suburb.

Personally, I wished that an authority would take over the public transportation needs of Detroit. It has been long overdue.

I finally got two old bikes that I can start restoring. One I hope to turn into a fixed gear, and the other to restore to the same condition my father had it in when he went to Ferris State University. I'm well aware of the time that it will take and the cost of some of the parts, but I know that the price will be well worth it.

In a few days, I will post pictures of both bikes that I have to deal with.

After that, I would like some advice and suggestions on how to turn one of those bikes into a fixed gear without any brakes, and the other to completely restore it to the condition that my father had it when he was riding it during his college days.

Alright. This bike, is the one that my father used in his college years. The front wheels had a old-fashioned quick release. As you can see, I removed the front wheel. There's a manually-generated light on the front and I'm not sure if the back is battery powered or not. What I do know for sure, is that there is a bicycle licence for Big Rapids, Michigan on the frame, along with the logo of the store it was bought from.

The other bike will be posted here soon. It is almost similar to that bike pictured, but there isn't a manually-generated light on the front. The frame for the other bike probably is similar to the one pictured above. That bike will be turned into a fixed gear. I would like to do an Alleycat race next year, so now would be a good time to prepare.

I look forward all of your comments.

Beating the Bus

2009-10-19T13:54:00.001-07:00

Today, when i went to class at Focus:HOPE, I did what I usually did..........I rode my bike there.

I rode along the Chicago-Davison, Schaefer, and Schoolcraft bus routes, and not one bus came behind me.

Thanks to the service changes that took effect last month, I've been seeing a lot less buses around lately. It's disappointing, really. It's even worse knowing that DDOT has been taking their time in equipping their buses with bike racks. That's why I like the SMART buses a lot. At least when they come, they have bike racks available.

With the services cuts in place, it is going to be a terrible winter for those that have to catch the bus to get to where they need to go.

As for me, I've checked the new schedules. The wait times are a lot longer with most of the routes. If I was just catching the bus to class, I'd end up late. So during the winter, I'm going to continue to ride my bike to school and to work. I'm aware of the difficulties that must be faced with winter cycling, but my mind is made up.

On my way home, the same thing happened. Not one bus came behind me. I literally beat the bus home. It wouldn't be the first time, either.

So far DDOT has proven their unreliability as a department of Transportation. It is unfortunate but the evidence of their incompetence can be found all over town. Some of their buses display the wrong destination, while many buses are so old, they are in need of repair and/or replacement.

For those that would like to lay the problems of the city budget as the reason why the transit service provided within the city is piss-poor, I would like to share with all of you, a motto my history teacher shared with me when I was in 9th grade....

"Excuses are the tools of incompetence.
They build bridges to nowhere.
And those who specialize in them are seldom good at anything else."

I feel that this describes the Detroit Department of Transportation very well, until there is proof of otherwise.

Finally!!

2009-10-09T17:52:00.001-07:00

I was finally able to place the Tour de Troit route on http://www.bikely.com

I've been putting it off for so long, I finally got it done!

As well as the route for the last Critical Mass.

I finally got some batteries for my camera, so I can start taking more pictures again.

I know it isn't much, but it does mean a lot to me that I finally got those routes posted. It would be very important for those who were there to verify and make sure that I didn't make any errors while creating the routes.

I'd gladly appreciate it.

Also, don't forget to write your governmental officials to let them know the importance of biking in the metro Detroit area.

Limitations

2009-10-08T17:49:00.001-07:00

It is sad to say that I will not be posting a lot of entries because I'm now back in school @ Focus:HOPE's Information Technology Center.

I will post entries when I can, however, they may end up weeks or months apart.

I continue to ride daily and I will be posting routes to be made public on http://www.bikely.com

Since I have a busy schedule, it will take some time to post most of them.

After riding my Giant for a few months, it's about time that I clean it. I should be cleaning it often, but I'm using my bike daily to get around. I'm also due for a tune up as well, but I don't want to be without a working bike for even one day.

Not much has changed since my last entry:

DDOT has still been lagging on the equipping of bike racks. I'm considering writing to all city council members, in hopes that this issue would be resolved immediately.
Yesterday, a SMART bus driver driving the 460 Woodward bus stopped at a Burger King to get something to eat. It wasn't his break. A fellow bus rider called and complained, and when the bus driver found out that he was being reported, he didn't care.
Unlike most cities that have pages to track their buses, DDOT doesn't post up their buses on a website in real time. According to DDOT officals, the real-time tracking is available at the Rosa Parks Transit Center which only includes downtown-bound buses. You can use Google to get directions on using the buses for DDOT and SMART. However, it is clear that both of these bus systems, don't follow their own schedules. At least if the status of each bus was posted on a website that could be kept up with in real time, we would truly know how long that bus will be late. It should be also be accessible with a phone browser as well, because sometimes, when you call the system number for either DDOT or SMART, those lines could be busy and thanks to Mayor Bing and his service changes as well as the layoffs for DDOT, there won't be enough people working to handle the phones, let alone make sure that the buses are on time. SMART has its share of problems too but I can only speak of DDOT in great detail.

That's all for now. I'll make sure to have pics next time.

Motorist vs Bicyclist

2009-09-30T18:38:00.001-07:00

Today, my ride was pretty uneventful until...

I stopped at a light on Joy and I-96 Service Drive and this Green Dodge van gets behind me. He beeps the horn, but the light is red, so I didn't move. When the light finally turned green, I moved again. The driver drove too close to me and the passenger tried to push me off the bike but he couldn't reach me. After he passed by, I stuck the middle finger at him. That bastard tried to push me off the street, so I think that was fair. He then stopped when the next light turned red, but I stopped a few feet from him. He started to threaten to kick my ass, but I stood firm. This guy tried to hurt me, I wasn't going to give him any power. I had every right to ride on the street, and I'll be damned that that asshole would intimidate me.

I was too much in a rush to go visit my uncle, so I didn't bother to take the license plate down. I should have. I won't make that mistake again.

I'm still a little pissed, but i know that eventually he'll have to answer to the man upstairs for what he's done. I would like to use this entry as a way to encourage those who have been harassed and threatened by motorists who act like they know how to drive, but their actions speak to the contrary. I would like to start advocating for an ordinance that would force autos to yield to bicyclists. They are suppose to do that anyway, but apparently during Driver's ed, these idiots didn't learn about the bicycling laws governing the State of Michigan.

I understand that Detroit isn't Portland and it doesn't have to be, but before the automobile, there was the bicycle. It seems that many in Detroit have forgotten that.

Critical Mass Detroit: September 2009

2009-09-28T19:02:00.001-07:00

I've put this entry off for too long so here is the details of this month's critical mass.

Last month, there was only three people. There was a lot more this time. There were more than what was on the pic, but my camera batteries died before they showed up.

