Michigan Bicyclist Magazine _ September 2010

MICHIGAN BICYCLIST
In This Issue:
• Remembering Kevin Degen • No Fault New Standard • 2010 Tour Report • Great Lakes IRide • And More

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Sept. 2010

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Wheels in Motion
The League of Michigan Bicyclists (LMB) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit statewide organization devoted exclusively to the advancement of bicycling. Our mission is to promote bicycling and increase the safety of bicyclists on the roadways in Michigan. Michigan Bicyclist is a benefit of membership in the League of Michigan Bicyclists. Michigan Bicyclist is published four times a year as part of the League’s continuing efforts to inform Michigan bicyclists.

By  JIM CARPENTER, LMB Board Chair The past year in cycling has seen many twists and turns. On a somber note we lost one of the most inspirational people in the cycling community that I have ever met. On August 10th, Kevin Degan passed away. Kevin participated in just about every ride in Southeast Michigan. How much he will be missed was demonstrated by his funeral procession from the church to the cemetery, which included over three hundred bicyclists and hand cyclists. In addition to the widespread media coverage of Kevin’s passing in the Detroit area papers, you will find a nice eulogy for Kevin by LMB Member Mike Eliasohn on the back cover which includes information about giving to the Kevin Degan Foundation. Now on a more uplifting note: despite our economic state in Michigan and the country, we have had good attendance at LMB events this year, including our Advocacy Day and Michigan Bike Summit. If you missed them I would highly encourage you to actively participate in shaping Michigan’s bicycling future by attending these events next year. Like many rides across the state, LMB’s tour numbers were down a bit this year, however. As the major revenue source for statewide bicycle education and advocacy work done by the League, I would also strongly urge you to ride one of LMB’s tours next year. As highlighted on page 4, 2011 marks the 25th Anniversary of Shoreline West, which for the first time ever, will run the entire west coast of the Lower Peninsula from New Buffalo to Mackinaw City. On the legislative front, WE can all be proud that Complete Streets is now law in Michigan. Chalk this up as a major victory for LMB as we played an integral role in the advocacy efforts. A big thanks goes out to all that helped including LMB staff, Advocacy Day volunteers and everyone that made phone calls and wrote letters of support to their State Representatives and Senators. Please turn to page 7 to read more about our Complete Streets victory and let’s all remember that when we work together, WE can make a difference in positively shaping Michigan’s cycling future! I hope to see you all at upcoming events in the next year. Please do stop and say hello!

Michigan Bicyclist

Editor, Art & Design: JOHN LINDENMAYER Letters/Comments/Advertisements may be directed to: [email protected] Visit our web site for contact information, advertising rates and much more. www.LMB.org Copyright © 2010

Printed on 100% Post Consumer Waste

LMB Directors
Region 1: Region 2: Region 3: Region 4: Region 5: Region 6: Region 7: Region 8: Region 9: Region 10: Region 11: Region 12: At Large: At Large: At Large:

STEVEN ROACH MICHAEL SPROUL VACANT JIM CARPENTER, Chair PAUL ALMAN RORY NEUNER MICHAEL BOERSMA, Treasurer BARBARA SCHMID, Secretary VACANT VACANT MICHAEL SHEEAN CHRISTINA RIDDLE FRED DORE DAVE DUFFIELD PHIL WELLS

LMB Tours

ANNE BELANGER, Tour Director - Sunrise Adventure JIM DOUGHERTY, Ride Leader - Shoreline West MARY DOUGHERTY, Ride Leader - Shoreline West

Staff

RICH MOELLER Executive Director [email protected] JOHN LINDENMAYER Associate Director, Webmaster [email protected]

A Successful Summer Internship!
LMB was fortunate to have Theresa Gasinski, a MSU student, intern with us this summer. Theresa worked closely with us nurturing the Michigan Complete Streets Coalition (see page 7) and helping out in numerous other capacities from answering phones, mailing out thousands of bicycling tourism packets, creating website content and representing us at events. Theresa did a fantastic job and we sincerely thank her for her service. Theresa, who is from Itasca, IL, will enter her Senior year at MSU this fall where she has plans to continue developing a proposal for a bike sharing program.

416 S. Cedar St. Suite A Lansing, MI 48912 (888) 642-4537 | (517) 334-9100 (517) 334-9111 (fax) | www.LMB.org

League of Michigan Bicyclists

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MICHIGAN BICYCLIST | September 2010

From the Big Wheel
By RICH MOELLER, LMB Executive Director I hope that you had an excellent summer of bicycling. As you read through this edition of Michigan Bicyclist you will find articles about our success with the Complete Streets legislation, an article about our summer tours, and articles that address bicycling and the law and physical fitness. There is also a column from LMB’s Board Chair, Jim Carpenter. Each touches on a different aspect of bicycling. One of the biggest challenges LMB faces is which bicycling issues should capture our focus. All organizations, big and small, address this challenge by identifying who they’re trying to reach, what that group wants and at what cost. The “who” at first look would seem the simplest to ascertain. We have roughly 1,200 members and there are approximately 2 million Michigan residents who ride a bicycle. We have some type of contact (phone, mail, email and various social networks) annually with 4,000-5,000 Michigan bicyclists. (And countless more who visit our website and office.) Whatever we do legislatively, it will affect more than our 1,200 members. Are we purely a membership organization or do we serve the entire bicycle community? The “what” is the most difficult factor to determine. Bicyclists come in all sizes, shapes, ages and from a variety of bicycling disciplines. We ride different types of bikes, wear different clothes, use our bikes for different purposes, ride on different types of bike facilities and seldom agree on anything, except that we want to be safe when we ride our bikes. Figuring out the “cost” is the easiest of the three. There are many things that we could do, but there is a financial cost and a manpower cost (staff and/or volunteers) that may affect our ability to succeed. Therefore, the biggest driver (or hindrance) to what we do is do we have the resources, both fiscal and human. I have formed a Long Range Planning Committee to work on a process that will help us identify the direction we want to take over the next five years. By completing this process and having the plan approved we will be able to focus our resources in a concentrated direction and communicate our priorities in the context of a vision of the future. Once the plan is completed and approved later this year, it will become our guide for the next five years. The plan will be monitored yearly to make sure that we are on track and current with our efforts as outlined in the plan. I am excited that the organization is embarking on this planning process. I am looking forward to sharing it with you later this year and getting your input and support with the direction we will be going.

