The month of May is typically filled with events to celebrate active transportation – walking, biking, and transit. There are national events such as Bike to School Day and Bike to Work Week/Day, regional initiatives like Commuter Challenge, and local opportunities like the annual Roll Along the River bike ride and town center events involving shopping, dining, and art. Basically, May is when everyone leaves the house to celebrate the sunshine with friends, family, and others.
This May is different. Social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19, while necessary, has dampened many of the usual festivities. For example, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge was primed to hold the grand opening of its Welcome Center at Humbug Marsh, but this was canceled due to the pandemic. Thousands of visitors were expected to walk, roll, or take transit to the event.
But, in the face of adversity, people are celebrating active transportation in new and different ways. In lieu of national, regional, or local events, we are doing it at a micro-level – either individually or with our families. For example, Michigan’s Safe Routes to School program has launched Walk and Wheel Wednesdays, a weekly event where individuals or same-household families are invited to be active by spending at least 20 minutes outside every Wednesday by walking, bicycling, hiking, or other outdoor activities. Just be sure to practice social distancing while recreating.
SEMCOG encourages you to take the Walk and Wheel Wednesday challenge, too. To give you inspiration for planning your own events, check out how some SEMCOG staff are enjoying the region’s great outdoors:
My family of five tries to get outside every day of the week, at least for a few minutes, enjoying the shared-use paths, bicycle friendly roadways, and blue ways that Grosse Ile has to offer. My wife and I do solo bike rides, getting in some needed mileage and stress release. Later in the day, we take the whole family on shorter walks and bike rides that often end up at a hiking trail, the water’s edge, or a basketball game in the driveway. When the sun is really shining, out come the kayaks!
Brian Pawlik, Bicycle and Pedestrian Planner, SEMCOG Economic and Community Vitality
Since I live in a high-rise, I don’t have my own outdoor space away from other people. Still, I am fortunate enough to live next to some of our amazing regional trails, which I get to enjoy on my weekly walks with my husband. Our typical route is a four-mile loop down the Dequindre Cut and the Detroit Riverwalk. My favorite part is when we veer off the path to get shawarma from one of our favorite takeout spots. It’s also fun to see the growing variety of ways people like to recreate. There are the typical walkers, joggers, and bikers. But I’ve also seen many people on skateboards, roller blades, scooters, and even electric one-wheels. I hope this trend continues once we’re back to “normal”.
Jenya Abramovich, Planner, Transportation Modeling and Mobility
My wife and I typically work on opposite sides of the state, so we rarely get to have lunch together. During this time when both of us are working from home, we are using our newfound lunchtime proximity to take walks on a few of the many walking paths in Ann Arbor.
These daily walks allow us to relieve some stress from our morning work tasks, keep active, and enjoy some needed sunshine. As the weather warms, our walks will get longer and we may even pull out our bicycles.
Chris Williams, Planner, Plan Policy and Development
Over the last few weekends, our family (my wife, our two boys, and myself) has set a goal of visiting at least one new park or trail each week. Not only has this exercise been enjoyable and brought us all closer together as we take some time to be present with one another, but it has also reminded us just how fortunate we are to have such wonderful access to nature in our backyard. Below is a list of the parks and trails that we’ve visited. Each is wonderful and offers something unique for the curious explorers we all are at heart.
- Lake St. Clair Metro Park – The nature trails and boardwalk are always a highlight, as are the beautiful views of the Detroit Skyline in the distance across Lake St. Clair!
- Belle Isle Park – This is a favorite of ours in the fall and early spring when the foliage is still a bit sparse and you are able to explore the foot trails and maybe even come across a few hidden gems, like a wonderful covered pedestrian bridge!
- Crosswinds Marsh County Park – This regional gem features an amazing mix of boardwalk trails through wetlands and hiking trails through forests and woods.
- Innovation Hills – One of the region’s newest parks, and it certainly lives up to its name! I don’t want to spoil the jaw-dropping aspects of this Rochester Hills park…you need to see it yourself. Hopefully the photo above whets your appetite.
- Blue Water River Walk – It is always a joy to walk the shores of the St. Clair River and see the freighters go by.
This weekend, we are planning to head west and check out the Border-to-Border Trail in Washtenaw County! Maybe we’ll see you there.
Kevin Vettraino, Manger, Economic and Community Vitality
My household of three (two adult humans and one pup), lives in Detroit’s New Center neighborhood, and we go outside at least once a day, rain or shine, to walk our four-pound Chihuahua. Those walks don’t always last very long (again, four-pound Chihuahua) so we supplement by going on longer bike rides, sometimes traveling north through Ferndale, Hazel Park, Pleasant Ridge, Madison Heights, and Royal Oak. We also love biking to Palmer Park to explore the wooded trails and doing a ride-by wave to my mother, who lives just west of the park in Detroit’s University District Neighborhood.