I'll try to post the route on http://www.bikely.com

As usual, everyone met at Grand Circus Park. Then after waiting for about a haif-hour, we rode through the west portion of downtown and headed north on Cass Ave. To my surprise, I was riding pretty fast, considering I was one of the only ones with a mountain bike with me. We passed by my job, and headed down 14th street to make a stop at the Michigan Central Depot. After meeting up with more people, we headed through the railroad tunnel and went east on Bagley. At that point, most of the group got separated, so I turned around to try to make sure that everyone was alright. One person, ended up heading back downtown because of the problems he was having with his bike. I found a few people that were left behind and we headed toward Cobo Hall, the place were KISS was holding a concert. There was a lot of folks walking around the area. We continued on to the Dequindre Cut and rode it toward Gratiot, and that's where we met everyone. We talked briefly and then we went our separate ways in hopes that we meet again the next month.

I would like all who read this blog to please post a comment. It is important that I get the input of those who read my blog so I can know what people think about my adventures. I would also love for those who are able to contact me via Instant Messenging to do so.

Another trip to work yesterday, political activism today.

2009-09-23T17:17:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I was called in to work @ 6:30 in the morning. I had to come in at 11:30.

So I left around 10:30, and managed to make it there by about 11:20. I would have been there earlier if three things didn't happen...

A bug got into my eye.
I stopped at a dollar store on Chicago to try to get some sports glasses, only to find that they would only handle debt transactions of $10 minimal.
I stopped at a Family dollar on Joy Rd, only to find that the glasses they had was $6 compared to the $2 dollars at the Chicago Dollar store

I'm going to have to get some glasses to deflect those bugs that come around while I'm riding.

The trip home was pretty routine, until I decided to pull in to a gas station on Chicago and Meyers because I heard a suspicious sound. I was going to stop there to make sure that everything was OK with my bike, until a "crazy" woman came by and asked me to give her a lift. I wasn't having it. I told her no and she yelled, "Well fuck you then!" I kept on pedaling until I reached the coin laundry @ Chicago and Sorrento. I checked my bike and everything was OK. So I kept on going until I made it home.

Today, there was a gathering of Unions, from teachers to city workers protesting the concessions requested of Mayor Dave Bing and Robert Bobb in front of the Spirit of Detroit at City Hall. Members of BAMN (By Any Means Necessary) were also there. So I rode my bike to Schaffer and Michigan and caught the SMART bus to City Hall. I stayed for a while to talk to some of the protestors and made a short video of it. I'll try to post it here but if I can't, it will be on YouTube.

After, I rode to Rivard Plaza for a short visit to Wheelhouse Detroit to say hello. I then left and tried to find something to eat. Jimmy Johns was closed so I went to Luci and Ethels. Wonderful food for a low price.

By the time I'm finished typing here, I'm pretty much going to head home.

To Thyself be TRU

2009-09-21T20:11:00.001-07:00

Today I decided to go out to the fall Transportation Riders United (TRU) meeting that was being held at the Northwest Activities Center.

I got on my bike and rode down W. Chicago to Meyers and headed north to the center on Curtis. Along the way I saw the usual signs of Detroit's decline, graffiti on houses, poor road conditions, but I noticed something else as well. There used to be a route that went down Meyers, however, DDOT cut the route years ago. A man I passed by was interested in my bike and its accessories so I handed him a business card of one of the bike shops that I frequent.

Upon getting there, I met up with Patricia Fedewa and Megan Owens, both members of TRU. I didn't become a member until today, but I have attended many of their meetings in the pass. I was there to be the Detroit voice. The meeting was basically a presentation of the transportation plans of SEMCOG and the main issue of transit, find new revenue for it. So we brainstormed ideas, and discussed which ones would work.

The main issue has been political will in all of government. With the City of Detroit sinking financially and the rest of the state not far behind, the political will is weak in that area. That needs to change and it won't be done unless new leaders are elected. I will place another category of links on my blog in hopes that everyone whether you are a bicyclist or not can be fully informed on how important this is that we all come together and make it easier for current state residents as well as future residents to become multimodal in their use of transportation.

When I left, I started going down the same route until I got to Fenkell. I turned left and rode to Schaffer. I then headed south toward Fullerton and made a right. I made a left on Hubbel, and as I rode down the street, what looked like a truck immediately turned on after I passed by.

I was scared that the guy was coming after me, so I rode as fast as I could to Plymouth and turned right to lose him, I pedaled faster thinking he was still on my tail, so I turned left on Marlowe, When I got to Elmira, I turned right and pedaled toward Greenfield. By the time I got to Greenfield, I didn't see him so I slowed down. I made a quick stop at CVS to get groceries and then headed home.

Those panniers really came in handy, considering I was carrying bread. The bread didn't smash, since I had the cashier double bag it.

In the end one thing can be made clear here. With a terrible economy, high unemployment, and a terrible inability of politicians to move into the 21st century, the only salvation that we have lies within ourselves and GOD.

I will continue to make my voice heard and stand on my principles even if I have to stand alone. To do nothing would result in nothing less than insanity.

I end this with the following advice:

BE SMART

BE Careful

BE TRU

Tour de Troit 2009

2009-09-19T22:13:00.001-07:00

Today, I woke up around 6:30. It wasn't until after 8 that I left to ride to Roosevelt Park. I went east on Joy and then headed south on Schaefer to Michigan in hopes that I could catch the SMART bus the rest of the way. I was disappointed when a DDOT bus, without a bike rack, passed by, so I said, "To hell with it!" I got on my bike and rode the rest of the way there. The SMART bus never passed me, it never showed up behind me. Thank God I'm an impatient man when it come to buses.

I arrived there after 9:30. There was a lot of bicyclists. I couldn't find Jonathan, but I did find Karen from Wheelhouse Detroit and a few other folks I met while riding around the Riverfront. Everyone in the tour had a spoke card. Green for 50km and Black for 100km. I will post the route map on bikely.com under Tour de Troit 2009, just in case no one has made it available already.

As we started down the route, I saw some green spoke cards on the street. Apparently some people didn't put them on correctly because many riders started losing their spoke cards. The police escort was handled by the motorcycle unit as well has some squad cars that blocked off some of the streets to allow us through.

When we arrived at the Heidelburg Project, that's when I started to slow down. Even though I'm a lifetime resident of Detroit, there are many things that I have yet seen in my own hometown. Today was the first day that I actually set foot in that area. I had my camera so I did a short video on what occurred there. It's displayed below.

By the time I was finished, the majority of the bicyclists moved on, and so did the police escort. I moved on to catch up.

When I arrived at the rest stop at Gabriel Richard Park around 12:30, located next to the Douglas Macarthur bridge that leads to Belle Isle, we were given a 365 bar, a piece of fruit, and a bottle of Vitamin Water. I did a second video there, but while doing it, the batteries that I had in the camera went dead.

