The U.S. Census Bureau has released the 2017 American Community Survey 1-year Estimates. This important release contains data for all geographies with a population of 65,000 or greater.
Please see the link below for notes on this release.
Recycle-A-Bicycle looks for a new locale
The Midland Daily News recently featured an article on the Recycle-A-Bike project of the Tri City Cyclists club. The article can be found here, and explains the project while also indicating that they are looking for a new home, with their current space becoming unavailable soon. If you are interested in volunteering, please see the Recycle-A-Bike webpage here.
Tri-City Cyclists comprises bicycling enthusiasts from Bay City, Saginaw, and Midland, and surrounding areas. Their purpose is to promote, represent, and advocate for safe and enjoyable recreational cycling. They hold rides that provide an opportunity for cyclists of all ages and abilities to experience the wide variety of cycling experiences this region has to offer.
$232,000 in grants awarded throughout Prosperity Region 5
The East Michigan Council of Governments announced today that a total of $232,000 in grants through a competitive grant process for projects throughout the region which further the Prosperity Region 5 Strategy that was developed in 2014. A total of 58 grant applications were received. Twenty-nine mini grants and 6 micro grants (up to $1,000) were awarded. See the press release with more details here.
League of Michigan Bicyclists Announces Safe Passing Law
Via the League of Michigan Bicyclists:
LMB is very pleased that Governor Snyder signed HB 4198, 4265, and 4185 into law on June 29, 2018! Our bills are now Public Acts 277, 279, and 280 of 2018. PA 279 and 280 require motorists to give three feet of space as they pass bicyclists on the roadways. You can read more about the safe passing law and get answers to frequently asked questions on our website.
Although the passage of our safe passing law is a huge victory, there is still plenty of work to do. We must work together to spread the word about the new law. LMB has developed safe passing lawn signs, buttons, and stickers, similar to the image below, that will allow you to show your support and help spread the word to the general public about the new law.
Non-regulatory road signs may not have the desired impact on traffic
Rich Charmoli - Cadillac News
CADILLAC — Would you believe certain traffic signs such as “Children Playing‘ and “Pass With Care‘ have little impact in making roads safer?
Believe it or not, the truth is those types of road signs have little if any of the desired impact on traffic control. Those were just a few of the examples that the County Road Association of Michigan provided to show the difference between what motorists see when it comes to requested signs, such as Children Playing, and required signs such as speed limits or stop signs.
County road agencies in Michigan follow the Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices, a U.S. Federal Highway Administration publication, which outlines required signs such as speed limit signs, curve signs, stop and yield signs, and other regulatory signs, which are the responsibility of the road authority. County road agencies interviewed in the Summer 2018 edition of Crossroads, the quarterly journal of the County Road Association of Michigan, said road signs become ineffective when there are too many.
Read the whole article here:
Non-regulatory road signs may not have the desired impact on traffic
Midland County Road Commission Details 2017 Flood Experience
The Midland County Road Commission has released a “Story Map™” entitled June 2017 Flood - The Midland County Road Commission Perspective which describes the enormous damage inflicted by the flood on area roads and the extensive efforts the Road Commission has undertaken since then to repair that damage. The impressive multi-media presentation utilizes text, video, maps, and graphics to clearly show both the widespread flooding and numerous specific instances of road and bridge damage and destruction. It is available at www.midlandroads.org/flood
Story Maps, from Esri, let you combine maps with narrative text, images, and multimedia content. They make it possible to use the clear communication of maps and geography to tell a compelling story.
Adopt A Highway This Weekend
From the MDOT Media Office and WJSM -
The Michigan Department of Transportation’s Adopt a Highway program will begin its second roadside cleanup of the year this Saturday. MDOT’s Dan Weingarten tells WSJM News more than 2,800 groups statewide are signed up to protect their own stretches of road through Adopt a Highway. They make quite a difference each year.
“Somewhere between 65,000 and 70,000 bags of trash every year,” Weingarten said. “So it’s a huge impact on the scenic quality of driving through Michigan and it saves the Michigan Department of Transportation a lot of money.”
It’s to the tune of about $5 million per year. The volunteers will be wearing greenish-yellow vests, and Weingarten asks drivers to be careful around them. The Adopt a Highway cleanup will run from this Saturday through June 22. Anyone who wants to learn about becoming part of Adopt a Highway can check out Michigan.gov/AdoptAHighway.
Draft Public Participation Plan Available for Public Comment Now
A draft Public Participation Plan has been released by MATS for public comment, until and including the August 7th, 2018 MATS Policy Committee meeting. The document is available for review here, and comments can be submitted just by commenting below, emailing MATS staff, or on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
The MATS Public Participation Plan is the document that describes and guides our efforts to communicate, inform, and alert the public about the various transportation planning actions, documents, and opportunities for input that MATS produces. Public participation is the process by which interested and affected individuals, organizations, agencies and government entities are consulted and included in the decision-making process.
This draft plan is a revision of the document originally approved by MATS' Policy Committee in February 2014, and subsequently revised in 2016. This version adds more specific information about how MATS will post things like meeting notices and documents, as well as how we will gauge the effectiveness of reaching the public through efforts such as our social media pages.
Please take a moment to review the plan and send us a comment!