Transportation

AAPD: Please Move Your Bicycle

By Newsroom

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February 18, 2009

So many people are riding their bicycles in Ann Arbor, they're starting to get parking tickets.Excerpt:Bright fuchsia cards printed with the Ann Arbor Police Department seal have been threaded through the spokes of the wheels on nine bicycles locked to the hoops at the 4th & Washington parking structure. The cards weren't placed there as decoration, but as a warning: these bicycles face possible impoundment starting Feb. 5.What's the problem with people locking their bikes to the hoops provided for exactly that purpose? As the notices say, "Your bicycle may be impounded as provided by city ordinance when it has remained unattended on public property for a period of more than 48 hours after a written notice has been affixed to the bicycle." The notices reflected that they were written on Feb. 3 and indicated a possible impoundment date of Feb. 5. Read the rest of the story here.

Latest in Transportation

Ann Arbor looks for bicyclist input at meeting tonight

By Newsroom

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Development News

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February 18, 2009

Ann Arbor city officials have some big ideas about expanding bicycling options in Tree Town, but they need input from locals first.The city is applying for a Bicycle Friendly Community Award from the League of American Bicyclists. It needs citizen ideas to round out the application, hence the meeting set for 6 p.m. tonight.City officials are going for a large federal grant that will add dozens of miles of bike lanes, trails and sidewalks in the city within a few years instead of a few decades. This award will help secure those funds, worth millions of dollars.The meeting will be held in City Council’s chambers in City Hall, on the second floor of 100 N Fifth Ave. All bicyclists and supporters of alternative transportation are encouraged to come. For information, click here.Source: City of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

Jackson asks for westward extension of Detroit-Ann Arbor line

By Newsroom

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Development News

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February 18, 2009

It's easy to make the southeast Michigan connection when thinking about Detroit and Ann Arbor, but Jackson?Most people wouldn't consider the birthplace of the Republican Party part of the Metro Detroit mix, but Jackson's leaders are lobbying to be let into the game by including it in one of the region's marquee projects - the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line.Currently the project's first phase, set to become a reality in the fall of 2010, stretches between Ann Arbor and Detroit with stops at Ypsilanti, Metro Airport and Dearborn. That's it for now, according to Carmine Palombo, director of transportation programs for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, which is spearheading the project.He added there is talk of extending the line north into Oakland County with stops at Royal Oak, Birmingham/Troy and Pontiac as part of a second phase. SEMCOG is also looking at utilizing Jackson's rail yard as a base for the line, but extending the line to downtown Jackson isn't in the cards, at least not for the project's first phase.Local leaders in Jackson are trying to change that. They argue that if the line uses it rail yard, which would save the project significant money in start-up construction costs, it makes sense to extend the line less than a mile into downtown Jackson's existing train station.Jackson is about 35 miles west of Ann Arbor. Bruce Inosencio, a spokesman for the Jackson Citizens for Economic Growth, points out that section of I-94 that connects the two communities is heavily travelled, making the extension of the line no-brainer."It's very busy. It's very heavily utilized," Inosencio says. "There are a number of companies here in Jackson who have a lot of workers from Washtenaw and Wayne counties."He claims that 61 percent of the 300 employees of one Jackson company --he declined to name it-- live in the Ann Arbor area or east of it, hoping to make skeptics warm to the idea bringing Jackson online with the project.Source: Carmine Palombo, director of transportation programs for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments and Bruce Inosencio, a spokesman for the Jackson Citizens for Economic GrowthWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor DDA to present underground garage plans to City Council

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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February 11, 2009

The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority is going for City Council approval on Tuesday for its plans to build a 785-space underground parking garage next to the District Library’s downtown branch on Fifth Avenue."We're hoping for the approval so we can get to work improving the water mains and sewers this summer and the parking deck by this fall," says Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development AuthorityThe parking structure is planned to go under a large surface parking lot. The underground deck will be four stories deep, running beneath Fifth Avenue, connecting it to the old YMCA site. Other options for the parking garage that are under consideration include: preferred parking for fuel-efficient vehicles and incorporating both energy efficient LED lights and natural lighting.City officials are still debating what to put above the underground structure. There have been reports of plans for a small convention center, but nothing has been decided yet. Source: Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development AuthorityWriter: Jon Zemke

Border2Border

By Terry Parris Jr.

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Community Development

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February 4, 2009

Imagine commuting by bike between Ypsi and Ann Arbor, along an idyllic trail, no motor vehicles in sight. How about Dexter? Or beyond? The Border To Border Trail is nearly that route. Almost 60% complete, this ambitious multi-use thoroughfare could offer more than just a nice ride along the river, it could become an alternative mode of transportation.