There was an announcement about everyone leaving in 15 minutes, so I didn't have a lot of time to stick around. I also took some pictures of some bikes that I've never seen before.

The only one of its kind and its owner.

The tour continued on into the New Center area. When we got to Second and W. Grand Blvd, there was a incident. One of the bicyclists was on the ground, hurt. As I passed by Hotel St. Regis, I received a call from Mom. She was inside one of the stores in New Center One and was checking out the scene of bicyclists that were on Second Ave. I was told to look up, and there she was, along with her friend, Barbara waving their hands at me while we were on the phone. I stopped to check to see if the guy on the ground was ok. When the motorcycle cop arrived, I was relieved, knowing that he would be well taken care of, especially with Henry Ford Hospital not far from the area. I continued on along the route.

While riding along, I saw a woman with a Fedewa for Charter Comissioner shirt. She was riding a folding bike. I pulled up next to her and it turns out, it was the great woman herself. So we started riding side to side along Cass Ave. We talked about a lot of things, from DDOT's shortcomings, future transit projects, as well as the city's non-motorized plan. As we passed by Wayne State, I cruised by a recycle can to get rid of the Vitamin Water bottle that I finished earlier.

Let me be the first to say that she was the only person running for Charter Comissioner, there at the Tour de Troit. That alone along with her experience as part of DDOT's Local Advisory Council has convinced me to endorse her for Charter Comissioner.

Close to 15:00 we arrived back at Roosevelt Park. I locked my bike over at a stop sign over at the garden across from the Michigan Central Depot, a old train station owned by the slumlord and owner of the Ambassador Bridge, Matty Mouron. The same guy that took over a public park, Riverside Park, and put a fence around the entire thing.

This is a far distance pic of the Michigan Central Depot and the Roosevelt Warehouse. I parked a lot closer to the building.

This is the Detroit/Windsor Rail Tunnel. Ever since the Michigan Central Depot closed, the only trains using the tunnel have been freight.

There were a lot of lines for food, but there was a bigger line for beer. Each participant received 2 meal tickets with their tour packet. I used mine for the Spinach and Cheese pastries from the Dearborn Bakery. I received two for each ticket so I used both the tickets to receive four. Afterward, as I went to look for shade, I met up with Patricia again. She was in line to get some food and she found some extra meal tickets. She gave two to me and I was greatful. I went back in line to get more Spinach and Cheese pastries.

After eating them I went to search for Jonathan, I found no sign of him during the tour and when it was over, I found out from one of his friends that he had already left. Considering that there was a lot of people, the chances of finding him were pretty slim. It could be said that it would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

As I waited around, the beer line dwinlded. I grabbed two sports drinks that was available and drank one of them. Some things were worth the wait. There were two types of beer, Bavarian Bliss and Sacred Cow. I ended up getting the Sacred Cow first. The "Sacred Cow" used a lot of hops and was very bitter. I didn't even drink the entire thing, so I grabbed the Bavarian Bliss to see if it tasted better than the Sacred Cow....it did.

While walking around, I finished up the Bavarian Bliss and then tried to drink the rest of the Sacred Cow when I found a piece of grass on it. I definitely couldn't drink the rest of it anymore, so I dumped whatever was left. I continued to mingle and when I found out that pizza was being made available, I went to the tent and waited around for it to arrived. I grabbed two slices and went to find shade. After I finished eating and taking some final pictures.....

Weird bike, no gears.

I guess in order to ride it, you have to use the weight in your legs. Anyone who has used this bike before, please feel free to comment about how to use it.

A tall bike......

.......for a tall guy!

The owner of this bike works at Wheelhouse Detroit.

............I left the park and headed west on Michigan.

I called Mom to see how she was while I was riding. Bluetooth headsets aren't just for drivers. She suggested that I go up Livernois Ave, instead of taking the same route back home. It was a good suggestion. I stopped over at Uncle Bryant's house to check to see how he was doing and to rest my legs. I grew sleepy, and when I woke up it was dark and I started to smell my beer breath. I looked at my watch and it was close to 21:00. I left and continued on my journey home.

I'm very happy that I went on this tour and I have every intent to come to the next one. I met new friends and caught up with familar faces. I also seen parts of Detroit that I never seen before, thus renewing my resolve that with an increase of bicycle-friendliness in Detroit, the city will rise from the ashes as stated it its motto: "Speramus Meliora, Resurget Cineribus"

Translation: We Hope for better things, it shall rise from the ashes.

Caught Red Handed, and preparations for Tour de Troit.

2009-09-18T20:55:00.001-07:00

Today was the day before the tour, and I wanted to make sure to be prepared....

So after running a few necessary errands, I made a stop at The Hub. I met up with Jonathan who has been very helpful since we met at last month's Critical Mass.

I picked up some very important stuff there, and replaced my broken mirror. I placed some new handlegrips on my bike with the help of the staff, bought a new back light and got the U-lock I procrastinated on getting for quite some time now.

When I left, I made a final stop at Wheelhouse Detroit. More people were coming to register for the tour and pick up their packets. I saw some intertubes for $5 each, so i bought two. I had an extra one but it wasn't brand new, and I wanted some extra back up just in case. I also found a seat bag for cheap so I purchased that to so I could place most of my tools in there, leaving more room for other stuff to put in my panniers.

While getting ready, Johnathan stopped by after the Hub closed for the night. I kept my camera with me so I took pictures of both our bikes. I would have liked to post all of them on the blog but I had to upload them to Facebook. So I posted the link to the album that it's on.

Day before Tour de Troit

After leaving Wheelhouse Detroit I went over to the Joe Louis Arena to take my bike along the People Mover. When the train came, a transit officer was on board and asked me what station i was going to. Of course, the people at central control told the guy to deny me usage of the train. I made it aware to him that there was no sign denoting that I couldn't use it. On that note, the officer told me that the only the police would be allowed to bring their bikes on board. Disappointed that I wasted a People Mover token, I left and rode back down the ramp toward the street and turned back toward Civic Center Dr. I decided to head on to Michigan to catch the SMART close enough to ride my bike the rest of the way home.

I got caught red handed and as a word of warning, when you take the People Mover, you can't take your bike with you....unless your a cop!

When I arrived at Michigan and Cass, I checked the time and the schedule. I refused to wait a half hour for that bus, so I headed up Cass to Grand River and took it all the way to Livernois, and then toward W. Chicago Blvd to get home. It was a good feeling to know that I'm as prepared for tomorrow that I can be.

I'll make sure to post as many pics as possible on my next entry concerning the Tour de Troit, but in the meantime, I'm hitting the hay...

Ciao

Life is like a circus...it has thrills...chills...and spills! (Not exactly in that order!)

2009-09-17T18:07:00.001-07:00

Some people are wondering why I name the title as stated above.

Well let's get to the thrills...

Yesterday I rode my bike to visit family and to cut their grass after having an enlightening conversation with a friend. I got there too late since the sun was coming down along the way, so I had to stay the night and cut it in the morning.

