Most noteworthy, is the new lease agreement between Niles Township and American Electric Power Co. (AEP) that is in the works. AEP owns a high power line that goes from near the current Niles trail, down to the State Line; they will lease part of the property to Niles Township. Harry Thibault, chairman of the Niles Township Parks Board envisions running the trail down part of that property.

Obtaining rights to that property is only one step: the next step is funding. Thibault said “We’re hoping to apply for grants by the April 12 deadline…We’re running around like crazy to get our ducks in a row.”

Meanwhile St Joseph County, Indiana is also moving forward. Steve Slauson, Deputy Director of the St. Joseph County Parks reported that the county is applying for funding for the LaSalle Trail. This is the portion of the IN-MI trail that will run from the state line southward toward Roseland. The county applied for funding in 2011, but the application yielded no fruit, and will try again this year.

South Bend is slated to break ground on the last missing segment of the Northside Trail. According to Chris Dressel, South Bend Bicycle Coordinator, the ground breaking will be April of this year, and should be completed before next fall. This segment will close the gap between the trail’s current end near IUSB and the Mishawaka Riverwalk at Logan Street.

For more information, visit the Niles Daily Star, the  IN-MI Trail web site or the LaSalle Trail site. For more information on the Northside Trail, click here.

The Southwest Michigan Plan Commission has just published a map that can help cyclists find the best places to ride.  The map shows the low volume roads that cyclists prefer in green. It also highlights roads with a wide shoulder or bike lane. There’s even a listing of state and area parks with a listing of biking and other facilities and you can download it all from www.michigan.gov/mdot-biking.   At that site, you can also download maps and listings from other parts of Michigan and get loads of information on biking in the thumb state.

Because of their size, the maps are pretty cumbersome to look at on line, so you may want to get a hard copy. By this time next month, the maps should also be in the hands of Michigan bike shops, or you can order them from MDOT for $5.00 each, from the web site mentioned above.

In the meeting, the public will learn about the design specifics, as well as the impact the trail may have on the historic structures in the area, and a projected construction timetable. After the presentations, there will be a public statement session where citizens will be invited to offer comments.

The trail design calls for a 1.21 mile shared use path, 8 to 10 feet wide and some sections of Northside Boulevard will be closed to motor vehicles. The path will approximately follow the yellow line in the above map.

See http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=212168427829578000282.0004818ff1fa948006a56&msa=0 for an interactive map.

Bike to Work Week saw miles ridden in The Corporate Challenge increase to 26,154 from 16,179 (an increase of 74%). Also the number of teams increased to 119 from 111 (an increase of 7%) and South Bend closed off a street so the Bike Michiana Coalition could host an organic blueberry pancake breakfast.

Bike Michiana for Hospice saw the number of riders increase to 475 from 273 (an increase of 102%). Increases are expected again in 2011 since several new features will be added, including a 200 mile route.

Legislation was a mixed bag. A bill to help protect cyclists was introduced in the Indiana Senate. This was a step in the right direction, even though it never got out of committee.

The Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail saw progress in two areas: Niles opened a new section this fall and South Bend neared final plans on another section to be built in 2011.

South Bend received the Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community award, and activities to get to the Silver level are already underway

Additional routes have been added to the South Bend Bicycle Network. At the end of the year, there were 46 miles of bike routes, including 16 miles of painted bike lanes and 12 miles of separated bike/ped trail. The map is on the South Bend website at http://www.southbendin.gov/doc/CED_BikeMap1010b.pdf

South Bend formed a South Bend Bike Committee, headed by Chris Dressel. The first meeting, made up of several civic, business and government groups, was November 17. This committee, which was one of the recommendations to advance the BFC silver level, plans to meet quarterly

A new Bicycle Signage Committee has been meeting. It is part of a larger effort by South Bend called “Powering the New Economy”. Bicyclists are involved with the signage portion of the project.

The number of Safety Education classes grew. In 2009 there were was one class with 83 students, while in 2010 there were five classes with 338 students. Classes are for elementary students.

South Bend City Planners Chris Dressel and Michael Divita have prepared a series of images showing the growth of South Bend’s bike network over the past few years. The illustrated routes include separated bike / pedestrian paths, striped bicycle lanes and signed routes. For more detailed images, please visit the City’s bicycle page.

Reviewing detail plans and completing surveys

The proposed multi-use path that will hug the north bank of the St. Joseph River between IUSB and Logan Street was discussed in detail at a planning meeting on October 27. Residents of the River Park neighborhood and trail enthusiasts met with city officials and the planning consultant to discuss four alternatives, three of which were new since the last planning meeting.

As with any project, everyone sees good and bad in each of the alternatives, and opinions were voiced freely. There seemed to be, however, unanimous agreement among the 41 attendees that the trail would be a great asset to the neighborhood. It will link up with the Riverwalk in Mishawaka, and the East Race in South Bend. It is part of the IN-MI River Valley Trail system which will someday extend to Niles, Mich. and beyond.

Two of the alternatives call for closing a small portion of Northside Blvd. This closure will serve two purposes: 1) eliminate thru traffic on the street, which travels well above the speed limit, and 2) allow a safe place for the trail to switch from the south side of the street to the north. Another alternative would make a short portion of the street one-way, thus reducing traffic, and having a traffic calming effect.

