Plans for an abandoned rail corridor from Greenville to Lowell to be purchased and land banked for conversion into a future shared-use trail have been mired in some legal issues. It seems that an enterprising lawyer from St. Louis has made it his specialty to sue organizations trying to convert former rail rights of way into shared-use rail trails.
You can read Barton Dieters’ in depth article on mLive.com to get more information.
It’s an unfortunate case where a technical legal loophole on contracts that were written in the 1860s and 1870s may prevent new trails from being built. I’m not a legal expert, nor have I done the necessary due diligence, so I don’t feel qualified to say who is in the right. If this precedent is set, it’s hard to know what effect it will have on future trail development.
I just hope a sensible solution can be worked out and this sort of legal battle can be avoided in the future so that we can continue to expand our invaluable trail network. It is one important part of encouraging bicycling for recreation and transportation purposes. To use a bad cliché, these trails are often a “gateway drug” for bicycling.
m-bike.org is fantastic reading
Senator Stabenow's office in Wash, DC. Todd Scott on the far left and John Lindenmayer (nice dreadlocks) of the League of Michigan Bicyclists
I’ve been a fan of Todd Scott’s Detroit area bicycling blog, m-bike.org since I discovered it well over a year ago. He has always posted useful information on his advocacy efforts as Detroit Greenways Coordinator for the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance. I got the chance to meet Todd at the National Bike Summit and his passion for his work is absolutely undeniable.
He’s been on a posting frenzy in October, including some great historical stuff. Some examples are:
- Rules of the Road: Detroit in 1900
- Who killed the League of American Wheelmen?
- Kellogg’s surprising connection with cycling
- Who is the Menace to Society?
But my favorite is, Cycling Negatives Worth Memorizing, a series of tips from the Good Roads Magazine, June 1901. Here are a few of my favorites, but you should go and read them all.
– Don’t pay any attention to the big gear the fellow next door rides. Get one to suit your own style and strength and stick to it.
– Don’t take any chances at street car crossings. It is much easier to go around a car than through it and besides it is far more comfortable.
– Don’t leave your wheel at home when you can use it. You save expense get the exercise and are sure of a seat.
– Don’t think that cycling is a fad. It isn’t. It is a healthy and pleasurable means of transportation to be used when necessity or inclination so dictates.
You can read a short bio of Mr. Scott at his guest blog on Metromode Detroit.
Go Green! Go Dutch! Go Bike! ride rescheduled for Oct. 23rd
A recent talk on Oct. 9th by Henk Aay, the Meijer Chair for Dutch Culture at Calvin College, about the role that bicycle as transportation plays in Dutch culture was to be followed by a ride from Calvin College to Rosa Parks Circle, where the group was to be met by Grand Rapids Mayor Heartwell.
The weather did not cooperate howevers, so the ride portion of the event was rescheduled for Friday, Oct. 23rd. I’ll post more details on the exact time and location when I have them.
