DDOT Bus Stop Art

[Ed Golick]

There's a chromed metal sculpture of a bicycle bolted to the sidewalk at the bus stop at Woodward and Clairmount. There's a DDOT sign attatched to it. How many of these are around the city, and what is their scrap value? I don't see these being around long.

[j to the jeremy]

There's a chromed metal sculpture of a bicycle bolted to the sidewalk at the bus stop at Woodward and Clairmount. There's a DDOT sign attatched to it. How many of these are around the city, and what is their scrap value? I don't see these being around long.

There are dozens planned, after all, most competent cities have bike racks at their bus stops. I think they'll be around as long as people bike. I haven't seen any bike racks get scrapped yet in my time here.

In addition, the first stops they're being installed at are not exactly places with rampant scrapping. Mostly along Woodward and in high traffic areas.

[Ed Golick]

[QUOTE=j to the jeremy;315112]There are dozens planned, after all, most competent cities have bike racks at their bus stops.QUOTE]

It's not really a bike rack, I see it as a sculpture. Besides, why would you need a bike rack at a bus stop?

[j to the jeremy]

[QUOTE=Ed Golick;315119]

There are dozens planned, after all, most competent cities have bike racks at their bus stops.QUOTE]

It's not really a bike rack, I see it as a sculpture. Besides, why would you need a bike rack at a bus stop?

Bike racks come in all shapes and sizes. Many cities have contests where artists design the racks.
http://bicycledesign.net/wp-content/...-bike-rack.jpg

They help transit riders because over 80% of DDOT and 100% of SMART buses have racks on the buses now, so having convenient bike parking near bus stops gives people more flexibility. If you need to ride the bus, and you live farther than walking distance to a bus stop, you didn't have many options in Detroit until a couple years ago.

This just fits into Detroit's plan to become much more bike friendly, as they're adding miles of bike lanes this summer.
http://www.m-bike.org/blog/2012/04/1...re-bike-lanes/

[antongast]

It's not really a bike rack, I see it as a sculpture.

You're not really a poster on DetroitYes, I see you as an orange dragon riding a toboggan.

[j to the jeremy]

You're not really a poster on DetroitYes, I see you as an orange dragon riding a toboggan.

It's funny because if they WERE "sculptures", then those would be some shitty sculptures ....

[poobert]

Bike racks come in all shapes and sizes. Many cities have contests where artists design the racks.
http://bicycledesign.net/wp-content/...-bike-rack.jpg

They help transit riders because over 80% of DDOT and 100% of SMART buses have racks on the buses now, so having convenient bike parking near bus stops gives people more flexibility. If you need to ride the bus, and you live farther than walking distance to a bus stop, you didn't have many options in Detroit until a couple years ago.

This just fits into Detroit's plan to become much more bike friendly, as they're adding miles of bike lanes this summer.
http://www.m-bike.org/blog/2012/04/1...re-bike-lanes/

Why are we still at 80%? I see DDOT buses all the time now without bike racks STILL. What gives? Wasn't there some mandate that they all had to have them? It has been years now.

Unless it's 100%, they're not really useful.

Let's say I'm waiting for the 8:08 southbound Conant bus at 7mile and Conant with my bike to get to my hypothetical job on Jefferson. If that bus happens to be part of the 20% that doesn't have a bike rack - Russian roulette, here - I have to wait till 8:58 and hope that the next bus does, or I'm fucked. In fact, I'm already fucked since I have to wait 50 minutes for another bus.
Transit needs to be reliable. There also seems to be a lack of knowledge of how to fit a fleet of buses with bike racks in less than a decade.

[Wheels]

Why are we still at 80%? I see DDOT buses all the time now without bike racks STILL. What gives? Wasn't there some mandate that they all had to have them? It has been years now.

Unless it's 100%, they're not really useful.

Let's say I'm waiting for the 8:08 southbound Conant bus at 7mile and Conant with my bike to get to my hypothetical job on Jefferson. If that bus happens to be part of the 20% that doesn't have a bike rack - Russian roulette, here - I have to wait till 8:58 and hope that the next bus does, or I'm fucked. In fact, I'm already fucked since I have to wait 50 minutes for another bus.
Transit needs to be reliable. There also seems to be a lack of knowledge of how to fit a fleet of buses with bike racks in less than a decade.