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Now Accepting 2011 Michigan Ride Calendar Submissions
As the touring season winds down, LMB is already gearing up for the 2011 Michigan Ride Calendar. The Ride Calendar continues to be LMB’s signature publication and an essential resource for bicycle enthusiasts in Michigan and beyond. With support from MDOT, the League annually publishes and distributes 50,000 Ride Calendars. Our 2010 Calendar listed over 250 Michigan bicycling events. As always, listing your event in the calendar is free. Please just follow the stepby-step online submission instructions on our website (www.LMB.org) to list your event in both our print and web version of the calendar. We also have very affordable advertising in the Ride Calendar where you can really make your event stand out from the crowd. Please do also consider participating in our Dollar Per Rider program. In 2010 25 rides pledged to donate $1 to the LMB for every rider that participated in their events, helping to raise thousands of dollars for LMB’s education and advocacy efforts.

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2010 LMB Tour Report
Sunrise Adventure, Rogers City
The third weekend in June is the traditional gathering time for bicyclists in Rogers City to explore the Sunrise Coast. This year 84 riders joined us as we explored the Lake Huron coastline, the Wooden Boat Show in Presque Isle, Black Mountain Recreation Area, Ocqueoc Falls, Metz, Posen and Rogers City itself. Riders again enjoyed breakfast at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church put on by the church ladies. New this year was breakfast at the pavilion in Onaway State Park overlooking Black Lake. Also new was the Sunday route around Black Lake, through the Black Mountain Recreation Area.

Our 2010 season saw riders confronted with one of the  warmest  summers  in  recent  memories.  The  high  temperatures and high humidity provided our riders with an  added challenge as they enjoyed the wonderful Michigan  scenery. The economy continued to affect our enrollment  in all tours. Our number of out-of-state guests was down  from  previous  years.  This  follows  the  national  trend  of  people staying local for their vacations.

Pedal and Paddle, Montague
Our first tour of the year was held the first weekend in June. We had wonderful weather both days, with a shower overnight. A total of 84 riders headed out on Saturday morning to explore the HartMontague Trail and enjoy an ice cream break at the Country Dairy. They returned in the early afternoon to board the buses to take them upstream so they could canoe and kayak down the White River. Sunday they explored the coastline between North Muskegon and Montague, before heading home.

MUP (Michigan’s Upper Peninsula), St. Ignace
The third week in July saw 152 riders converge on St. Ignace for the start of the MUP Tour. Many riders took advantage of Sunday before the ride to explore 2010 8-24, uly 1 Mackinac Island. J The MUP riders began their loop of the Eastern UP by heading to De Tour Village/Drummond Island. From there they headed north to Sault Ste. Marie. In the Soo they had a layover day to allow riders the time to enjoy all the Soo has to offer. An optional ride on Sugar Island was held during the layover day. From the Soo, riders headed to Paradise. The next day took cyclists to Whitefish Point and Tahquamenon Falls on their way to Newberry. From Newberry they returned to St. Ignace following US 2 along the Lake Michigan coastline. During the stop in Newberry, riders participated in a contest to name a companion for our mascot, Myles the Moose. The name chosen was Roada.

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MICHIGAN BICYCLIST | September 2010

Tour Volunteers
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24th Annual Shoreline West, Montague to Mackinaw City

A special thanks to the following volunteers who made our 2010 season a success: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Anne Belanger, Rogers City Dave Bourgeault, Sault Ste Marie Carol Bray, Haslett Julie Cain-Derouin, Kalamazoo Dale Crites, Okemos Dena Cukr, National City Bill Danly, Muskegon Dea Danly, Muskegon Carol Danly, Traverse City Peter Danly, Traverse City Fred Dore, Commerce John Dore, Jupiter Jim Dougherty, Lansing Kate Dougherty, Lansing Mary Dougherty, Lansing Mike Egan, Lansing Valerie Engle, Louisville Jack Feehan, Evart Hugh Frye, Holton Don Gardey, Roscommon Laurel Gardey, Roscommon Jim Jeske, St Louis Mary Lou Mahood, Coldwater Suzie McCain, Plainfield Gina Minks, Indianapolis Keith Moss, St Johns Patti Myers, Swartz Creek Paul Orsick, Clarkston Bud Preston, Northville Daniel Preston, Port Washington Gail Preston, Northville Barbara Price, Hudsonville Beverly Price, Hudsonville Alan Rainey, Indianapolis Terri Riopelle, Alpena Susan Robinson, St Joseph James Sadler, Milford Michael Sproul, St Clair Shores Donna Stahlbaum, Paw Paw Tom Tisue, Whitehall Harry Wright, Norman Connie Zoutendyk, Traverse City

In early August 382 riders took part in the 24th edition of the Shoreline West Bicycle Tour. High temperatures and humidity gave the cyclists many chances to enjoy the beaches along Lake Michigan. The average water temp was 76 degrees. To u r The route hugged the coastline le Bicyc West from Montague to Ludington, Frankfort to Traverse City, Charlevoix to Harbor Springs and finally to Mackinaw City. Riders enjoyed many pictureperfect scenes as well as many fun activities along the way. Highlights included the Cherry Market, “watermelon” hill, the dune climb, Cherry Republic, Old Mission Peninsula, Torch Lake, the Ironton Ferry and the Tunnel of Trees. Riders were given the opportunity to purchase a special t-shirt signifying that they had “taken a bite out of watermelon hill.” At the special celebration on Friday in Harbor Springs, riders named our cherry mascot. The name chosen was Cher-da-rode.

