Biking across Belle Isle Bridge

**Eastside** · September-22-09, 11:19 AM

Greetings--

I ride bike across the Belle Isle a lot at various times during the week. What I don't understand is why drivers don't move over! I stay in the right bike lane close to the wall and most if not all drivers don't move to the inside lane giving me a little breathing space. After all, we're talking two lanes going over and three coming back.

I can understand it if it's a busy Sunday afternoon or something, But usually they ONLY car on the bridge. What gives? I've tried the side walks, but there's too much broken glass at times.

Has anyone experienced this?

**Eastside** · September-22-09, 11:22 AM

Excuse the typos in my original message, I was venting and didn't proof it.

**Detroitnerd** · September-22-09, 11:22 AM

You should be driving. You're in the way of traffic.

Bearinabox · September-22-09, 11:23 AM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

You should be driving. You're in the way of traffic.

D'nerd speaks the truth. Buy a car, you fucking commie.

**iddude313** · September-22-09, 11:50 AM

i tend to bike on the sidewalk over the BIB. more glass but way safer IMO.

**ordinary** · September-22-09, 01:03 PM

Take your chances with the glass instead.

**Russix** · September-22-09, 07:35 PM

That's the same 3-6 feet you get between parked cars and travel lanes on the major roads. Do you ride on the sidewalk all the way there then get in the bike lane? It has been said that if you don't want cars passing you so close to ride farther out so they can't squeeze by you and have to change lanes to pass. Or tow an empty child carrier that makes you look wider so they'll stay farther away. But I'm content with a well-defined bike lane. It's like maybe two in the whole city. My concern for riding on the sidewalk is not the glass, its the low bridge railing, perfect height to send a bicyclist right into the river.

**HazenPingree** · September-22-09, 09:58 PM

Originally Posted by Russix

That's the same 3-6 feet you get between parked cars and travel lanes on the major roads. Do you ride on the sidewalk all the way there then get in the bike lane? It has been said that if you don't want cars passing you so close to ride farther out so they can't squeeze by you and have to change lanes to pass. Or tow an empty child carrier that makes you look wider so they'll stay farther away. But I'm content with a well-defined bike lane. It's like maybe two in the whole city. My concern for riding on the sidewalk is not the glass, its the low bridge railing, perfect height to send a bicyclist right into the river.

Actually, what bothers me most about biking on the Belle Isle bridge is how, on the way back, the bike lane abruptly ends right at the foot of the bridge. It has proved very dangerous at times.

**Todd_Scott** · September-23-09, 07:30 AM

Originally Posted by andylinn

Actually, what bothers me most about biking on the Belle Isle bridge is how, on the way back, the bike lane abruptly ends right at the foot of the bridge. It has proved very dangerous at times.

I think the problem is the Grand Boulevard and Jefferson intersection. It's over built like a high-speed interchange with ramps. There has talk about making this a roundabout [[with a statute!) instead. This has been part of a much larger discussion on how to right-size Jefferson Avenue.

**Eastside** · September-23-09, 09:15 AM

Thanks for the comments, I appreciate it. [[yes I am a "commie")

When riding, I'm on the road 95% of the time, seldom on the sidewalks. I've never really had a major problem with the "closeness" of cars except on the BI Bridge. Again, I can understand it if the bridge was jammed with cars, but it's ridiculous that single drivers/cars seldom budge.

Maybe it's the closeness of the wall making it seem tighter than it really is.

Later!

**EastsideAl** · September-23-09, 09:37 AM

I was surprised when they put a bike lane in there. When we were kids we always rode over the bridge on the sidewalk, which was wide enough to accommodate foot and bike traffic [[and the occasional fisherman) back when there was a lot more of both. We were always told that the barrier between the sidewalk and the traffic was there to keep us safe from cars, and that those sidewalks were built with bikes in mind back in an era when a lot more adults rode bikes [[one rarely saw adult bicycle riders in the '60s and '70s). My father remembered when it had been installed back when he was a kid. In my hundreds and hundreds of childhood and teenhood rides over there I honestly never thought about the height of the railing on the river side.

Having said all of that, I'm very much in support of bike lanes [[even though my biking years are behind me now), and drivers certainly should not be squeezing you there. I think a big part of the problem may be that Detroit drivers are simply not used to seeing dedicated bike lanes and have no notion as to how to treat them [[since, as stated by another poster above, there are so few of them around here). And I would guess that a lot of drivers to Belle Isle are surprised to see bikes on the bridge roadway and wonder why you aren't on the sidewalk, since that's how people always rode over there in the past.

**wolverine** · September-23-09, 12:39 PM

Drivers are NOT required to move over when a bike lane is provided. There's also "share the lane" laws where if wide enough, a vehicle and bicycle can legally pass each other within the same lane. No offense, Eastside, but if you dedicate an entire post to this particular issue, don't ever consider riding your bike in any major cities of the world. I commute to work on a bike and have taxis go by just inches from my handlebar. It's just an everyday experience I've come to accept. Just be sure to own a helmet and health insurance if the worst happens.