Belle [[?) Isle...

**tvaspen** · May-21-12, 12:25 PM

My wife and I and two other couples went biking on the riverfront and it was fantastic. We decided to ride around Belle Isle when we got there, we were less than impressed. The garbage left behind and strewn everywhere by the 'picknickers' was disgusting, it looked like a real mess. For the life of me I just can't understand how people can have such disregard for their surroundings. If you can't find a trash can, pack it up and throw it away at home for christ's sakes. Otherwise the riverfront was a treat and we will definately do it again, Belle Isle? No. And dinner at Andiamos afterwords on the patio was a real treat.

**iheartthed** · May-21-12, 12:27 PM

Cool story bro.

**j to the jeremy** · May-21-12, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Cool story bro.

**TKshreve** · May-21-12, 12:28 PM

Originally Posted by tvaspen

My wife and I and two other couples went biking on the riverfront and it was fantastic. We decided to ride around Belle Isle when we got there, we were less than impressed. The garbage left behind and strewn everywhere by the 'picknickers' was disgusting, it looked like a real mess. For the life of me I just can't understand how people can have such disregard for their surroundings. If you can't find a trash can, pack it up and throw it away at home for christ's sakes. Otherwise the riverfront was a treat and we will definately do it again, Belle Isle? No. And dinner at Andiamos afterwords on the patio was a real treat.

WTF did you expect? lol

You must have just moved here. Welcome

**corktownyuppie** · May-21-12, 12:37 PM

Originally Posted by TKshreve

WTF did you expect? lol

You must have just moved here. Welcome

I'm with the OP on this. Belle Isle needs to change in order to become the state-wide attraction that it deserves to be. The riverfront has gotten much better in the last 10 years. I will say that in 5-10 years Belle Isle will be in significantly better shape.

**MidTownMs** · May-22-12, 02:50 PM

Originally Posted by corktownyuppie

I'm with the OP on this. Belle Isle needs to change in order to become the state-wide attraction that it deserves to be. The riverfront has gotten much better in the last 10 years. I will say that in 5-10 years Belle Isle will be in significantly better shape.

Belle Isle doesn't need to change....the people who go over there and treat Belle Isle like a garbage jump need to change.

**corktownyuppie** · May-21-12, 01:25 PM

It kills me that people are up in arms over a proposed $0.84 per month fee to use the park. That's $0.84 per month per carload. I mean, c'mon. If you can't afford the $0.84 per month...then let's sit down and re-prioritize where you spend your money or where Belle Isle should fall on your list of life concerns.

**Detroitdave** · May-22-12, 02:11 PM

Originally Posted by corktownyuppie

It kills me that people are up in arms over a proposed $0.84 per month fee to use the park. That's $0.84 per month per carload. I mean, c'mon. If you can't afford the $0.84 per month...then let's sit down and re-prioritize where you spend your money or where Belle Isle should fall on your list of life concerns.

I agree with Corktownyuppie, Sorry Detroitnerd, The only way to save Bi from further decay, AT THE MOMENT NOT 5-10 YEARS FROM NOW, is to charge a fee for cars to cross the bridge. This could help with the clean up.

And this is not against the "poor" people, if they can spend $3.90 a gallon on gas, they can pay $0.84 per month , if they can't then I doubt they should be driving and hanging out on BI, they should be figuring out how to keep gas in the car no ?
BI is a jewel and its sad to see it this way. if we continue at this rate can you image what it's going to look like ? who would ever visit ?
We have to make a stand sooner or later or it will look like the majority of Detroit and we know how that turned out ?
Beauty ain't cheap and someone has to pay for it and I doubt the folks visiting and leaving trash aren't paying for it .

**Bham1982** · May-22-12, 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitdave

And this is not against the "poor" people, if they can spend $3.90 a gallon on gas, they can pay $0.84 per month , if they can't then I doubt they should be driving and hanging out on BI, they should be figuring out how to keep gas in the car no ?

The cheapest MI State Park passes are $10. The least anyone would spend is $10 on top of gas.

And, yes, that's a significant disincentive to poor folks wanting to picnic [[which is, I think the point, and why I am opposed to mandatory fees).

**corktownyuppie** · May-22-12, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

And, yes, that's a significant disincentive to poor folks wanting to picnic.

It's a disincentive to folks wanting to picnic there. They could theoretically picnic at Balduck or any of the other free parks. I'm not necessarily disagreeing with what your saying, I just want to emphasize that the unspoken presumption is that the poorest of us deserve to have access to one of the nicest parks in SE Michigan -- and that if doing so means that 90% of the population no longer finds the place attractive, then that's a sacrifice you're willing to make.

Assuming that you're making that argument, I guess the question is, "Why?" Whether I look at this from a utilitarian or a contractual stance, my conclusion is the same. By what process do you come to the conclusion that the happiness of the many is outweighed by the happiness of the few?