25th Shoreline West Anniversary
I n 2 011 the Shoreline West Tour will celebrate its 25th year of exploring the Lake Michigan coastline. The first tour went from Three Oaks to Traverse City. It ended with a bicycle parade into downtown Traverse City. Over the years the tour route has changed, but it has continued to provide riders with the opportunity to explore the wonders of the Lake Michigan coastline by bicycle. Plans are currently underway for celebrating 25 years. There will be three options for the 25th Tour. The main option will retrace the route of the first tour and go from New Buffalo to Traverse City. The second option will be a three-day ride from Traverse City to Mackinaw City, including the opportunity to explore Mackinac Island. The third option will be a combination of the first two that will allow the rider to ride the entire Lake Michigan shoreline from one end of the mitten to the tip of it. The dates will be from August 6 to the 16th. Mark your calendars now and watch for more details.

View photos from all of the 2010   LMB Tours on our Flickr site at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ leagueofmichiganbicyclists/

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By  Cherri Buijk, with contributions by Melissa Sartori Seven empty wheelchairs were lined up in a row on the grass. If you’re a person who uses a wheelchair as a primary means of mobility, you know that your chair is almost always close at hand. And yet these chairs, at the field house at Spring Arbor College, sat empty and abandoned because their owners were on a cycling ride that would take them from one side of the state to the other. On the 2010 Great Lakes Independence Ride from August 5th-8th, we cycled 240 miles over four days. Women, men and kids, ages 9 to 88 years old, rode on hand cycles, recumbent cycles, tandems and bicycles. On this ride, strangers became friends and the social barriers that keep many of us apart were completely dissolved. The kid who once might have been left out of the games at recess became the leader of the pack. An 88-year-old man rode beside an 11-year-old girl. Mothers, daughters, fathers and sons all shared the experience of doing something that seemed nearly impossible at the start of the ride. I have never participated in an athletic event that was more socially inclusive, where all shared the same activities like a little army on parade, going when the whistle blew and stopping only to eat, drink and sleep deep, heavy sleeps before waking up the next day to do it all over again. We rode 15 miles at a time, regrouping at rest stops to snack on berries and energy bars and chat amongst ourselves. We talked about the things we saw on the last leg of road, all the near-disasters we averted, the miles and miles we rode out of our way. In my case, the road was so beautiful I didn’t see that left turn on Miller Ave. One rider even earned a reputation for getting off course. “We were going so fast that I just kept on going,” Mike Bell said. “It was about seven miles before I got the feeling that something wasn’t right.”

That night, after our 70-mile ride, we dropped hard into our beds in the small town of Hillsdale, nearly filling the rooms at the local motel. But we didn’t go straightaway to sleep. Our motel parking lot was first transformed into a barbeque dinner buffet, accompanied by live guitar music supplied by a rider’s friend. But for all the sameness of our adventure, the change of terrain tasked each of us differently. A rider using a hand-pedaled trike required more upper-body strength riding uphill than someone on a lighter, two-wheeled bicycle. As a bicyclist, I was keenly aware of this, watching incredible athletes push forward forcefully under the weight of their equipment as the incline steepened. Travis, one of the strongest hand cyclists on the ride, said he trains five days a week on a local bike trail, riding 50 miles per day. There’s one killer hill on the path that burns him out every time. “I’ll be giving it all I’ve got, and this guy on a bike will come flying by, saying ‘You’re doing great, man.’ But I just think this is so hard. You have no idea how much harder this is,” Travis said. My goal was to keep pace with Travis, and to my surprise, it was hardest to do so on downhill slopes. The weight of his hand cycle propelled him into the swiftest speeds, reaching 35 mph with the wind at his back and the road freshly paved. On my fragile road bike, I had to burn my thighs pedaling just to stay with him, while he took a rest and let the world roll by. Travis and our other fellow riders on hand cycles pushed me to accelerate faster than I ever had. Those downhill moments were the happiest of my time on the ride. While flying like this, without worry or care down one stretch of road near Dexter, Michigan, I suddenly realized that I had once cycled alone on this very street, going all the while with real fear for my life. This road is laced with blind spots from sharp, winding curves. It has absolutely no shoulder. And vehicular traffic is right beside you reaching 60 mph. Later at our next break, Mike Bell, another top hand cyclist in the group, described nonchalantly how he regularly trains on that same stretch of road. Yet this time, we were greeted by the up-turned thumbs of drivers passing by and the cheers of their passengers shouting out the windows. In that joyful moment, I was struck with a deep sense of privilege; to be accompanying people who were inspiring to everyone they met, sped past and left behind.

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MICHIGAN BICYCLIST | September 2010

Local Advocacy Updates:
Getting a Green Light
Have you seen this new symbol marking on the pavement? Do you know what it means for cyclists? It marks where a “loop detector” was installed in the road. An example is at the intersection of 12 Mile Road and Connecticut in Royal Oak. The traffic signal no longer cycles automatically. Now, the light remains green for 12 Mile Road traffic until a car or bicycle pulls up on Connecticut. Loop detectors were installed in the road to detect steel. As one might imagine, detecting the steel in a car is trivial. But for bikes, especially those with non-steel frames, it can be more difficult triggering the system to get a green light. After testing the loop with a few area cyclists, it was determined that cyclists really need to locate their bikes directly on top of the loop. And where is that? You can usually scan the pavement to find where the loops were cut into the pavement. Or in this case, we asked Royal Oak to put the standard bike loop symbol on the pavement. When you set a bicycle directly on top of the symbol, you should get a green light. At Connecticut, it takes roughly 10 seconds to get a green light. (Why wait 10 seconds? That gives the system time to ignore traffic turning right on a red light.) Since this is a popular bicycle route, it really made sense to let cyclists know how to get a green light. Otherwise, one could expect some cyclists to simply ignore the traffic light. The bike loop symbol should be a standard addition to any new loop detection systems. These symbols don’t cost much compared with the entire project cost and they really are a good example of how to make a Complete Street. Cities can optionally add a sign that instructs cyclists to put their bike on the pavement symbol. Some had asked whether a carbon fiber bike would trigger the system. We asked John LaPlante, a top transportation engineer, formerly of Chicago and now at T.Y. Lin. He said loop detectors can detect all bike types if the loops are set sensitive enough.