All alternatives will preserve the attractive and historic stone wall built by the WPA during the depression. Some mature trees will need to be removed; final plans will call for planting two new trees to replace each one cut down. The path is expected to be 8 foot wide concrete and to have a grass buffer between the path and the roadway.  The city will not be purchasing any property or easements, as all the property is already owned by South Bend.

Planners rated the four alternatives with a ‘rating matrix’. The matrix graded each alternative on several factors including traffic calming, safety, historic preservation, property values, trees removed, and others. By a wide margin, the alternative receiving the highest overall grade was the plan that would close Northside in two places: at Logan and slightly south of Pleasant Avenue, just north of the stone wall.

The River Park Neighborhood has a web site, where the plans will be posted within the next few days. Additional information on the IN-MI River Valley Trail is also available on-line.

All attendees were asked to complete a survey of their opinions. Planners will take the surveys and the knowledge gained back to their offices, come up with a final plan, and conduct a final public hearing within the next month or so. Funding arrangements have already been made, and construction is expected to begin in 2011.

May is Bike Month, and cyclists are being encouraged with more than just fair weather to increase their miles and activity levels. Months of planning will culminate in two major cycling events. Publicity is being rolled out for Bike the Bend and Bike to Work Week.

Bike the Bend is an inaugural bike ride for Michiana. It is modeled after Bike the Drive in Chicago and organized rides in other cities where streets become car-free for a few hours: cyclists own the streets. This event, which is ideal family fun, takes place on Sunday, May 23.

Bike to Work Week is an annual event that has grown each year in Michiana. Riders are invited to join teams, usually organized around their workplaces, and enjoy friendly competition with other teams. The week features two special events where cyclist gather in downtown South Bend to enjoy camaraderie and some good eats. Bike to Work Week  takes place from Monday, May 24 through Friday, May 28.

Biking infrastructure is improving too, as South Bend Mayor Stephen Luecke has announced over 10 miles of new city bike routes in 2010. And the Bike Michiana Coalition has purchased new portable bike parking racks to be set up for special Michiana biking events.

Bike to work week features a kick-off lunch at the John Hunt Plaza in downtown South Bend on Monday. Then there is the free-to-bikers organic blueberry pancake breakfast in front of the LaSalle Grill downtown on Colfax. This event was so big last year that bikers had trouble finding parking spots.  That will be solved this year with the new BMC bike parking racks, and the complete closure of Colfax Ave. Get more information at the Bike to Work web site.

Volunteers are needed for Bike the Bend. Along a 30 mile route, virtually all streets are being closed. Traffic at each intersection will be controlled by a police officer and a volunteer. If you are interested in volunteering, get more information and sign up at the Bike the Bend web site. If you would prefer to just ride, you can pre-register at the same site. The fees range from $15 to $30 per person. A family can register for only $40.

Major events like these don’t come about without the full support of business, civic, and government leaders, staff, and volunteers. Michiana is fertile ground for this cooperation. South Bend, Mishawaka, St. Joseph County,  Notre Dame and Bethel College have teamed up with a host of business and community organizations to make it happen. The City of South Bend deserves special recognition, as they have completed 35 miles of bike routes in the city over the past 4 years; another 15 miles are planned by the end of 2011. When the 2010 work is done, a cyclist could begin on Olive Road at the city’s northwest edge and ride a continuous path without leaving the route network all the way to the southern point of York Road. And the cyclist could have several courses from which to choose. For more details,  see the full South Bend bicycling press release at Press Release. You can read the full South Bend Bike Month proclamation at Proclamation, and you can see the full official map of the  South Bend Bike Network here.

South Bend has started a study for extending the existing riverwalk system to the east (21st street to Logan Street) connecting with the Mishawaka trail system.  This extension would expand the riverwalk to nearly 12 miles giving a comprehensive cyclist and pedestrian route for South Bend located along or adjacent to the St. Joseph River, from Darden Road to Logan Street. 

The purpose of the meeting is to hear residents thoughts concerning trail placement and desired amenities.  Lawson – Fisher Associates have been hired as a consultant to conduct the study and assist with the design.  Citizen input is important as it will be given consideration in the final project design. A comment period will follow the meeting with details to be announced.   Approximately $1.4 million in federal funding has been allotted towards construction of the project which is scheduled to begin in 2011.

(Parking available in the lot off Northside Boulevard- south of the school; enter through door adjacent to the parking lot)

This new feature includes: step-by-step bicycling directions; bike trails outlined directly on the map; and a new “Bicycling” layer that indicates bike trails, bike lanes, and bike-friendly roads. The directions feature provides step-by-step, bike-specific routing suggestions – similar to the directions provided by their driving, walking, or public transit modes. Simply enter a start point and destination and select “Bicycling” from the drop-down menu. You will receive a route that is optimized for cycling, taking advantage of bike trails, bike lanes, and bike-friendly streets and avoiding hilly terrain whenever possible.

I tested the new feature, and found it ‘interesting’. The new feature is in beta testing, and has yet to become full featured. I only found four bike routes in Michiana: they were in South Bend and Goshen. Hopefully, Google will expand their inventory of bike routes.

I also had Google find the best route from my home to my workplace. It was a pretty good route…not the best, but pretty good. You can check it out at http://maps.google.com/biking .