Got on Schoolcraft and rode it all the way to Ewald Circle and headed further east to Focus: HOPE to confirm which computer certification class I would take this fall. After explaining to everyone that I rode my bike all the way there and a few details on my summer adventures, I was nicknamed, "Derek Armstrong".

Maybe one day....

While I'm on the subject, has anyone of African decent ever won the Tour de France? I'll assume not, but there is a first time for everything. (Oh by the way, anyone that answers that question for me, I would be most thankful.)

Rode to Manchester in Highland Park, to catch the 460 Woodward (SMART) downtown. Just to let everyone know, during the week, "some" SMART buses will drop off in Detroit, but they will not pick up in Detroit until after 6pm.

So I made it downtown, and in good timing. The Tigers were playing and it was good to see people out enjoying themselves. I saw plenty of bicyclists around too along the way.

I stopped at the Skillman branch of the Detroit Public Library (DPL) to do some research on how other transportation systems were more accomdative to bicyclists than others. I planned to present what I found to DDOT officials at the Customer Information Meeting (CIM). I found out that the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has a separate website to track all of their buses. So I made a copy of the webpage and presented it to them as ways of helping them understand how they could better implement the webpage that they already have.

But before I get to everything that occurred at the CIM.....let's get to the spills.

When I left the library, I wanted to take the People Mover to Joe Louis Arena. So I got on at the Cadliac Center Station across the street...with my bike. There were no signs saying that I couldn't take my bike with me, so I got on the train and it went Clockwise over to Joe Louis Arena, passing Greektown, Bricktown, GM Headquarters, City County Building and after I got off at my destination, I rode down the ramp.....until I got halfway down, slipped on a puddle, fell off my bike, and broke my left mirror.

I wasn't badly hurt so I got up, rode down to the end, got on the Riverwalk and headed east toward Rivard Plaza. The Tour de Troit is Saturday so there was no time like the present to go and get my packet.

I pulled out my mini toolkit to try to take off the broken mirror. However I had trouble removing the screw that was holding it together. I also met up with Jonathan again. I met him last month at Critical Mass. He had a different bike from the last time. We spoke briefly, I was disappointed that I couldn't take the broken mirror off at the time.

I presented my paperwork and I got my packet. It's good to know that I'll be seeing plenty of familar faces considering this will be my first Tour de Troit. Next year I'm doing the metric century.

I was still trying to get the mirror off after I got the packet. I asked a guy in there, I recognize his face and he worked there, but I don't remember his name, but I do remeber his bike and the panniers he had. I asked him for a little help and it turned out all it needed was a wrench to take care of the nut below the screw. So he handed me the correct wrench and I was able to get the mirror off. I know now that I'm going to have to carry some mini-wrenches with me as well as the mini-toolkit that I already had. I hope to thank him again in person at the Tour de Troit.

So after taking care of that, I washed my hands rode back toward Cobo Hall and rode up Civic Center Dr. to Washington Blvd to head to the Rosa Parks Transit Center, where the CIM was going to be held.

I had too much time on my hands, and I was hungry. So I went to Luci and Ethels, over at the Leland. It used to be a Ramada Inn, now its independently owned. It's also the location of the famous "City Club" a famous after-hours club downtown. There was a special on Corned Beef and Swiss so I had that, some lemonade and some ice cream. The prices were reasonable and the staff was wonderful. I'd recommend any visitor to Detroit to stop here at least once. They also have free wi-fi.

So after the lunch, it was time to go to the CIM...which brings me to the chills.

There weren't that many people at the meeting. An official from the South Eastern Michigan Council Of Governments (SEMCOG) came to explain about Direction: 2035. This is the long term transportation plan that SEMCOG has for the region. Information can be found at their website: http://www.semcog.org

After the presentation, the regular meeting began. A man in a wheelchair came to complement about how DDOT took all of the people's input into consideration when the proposed services cuts came through. Then I came up to the podium to address some of my concerns. One of my issues that was previously addressed via e-mail became a subject of discussion and I was happy to find out that they received all the e-mail that I've sent about some of the buses displaying wrong information such as displaying the destination that they just came from.

I also asked for an update on the bike racks. I reminded them that at the last meeting that they stated that all of the buses would be equipped with them by spring 2010. However, it seems that the main roadblock to equipping the entire line has been a financial one.

It is going to be the main anchor dragging this transportation system for quite some time. After presenting how the CTA has a separate page for tracking all of the bus routes, there will be some efforts in the works to make the DDOT page more interactive and better updated than before.

I will continue to go to the CIMs to hold their feet to the fire to better accomidate the needs of local bicyclists, as well as those that come to visit.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

A wee bit too early.

2009-09-16T00:36:00.001-07:00

Today I rode my bike to Dearborn City Hall to catch the 200 Michigan (SMART) downtown.

The bus was late, but to make it worse, the racks were full too, so I had to wait on another one. I still made it downtown ok, though.

There was a Local Advisory Council meeting for DDOT at the Rosa Parks Transit Center. Little did I know until the meeting was over that the issue that I brought up (bike racks and the proposal of using the inside of buses for bike storage temporary, had to be brought up at the Customer Information meeting to be held in the same building, Thursday.

However I did get the chance to learn more about DDOT's paratransit service "Metrolift".

When the meeting was over, I went to the Skillman Branch of the Detroit Public Library to return some books that I finished reading. I rode my bike to Rivard Plaza afterward to look around for stuff that I intended on getting for my bike on Friday. I had some trouble connecting to the Wi-Fi location there, but overall, time passed along well. I showed up too early to pick up the Tour de Troit packet, so I have to go back and pick it up tomorrow.

I rode my bike back to Joe Louis Arena to catch the People Mover back to Times Square. Riding up the ramp at JLA was pretty fun, but I didn't like the fact that the train left after I put the coin in and got past the turnstile. I had to wait three more minutes for the next one.

I got off at Times Square and went to the AT&T building (Ameritech) on Michigan and Cass. I waited there for the 255 Ford Road Express (SMART) to come and I didn't have to wait long. It arrived on time and I rode it to DISC (Dearborn Ice Skating Center). From there, I rode my bike the rest of the way home.

I was really tired when I arrived. I left home without eating any food and the only thing I could think about riding home was a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich.

Tomorrow there will be an informational about a proposal to allow for election of council members by district instead of at large. It will be held at Wayne State's Law School. Of course, the majority of council members, currently, live on the Westside of town. The proposal has been through a lot of roadblocks and just entered another one today: http://www.freep.com/article/20090915/NEWS01/90915074/1001/news

Finalization of DDOT service cuts, A conservation with DHS, a new project and the investment in a folding bike.

2009-09-12T19:45:00.001-07:00

Thursday, I found out how bad the DDOT cuts were going to be.