Thinking Outside of the Box –

Cycling Groups & Area Business Raise Private Funds to Repave Huron River Drive
The Washtenaw County Road Commission recently received federal funds to repave portions of Huron River Drive. Area bicyclists and runners welcomed the news of the repaving project. Unfortunately, the sections to be repaved between Tubbs and Wagner were deemed to be in too poor condition for simply repaving and therefore were ineligible for the funds. (Yes, the logic eludes us too.) Not taking no for an answer, local advocates put their creative thinking caps on and launched an alternative grassroots fundraising effort for the much needed repaving. Greenview Data CEO Ted Green and his wife Debbie, in conjunction with the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society and the Ann Arbor Velo Club launched an effort, which to date has raised over $45,000 in private donations to repave portions of Ann Arbor’s most scenic and popular bicycling road. On Aug. 5, Ted Green handed Washtenaw County Road Commission officials a stack of checks totaling about $41,600. “I know it exceeded everyone’s expectations and it absolutely floored the Road Commission,” Green said. As the tax deductible donations exceeded the original goal(s), the scope of the private fundraising effort continued to expand to include additional bad sections of Huron River Drive. The original goal was to raise $30,000, which was then double matched by the Washtenaw County Road Commission for the $90,000 total needed to mill and repave the 0.75 miles between Tubbs and Wagner. The group did not stop there however, and went on to set a new goal of raising an additional $12,000 to repave other terrible sections of the road. The goodwill did not stop there either. The Parks and Recreation department kicked in another $50,000 to add bike lanes to the section of the funded project. The Washtenaw County Road Commission then added yet another $30,000 to fully repave a stretch that our additional $12,000 would have only partially repaved. In effect, the original $45,000 in private donations was leveraged to $185,000 of repaving work that would not have otherwise been done for several years. LMB salutes the efforts of our Ann Arbor cycling friends and hopes that this sort of constructive collaboration and generosity spreads to other regions of the state. To learn more about this effort, please visit www.greenviewdata. com/community/ or contact Ted Green by email at [email protected].
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LMB Celebrates Victory Complete Streets Becomes Law !
In the midst of state budget negotiations, contested campaign races and partisan politics that have turned people cynical that good policy no longer comes out of Lansing, the Michigan Legislature recently pulled a fast one. In short order it adopted a package of Complete Streets bills. LMB’s Associate Director John Lindenmayer said, “2010 has been a fantastic year for our advocacy agenda. On the heels of becoming the 24th state to outlaw texting while driving, a LMB-led coalition worked in overdrive this summer to ensure the passage of this legislation.” The bills to provide safe accommodations for all roadway users pulled together an often divisive legislature. In addition, more than 100 organizations and businesses joined forces to advocate for the bills’ passage under the umbrella of the Michigan Complete Streets Coalition. LMB was honored to work closely with dozens of Michigan bicycle shops, clubs and individual bicyclists along with environmental groups, public health organizations and disability rights advocates. All demonstrated broad support for safer roadways throughout the state. In addition to uniting this strong and vocal coalition, LMB also worked diligently to ensure that the Committee hearings were all well attended with supporters from across the state testifying about the multitude of benefits of Complete Streets. Each of the three House and one Senate hearings saw an overflowing table of support letters and heard eloquent speakers from organizations such as: AARP, Michigan Environmental Council, Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance, Michigan Fitness Foundation, Program to Educate All Cyclists and others. There were also numerous Mayors and City Council Members who spoke in support of Complete Streets. In 2009, LMB launched (and continues to maintain) the Coalition’s website, www.MichiganCompleteStreets.org, a Complete Streets email listserve for advocates and stand-alone Facebook and Twitter pages. These all proved to be vital communication tools for educating the public on the issue and for distributing action alerts. After the Complete Streets bills passed by a wide margin in the House and unanimously in the Senate, Governor Granholm swiftly signed into law Public Acts 134 and 135 on August 1. Michigan became the 14th state to adopt Complete Streets legislation. The landmark legislation requires the State Transportation Commission (STC) to adopt a Complete Streets policy for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) within two years. The policy will require state “roadways to be planned, designed and constructed to provide appropriate access to all legal users in a manner

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MICHIGAN BICYCLIST | September 2010

The following letter was sent to all MDOT employees on August 5, 2010 by Director Steudle.

WHAT COMPLETE STREETS MEANS FOR MDOT AND TRANSPORTATION IN MICHIGAN
“Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful, it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful, it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident, it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better.” – King Whitney Jr., 1967 These words about change are as true today as they were in 1967. On Aug. 1,Gov. Granholm signed into law Complete Streets legislation to advance cooperation and coordnation among transportation and local governmental agencies: Public Act 135, which amends Public Act 51 of 1951 governing the expenditure of state transportation funding; and Public Act 134, which amends the Michigan Planning Enabling Act. While it might be tempting to attribute the passage of these bills to pressure from one group or another, it is worth noting that both bills passed the Michigan House and Senate by wide margins: 85-21 and 31-0, respectively. Here is a summary of the changes to Act 51 under PA 135: Revisions to Act 51, Section 10(k) • Requires counties, cities, villages, and MDOT to consult with one another when planning a nonmotorized project affecting a transportation facility that belongs to the other. • Requires Section 10(k) improvements meet accepted practices or established best practices. • Requires Act 51 agencies to notify one another when their five-year nonmotorized programs are finalized.

