Week 11: Reactions

I have shared my summer "experiment" with many friends, family members, neighbors, and colleagues, though I have yet to aggressively promote my blog on the web (I would like to do that, ideas welcome!). So, in absence of comments on my posts, I have relied on the (generally) positive reaction I have received when I tell people what I am doing. However, I am beginning to think that my closest friends are tiring of it!

Of all the "needs" for a car that I identified in my initial Analysis (see earlier post) I have experienced the most challenges around meeting the needs of my social life. Over the summer, I have been able to get to lots of great summer events Downtown, in Corktown and Midtown and even out to Belle Isle, Maheras Gentry Park and the "Villages". In many cases, it has been to my advantage to be on a bike, avoiding the traffic jams and parking challenges which my friends in cars face. But my relatives live in the suburbs (granted, a bus and bike ride away), and many of my friends live on the far Eastside, so I have seen them less this summer. I had naively hoped that I could get them to come to me and/or focus my social life within my own neighborhood (neither strategy exactly worked out!) . While getting to the far east or west side of the city on a bike is no issue, it is the return ride home - in the dark and after an evening of imbibing (!) that becomes a challenge. Often, I will cut my evenings short and head home around sunset, or simply try not to overindulge so when I ride home at midnight I have all my faculties (when drivers often do not!).

On a number of occasions, my friends who know that I am on a bike or on foot will offer me rides late at night (in some cases loading my bike into their trunk!). This is very kind and I know is out of genuine concern for my safety, which I, of course, appreciate (and gives me some pause about my own insistence on remaining car free). But just yesterday, after the Detroit Bikes bike launch party at the Old Miami (great event - congrats to Zak and the whole crew!), my friends and I were due at a birthday party in Woodbridge Estates. One of my very kind friends offered that I could leave my bike at the bar and ride over with them (and she would drive me back to pick it up after the party). While I was locking up my bike and negotiating with the bouncer to keep an eye on it, the group walked away without telling me where the car was parked, so I lost them for a few minutes. It was a bit unpleasant, and the first time I got a sense that my friends' patience with my non motorized movement experiment was wearing thin.  We did not discuss it, but I think there may be various issues in play (Perhaps I haven't sufficiently explained my motivations and how I plan to carry these experiences forward in my teaching and research? Perhaps that I am doing this by choice, not out of necessity, and could end it any time (and so it is somehow less noble)? That the growing bike culture in Detroit is viewed by some as positive and cool and by others as obnoxious and self righteous? etc.). As I biked home at midnight (sticking mostly to the sidewalk along Mack!), I contemplated some of the unanticipated outcomes and impacts of my experiment, and how long I will keep it going. 

Week 9-10: I am not alone

Living without a car in Detroit is only new to me - millions do it (have done it) for the last 100+ years of the city's history and since mass production of automobiles began in earnest (and for First Nations and early European settlers, about 1,000 years before that!). Perhaps first due to lack of access (as previously stated, approximately 1/3 of driving age Detroiters do not own a vehicle and of those who do, approximately 60% drive without insurance - according to Vince Keenan!), but increasingly, by choice (a big and increasing percentage of 20-somethings are choosing to live in the city, but not to get a drivers license, or own a car, for numerous reasons: cost, health, personal, ethical, political, etc.). So in the last decade or so since I returned to Detroit, I have noticed that I am not alone on my bike, or walking, or on the bus. This is all anecdotal, of course, and I need to do my "homework" - pursue the hard data (next steps...), but since I began this experiment, I have observed a lot more citizens on bikes - diverse people of all ages, ethnicities, and socio-economic profiles - biking not only for fitness or pleasure, but to commute, to shop, and likely to complete many other "informal economy" transactions (!).  I also regularly see lots of people walking (we do, in many parts of our city, have upgraded sidewalks and handicapped ramps already installed), and of course, many relying the bus (during the few times I have been at Rosa Parks Transit Center, my sense is that the majority of DDOT riders are not urban hipsters! One exception is one of my research colleagues, who lives in Royal Oak, works at the Federal  Building, and regularly takes the Woodward bus to Rosa Parks - convenient, affordable, and stress free!).