You can go to http://www.ridedetroittransit.com to download the brochure for the service changes that will be effective September 26, 2009.

I noticed that it wasn't really that bad, however for those who have decided to wait on those buses will now have to wait a little longer.

I checked on the status on the bike racks being placed on DDOT buses, and from what I heard from DDOT officials, there has been little change on the full-implementation time of those bike racks...Spring 2010.

I registered for the Tour de Troit that same day, right before the price on registration went up. I decided that since this will be my first tour, that I would do the police-escorted 30 mile ride. Next year, I'm doing the full unescorted 62 mile ride.

While riding my bike around, I saw some DHS (Department of Homeland Security) police at the Rosa Parks Transit Center, and they have established their presence along with the transit police already there. I went up to them and asked them about the issue of my hard drive being searched upon reentry into the USA, should I intend to go to Canada again. It is guaranteed that the search would occur so it would probably the best thing to do, should I bring my laptop with me across the border, is to simply bring a live CD or DVD and detached the hard drive that is there.

I can deal with that or I can simply not bring a laptop with me when I go to Canada. I would like to bring my PSP, but I'm wondering if that will be searched too. I'll try to take a visit to the DHS office on Jefferson and get some more answers. Chances are, since I don't have an enhanced driver's licence or a passport, it will be quite some time before I go to Canada.

I'm looking forward to working on my father's old bike. I already know that there are a few components that will be needed to be replaced. I hope that in due time, that it can be restored to its original condition.

I already talked with the tunnel bus driver, and if I would like to go to Canada with a bike, I'll have to get a folding one. I'll look into getting one next year.

I'm wondering why I'm not getting enough comments on my blog entries. I hope in time that there will be more interesting comments.

See ya @ Tour de Troit.

Dogs won't quit, and neither will I. More accessories.

2009-09-05T20:44:00.001-07:00

I was on the internet again and I found out about a photo contest about showing people walking up and down the street and riding their bikes. The winner gets a all expenses paid trip to Tuscany for a bike tour or other prizes. I will post the link later.

I was asked to come to work Wednesday and Thursday. My ride to work was pretty usual, except for one thing....my ass was hurting a little. I considered getting a new seat. There are a few other things that I'll consider getting as well...

Rack Bag with fold-down panniers
U-lock
Another front light.
A helmet to match my bike's color
A camera mounted on my bike to catch those that may try to swipe me off the road in the act.
Some more spare intertubes since I used the one I bought from Jack's already.

Well I did get the panniers but not a rack bag (I'll get one before the 19th). I bought it from Wheelhouse Detroit. Nor the. The other front light, the camera and the intertubes will have to wait until later.

Instead of getting a new seat I got the next best thing...a gel cover. It feels a lot better on my ass.

This morning, I encountered another stray dog looking for something to chase. That dog was very close to biting me so I had to do some maneuvering. It was a simple choice between the dog or being hit by a car. I took a chance and rode on the wrong side of the road hoping the dog wouldn't see and possibly get hit by the car instead. I'd rather get hit by a car instead of bitten by a dog. That was the third dog this year that has chased be on my bike.

Now fortunately, after maneuvering around him, the dog went back across the street and forgot about me. No one was hit. Just a few cars honked at me wondering what the hell was I thinking. I kept going and made it to work on time. On the way back, I made sure to avoid Joy Rd and Central St going home.

The panniers really worked out well. They held all of my bike tools along with other stuff without having to worry about them falling off of the rack. I was well visible and I didn't have to worry about any dogs on the way home.

Yesterday at the library, I picked up a few more books on bicycling. So I'm doing some more research on how to improve my ride and also shorten my time between getting to work. I haven't been late ever since I decided to ride my bike to work.

Well hopefully I'll have more to right about, I'll be sure to publish some of the routes that I've taken on to:

http://www.bikely.com

Just be sure to look for my username Tig3rzhark in order to find them, or you can search for some of the Detroit routes and you'll find a few of mine in there.

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Fixing up a clunker, Tour de Troit and preparing for the next Critical Mass

2009-08-31T21:59:00.000-07:00

Well today, I went to Jack's to get my mirrors reinstalled. The original screws that came with them came apart on my way home from work Sunday, so I had to get new ones. I saw a rack bag with fold down panniers for about $27 bucks online, so I might order it soon along with some other accessories.

Some very good news:

My father had a road bike that's been sitting in the garage, for years, almost since I was born. It had a light on the front with a generator, but there are a few things that need to be fixed, the chain, the bike needs new wheels, etc. He has placed it next to the garage with the intention of throwing it away. I have told him that I'm interested in taking it off his hands.

I don't have it in my basement yet, but when I do, give me a few weeks, or a month, and it will be a well used bike.

With Tour de Troit weeks away, I have to get a request in for time off if I'm going to be able to ride in the tour.

Critical Mass is of course every last friday of the month, and it occurs in all major cities in the world. I hope to have that road bike fixed up before then, but I'm not making any promises. However, once it's fully functional, I'm going to show it off.

I know that I haven't placed a lot of pics onto the blog, but I'll be sure to post more when I'm able. In the meantime, I look forward to the advice and words of wisdom about restoring a bike. As soon as I have the road bike available, I will take pics to show all what I'm dealing with.

Detroit Critical Mass and Better luck next time on the Mega Millions.

2009-08-28T21:09:00.001-07:00

Whew.

Let me be the first to say that today was one of the greatest rides I've ever been on and the hardest. Around 17:00 I started riding on Chicago Blvd up to Oakman Blvd, then turned right on Grand River and took that street all the way down to Elizabeth St and made a left. On my way there, I saw my mother drive by on Grand River and 12th street. Then went south on Cass and headed east on Adams until I got to Park Ave, and went to the east side of Grand Circus Park.

I got there at 18:00 so I had some time to lounge around. Today there was a Tiger's game, and there were fans all over. I went across to the west part of the park and met a guy with a trailer attached to his classic Schwinn bike. He sold peanuts at the Tiger games for 40 years. He was over at the Pingree statue.

I saw a group of bikers going by on Park Ave, so I started following them, thinking they were part of Critical Mass. They just got finished with a tour of the city so I followed them to Coach's Corner and returned back to the park after finding out that they were the wrong group.

When I went over to the west part of the park, that's when I met John and Jonathan. They were here for the Critical Mass monthly meet-up. We were early so we decided to ride over to Wheelhouse Detroit, which was located at Rivard Park, a part of the RiverWalk. I met up with a few other bikers there as well.

While we were riding, I quickly realized how much work I had ahead of me. When we got down to Atwater St. heading up the hill toward the Ren Cen, on the way to Wheelhouse Detroit I couldn't keep up. I then realized that there was a lot more that I needed to know if I want to be a better bicyclist.

