why can't i bike over the ambassador bridge?

[Lowell]

More border insanity. I biked the bridge once, back when you could walk or bike. As I recall it was free. The view is spectacular.The sidewalk is wide and biking and walking are very secure. Cars don't go very fast either. With all the eco-consciousness one would think the walkway would be reopened. If Moroun had any PR sense he might even salvage some of his very damaged image.

I met a group of twenty-somethings at the Cass Cafe who had biked to Detroit, through Canada, for the US Social Forum. "What happened when you got the bridge?" "We had to spend a lot of money to get a truck to take the bikes over."

[East Detroit]

If you want info about our upcoming new U. S. Bike Route, post here and your kindly old Prof will direct you to some info about that as well.

Yes please! I always enjoy the BWR.

[professorscott]

If Moroun had any PR sense...

If pigs had wings; if unicorns existed; if the devil friended Jesus on Facebook; if Tom loved Jerry; if Brooks lived in Detroit; if the Lions won the Super Bowl; if Kwame were honest; if I only had a brain; if.

Speculation is wonderful.

[Huggybear]

One, despite opportunistic claims by its owner that it is a federal instrumentality, it's a private piece of infrastructure, not a public road. So if they say no bikes, no bikes.

Two, there is no bike lane. And given the freight orientation of the bridge, there will never be one.

Three, when traffic gets going, it is a lot faster than your bike. And a 20-ton truck would crush a bike like a twig.

how is biking across the bridge any different than using my car.. you are supposed to use the lanes on the road anyways. hmm.. who would stop me? how much trouble would i be in if i arrived at the us customs on my bicycle?

i ask this question because i intend on doing the tour de troit.. i live in windsor, close to the bridge. seems very wasteful for me to strap my bike to the car, drive, park, get bike off... cycle, strap it back to my car, drive, park, remove bike...

[professorscott]

Our Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, put a post on his blog [[side note: yes, the U. S. Transportation Secretary has a blog. Remember who is president.) about the U. S. Bike Route System. That's a good place to start.

http://fastlane.dot.gov/2010/07/us-b...g-america.html

If you want more detail about the Michigan projects which are active, we don't have a web site yet unfortunately, but I can provide details offline. [[Not sure this blog is the right place for such.)

[Lowell]

"Two, there is no bike lane. And given the freight orientation of the bridge, there will never be one."

There is no need for bike lane. There is a very wide and unused walkway that did and would work safely, comfortably and without interference.

"Three, when traffic gets going, it is a lot faster than your bike. "

Speed limit is something like 30 MPH and when crawling, as it often can be, a bike is faster than the traffic.

If you had an opportunity to bike the bridge, I think you would come away with a different point of view.

[Homer]

We biked across many times in the 60's-70's, to buy [[smuggle) fireworks, visit relatives, or just hang out. The only restriction I recall was no riding after dark. Then we would hitch a ride back on a pickup truck and throw the bikes in back. Change is not always for the better.

[wolverine]

they have a right to the road

Says who? The bridge is privately owned.

And yes, I do think bikes should be allowed on the ambassador bridge. It's frustrating that they aren't. I wouldn't suggest using the lanes, but they could on the sidewalk or something.

[Lowell]

The bridge is privately owned, but I am quite certain that the right of way remains in public ownership. A similar situation exists with highways that are privately owned toll roads and public interest, traffic laws etc. supersede ownership. Government[s] could mandate bicycle passage although it may have to cough up some of the cost.

[Stosh]

If Moroun had any business sense at all he'd construct a barrier to protect bikers on the bridge, allow walking and riding traffic, and include a fee to cover the costs.

Of course the ticket would include a disclaimer absolving the bridge company from any liability resulting from suicidal walkers and riders on the bridge. I'll bet that is why that change was made.

[jcole]

The Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron/Sarnia prohibits bicycles too. Just an FYI

[jams]

Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,853



If Moroun had any business sense at al

Oh, Matty has much business savvy. I may not like his style, but I appreciate his business acumen.

[shipwatcher]

re: the walkway - there is a lot of ongoing construction on the bridge these days [[nothing major, mostly pothole repairs... just enough to be annoying) - There is currently a small 'shed' type structure on the walkway of the SW side that has been there since I started crossing daily a year ago. It seems pretty permanent... Also, the traffic is shifted [[hourly sometimes, it seems) with cones & other barriers to allow for these minor repairs. The traffic arrangement in the mornings is often completely different than in the afternoons [[I think this has just as much to do with flow as it does with construction though). While it's plausible that the bridge could someday be reopened to pedestrian traffic, it's also highly improbable- For all of those logistical reasons.
I avoid the tunnel whenever I can [[don't do well with underground manmade structures of any type), so I can't speak to the arrangement there- but from the few times I've gone through it, I can kinda see why they wouldn't want bike racks on the front of busses... Those curves at the ends are pretty tight, extending the length of the busses even just by a few feet could cause problems for the drivers maneuvering through there...