So, again, I need to get at the hard data, but for now, here is an incomplete and initial list of the growing New Movement Culture in Detroit including other people and initiatives related to (and supportive of) my 5x8 Project:

• Me: car free since 01 June 2013 (though, I must confess, I have accepted rides to social events beyond the original city limits, and rented a car to get "up north" and to a family wedding over the last three months).
• Bob at Simmons and Clark Jewelers, who moved to Corktown with his girlfriend and has been car free since!
• An Artist in Indian Village who is attempting to live car free with several children (a neighbor of mine told me this - wow!).
• Jeanette Pierce, of D-Hive, another neighbor of mine who I understand has been car free for 2 years!
• Other citizens, who make at least a few trips on bike every week!
• Transportation Riders United (TRU) the original, and still most effective advocacy group for non-motorized and effective regional transportation!
• ModeShift - the "Young Turk" advocates on the scene!
• Detroit Non Motorized Plan - and the experts at Giffels Webster and the City of Detroit who created it and are implementing the bike facilities in it - including dedicated bike lanes and bike racks- fancy ones, popping up all over town and near bus stops.
• Passionate people and groups and annual events: Tour de Troit (started in 2002 with a hand full of bikers and now over 5K participate! This fall marks LTU's 5th anniversary of participation!), Critical Mass, Grown Men on Bikes, DSG's Detroit Bikes, Detroit Bike City (Slow Roll - understand over 600 participate each week!), et. al.
• DDOT/SMART buses - 90% are equipped with front bike racks (!) and are, thanks to advocates above, improving their reliability and performance.
• WSU's Detroit Public Bike Share Study (for the entire city, not just the campus!).
• Zagster - okay, only for Quicken Loans types, but it is still a bike share program with seven locations downtown!
• Zip Car - similarly, only for Quicken Loans and WSU types, but still, it is a start!
• Investors: like Quicken, and Fontinalis Partners (Bill Ford's venture capital firm to fund the future of mobility)
• Lots of downtown bikes shops: Wheelhouse Detroit (the original!), The Hub (home of the outstanding Back Alley Bikes youth "build a bike program"), Third Avenue Hardware, Downtown Detroit Bike Shop, etc. making it easier to buy and maintain a bike!
• Bike Makers: Detroit Bikes (hiring and training locals!), Shinola, Detroit Bicycle Company, et al.

Please feel free to comment and add to this list!

Week 8: DDOT

Okay, I am coming clean. my non motorized experiment has been, admittedly, a bit artificial. My primary need for a car (as with most people in our region), is to get to work. This summer, I have not had to be on campus every day, as I was teaching an online class. Further, I have been easily able to advance my studio[Ci] work from home (thanks to nearby clients and my colleagues willingness to come downtown!). But our final review was scheduled for Tuesday 23 July, and it was time for me to get to Southfield on the bus. After all, thousands of my fellow citizens commute this way everyday, so I needed to understand it.

I, like most architects and urbanists, rely on abstract data (e.g., the somewhat shocking Motor City statistic that 1/3 of driving age Detroiters do not (cannot afford to) own a car) and the excellent advocacy of NGOs like TRU, to explain the spotty service of, and incomprehensible lack of cordintion between, our local (DDOT) and regional (SMART) mass transit systems.  But few of us actually use either as a primary mode of transportation. I began by searching DDOT's website "trip planner". When my web search came up with a 2+ hour one way trip on three separate buses, I called the customer service #! Glad I did, too. I reached a very competent, kind woman, who basically told me not to rely on the website, always call if I want accurate departure and arrival times (!). She asked me what I wanted to do and then advised me to take either the 16 Dexter or the 23 Hamilton ("the scenic route") from Rosa Parks Transit station to Northland Mall Transit Center. I could then bike the x miles to campus from there.

Armed with this info, I was hesitant but committed, and headed out on my bike early on Tuesday morning. My plan was to make the 9:00am bus. Unfortunately, I didn't make it there before a torrential downpour hit the city. By the time I got to RPTC, I was soaked (even though I was wearing excellent rain gear), but was relieved to find the Hamilton 23 parked and several passengers waiting. Next challenge: RPTC does not open until 9am, and I did not have $1.50 in quarters. Luckily, I had just enough time to run inside and buy a Fare Card before the driver began loading the bus.  My next challenge was getting my bike loaded on the front rack. The Driver would not instruct nor help me (probably due to liability reasons), but fortunately, a kind passenger assisted me and taught me what to do.