New vehicle testing ground at Michigan International Speedway to promote technology

By Newsroom

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Education

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January 28, 2009

Smart car research aims to create some more jobs smartly in Washtenaw County.Excerpt:A new collaboration between the state and the Michigan International Speedway to establish a testing ground for next-generation connected vehicle technologies could help the state attract private sector interest and generate thousands of badly needed new jobs, officials announced Monday. Business Review reported Friday that the Brooklyn-based racing track will get a second life as a proving ground for technologies that allow automobiles to wirelessly communicate both with one another and with road infrastructure. The technology, which is already offered on some production vehicles in the form of lane-departure and blind-spot detection systems, could drastically reduce crash-related fatalities and improve traffic flow on public roads. Officials during a news conference today in Detroit said connected vehicle technologies offer great promises to help reduce traffic congestion and improve energy efficiency of vehicles, boost road safety by preventing crashes and decrease vehicle warranty costs by transmitting vehicle diagnostics in real time to manufacturers."I have never seen anything with quite the size of the carrot as exists when we're talking about the connected vehicle and the highway and the different things that we can do," said Dave Cole, chairman of Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research, which is partnering in the effort. "We're talking about 10,000 jobs plus here in the state of Michigan related to what's going on and with the kinds of initiatives that are being taken today by those that are here," Cole said. "This is pretty special."Read the rest of the story here.

Michigan bets on battery development as it races against Asian advances

By Newsroom

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Education

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January 28, 2009

Looks like automotive battery development is going to take a bigger role in Michigan's growing new economy.Excerpt:Michigan, buoyed by the auto industry's rush into electric vehicles, is hitching a big piece of its economic development hopes to the promise of lithium-ion battery production. The state's automotive heritage - albeit hamstrung by the economic crisis - and its strong research universities are poised to give the state a significant edge in the race to develop advanced auto battery capabilities.But the state's efforts launch it into a competition that is far more global and far more advanced than many realize. It puts the state in direct competition with the best engineers in China, Korea and Japan, in particular."The top 10 battery (companies) in the world are not located in North America," said Jim Epolito, CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corp.The Ann Arbor region, which MEDC recently designated as a "Center of Energy Excellence," is charged with leading Michigan in the battery competition.Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor plans to repave downtown streets, holds info meeting

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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January 28, 2009

Even automobiles are getting a little love in downtown Ann Arbor these days, now that the city is planning to repave a number of the city center's main thoroughfares.The city plans to spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $820,000 to repave parts of Packard, Fourth and Liberty streets this summer. Liberty and Fourth will be repaved in April and May while Packard is expected to be done shortly after Art Fair.The impacted streets will include Liberty between Main and Division streets, Fourth between Liberty and Huron and Packard Road between Fifth and Hill. The project will also repaint bike lanes on Packard and add bump outs at Packard and Division to help pedestrians.The city will hold a public information meeting between 3–5 p.m. in the city's Downtown Development Authority Office, 150 S. Fifth. For information, contact Elizabeth Rolla at erolla@a2gov.org or at (734) 794-6410 ext. 43636. Source: Elizabeth Rolla, senior project manager for the city of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

Radio Concentrate: Mass Transit Now

By Chris McCarus

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Transportation

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January 28, 2009

Interest in transit for Southeast Michigan is gaining ground but no ground has been broken. Even with plans for easy on and off trains from Ann Arbor to Detroit and Detroit to Pontiac no one seems to be able to close the deal. Michigan Now’s Chris McCarus compares Michigan's lack of action with Boston's investment in rail and its $16 billion big dig.

Washtenaw Walking & Biking Coalition takes on new goals for 2009

By Newsroom

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Development News

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January 21, 2009

Getting around Washtenaw County will be much easier for everyone not in an automobile if the Washtenaw Walking & Biking Coalition has anything to say about it.The local advocate for non-motorized transportation has set some ambitious-yet-realistic goals for 2009. The coalition wants to help fill in the gaps of the Border to Border Trail across the county and make a trail or bike lane connection to Saline. It also wants to find a way for people without cars to get across I-94 near Brairwood Mall."That area in particular is very difficult for pedestrian and cyclists to travel across," says Pete Hines, chair of the Washtenaw Walking & Biking Coalition.It is also working the cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Washtenaw County and Huron Clinton Parks to help Ann Arbor score a large federal grant. That money, which could be available in the coming months, would help create miles of bike lanes, trails and sidewalks in the city.The association is also planning to turn itself in to a non-profit. It's a move that will help it raise money and apply for grants.Source: Pete Hines, chair of the Washtenaw Walking & Biking CoalitionWriter: Jon Zemke