Left: Governor Granholm held a ceremonial bill signing for the Complete Streets legislation on September 2nd in her office in the State Capitol. In recognition of LMB’s efforts in helping to shape the bills over the past year, League Associate Director John Lindenmayer (back row, tallest) was invited to the ceremony and thanked by the Governor and the legislative sponsors for our involvement. Representative Switalski specifically mentioned LMB’s Advocacy Day as contributing factor to the successful passage of these landmark bills. Photo by: Matt Bach, Michigan Municipal League Above: Lindenmayer testifying on Complete Streets before a packed House Transportation Committee hearing in June. LMB took the opportunity to present the Committee with a letter of support signed by the owners of 25 Michigan bicycle shops. As co chair of the Michigan Complete Streets Coalition he fielded numerous questions from the committee while also citing numerous community benefits of complete streets.

that promotes safe and efficient movement of people and goods whether by car, truck, transit, assistive device, foot, or bicycle.” In essence it requires that our roadways move people, not just automobiles. MDOT, along with counties, cities, townships and villages must also now consult with one another when planning a non-motorized project affecting a transportation facility that belongs to the other. Also noteworthy in the law is that a governor-appointed Complete Streets Advisory Council will advise the STC and local agencies in the implementation of Complete Streets. LMB and numerous other advocates who helped usher these bills will continue to play a vital role in shaping Michigan’s transportation future by serving on the advisory council. The new law will certainly play a dramatic role in the future of state transportation projects. There is still plenty of advocacy and education work to be done, however. With MDOT having jurisdictional responsibility for only 8% of Michigan roads and with only a handful of local Complete Streets policies currently on the books, the Coalition will continue to work to develop resources for communities across Michigan. Complete Streets will undoubtedly have a long-term positive impact on pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users and the disabilities community throughout the state. Of equal importance, Complete Streets also demonstrates that diverse nonprofits, businesses and individuals working in collaboration can progress common sense quality of life policies for Michigan residents. LMB looks forward to strengthening our relationship with our partners to continue the advancement of bicycling and a cleaner, safer, more efficient transportation network for Michigan.

See COMPLETE STREETS, continued on page 13

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Important Legal Decision Affecting Bicyclists The New Standard For Recovery Of Personal Injuries Under The Michigan No-Fault Law
By SARAH W. COLEGROVE & TODD E. BRIGGS Legal recovery for pain and suffering for injuries caused by a motor vehicle became a lot less restrictive, when the Michigan Supreme Court decided McCormick v Carrier on July 31, 2010. As we have written in past articles, the interpretation of the “serious impairment of body function” threshold found under MCL 500.3135 was decided too narrowly by the Michigan Supreme Court, in the controversial 2004 decision of Kreiner v Fischer. The McCormick majority held that Kreiner “was wrongly decided because it departed from the plain language of MCL 500.3135, and is therefore overruled.” Michigan No-Fault law will now again be decided by the almost forty years of legal standards (stare decisis) that have developed after the no-fault law’s inception in 1972. McCormick Decision - Facts While working at a General Motors plant in Flint, Rodney McCormick was injured when a co-worker backed a truck over his left ankle. He underwent two surgeries to repair his ankle and attended weeks of physical therapy. He was restricted from all work for one year. His treating physician then cleared him to return to work without restrictions. However, when he returned to work, he experienced difficulty in walking, climbing and crouching which his job required, so he went on workers’ disability compensation. About 18 months after the accident, he again returned to work, without any physical restrictions. He sued General Motors seeking third-party no-fault benefits to compensate for his non-economic damages (pain and suffering). McCormick Decision - Law Under Michigan No-Fault, MCL 500.3135, a person may sue for noneconomic damages arising from the ownership, use or maintenance of a motor vehicle by showing that he suffered a “serious impairment of body function.” If a court finds an objectively manifested impairment of an important body function, it must then determine whether the impairment affects the plaintiff’s general ability to lead his or her normal life. Both the trial court and Michigan Court of Appeals ruled against McCormick finding that he did not suffer a serious impairment of body function in light of Kreiner. In the Kriener case, the Michigan Supreme Court held that if the “course or trajectory of the plaintiff’s normal life has not been affected, then the plaintiff’s ‘general ability’ to lead his normal life has not been affected and he does not meet the ‘serious
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impairment of body function’ threshold.” The Court of Appeals agreed that his injury was serious and objectively manifested, but noted that McCormick continued to fish, golf, drive his truck and care for himself without any help, much as he had before the accident and worked at the same rate of pay. He did not seek further medical treatment after his doctor sent him back to work and admitted during his deposition that, except for some ankle pain, his life was relatively normal. McCormick appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court who overturned its 2004 Kreiner decision. The court stated that Kreiner was wrongly decided based upon the plain language of MCL 500.3135. The Old “Kreiner” Standard vs. the New “McCormick” Standard: Following are the steps that will be used to conduct a serious impairment analysis under the New “McCormick” Standard as defined by the Michigan Supreme Court: 1. Decide whether there is a factual issue as to whether an impairment of an important bodily function has occurred; 2. If there is no factual dispute, or no material factual dispute, the court may determine whether the threshold is met as a matter of law; 3. Apply the new test which is fact specific and must be considered on a case by case basis; to recover for non-economic tort liability, a plaintiff must demonstrate: a. an objectively manifested impairment (observable or perceivable from actual symptoms or conditions) b. of an important body function (a body function of value, significance or consequence to the injured person) that c. affects the person’s general ability to lead his or her normal life (or influences some of the person’s capacity to live in his or her normal manner of living). Under the old Kreiner standard, in order to recover under the nofault law for injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident, a person’s normal life had to be permanently “destroyed” or impaired as a result of an injury and not merely “affected” to justify compensation for pain and suffering. For example, under Kreiner, the threshold would most likely not be met, if a bicyclist was struck by a motor vehicle and the cyclist was unable to cycle for six months due to the injuries sustained as a result of the accident. Since the bicyclist recovered from the injury and was able to ride after six months of the accident, they likely could See No Fault, continued on page 14

