DDOT Bus Stop Art

**Ed Golick** · April-17-12, 06:07 AM

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** · April-17-12, 06:41 AM

Originally Posted by 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.

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** · April-17-12, 07:11 AM

[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** · April-17-12, 10:12 AM

[QUOTE=Ed Golick;315119]

Originally Posted by j to the jeremy

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/

**poobert** · April-17-12, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by j to the jeremy

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** · April-17-12, 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by poobert

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!

**j to the jeremy** · April-17-12, 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by poobert

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.

**antongast** · April-17-12, 07:47 PM

Originally Posted by poobert

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.

**antongast** · April-17-12, 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by Ed Golick

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** · April-17-12, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by antongast

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 ....

**Ed Golick** · April-17-12, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by j to the jeremy

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.

**lukabottle** · April-17-12, 09:49 PM

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

**Parkguy** · April-19-12, 03:21 PM

In city after city that I visit, people USE their bicycles as transportation, and you see front bike racks on buses loaded up. I was just reading something that said there has been a steady increase in the number of people bike-commuting in the Detroit area-- although it is still a small percentage, somewhere around 1 to 3 percent of commuting trips. I'll have to find that article. But, at any rate, my wife and I were talking recently about the fact that we've noticed a definite increase in the number of people we see on bikes on the main roads around our neighborhood, especially Grand River. They appear to be doing something other than going out for a recreational ride, but no one can know for sure without asking. I have noticed them in harsh weather, too, including rain and snow.

**stasu1213** · April-19-12, 07:11 PM

I thought that the city was broke. This should had been the last thing the city should had spend our money on. I am a part time cyclist. I love riding my bike just like the rest. However, I would rather see the money invested on more busses to decrease wait time. I could chain my bicycle to a lamp post. The city should had purchased simple racks such as the ones Grosse Pointe has.

**ismoakrack** · April-19-12, 11:59 PM

And it also helps that more and more small business and office buildings have bike racks outside them, which was not so much the case a few years ago.

**j to the jeremy** · April-20-12, 08:24 AM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

I thought that the city was broke. This should had been the last thing the city should had spend our money on. I am a part time cyclist. I love riding my bike just like the rest. However, I would rather see the money invested on more busses to decrease wait time. I could chain my bicycle to a lamp post. The city should had purchased simple racks such as the ones Grosse Pointe has.

These racks probably cost nothing [[under $200 a piece) , and were paid for by grants. I know a federal grant covered the on-bus racks

**ismoakrack** · April-19-12, 11:58 PM

There is most certainly a palpable increase in bike ridership in the last few years. To the point where we sometimes have to get out of each other's way. The racks that are on busses are well utilized, at least on the major routes.