Also I'm going to try to post the route that i took today on http://www.bikely.com. It will be titled "Detroit Critical Mass: August 2009"

So after a while we went back to check to see if any more people showed up. We couldn't find any because at the time, it was raining. So we headed to Cass Cafe for a bit. One of the staff was nice to fill up my water bottle. After that, Johnathan suggested we head over to Belle Isle. It sounded like a plan to me, especially since I didn't have much to do today, and I was really looking forward to riding today.

So we went down Cass Ave and stopped over at Rosa Parks Transit Center. The rain stopped by the time I got Downtown and the raincoat I was wearing was slowing me down. So I placed it in the back that I had my bike tools in and put it on the rack on the back of my bike.

Once that was done, we went down Grand River and turned on Washington Blvd. Went down Civic Center Dr. to get back on Atwater. Headed west to Joe Louis Arena and went down the RiverWalk, pass Hart Plaza.

We had to get back on Atwater after passing through because part of the RiverWalk connecting GM and Hart Plaza was blocked because of the construction of the Detroit-Wayne County Port.

This was also a wonderful chance for me to work on properly using the gears to my advantage. During the ride I did have some difficulty keeping up with Jonathan and John. These guys were going really fast.

We rode down the Dequindre Cut, until we reached the end at Gratiot and sped back to the entrance. We then continued on and headed east on Atwater until we reached the end, made a right and got back on the Riverwalk and took it to Mt Elliot Park. We went north on Mt Elliot and made a right on Jefferson Ave.

We crossed the bridge and rode down the bike path that was on Belle Isle. I truly had to push myself while we were on the island. I was switching gears and pedaling harder to keep up with the rest of the group. Before we got to the bridge John and I switched bikes to pretty much see how easier it would be for me. I didn't have to worry about shifting gears since his bike was a 1-speeder. He was zooming with my bike and I started pedaling fast as we got closer to the bridge. My legs were really tired by the time we got to the bridge. John and I switched back to our respective bikes and we rode across the bridge to a gas station. I was going to catch the SMART bus over to Greenfield and ride the rest of the way home, but John was nice enough to give me a lift home from his truck. I was very thankful. This was when me and John parted ways with Jonathan, and rode our bikes back downtown. He sent a pic of the Ren Cen and Comerica Park to his friend who was going to show up for Critical Mass but decided not to because of the weather. When his friend received the pics, he wished that he was there.

After he took a pic at Comerica Park, we rode west on Adams, and headed down Clifford toward Cass and ended at the Hub, not far from Cass Cafe. That was where he parked his truck. We put our bikes in the back and I gave him directions to my house.

When I walked in, I could feel the amount of work that my body put in. I'm still feeling it as I'm typing this blog. I truly have to say that I'm very glad that met up with the two bikers from Critical Mass. I also realized that other than the time that I took the shortcut to the Dequindre Cut, the road was pretty smooth.

Considering that both John and Jonathan had road bikes and both of them were Schwinns, I probably should have went with my first instinct and got the hybrid bike. I probably would have had an easier chance of keeping up with them. I do have a chance to get one either by getting a used frame and assembling the parts to put it together or I could wait and save up enough for the hybrid or just get a road bike altogether.

Unfortunately for me, I didn't win the Mega Millions jackpot. Hopefully, no one else did either.

I'm going to have to find a way to get a working road bike for the next Critical Mass next month. I will also have to get more food considering before I left for Critical Mass, all I had was a sandwich. Next time, I'm making sure to have some money saved up or at least pack up some food to take with me.

Today was truly fun, too bad I have to go to work tomorrow, but at least I have plenty to look forward to next month.

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Lucky day at Henry Ford Hospital, very well prepared.

2009-08-28T08:09:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I got on my bike to go to Focus: HOPE to check on the status of my financial aid. It turns out I have little to worry about until September 28 which is when I go back to school.

Before I left, I received a call to come into work that day. I was very glad, besides, I needed the extra money.

When the shift came to an end at 22:30, I went over to the parking garage on the Lodge service drive. I found my front tire completely flat. There was a nail on the tire that I didn't remember running over. If ever there was a time to have a spare intertube, that was the time.

Thank God I had one!!

It took about 10 to 15 minutes, but I quickly replaced it. I made the mistake of not wearing my raincoat because I forgot that it was going to rain on my way home. I made it home by 0:00. I didn't bother to rush to get home, since I wasn't sure that I put in enough air for it to stay proper.

Today is the day of the Critical Mass ride. My next post will cover how the ride went.

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Enraged DDOT customers, wasted money on regional bus cards, and another trip down the RiverWalk.

2009-08-26T08:23:00.001-07:00

Caption: This is my bike at the SMART Dearborn City Hall bus stop.

Today I feel tired from all the riding I've been doing yesterday.

There was a public hearing for the service changes to DDOT, the Detroit Department of Transportation. Since the city of Detroit is in a financial crisis, Bing has proposed to cut bus service on Saturday and eliminate it entirely on Sunday with increased wait times on weekday routes.

I was pissed and so was the whole city.

I didn't go on the mic like so many, but I made sure to leave a written comment and stayed around to hear what everyone else had to say. A few city councilpersons, elected and unelected came to speak their mind.

I of course did ride my bike part of the way there and took the SMART bus to the Rosa Parks Transit Center, where the meeting was held.

There were two meetings, one in the morning and evening. I was there for both.

After the first meeting, I rode down the riverfront heading east until I got to Gabriel Richard Park after riding along Belle Isle, and rode back down the RiverWalk all the way to the Joe Louis Arena People Mover station. I took the People Mover to Times Square and returned for the second meeting.

While at the riverfront, I went down the Dequindre Cut. I met a biker with a classic bike:

It was very crowded. There almost wasn't enough standing room. So I parked my bike at the bike racks and went in.

There were a lot of political groups and regular riders there. A few other bikers were also there to voice their concerns.

I left around 10pm to catch the 200 Michigan (SMART) to Greenfield so I could at least have a straight shot home.

Every month I buy a regional bus pass, so I can ride both DDOT and SMART during that month. It is sad to say this, but I may consider just purchasing a monthly pass with SMART because at least when I need to catch the bus, these buses have bike racks already on them. I'm not going to wait until Spring 2010 for DDOT to get all of theirs equipped.

The regional bus pass is $49.50 a month. I'm not getting what I'm paying for. Bing didn't even consult with SMART about having them pick up the slack during the weekend.

And there are routes that both buses ride on the same route that is simply a waste. I have said for years that a regional authority is needed for mass transit to work in this metro area. It is time that both organizations go back to the drawing board and make it happen.

In the meantime, starting next month, I'm just going to ride my bike around the city and use the SMART buses where I can. I can easily ride my bike around the city without the assistance of DDOT.

I'm not going to let SMART off the hook either:

During the week it seems that the only way that one can catch a SMART bus in Detroit is if you're in the Downtown area, other than that, you would have to ride, or walk for some, to the nearest suburb in order to catch one because they don't pick up anyone in Detroit but they will drop you off in Detroit if you're already on the bus until after 6pm on weekdays, then they pick up everybody.