Dealing with Lower Back Pain
By SCOTT BENJAMIN, PT, DScPT & DR. ROY BECHTEL “If riding your bicycle through the countryside on a fine summer’s day were equivalent to a child’s pretty drawing of a wildf lower, then the Tour is a Sistine Chapel fresco painted by Michelangelo.” — Bob Roll The Tour de France is over and what a remarkable three weeks of watching bicycling greatness and the “ride into the sunset” for arguably the Tour’s greatest champion: Lance Armstrong. If you were like me, you did not want the mountain stages to end and you wanted to see more beautiful scenery from that part of the world. Also, watching the Tour may have encouraged you to increase your strength levels, work harder on the bike or in the gym and improve your training to the next level. In watching the Tour cyclists, you may have wondered how they can ride for so many hours at a time and not have lower back pain (LBP). It’s a question worth exploring. It’s been estimated that between 60 and 80% of all people encounter back pain at some point in their life. If you are the weekend warrior, daily workout guru or a college athlete, the ligaments within your spine can become affected. Ligaments support bone-to-bone and they provide support during sustained postures and during activities, such as bike riding, for long periods of time. If a person rides in one position for a long period of time, there is the chance that the ligaments can become stretched, causing poor stability from one bone to another. Thus, if you are riding uphill and the grade is 5% for 5 miles, you will have to push your legs to propel you. But the supportive structures are also being challenged. If your legs get tired, you will rely on the ligamentous structures to sustain the support you need to keep going. This is what they are supposed to do. But too many times when you rely on the ligaments, it can cause them to become lax. Then the boneto-bone support may become compromised. When stretched, length or tensile strength Ligament Pain: Usually feels deep of a ligament does not go back to where it inside, around the hips or buttock originally started, which means the muscles region. Can refer to your calf, side of that control motion need to work harder. For the leg and is usually sharp. example, when you are riding your bike with your hands on the drop bars, you are pulling Tendon Pain: More of a superficial on your lower back tissues, which include the feeling, toward the end of the muscle lumbar ligaments and muscles. where the muscle attaches to the If you experience LBP, the source of the bone. Pain can be dull and can feel pain could be from a ligament, joint, muscle or thick on the tendon. even neurological tissue. Ligaments can give you pain as a nerve could go down your leg(s). Nerve Pain: Usually burning and can Tendon pain is noted at the end of a muscle. stay around your mid back to the outThe tendons are connectors from muscle to sides of your back, to your buttock and bone and they can become strained (stretched) down you leg. The nerve pain can be when riding hard or not warming up enough. burning, sharp and can cause you a lot As we venture in to the world of this proof trouble getting comfortable. This gram’s exercises, we need to remember that pain can be constant or present most of if you have back pain, you need to have this the time and can follow a certain path checked out. If you do experience some LBP to your calf and even into your foot. after you ride, do not become too alarmed since the muscles may be sore from riding. If Warming up: What does that really it’s early in the season, then you may just need mean? For the old school enthusiasts to get used to riding again. But if the pain is this means to stretch first, and then steady and after every ride, then you need to exercise. The trouble with that is that have it checked out. if you stretch a “cold” muscle you may How can you alleviate LBP on your own? tear it. Also, being that some of us are One easy way is to make sure that your bike is over age 20, this can create a problem set up properly for you. The most extensive but in the fascia and muscle tissues. So accurate way is to have sensors placed on you what to do? Begin to ride, slowly then and then a trained technician can watch you build up and in about a mile, get off ride and make sure that the bike is not causing the bike and stretch out. Then return more damage to you. The bike is supposed to to your bike. This way the muscle and support you and not give you a feeling that facial tissues will be warmed up when the set up is hurting you. I have patients that you stretch them out. are amazed at to how great they feel when the set up is correct and more amazed at how the set up they presently have is not correct. The segments are supported by the muscles Thus, getting to a very good technician is very and you need to work on supporting them the best you can. important. Proper exercises will isolate the lower Can exercise alleviate LBP? Exercises are back muscles and not give you pain or cause important, but more important is that they are the proper exercises. Patients that experience ligamentous strain. For example, bent over LBP need to exercise a minimum of four rows, with your trunk bent over at 90 degrees, days a week. The muscles as we discussed puts a lot of undue stress upon the ligaments, can turn off and “go to sleep.” This creates a muscles, discs and joints. But, strength work problem with proper segmental motion. See Lower Back Pain, continued on page 14
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Kids and More Kids
By  PAUL ALMAN, LMB Region 5 Representative there are no paved roads within the fairgrounds. And how much can you really do in an hour with 25 young kids? Well, I did what any rational person would do – I called in reinforcements. My first call was to Mick Osman, who always seems ready to help and who of course, said “Hey, this will be fun.” My second call was to DeWight Plotner at Wheels in Motion. He asked, “How many helmets do you think you will need?” So I picked up a half-dozen Trek kids-sized helmets from him (3 for girls, 3 for boys) and hoped that would cover us. It wasn’t the first time DeWight and crew showed their commitment to kids and cycling, and I am sure not the last. I put together some written “take-alongs” for the kids and their parents, (based on some of the excellent information available on the League of Michigan Bicyclists web site’s new Education and Advocacy Toolkits at www.LMB.org). I planned for a short briefing with the kids, a helmet sizing and bike checking time and a half hour for practicing riding. I was obviously winging it. What I forgot, of course, is that kids are just plain GREAT! They respond positively to almost anything, and have a sense of joy that is so infectious that we forget how much we gain from working with them. I arrived early and saw that yup, there were more than two dozen kids, half girls, half boys, with even distribution over ages 5 to 8. I was able to get the fairground staff to find some cones and barrels and set up a nice little skill course, with stops and left and right turns for the kids to practice. Cindy and her teenaged counselors were great. After two full days with the kids, they had established a great bond and fondness that went both ways. So with crossed fingers, Mick and I started the “program.” We all sat on carpet squares with the kids, who were so close that they were basically in my lap. We taught them the 3-B’s of Bike Safety for Kids: Be Right (where to ride) Be Seen (what you wear, lights, etc.) Be SAFE (S-smooth, steady; A-alert, F-focused, E-equipped with helmet and safe bike). Then Mick did helmet fittings while I did an ABC bike check (Air, Brakes and Chain). The kids were polite and patient, much more than I would have been. Then, finally they got on their bikes in the skills area. I led the parade and Mick did the herding job at the rear. We let each kid run the skills course, which they all did with perfection, great joy and a spirit of support for each other. They had become a “team” and all were supportive of one another. In fact, one 5-year old girl, whose training wheeled bike had a flat tire we couldn’t fix, was offered a

