Ann Arbor?

[pooks]

Anybody here in Ann Arbor, Michigan, or familiar with it, especially in regards to biking issues?

[kaian]

I live about 45 minutes Northeast of Ann Arbor, but I went to school there and purchased by bike from a really good shop there. Ann Arbor is a great city!

[pooks]

Cool! I'm a writer and one of the characters I'm writing about rides a bike everywhere (struggling artist, would rather buy art supplies than gasoline). Where's a street that you would consider a likely place for her to get banged up and muddy, avoiding a (gd!) SUV that almost runs over her turning right or something? Some situation where she's clearly in the right but the vehicle hits her anyway? The kind of street where if you saw reference to it, you'd immediately think, "Oh yeah, that's Ann Arbor, I had to fight that all the time!"

I have a friend who lives in Ann Arbor and when I asked her that question, her response was (probably predictably) that the drivers have to watch out for those careless cyclists, yadda yadda yadda! She mentioned State Street as being near the U of M, and " Huron River Drive which is a beautiful, winding, narrow two lane road beloved by serious cyclists. It is my main way home (along with others) and cyclists tend to also think they own the road and ride two abreast. It is almost impossible to pass them even if they are in a single file because the road is so winding. On nice days it is particularly frustrating. "

Do you have anything to add to that?

[withm]

Pooks

I've been thru Ann Arbor a few times, but don't know it that well. My first thought would be Geddes Road. Why don't you play around with Yahoo Maps
http://maps.yahoo.com/
and or MapQuest and see what your road choices look like? Or even Routeslip.com would work.

Some of the map programs will give you not only a map, but an aerial view, or satellite pix. Of course you probably get distracted playing with these websites but you will have fun, and get the info you need.

Martha

PS - I just sent your note to my biking friend in Ann Arbor. If she responds, I'll post it or PM you.

[susan.wells]

There's a local club the Ann Arbor Touring Society that has mapped routes for riding in the area. You might check out their website for futher information.

Susan

[kaian]

Yeah, the campus area is right around State St. People in cars do have to be really careful because there are people walking and cycling everywhere. Some of the buses have crazy drivers. When pedestrians and cycling folk are crossing, I've seen buses come pretty darn close to hitting people. It's the U of M buses, not the public transit. Big blue buses. Main street can get hectic, too with all the shoppers. There's usually a lot of traffic and a lot of people at all times of the day.

Maybe your character could get run off the road by a bus instead? hahaha.

I've heard of a lot of people riding Huron River Drive, but I've never ridden it myself. If you want info on the campus area, I can certainly help you there. Good luck!

[withm]

Pooks - got a response from my friend, and sent it to you via private message. Hope it helps.
Martha

[Cassandra_Cain]

Pooks! I want to read your story, or if nothing else, a little spoiler

[pooks]

Oh! I missed these responses! Kaim -- can you think of anywhere she could get run off the road where she'd end up muddy? She'll have some scrapes, but will mostly be verklempt because her bike got a tiny scratch on it. <g>