I'll consider myself lucky that Dearborn is a few miles down from me.

I know that SMART is going to raise its rates, well if it is going to help make the service better, I'll gladly pay extra. Same goes for DDOT, but their service is piss poor.

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Status on DDOT bus racks, a tune up, and why you should wear a helmet.

2009-08-24T17:02:00.001-07:00

It has been some time since I've wrote in here.

I've had some trouble with my laptop so I was spending a lot of time on it during the weekend.

My ride to and from work went pretty well. Once again, I changed my route every time and have always noticed something new.

One of my friends got hit by a car as she was riding home a couple of weeks ago, and last week I went to the hospital with her to get her stitches taken out. She didn't have an helmet and was unable to afford one because she was unemployed.

She told me that she would never ride a bike again after that. The bike was totally destroyed. I hope in time to convince her to learn from what happened and not let it stop her from riding.

I will never go without my helmet, especially after watching the docs take the stiches off one of my best friends.

Today, I went to Jack's Bicycling and Fitness, to have someone check my bike. I had some issues with my gears changing on their own, so I went there and they fixed the problem, no charge. I picked up a bottle cage and a bottle that was guaranteed not to fall off. Most of the time, I reused plastic bottles that I bought from the convenience store and after talking to the salesman, I later found out that was the problem. So I got one of those insulated bottles so I won't have to worry about the water getting warm over time.

I also went to the monthly informational meeting at DDOT headquarters to address the issue of bike racks on their buses. They told me that by Spring 2010, all DDOT buses will be equipped. However, as many DDOT riders and employees know, if they aren't held to the fire, nothing will be cooked. I also asked for the bus numbers of those buses that have the bike racks equipped already. They didn't give them to me.

After leaving Jack's, I rode my bike to Outer Dr. and headed north, back to Detroit. I also saw the bike path along Hines Dr. I would have rode down that path, but there's always another time for that. I went into the woods to what I thought was a mountain bike path, but it turned out to be a hiker's path. There were a lot of bugs around that bite so I decided to return back from the woods and continued down Outer Dr. to Tireman.

I headed east on Tireman to Spinoza and headed north to Chicago Blvd. I rode down Chicago Blvd and had my share of harassment, which were minor. These guys just honked their horn, drove up to me and when they finally got next to me, they yelled like they were ducks and drove off. I smiled and laughed a little. After all, these people are ignorant and their actions have shown their ignornance.

Tomorrow there is another set of public meetings downtown at the Rosa Parks Transit Center. The first, will be at 10am - 12pm, with the evening one from 6pm - 8pm. Transportation Riders United will also be at the meeting as well as other groups protesting the cuts.

It is very important that not only riders of DDOT be there but also those that ride their bikes to and fro. Should the service changes become poorly implemented, any hopes of getting bike racks on buses by Spring 2010 could be further delayed.

This is also an opportunity to offer an alternative should Sunday bus services be eliminated. People could ride their bikes to wherever they need to go in the city. It's true that one way or another that things need to change in order for the city to be stable again. It is understood that it will take longer than Bing's current term. However, if transportation isn't better implemented in this city, it's future will not be any different than the present.

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A request from a fellow Detroit biker

2009-08-18T07:14:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I continued to ride my bike around the city, so far everything is fine. I may need to get a new seat for my bike because of the screw on the seat not being tight enough.

I'm sure that everyone has heard about the bike racks that are available on DDOT although there are few available. After riding my bike along the riverfront, I rode to the Rosa Parks Transit Center, and to my surprise, I found a bus with an available bike rack which is rare for DDOT. It was departing along on the Joy Road route, the route I would need to take in order to get home. The rack allowed for 3 bikes, although when I placed my bike on this rack, I was a little worried that the bike would not hold because the rack was a lot different than the ones used by SMART. There was a small front wheel holder that was used for my bike, and I was worried that the object alone would not be enough to keep the bike in place.

My worries were put to rest after I arrived at my destination, with my bike intact. Although rarely that I've seen these used on DDOT, by using it that day, others have become intrigued on what became a public display of what this town could become. With high insurance rates, and high gas prices, DDOT has the opportunity to increase its ridership, only if they make a successful attempt at advertising and actually increase its efficency. For those who live far from a bus stop, having the ability to ride a bike to that bus stop would make transit a little more easier.

It was truly a luck of the draw that the bike rack was available to me that day.

DDOT hasn't given a date of when all of their buses would be equipped with bike racks. A few were equipped on a trial basis but beyond that nothing has been done. The waiting game continues as the department tries to decide what type of rack would be used on all of their buses. One that holds 2 or 3 bikes. Personally, I think that DDOT would gain a edge over SMART by having a rack that holds 3 at a time. There have been many bikers that have waited on a SMART bus only to find that the rack is full and are left with little choice but to wait on the next bus, and depending on the time of day, that wait can be a very long time.

DDOT could diminish that waiting time by getting racks that holds 3 bikes.

I make this entry in order to plea with those that are bike riders here in the Metro Detroit area. I would like for all who see these DDOT buses that have bike racks on them to write the bus numbers of those buses and have them made available over at: http://www.m-bike.org

With this information, all can know for sure which buses are guaranteed to have bike racks available, at least until DDOT can make up their minds.

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Riding back to work again and well prepared for the cuts in bus services that are to come.

2009-08-16T20:22:00.001-07:00

After receiving a new mountain bike with front and back lights and a left side mirror to see everything behind me on Friday, I take my bike out for a spin to work the next day (Saturday) by riding down Chicago Blvd. I then got on the I-96 service drive and turned left on Livernois and made a stop at a gas station to grab something to drink before heading down Grand River to Scotten, making a left and a right on Dexter Blvd. in order to make a left turn on W. Grand Blvd and rode to my destination at Henry Ford Hospital.

Thankfully I didn't have to worry about being harassed by any of the drivers, there was barely any traffic out there.

When I left work, I took the same way back, except I went to Oakman Blvd and took it south to Chicago to get home. I always change my routes each time I go to and from work in order to avoid the dogs that try to chase me or people who have nothing else to do so they try to pick on me.

Today, I left very early and took a different route. I took a few side streets and then took Chicago Blvd to the M-10 service drive and then took it south to my destination. Along the way I bought a new MP3 player speaker system for cheap at a Garage sale.

On the way home I tied my bike tool bag to the rack that was assembled for carry on items on the back of my bike. Bad idea. By the time I got home the bag was messed up, so I have to get a new one. There was a bag that attaches to the rack that was available the day I got a new bike, however, I didn't have enough money at the time to get it.

The traffic on the way home was respectful. I had lights on my front and back, so I was visible. No one gave me any trouble and I always followed the traffic laws and signaled when I need to make a left or right turn.