And yet another rant with the you owe me attitude in Detroit. Why should they spend all that money to fit every bus with bus racks when it only serve a very small percentage of rider's? If a large percentage of rider's had bicycles there would be no rack big enough to suit. Are you going to pay an extra fair to carry your bike? Or are all the other riders going to subsidize you? Spend the money to benefit the majority not the minority. The system needs a lot more then bike racks!

[poobert]

And yet another rant with the you owe me attitude in Detroit. Why should they spend all that money to fit every bus with bus racks when it only serve a very small percentage of rider's? If a large percentage of rider's had bicycles there would be no rack big enough to suit. Are you going to pay an extra fair to carry your bike? Or are all the other riders going to subsidize you? Spend the money to benefit the majority not the minority. The system needs a lot more then bike racks!

What the hell? Yes, I absolutely am saying they owe the riders simply a functional, dependable system. Either do bike racks correctly or don't do them at all - I don't think that's too much to ask. Yet of course to you it is - why? because the riders are the invisible to you - poor and black. Maybe we should just eliminate the bus service altogether since such an insignificant number of insignificant people use it?

A minority of Americans are handicapped - but by your logic we should also take away their wheelchair ramps and accessibility, too.

And you have the typical "I've got mine so fuck you" attitude of suburban Detroit, and that's the main reason why it BLOWS here.

[j to the jeremy]

Why are we still at 80%? I see DDOT buses all the time now without bike racks STILL. What gives? Wasn't there some mandate that they all had to have them? It has been years now.

Unless it's 100%, they're not really useful.

Let's say I'm waiting for the 8:08 southbound Conant bus at 7mile and Conant with my bike to get to my hypothetical job on Jefferson. If that bus happens to be part of the 20% that doesn't have a bike rack - Russian roulette, here - I have to wait till 8:58 and hope that the next bus does, or I'm fucked. In fact, I'm already fucked since I have to wait 50 minutes for another bus.
Transit needs to be reliable. There also seems to be a lack of knowledge of how to fit a fleet of buses with bike racks in less than a decade.

Oh I agree totally.

I was just trying to explain why we need more bike infrastructure in general.

[Ed Golick]

It's funny because if they WERE "sculptures", then those would be some shitty sculptures ....

I defy anyone who has seen the "sculpture" to tell me how it functions as a bike rack.

[poobert]

I defy anyone who has seen the "sculpture" to tell me how it functions as a bike rack.

I've seen them. It never occured to me that it was anything but a bike rack.

They have them other places.

First you put your bike next to it. You then chain your bike to it as you would a bike rack. We're not building rockets here. I'm not sure what else you want.

It isn't a sculpture. It's just supposed to be an interesting looking bike rack.

This is the exact same thing except a different color and in a different place:



HEY! WHO LOCKED THEIR BIKE TO THAT BIKE SCULPTURE?

Nope - they're even listed for sale as bike bike racks:http://www.dero.com/products/bike_bi...bike_rack.html

Are we good on this now?

[Ed Golick]

So it holds two bikes? Big deal.

[j to the jeremy]

So it holds two bikes? Big deal.

I could see 4 fitting easily

[Mark Smiles]

What the hell? Yes, I absolutely am saying they owe the riders simply a functional, dependable system.

I would say the riders are simply getting a gift that is subsidized by others.

I would say the gifts some are reciveing are not as good as the recivers had hoped for.

Charge the riders what it costs to maintain the system, then they will be owed what they have purchaced.

It is not anyone elses responsibility to haul my sorry rear, all over town.

[antongast]

I defy anyone who has seen the "sculpture" to tell me how it functions as a bike rack.

I've more than seen them, I've locked my bike to them on many occasions. I promise you they function as bike racks.

[antongast]

Why are we still at 80%? I see DDOT buses all the time now without bike racks STILL. What gives? Wasn't there some mandate that they all had to have them? It has been years now.

Unless it's 100%, they're not really useful.

Sigh. That's our DDOT. They have the [[grant) money, they have the mechanics, they have the actual bike racks, and they have the buses, but somehow getting all those elements in the same place at the same time is an insurmountable challenge.