**Johnnny5** · May-21-12, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by tvaspen

My wife and I and two other couples went biking on the riverfront and it was fantastic. We decided to ride around Belle Isle when we got there, we were less than impressed. The garbage left behind and strewn everywhere by the 'picknickers' was disgusting, it looked like a real mess. For the life of me I just can't understand how people can have such disregard for their surroundings. If you can't find a trash can, pack it up and throw it away at home for christ's sakes. Otherwise the riverfront was a treat and we will definately do it again, Belle Isle? No. And dinner at Andiamos afterwords on the patio was a real treat.

If you think it's bad now stop by after this weekend.

**HistoryNotHisStory** · May-21-12, 01:40 PM

I saw the same thing when I went to Niagra Falls National Park.

Litter.

Keep America Beautiful people.

**SWMAP** · May-21-12, 01:46 PM

How odd. I go there every summer and I never noticed enough litter to remark on..

**softailrider** · May-23-12, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by SWMAP

How odd. I go there every summer and I never noticed enough litter to remark on..

Wow.....I've found the litter to be noticeable almost every time I've been there. I usually can't believe how many freakin pigs use that park.

**kryptonite** · May-21-12, 02:05 PM

I used to volunteer for the annual Belle Isle cleanup that Friends of Belle Isle sponsored. i finally quit after another volunteer and I had picked up all kinds of trash in an area only to see a big car pull away and the POS driver had set Kentucky Fried chicken boxes, etc. right on the parking lot and drove off rather than take 10 seconds and get his *ss out of the car and put the KFC trash in a trash can. I thought why bother anymore, it was a wasted effort and let the slobs picnic in knee-deep trash for all I care.

I am all for an entrance fee to the island.

**Wheels** · May-21-12, 02:40 PM

This is just another example of how Detroit in general doesn't work. The laws are on the books. It's illegal to litter and fines are already established. Put a few police on bikes, on foot, on horseback and let them write tickets. If you don't pay up you loose your drivers license. They could pay their own salary and then some just in fines. Then you would have adequate police protection so normal humans could use the island too.

**Kevgoblue** · May-21-12, 06:16 PM

Originally Posted by Wheels

This is just another example of how Detroit in general doesn't work. The laws are on the books. It's illegal to litter and fines are already established. Put a few police on bikes, on foot, on horseback and let them write tickets. If you don't pay up you loose your drivers license. They could pay their own salary and then some just in fines. Then you would have adequate police protection so normal humans could use the island too.

Yeah, I tend not to go out to the island on a Sunday night / Monday morning either. The place looks like a mess!
Much like Hart Plaza does at the conclusion of the Hoedown!

**jcole** · May-21-12, 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by Kevgoblue

Yeah, I tend not to go out to the island on a Sunday night / Monday morning either. The place looks like a mess!
Much like Hart Plaza does at the conclusion of the Hoedown!

Or used to look at the conclusion of Hoedown, because now it has become a pay only event at Comerica Park instead of a free event at Hart Plaza where people will be paid to clean up instead of garbage being left everywhere for someone else to clean up.

**Detroitnerd** · May-21-12, 06:22 PM

Originally Posted by Kevgoblue

Yeah, I tend not to go out to the island on a Sunday night / Monday morning either. The place looks like a mess!
Much like Hart Plaza does at the conclusion of the Hoedown!

But those aren't careless litterers! Those are taxpaying people bringing business into town!

**Zacha341** · May-22-12, 06:30 AM

Yeah, I am not giving the Hoedown crowd a pass. Try throwing something out the window of your car in say Dearborn or Livonia! On go the police lights!

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

But those aren't careless litterers! Those are taxpaying people bringing business into town!

**Hypestyles** · May-21-12, 03:23 PM

This past weekend there was a group of mostly teens, organized by the ACCESS agency out of Dearborn, and they cleaned up much of the former Belle Isle Zoo. The Friends of Belle Isle/Consortium helped facilitate the effort..

**Whitehouse** · May-21-12, 03:24 PM

Just ask 2 dollars entry for pedestrians and 5 for cars. Cleaning the park is paid for, problem solved.

**Smirnoff** · May-21-12, 04:01 PM

City needs to sell the island immediately!

Why not turn it into an amusement park with a casino, horseback riding, canoe rental, zoo, aquarium, museum, basketball courts, conservatory, ice skating rink, concession stands, baseball diamonds, tennis courts, golfing, etc.....

Geez - just like it was in the past...............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**mikeg19** · May-21-12, 04:23 PM

I actually went jogging on the Riverwalk as well yesterday. It was my first time on it, as well as the Dequnidre Cut and I must say I was very impressed. It was incredibly clean, people everywhere, cops patrolling. Everyone who was out was having a good time. I didn't venture all the way to Belle Isle because, well lets be honest, it's a mess. Unless the State takes over it'll remain that way. I hope that the Grand Prix has a crew out in full enforcement to clean that place up prior to the race, or all you'll see on tv is mounds of garbage. What a way to showcase the city!

**MSUguy** · May-21-12, 05:31 PM

In who's world doesn't a problem exisist? I was on BI Sunday and it looked like a dump, there needs to be dedicated cleaing crews like they have for the Riverwalk. Whether that money is raise through a fee or a through private donations something needs to change.