A Modest Proposal for bike routes

Wayne County has a really nice system of parks, with the "crown jewel" being Edward Hines Park, a linear park that runs for a good 20 miles along the Middle Rouge River. The park angles across much of the county from Dearborn on the southeast to Northville in the northwest part of the county. Each Saturday during nice weather months, the parkway is closed off to motorized traffic, and bicyclists and skaters take over. You are able to bike the entire length of the parkway with very little interference from cars.



In Dearborn Heights, Hines Park crosses Outer Drive, a wide boulevard that encircles Detroit along the outer neighborhoods. It runs from the river on the east back around to the river in the suburban city of Ecorse. It is only broken near the State Fair Grounds at Woodward. The road is a divided parkway for most of its length, with wide lanes and a generous parking lane that easily accommodates bicycles.



My proposal-- designate a lane in each direction on Outer Drive for bicycles starting at Livernois Avenue in the north, all the way to the Detroit River in the south. Where Outer Drive intersects Hines Park, the bike lanes would join the paths along Hines Drive. Cyclists would then have an unbroken route from Northville to the north side of Detroit, just a mile from the State Fair Grounds, Palmer Park, and Ferndale in Oakland County. The southern part of Outer Drive would give the same access to the areas between Dearborn and Ecorse, starting near the Detroit River.

The yellow highlights on the map show just how much of the county would then be joined by a safe and enjoyable bike path. The bike route exists already in Hines Park-- and a several-mile length of the Outer Drive route would pass through city-owned Rouge Park. Costs would be minimal-- I don't know if any upgrades would be needed along Outer Drive, and I realize that bikes would have to share the road with traffic along that route. But it seems to be an opportunity to link a huge part of the region by a recreational facility.

Note the green highlight. This marks the Lower Rouge park system, also part of Wayne County parks. I don't believe that this chain of parks is entirely contiguous, but there may be development opportunities for another bike route that would add bike paths from Dearborn at Outer Drive all the way to Canton. And, if a similar route could be established on East Outer Drive, the system could reach from the Grosse Pointes and cover virtually the entire northern two-thirds of the county!