A couple months ago, perhaps by mistake, I was contacted by a woman who introduced herself as Cindy Fischer, the director of the Washtenaw County 4-H summer camp. Camp Cloverbud is a multi-day, day camp run each year at the Washtenaw County Fairgrounds at the end of June. The “mistake” was because she came across my name on a list of BASE members; it was not a conscious attempt to reach me. Oh, well, I thought. She asked if I would be interested in conducting a bike safety program for their campers. I replied that yes, I would. They wanted an hour or so of basic bike safety for kids from 5 to 8 years of age. It wasn’t exactly what I expected. Kids in that age group are often too young to understand the subtleties of riding bikes. But I figured, how hard could it be? Maybe a half-dozen kids, sure to be cute, and who might be OK with just a few basic concepts and a short ride. That would get me finished before lunch. The scheduled date was June 24th, right in the middle of Ann Arbor’s Downtown Restaurant Week. I figured a “feel-good” hour with a handful of kids and then a nice glass of wine and lunch with my wife at Real Seafood. Life is good. Time passed, and being involved with trying to help get the 2010 Tour de Kids up and running (a different story), a trip to Mt. Pleasant to be Chief Referee for the Le Tour de Mont Pleasant (over 700 racers!), Father’s Day and then, oh, oh, what is it I am supposed to be doing with the 4-H? Well, according to the Cindy, anything I wanted to do was fine. There would be 25 kids, some with helmets, some with training wheels, and all of them with the enthusiasm that kids seem to have. Hmmm, unfortunately the club helmets that Kathleen Donahoe gets through Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society (AABTS) every year to hand out to the kids for the Ypsilanti Festival in August weren’t coming in until July. So what to do about the unknown number of helmets these kids might need in June? Also, I couldn’t take the kids off the Fairgrounds property and

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MICHIGAN BICYCLIST | September 2010

bike from one of the other campers so she could complete the skill course. I hope you can see from the photos what a joy it was to be with these kids while helping them learn about and enjoy cycling safely. Mick and I also hope that we were able to show the kids (and their parents) that the AABTS is an organization that supports safe cycling for everyone and that we encourage families to get involved with the Club. Again, many thanks to Cindy Fischer and the Cloverbud Camp staff for inviting us, to Mick Osman for being so much fun to work with, and to DeWight and Vicki for their ongoing and positive support to all cyclists and their commitment to the sport.

What Every Youth Bicyclist Must Know Update
We are pleased to report that the youth version of the What Every Michigan Bicyclists Must Know publication is making steady progress. LMB is working closely with illustrator Ray Templin on this project and expect to have the publication available for next spring’s riding season.
About Ray:

Ray lives with the love of his life in the city of Royal Oak where he enjoys riding his bicycle around the area in his free time. He is man of many interest and talents, recently retiring from playing semi-pro football for the Michigan Gators for 15 years. Ray has also worked in radio as a broadcast engineer and as a dj. On the weekends, he is an avid sailor and was a crewmember on the yacht "Patriot" in the 2010 Port Huron to Mackinac Sailboat race. He currently is working as a webmaster for a company in Troy Michigan. Being an artist has been Ray’s passion all his life and he has always wanted to be a published cartoonist. “ Many thank goes out to John and Rich of the League of Michigan Bicyclists for making my dream to be an illustrator a reality. I am very honored to have the chance to show the world what I can do.”

Bike Education in West Bloomfield!
On May 22 the West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation Commission did their part for bicycling again with the annual Bike Safety Day for Kids. The event exists to provide both children and their parents a basic introduction to the rights and responsibilities of riding bicycles. Despite rain showers that forced the event indoors, more than 300 kids received detailed instructions about road signs and the use of hand signals. Both kids and parents were also introduced to the LMB before being given a free helmet…and ice cream. Event sponsors included the West Bloomfield Police Dept, Busch’s Fresh Food Markets and American Cycle & Fitness bike shops. Inclement weather meant that the bike handling course and the mechanical check were both canceled this year. Planning has already begun for the 2011 Bike Safety Day!

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COMPLETE STREETS, continued from page 8

New Act 51 Section 10(p)
• Requires the State Transportation Commission (STC), within two years, to adopt a Complete Streets policy for MDOT, and to develop model Complete Streets policies for use by others. • Requires state and local agencies to consult and agree on how to address Complete Streets before submitting the Five-Year Program to the STC (exempts anything in an approved multi-year capital plan approved before July 1). • Allows MDOT to provide technical assistance and coordination to local agencies in the development and implementation of their policies. • Requires MDOT to share expertise in nonmotorized and multi-modal planning in the development of projects within municipal boundaries (“municipal” refers to townships, counties, cities or villages - so just about anywhere). • Allows agencies to enter into agreements with one another to provide maintenance for projects constructed to implement a Complete Streets policy. • Creates a Complete Streets Advisory Council within MDOT, appointed by the governor, to advise the STC and local agencies in the implementation of Complete Streets.

LMB BIKE SHORTS
Grumbles on Rumbles
LMB recently teamed up with the League of American Bicyclists, Alliance for Biking and Walking and Adventure Cycling Association to urge MDOT to revisit their policy regarding shoulder and centerline rumble strips. LMB presented our concerns at the August Metro Region Nonmotorized meeting in Taylor and have been promised a meeting this fall with MDOT’s Chief Operations Officer to review their policy. To see our issue paper, visit our website and search “rumble strips.”

Bikes on Trains

Amendments to the Michigan Planning Enabling Act
• Modifies the definition of “streets” to specifically include all legal users. • Expands the elements that may be included in a master plan to encompass all transportation systems that move people and goods. • Specifies that transportation improvements identified in a plan are appropriate to the context of the community and considers all legal users of the public right of way. • The means for implementing transportation elements of the master plan in cooperation with applicable county road commission or MDOT. The new laws will influence how we work with virtually every township, county, city, and village in the state. In the coming weeks, I will convene an interdisciplinary work group within MDOT to examine how the new law will affect our processes and resources. If you are asked to participate, I ask that you embrace it as an opportunity to improve how we work with our partners to deliver transportation services in Michigan. The transportation world is changing. We can face this change fearfully, or with confidence. In my five years as director, we have faced many challenges, adapted to change, and are a better organization for doing so. I am confident we can rise to the challenge of implementing the new Complete Streets law – in letter and spirit – and emerge a stronger organization, and ultimately, a better state.