Wet but relieved, I joined about 5 other passengers on the bus, which made the trip to Northland in just 50 minutes - right on schedule! I rode to campus (biking in Southfield is no picnic - which I will discuss in another post), attended a meeting on campus, worked out, and then completed my afternoon final review. I headed back to Northland around 5:30pm for my trip back downtown. Fortunately, the bleak weather of the morning had transformed into a beautiful summer afternoon. I was running a bit late (was due at my girlfriend's birthday party at 6pm), but was pleasantly surprised to roll up and find a 16 Dexter ready to depart. Great, I thought, a different route and experience on the way home! Again, I had to load my bike without assistance (though the Driver did confirm I had it in the rack correctly) and off we went. This route took a bit longer, was more crowded, but dropped me on the I-75 Service Drive on the corner of Clifford. I had a quick ride to Centaur and the celebration was still going when I arrived! All in all, I had a positive experience and was quite impressed with DDOT service. By the time I biked home, however, I was exhausted - this type of commuting is not easy!

Weeks 5-7 Challenges and Setbacks 3: Grace

I have found that when you are about to lose faith in humanity, something wonderful happens to prevent you from doing so. I, thankfully, was granted that grace the weekend after the theft of my Tassajara.  I mentioned that I had posted my misfortune to our neighborhood NextDoor site. Within a few hours, I had received 11 offers (!) of loaner bikes and lots of sympathy (I live in a generous community!).  Some of these offers were from neighbors whom I had yet to meet. I spent time walking around the neighborhood, knocking on doors, meeting fellow bikers, and finding my temporary wheels. This not only allowed me to meet my needs and commitments, it prompted many of my neighbors to unearth bikes that had languished, unused, for years in their basements. Perhaps more non-motorized movement in the city?

Loaner #1: Thanks to one of my kind neighbors (kept anonymous so as not to make them a target!), I was mobile again on this sweet (coincidentally!) Gary Fisher vintage mountain bike. I eventually had to return the Gary Fisher after a week, but another neighbor lent me a sturdy Trek commuter bike. 

Loaner #2: Another kind neighbor set me up with this Trek. I am not accustomed to riding on this geometry, but sitting upright has actually proven easier on my various injuries. I am very grateful and have been all over the city on this bike!

Weeks 5-7 Challenges and Setbacks 2: Stolen Bike

You know that moment of realization when something has been taken from you? It's like suspended animation: your mind rationalizes that you must have parked it somewhere else, while your gut registers the truth: it's gone. Here is my helmet visor, the only thing left of my trusty Gary Fisher Tassajara, stolen from the Farnsworth entrance bike racks at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). My beloved primary mode of transportation vanished into thin air. Now, I have lived long enough to know that one should not become attached to objects - they break, lose their luster, get lost, stolen, become tedious. But this bike, this bike was truly special to me, not as an object, per se, but because of the 10 years of memories and victories and places that have become embedded within it. Honestly, I wish they would have stolen my car!

Here's the sad story: on Friday 28 June around 6pm, I rode the quick 3 miles up to the DIA to meet my girlfriends for happy hour in Kresge Court. Rain was threatening when I rode up and locked my bike and helmet to the fancy new bike racks outside the Farnsworth entrance. BTW, I have used that particular lock to secure my bikes for over a decade, throughout Boston and in some very sketchy neighborhoods in Detroit. I would have never thought this could happen at the DIA, especially because it was a busy night, with a valet on duty, and lots of people and cars and bikes in the vicinity. I was in the DIA for about 2.5 hours, feeling up after viewing the Ellsworth Kelley exhibit (how can you not be happy after viewing his color block prints?). As I left the museum, I was psyched that it was still light out and wasn't raining.  I was considering my possibilities: stopping at Whole Foods to pick up some groceries, or heading to Campus Martius for Monica Blaire and the Average White Band. I had that light and free feeling you get when you are on a bike - unencumbered by the hassle of finding a parking space for a car. As I rounded the corner, that bizarre feeling of suspended animation washed over me.