[Wheels]

What the hell? Yes, I absolutely am saying they owe the riders simply a functional, dependable system. Either do bike racks correctly or don't do them at all - I don't think that's too much to ask. Yet of course to you it is - why? because the riders are the invisible to you - poor and black. Maybe we should just eliminate the bus service altogether since such an insignificant number of insignificant people use it?

A minority of Americans are handicapped - but by your logic we should also take away their wheelchair ramps and accessibility, too.

And you have the typical "I've got mine so fuck you" attitude of suburban Detroit, and that's the main reason why it BLOWS here.

And i suppose to want those busses to run on time wile you fuck around with your bike and bitch about how the rack is not how you would have designed it.

I would love to see a working transit system in the city and the suburbs too, However being able to bring my bike with me is secondary to building a system that works for the masses and would not be much of a benefit for most.

You don't know me or anything about me. I rode the bus in Detroit probably longer then you have been around. I understand how bad the system has become and realize it has to be fixed. Carrying your bike is far from a concern until the system is working and on time.

Comparing it to being handicapped is an insult to you not me.

[j to the jeremy]

I would say the riders are simply getting a gift that is subsidized by others.

I would say the gifts some are reciveing are not as good as the recivers had hoped for.

Charge the riders what it costs to maintain the system, then they will be owed what they have purchaced.

It is not anyone elses responsibility to haul my sorry rear, all over town.

All transportation including roads is subsidized by all taxpayers. The gas tax covers less than 10% of road projects. By your argument, public transit riders shouldn't have to pay for the miles and miles of road and large majority of federal transit funding you get for your car.

Here is a quick story for you to read:
http://www.transportmichigan.org/201...their-way.html

[lukabottle]

Maybe we can all ask Ron Freeland about the bike racks and inefficient service at TRU's spring meeting on Monday.

http://www.detroittransit.org/meetings.php

[poobert]

I would say the riders are simply getting a gift that is subsidized by others.
It is not anyone elses responsibility to haul my sorry rear, all over town.

Ok, well as a taxpaying citizen I have to subsidize freeways, roads, water, and other assorted infrastructure hooked up to Sterling Heights when I can't imagine a more horrible place in hell. But hey, that's how society works! See you on the bus, buddy!

[antongast]

I would love to see a working transit system in the city and the suburbs too, However being able to bring my bike with me is secondary to building a system that works for the masses and would not be much of a benefit for most.

The racks on the DDOT buses seem pretty well-utilized to me, even though there are still a lot of buses without racks. I can imagine a lot of cases where it would make more sense to ride one bus and then bike the rest of the way than to transfer and wait for a second bus to go a relatively short distance.

Also, it's not an either-or. Installing bike racks doesn't make the service worse, and not installing them doesn't improve it.

[Parkguy]

I would love to see a working transit system in the city and the suburbs too, However being able to bring my bike with me is secondary to building a system that works for the masses and would not be much of a benefit for most.

Every transit trip begins and ends with a walking or a biking trip.

[poobert]

Every transit trip begins and ends with a walking or a biking trip.

Exactly.

I don't know if there is a general lack of understanding here, but in large cities, bicycles are a mode of transportation far more than they are for recreation. Of course in places like China and Europe but even in Detroit, where 1/3 of the population lacks a personal vehicle.

By adding bike accesibility to DDOT buses - which the suburban system has had for as long as I can remember, but nobody is complaining about what a waste that is - you are increasing the servicable area and usefulness of the buses for relatively little cost. In a city plagued by unemployment and desperately lacking localized employment, this is providing a means of increasing the range people can go to reach their jobs [[and thus be productive citizens) even if they currently lack a personal vehicle.

DDOTs buses may stop largely at the city limits or near them, but a healthy person can easily ride 5 miles in about 25 minutes on a bike and do the same on the way home. Without a bike, a walk that far would take 3 hours each way.

Bringing a bike isn't "secondary" for many people. It is essential to get where they're going. This isn't at all like riding your bike down the bike path in Sterling Heights. It isn't a frill. Try to think about the world outside your front door, please.

In one breathe you will decry Detroiters for not working and being lazy or criminal - then when they're given the slightest boost to give them better mobility and access to employment you scream and shriek about how money is being wasted on them. I know you'd like them to either die quietly or become middle class overnight, but that isn't going to happen.

[KJ5]

I thought they were a friendly suggestion to anybody depending on the bus: better get a bicycle.