Currently "roll on" bikes are not allowed on Amtrak trains in Michigan. LMB is currently working with the Michigan Environmental Council and Let's Save Michigan to encourage MDOT and Amtrak make reasonable accomodations for bicycles. Bicyclists are encouraged to give input on the Michigan Rail Plan Public Comment webpage. Seach the LMB website for "Bikes on Trains" for talking points and a link to MDOT's public comment page.

2010 Advocacy Day

The Capitol lawn was crawling with advocates wearing neon bicycle lapel pins on May 26th for LMB’s 2010 Advocacy Day. Over 80 cyclists from across the state came to Lansing to lobby the Michigan legislator for Complete Streets and other bicycle friendly policies. 2010 marked the first year LMB partnered with Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance and the Michigan Mountain Biking Association in a joint Advocacy Day. We look forward to doing the same in 2011! Search our website for “advocacy day recap” for a complete report.

Vulnerable User Sign-on

LMB is seeking bike shops and clubs interested in signing-on to a support letter for our vulnerable user legislation that would create enhanced penalties for striking or injuring a bicyclist. Please contact John Lindenmayer at [email protected] to learn more.

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MICHIGAN BICYCLIST | September 2010

LMB Membership Application
Lower Back Pain, continued from page 10 in the quadruped position creates a pattern of what we consider a lower back “sling” system. The sling system will isolate the lower back deep muscles and this is a positive exercise for your lower back. But the bottom line here is to have the proper sequence to work on. The strength system is important to tap into and what you need to remember is pick the right exercises and then keep them up for years so that your back muscles do not shut off and eventually gain more power and strength. Educate yourself, but also ask questions to any health care person that you are working with. My patients ask “why” and whether it’s important to do these exercises for a long period of time. The answer is “yes.” Remember a healthy back is a happy back and you will feel better not only riding, but in life in general. Visit www.LMB.org to find recommended exercises to keep your back strong and to work on hip, trunk and the deep lumbar spine muscles. Have a great rest of the season and if you find a fellow biker in need of help, take the time to give them a hand. We all must not only ride hard, but ride together and safely. Any questions, please contact me at [email protected]. No Fault, continued from page 9 NOT recover compensation for pain and suffering. Under the new McCormick standard, the entire course of an injured person’s life does not have to be affected by the accident. Only part of an injured person’s life needs to be affected to recover under the no fault law. There is no time restriction on an injury that is eligible for compensation under pain and suffering, meaning that an injury that lasts only a few days could now conceivably meet the threshold under the no-fault law. It is also very likely that significant broken bones and scarring will be compensable as they were before 2004. McCormick is a good decision based on common sense, and we are pleased to report legal matters that positively affect bicyclists. It will be interesting to see how future court rulings and decisions that concern bicyclists will be affected after McCormick. Stay tuned for more articles on this subject in future issues of the League of Michigan Bicyclist Magazine. As always, feel free to email us at [email protected] with your questions and comments. Enjoy the summer and ride safely!
Sarah W. Colegrove and Todd E. Briggs are lawyers in private practice. In addition to helping athletes injured in bicycle and sports-related accidents, they concentrate in the areas of civil litigation, including personal injury, real estate, probate and corporate law. Todd and Sarah are competitive cyclists, triathletes and adventure racers. Each has competed in many state and national running, biking and triathlon competitions, including the Hawaii Ironman where Todd has gone sub-10 hours. You can read past articles from Sarah and Todd on our web site at: www.LMB.org/pages/Resources/ Legal_Info.htm. You can contact them at: Briggs Colegrove, P.C. 660 Woodward Ave., Suite 1523 Detroit, MI 48226 (313) 964-2077 Fax: (313) 961-2345 [email protected]

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MICHIGAN BICYCLIST
416 S. Cedar St. Suite A, Lansing, MI 48912 Dated Material September, 2010

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LMB remembers Kevin Degen, an inspiration to all
By  MIKE ELIASOHN, LMB Member  Kevin Degen, who never let cerebral palsy stop him, and as a result had a large influence on the Michigan cycling community and beyond, died August 10th at age 52. An indication of the influence and respect Kevin Degen had was that about 800 people attended his funeral mass August 16th at Holy Name Catholic Church in Birmingham, then over 250 cyclists and 150 cars followed the hearse bearing his body and tricycle the eight miles to White Chapel Cemetery in Troy. More cyclists joined along the way, bringing the count at the cemetery to at least 320. As reported in an article in the Winter 08-09 issue of Michigan Bicyclist Magazine (downloadable on the LMB website), Kevin only had use of his left arm and leg and started serious cycling in the 1970s with a very heavy 3-speed tricycle. He got his first lightweight trike in the early 1990s. After wearing it out after thousands of miles, Kevin finally received a second lightweight tricycle in 2008 that was specially designed and built for him by engineers at the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor. Kevin loved to ride – 3,100 miles last year – and used his riding to raise money for his favorite causes, primarily the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan. Over the years, he raised more than $150,000 for various charities. This year, he rode MS Society's two 150-mile rides in Michigan, both over two days, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation's 300-mile, three-day ride. He also found time in July to go skydiving for the first time. Detroit television station WXYZ ran a profile about Kevin in July, during which he said that riding his tricycle enabled him "to get out to enjoy myself, to give me freedom." Kevin, who lived alone in his house in Lathrup Village, also said during the interview, "You look at me and say, 'If he can do that, why can't I do that, instead of sitting around feeling sorry for myself.'" Memorial contributions can be made to the Kevin Degen Foundation, P.O. Box 1353, Birmingham MI 48012-1353, devoted to helping special needs children find freedom and independence through athletic endeavors.
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