I picked up my visor and went back inside to report the theft to DIA security. After a bit of fumbling by an older supervisor, a bright young woman suggested that they call Wayne State Police. To date, I have had no interaction with WSU police, and I was pleasantly surprised when a very professional Officer Setty showed up in less than 10 minutes (unheard of response time in Detroit!). She took my report and very kindly offered to drive me home. Welcome, as by now it was raining hard (how appropriate). I arrived home, posted my trauma on Fb, accepted sympathy from friends, drank a shot of vodka, and cried.

After the chaos and stunned self pity of the Friday night theft, the next morning I devoted to action (which always feels better!): I got photos and my serial number to the DIA (who told me they have security video of the theft) and WSU police (they had already assigned a detective on the case - Inspector Powell), and notified all the bike shops in the city (the Hub, 3rd Street Hardware, Wheelhouse and a new one in EM) so they don't inadvertently buy my stolen bike.  Finally, I notified my neighbors via Nextdoor and appealed for a loaner bike. Their incredible response in my next post...

Weeks 5-7 Challenges and Setbacks 1: Injuries+Accidents

Back to blogging, after a few weeks of reflection. I have faced several challenges to my non-motorized experiment. In an earlier post, I told you about my torn meniscus, but biking actually has been helping me to strengthen my legs (key to rehabilitation) and heal. Advice: remember to stretch after each ride - especially your hamstrings. I think bike commuters tend to forget this, as we don't associate what are doing with exercise! Anyway, I have, unfortunately, experienced a quick succession of accidents and injuries:

• Doing PT for my knee pretty much every day, I got a bit overzealous with my weights and screwed up my back. I have never had back trouble, and did not understand what those who do were going through. Now I do! Yikes, there were days when lying prone on my living room floor was the only comfortable position. Then my Doc prescribed the muscle relaxants - instant and outstanding relief that kept me mobile.
• I was riding home from a meeting in Tech Town, with no particular agenda, so taking my time. As I passed by a Wayne State parking lot, a pedestrian kicked my back tire (hard, like it was purposeful!). I couldn't get my left foot out of my pedal cage and went down, hitting the pavement hard.  The perp didn't stick around to explain his motives, but a good Samaritan helped me up. My whole left side was pretty banged up - leg, left arm and shoulder, and right wrist, all of which broke my fall (and actually protected my bike). As urban bike accidents go, this one was low speed and pretty mild (fellow bikers have shared some pretty heinous experiences - subject of another post) but disconcerting all the same.
• Not feeling 100%, I had taken to hopping up and down the stairs on my right (good) leg. One morning, pre-caffeine, my hand slipped and I came down on my right foot, full weight, on a hardwood tread (so much for the "good" leg!). My fourth and fifth toes instantly swelled up and the top half of my foot went black and blue (not going to post a pic - lots on Google if you wish a visual!). Yet another new experience: I have never before broken a toe. If you have, you know the disproportionate pain those tiny body parts can generate! My Doc (seeing them a lot lately!) said the X-rays showed "in line" fractures, so nothing to do but buddy tape, pound ibuprofen and wait for them to heal. Splints also help them heal straight, but make it harder to wear shoes (fairly essential to bike riding).

I am not especially proud to report on this. While I do not consider myself an athlete, I am quite active and not completely uncoordinated. After this series of injuries, I started to think the Universe was trying to tell me something about my goals! Needless to say, I spend a lot of time elevating and icing, but I remain committed to my experiment. I walk a bit less these days (toes are essential to that activity), but continue to bike, which is actually quite low impact as modes of movement go!

Week 4

This week started out great, with a few big parties and Detroit's annual Fireworks display, but went downhill from there. I, unfortunately, experienced several significant set backs that I am not yet prepared to blog about. I remain committed to the '5x8 project', but will be taking a hiatus from the blog.

Week 4

Walk Miles: 4.5

Bike Miles: 24.27

Other: PT x1

I look forward to your comments on my posts to date. Happy 4th of July holiday!