Commuters React to Nine Mile’s Bike Lanes

By Rose Carver

The new bike lanes on East Nine Mile Road have some pedaling with ease, while others are anxiously pumping the brakes.

The bike lanes were built as part of the wider goals set by the Ferndale Moves initiative — a far-reaching plan to make Ferndale a more multi-modal commuter-friendly city. The initiative began in 2010 when the city passed a “Complete Streets Policy, expressing the desire to design Ferndale streets with all road users in mind – including walkers, bikers and transit vehicles,” according to the Moves website.

The bike lanes are buffered, which means there is a painted barrier between the bike lanes and driving lanes. In addition to the bike lanes, East Nine Mile’s construction included a downsizing from four to three traffic lanes. Conversions were also made to the median of Woodward and Nine Mile at the intersection to allow for right turns only, and the middle lanes from three to two lanes.

Since last year, when the orange barrels were finally removed to reveal the new road structure, residents have reported the problems and advantages of such a change. Complaints include problems with traffic being diverted to residential streets, and issues with the pacing of Nine Mile, due to the loss of traffic lanes, as well as the safety of the bike lanes in general.

Debbie Connelly, a Ferndale resident of 41 years, said the bike lanes make her nervous because she doesn’t see them being used correctly.

“I think they are dangerous. A lot of bikers don’t follow the rules of the road,” claims Connelly. “A car weighs 4,000 pounds, a truck weighs even more and when bikers don’t pay attention, or maybe the driver isn’t because of texting – that’s so scary to me!”

Eddy McCauley, a resident of Ferndale for 15 years doesn’t see the same danger, and says the bike lanes are the inevitable next step for a progressive city.

“One of the first things people I know visiting Ferndale for the first time comment to me on is how nice it is to see a suburb of the ‘Motor City’ embrace alternative modes of transportation. It is one of the many things that makes Ferndale the place I choose to live,” McCauley said. “This is reality, if it annoys you, you may want to get out of the way before progress runs you down.”

Ferndale resident Natalie Ryan-Gluth provides a unique perspective because she moved to Ferndale from Chicago, a much larger city with a cyclist-friendly atmosphere. She believes that Ferndale is simply catching up with a common practice of many large cities.

“It is going to take several years for people to get used to [the bike lanes] and develop an affinity for them,” Ryan-Gluth said. “Bike lanes are normal in big cities. It’s Detroit that is weird for having so few. It’s smart to put them in now.”

Lori Lewand, another resident of Ferndale, finds middle ground when she says that she is happy about the bike lanes, but says more education about their use is necessary.

Barry Hicks is the Executive Director for Ferndale’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA). He says that the changeover can be a confusing time for some people.

“I think that whenever you are talking about multi-modal transportation and getting out of the “I-gotta’-take-my-car-everywhere” mindset, there is a little bit of a learning curve both for motorists and for those using the bike lane itself.” Hicks said the lanes were designed with safety in mind, and the statistics regarding buffered bike lanes, which were also constructed on Livernois last year, are positive. According to a study entitled: Route Infrastructure and the Risk of Injuries to Bicyclists: A Case-Crossover Study found on peopleforbikes.org, stated that “Streets with protected bike lanes saw 90 per cent fewer injuries per mile than those with no bike infrastructure.”

Hicks indicated that more signage around the bike lanes has been the topic of some internal discussion, and that citizens should be on the look out for those.

The Ferndale Moves website explains the implementation of the new bike lanes are a part of the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), which lumps in the bike lane construction with construction that was already planned. Hilton Road is the next one to be finished, with a reduction in lanes.

The user-friendly Safety section on the Ferndale Moves website provides Ferndaliens with the opportunity to do their part in researching the transition to help become familiar with the signals, rules, and regulations of the road’s current and upcoming transitions, so the traffic can move smoothly and safely for commuters of all types.