That said - I wish I could hop across the border more easily to enjoy what Detroit has to offer... Windsor has a ton of nice parks, and is overall, quite a bit more pedestrian friendly than the parts of Michigan I've lived in- but there's always the tease of the Riverwalk, Mexicantown, Belle Isle, and so many other places I would enjoy spending time- if only it weren't so cost prohibitive and logistically difficult to lug the bike into the trunk, cross with the bike, park the car, pay to park the car, lug the bike back out... you get the point.
A free [[or even lower toll) pedestrian crossing would make things easier for so many people, and would probably offer at least a small boost to the 'day tripper' tourism economies of both cities...

Lets all hope the new bridge [[if it actually ever gets built) has room in its design for our bikes and our feet...

[Wesley Mouch]

The fare signs at the booths used to say "Pedestrians - FREE". I've always thought that charter for the bridge likely says that pedestrians must be allowed FREE. Private owners don't do that on their own. I'd encourage someone to find the original agreement. Bet it says that Pedestrians [[and bicycles?) must be allowed free passage.

[Huggybear]

That pedestrian walkway is the major means for maintenance people to reach things [[the other side has what, a foot?). It's also too narrow for two-way bike traffic. The Brooklyn Bridge has a lot wider bike section than that - and even then the bicyclists have a really hard time keeping on the bike part. And if you're going to open that sidewalk to bikes, don't you think pedestrians should be able to use it too?

A bike that is following the road rules is no faster than slow traffic. At best, it's the same - because bicyclists cannot legally ride around slower-moving vehicles. And on the safety end, you can't set rules based on the "crawl" that you observe sometimes - because the fatalities will occur when things are faster or where inexperienced riders are on the road.

Maybe things will change when the DRIC opens and bleeds off some truck traffic, but the idea of bikes in the traffic lanes of the bridge just seems dangerous.

"Two, there is no bike lane. And given the freight orientation of the bridge, there will never be one."

There is no need for bike lane. There is a very wide and unused walkway that did and would work safely, comfortably and without interference.

"Three, when traffic gets going, it is a lot faster than your bike. "

Speed limit is something like 30 MPH and when crawling, as it often can be, a bike is faster than the traffic.

If you had an opportunity to bike the bridge, I think you would come away with a different point of view.

[Jimaz]

I'll just state the obvious.

A big part of the attraction of this particular international border had been its historically refreshing absence of rules. That absence was once a tourist draw.

9/11 and its Homeland Security aftermath notwithstanding, wouldn't it be nice if we could at least work toward restoring that same confidence for future generations?

Things change. Wars end. Life goes on. Plan ahead.

[wolverine]

The bridge is privately owned, but I am quite certain that the right of way remains in public ownership. A similar situation exists with highways that are privately owned toll roads and public interest, traffic laws etc. supersede ownership. Government[s] could mandate bicycle passage although it may have to cough up some of the cost.

Even so, localities can still regulate bicycle riding on certain streets. So in that case other powers would have to allow it besides Maroun who basically does whatever he wants.

[DetroitSTAR]

I think it is funny that so many of you rbi.k that just because something is a "public road" it automatically means you can ride a bike on it. I respect bicycle transportation and support new bike lanes, but you must understand certain limitations. The Lodge is a public road but that doesn't mean you can go for anevening ride on it.

For comparison, The Joe is a public building but they don't give every citizen their own set ok keys to it. I support bike lanes and cyclists, but I do not support them on all roadways. Too often riders cause more problems than not on major roadways.

[windsor_shane]

The fare signs at the booths used to say "Pedestrians - FREE". I've always thought that charter for the bridge likely says that pedestrians must be allowed FREE. Private owners don't do that on their own. I'd encourage someone to find the original agreement. Bet it says that Pedestrians [[and bicycles?) must be allowed free passage.

hmmm... this would be interesting to investigate

[manualshift]

Basically no one on a bicycle would be buying duty-free gasoline or other crap. There is simply no reason to let zero value customers into the store.

[GOAT]

Its all horseshit!
Yu can cross at Niagara Falls without issue so why not here? shortly after Maroun bought the bridge the right to cross as a pedestrian was gone. They used the guise of suicides as the reason. But I have searched and searched and have only come up with a few suicides. There was not more than any other crossing in N. america so I think its all crap.

I believe it is easier to control the bridge when people are stuck in their vehicles rather than have the ability to ride a bike or cross on their own.

Besides, what stops a person from pulling over, getting out of their vehicle and jumping?

[Downriviera]

What happened when you got the bridge?" "We had to spend a lot of money to get a truck to take the bikes over."


Sounds like a business opportunity for someone. A cargo van with a trailer for the bikes might work. What do you think is a reasonable fee to pay to get your bike over?

[detroitjim]

In British Columbia there is the George Massey tunnel. The BC provincial government provides a free bicycle shuttle through it since there are no provisions for a bike lane and the autos travel at freeway speed. It is not an international crossing .
George Massey Tunnel Bicycle Shuttle">George Massey Tunnel Bicycle

I can't see why Ontario and Michigan couldn't get together to pay for something like this during the cycling season. Either over the bridge or through the tunnel.

[GOAT]

detroitjim, Ontario can't because the Liberals taketh money. They don't giveth away one's tax dollars. They is NEVER enough money for them to tax you on and piss it away on stupidity [[and voters will vote them back in).

[Whitehouse]

Do I hear someone calling for a pedestrian ferry?

This is the pedestrian ferry over the IJ lake in Amsterdam.