Along the way home, I saw many other bikers that were riding on the wrong side of traffic. It was a good thing that I was able to see them.

I post the routes that I have taken on http://www.bikely.com

On this page you can create your own bike routes and share them with the world if you wish to do so. Just remember that the satelite imagery for Google is 2 years old.

With the ability to ride my bike wherever needed, should Sunday bus service become eliminated, it would have little effect on my commute. I am as enraged as the rest of the city that Bing didn't find any other alternatives. At least SMART still runs on weekends, however, the services that are provided within the city are very limited.

I would like to encourage those who are able to ride to do so, should the cuts go through and Sunday bus service is eliminated. It would not only be beneficial to your health, but also your wallet.

I look forward to comments, criticisms, and words of wisdom from all who share and become informed on the trials and tribulations of this Detroit bicyclist.

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Stupidity is very expensive, as well as unproductive.

2009-08-14T20:59:00.001-07:00

It has been quite some time since I wrote in here.

Reason being that I was on vacation in California for six days and also the fact that my bike got stolen as a result of my stupidity of forgetting to lock it.

The bike that I had was a Magna red mountain bike that I had added lights on the front and back, and even placed lights on the rims as well. Even had a helmet that matched the color of the frame. I just had the left gear shifter replaced on July 24, 2009 and ended up riding my bike to work the next day. I placed my bike over in the West valet office and then they moved it outside. I should have just got the bike and locked it in front of my booth after they did that, but stupid me, I didn't lock the bike and asked my co-workers to watch it for me.

The thief was caught on camera but his face wasn't shown. Even if it was, it probably wouldn't have mattered. There was no way in hell I could get my bike back.

So on the 31st, I went to California not only for the family reunion, I went to forget the fact that my bike was stolen. I had a wonderful time there and to be honest, I really didn't want to go back home.

My parents offered to purchase a new bike for me, and I accepted their offer. Today I went to Jack's Cycling and Fitness to get a new bike that is better than the old one. However it is also going to be a lot more expensive since the gearshifters are trigger instead of a grip shift. I tested one of the bikes last week when I went there to see which one I should get, and consider I'll be riding this bike during the winter as well, I'm satisfied with the results. And there's a nut where i could remove the wheels with ease and lock them together so this never happens again.

On another note, there's news going around about Sunday bus service being considered for elimination with reduced service on Saturday. For those who just started looking on the blog who don't live in the metro Detroit area, the city is in a $300 million dollar deficit. Dave Bing, our mayor, is trying to balance our budget as best as he can. However, so far he is trying to balance it "on the backs of those that work for the city". Negotiations between unions are ongoing but personally at this point, I highly doubt that the unions have anything to bargain with. Should the city go on bankrupcy, all bets are off. The city could walk away from all it's debt, and the union negoations would be pointless after that. There is little effort on Detroit's end to regionalize public transportation. It has already got to the point where some type of regional authority is necessary for public transit to run efficiently here.

As a DDOT/SMART rider, I can personally say that both systems as they are, are currently inefficent. DDOT buses rarely stick to their printed schedules, and during the week, SMART buses don't pick up people in the city, unless they are downtown, until 6pm. DDOT doesn't even have bike racks on all of their buses yet. Apprently the fed money hasn't come in yet, and it's a wonder when it will show up. They also haven't decided which one they are going to use. One thing is for sure, it will take a while for things to get better, so the moment I get my new bike, I'll just use that as my main way of getting around.

I hope that some of the bus drivers for DDOT either get fired or get discipline for failing to be present on time. If anything, these buses all need to be tracked in real time where they are so at least there is a guarantee that if these buses are going to be late, that everyone that is waiting on that bus knows.

It is that fact, with the incompence of city and suburban leadership in mass transit, that I would promote and even encourage, those that live in the city who can't afford to get a car let alone pay the insurance required to drive one, to get a bike and start riding it around. You don't have to worry about gas when you ride, and you get a lot of exercise. Bikes are cheaper to maintain, and easier to attain. It is with bicycles that started the road to the automobile. Gas prices may be on the average of $2.50 a gallon currently, and that's an estimate. When winter comes, it will be more, much more.

I have nothing against the automobile. I'm against the unreasonable costs in the purchase, maintanence, and insurance rates of an automobile. The expenses are too high, especially here. It's cheaper to just ride my bike and catch the bus when needed. The cost to catch the bus for me is just $49.50 a month, because I buy the regional bus pass so I can ride any bus, whether it's DDOT or SMART, anywhere in the tri-county area.

I will be attending the customer meetings for DDOT that will be this month, I encourage you to do the same if you still want Sunday bus services.

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The Beginning

2009-07-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

When I was young, most of the bikes I have used through the years have been mountain bikes.

When I did ride them, I only stayed within the neighborhood. It wasn't until I went to Cass Technical High School that I realized how far I could truly push myself to go with them.

In the 9th grade, I had plenty of disappointments and I wanted to get away from them. So after an after school session, I caught the bus to my Grandfather's house and took the bike that belonged to my Aunt Krystal who is long gone from this world.

It was a road bike, and as I rode it out of city limits, I realized that there was nothing stopping me.

Until I reached the outskirts of Monroe, Michigan.

I was riding my bike on the shoulder, heading south on US-24. The Monroe County sheriff was behind me so I had to pull over. At that point I knew that it was as far as I could go for now. By that time, I was so tired, it was a wonder if I could keep going if he wasn't there.

It was a good thing that he did stop me though. I would have kept going if he didn't.

So I was brought to the Sheriff's office and I went to sleep on a chair, while he called my parents, and let them know exactly where I was. I then learned that very day that no matter how far you try to run from your problems, they will always be there when you return unless you solve them before you leave.

I went back, confronted my obstacles, and graduated from there. Went to Wayne State for a few years, and withdrew to obtain certifications in my field of study, Computer Science.

As of today, I'm an A+ certified Computer Technician. I have a part-time job as a cashier with Henry Ford Hospital, which helps along with whatever extra money I earn by fixing people's computers.

I have every intent on going back to Wayne State University to complete my Bachleor's degree in Computer Science. However, before I do that I have to take care of financial constraints.

I used to drive a Ford Taurus until 2007, when it became unusable. I could no longer drive because I could not afford to get it fixed with the money that I have now. The cost of insurance here in Detroit is very high.

Currently, I ride my bike to get around the city. When the need calls for it, I ride the SMART buses to get around as well when I'm on my bike. The SMART buses have bike racks on all of their buses so I can mount my bike on their racks and ride the buses no problem.

However, the inner-city buses DDOT currently do not have bike racks on their buses. So I would either have to get a folding bike and disassemble it when I get on the bus, or I would avoid the DDOT buses entirely and ride to my destination.

According to DDOT, the city is waiting on the federal money to come in to purchase new buses with bike racks already on them, and mount the current buses that dont have them. When this will be completed, DDOT isn't saying.