Christina Ignasiak, Planner, Plan Policy and Development
The neighborhoods near me in the Troy and Sterling Heights area have seen what I’m sure are record numbers of walkers, runners, and bicyclists over the past several weeks. My impulse has been to avoid the nonmotorized trails I would normally seek out this time of year, as well as neighborhood sidewalks-simply too many others to zigzag around out there! I have found myself walking in community parks with lots of wide-open space, such as baseball fields and soccer fields. On these walks, I often find it enjoyable to call up and catch up with friends and coworkers. And finally, as the weather has warmed, I am now drawn to biking. I’ve sought out neighborhoods I’ve never biked before, preferably in woody areas or areas with rolling hills. Being a transportation engineer, I also can’t help but use these bike rides as opportunities to check out (and sometimes photograph) recently completed road and bridge projects and perhaps watch a freight train or two rumble past.
Brian Mohr, Transportation Engineer, Data Analysis
I’ve been mixing yard work and garden-building with afternoon runs through my local park for daily fresh air. Some days include a walk with a wagon to the community compost pile for some exercise and garden nutrients. On nicer days, I enjoy two-wheeled rides on my bicycle or motorcycle (hoping not to get caught in the rain!). I’m grateful to live so close to Gainsboro Park in Pleasant Ridge, which has a beautiful and lighted walking and biking path that winds through the neighborhood.
Rachael Barlock, Engineer, Environment and Infrastructure
I have appreciated the reduction in my commute while working from home. I have transitioned from a drive of 25 miles north on I-75 to a walk of under 30 feet from any point in my house. As a result, I also appreciate being about a mile from Erie Metropark. The variety and abundance of birds along the paths at the south end of the park takes me into another world where I slow my pace and make as many little friends as possible. Besides spectacular views of Lake Erie, early spring provides cherished opportunities to enjoy the inland waters and accompanying creatures before the phragmites stalks create their unwanted privacy fencing along the pathways.
Glenda Marks, Manager, Information Technology
I take morning runs in my Northwest Detroit neighborhood, which were also part of my routine before the Stay Home order. There are very few people outside as I tend to go in the earlier hours when it’s cooler, but the most noticeable difference is the lack of automobile traffic. Without the normal rush hour traffic, it’s much easier to cross busy roads.
As a family, we go for walks and/or bike rides around the neighborhood on a daily basis. While the sights and sounds of the neighborhood baseball league are conspicuously absent, the walking paths in our local parks remain safe and fun places to exercise. We almost always come across a few friendly neighbors. Sometimes, it’s just a smile-and-wave, followed the slightly awkward dance of trying to keep at least six feet between us; but we have also had some nice, safely-distanced visits. About once a week, we treat ourselves with a trip to a larger regional park. This has always been a favorite pastime, and our appreciation for these opportunities has only grown stronger lately.
Trevor Layton, Specialist, Communications
Living next to the beautiful Palmer Park, in Detroit, I strive to get outside for one good walk each day. Usually I am by myself, but sometimes I meet up with a friend and maintain a safe distance of six feet. For fun, I’ve been keeping my photography skills sharp by taking pictures of trees each time I walk through the park. The park is more than 276 acres (according to Southeast Michigan ParkFinder®) with both wide-open fields and wooded trails, so there’s a quite a variety of trees to photograph. This might sound a little dull, but it’s actually been a fun challenge trying to find new angles to capture while getting some exercise each day. Due to the large size of the park, it’s also easy to stay a good distance away from others. I recommend giving it a try if you’re looking for a new place to walk and/or run.
Jon Clark, Specialist, Communications
When the weather has been nice, the Friedrich family has seized the day and made sure to get out and explore. We have tried a different place every time so the adventure is always fresh and new. Our adventures have included Lake Erie Metropark, ITC Lower Rouge Trails, Maybury State Park, and Kensington Metropark. We have also gone for family bike rides, walks, and roller-blading trips. Our three kids have also kept active by running together through our neighborhood. That has been good for all of them physically, as well as another opportunity to bring them closer together. We have really appreciated this time with our family, and I believe all these shared steps add up to making the most of our time together. We plan on having more adventures as we look to create lasting memories that our kids will remember long after this time of quarantine is through.
Nick Friedrich, Graphic/Web Designer, Communications
So the next time you are feeling blue, try to get out and do something new. While COVID-19 has dampened some opportunities, it has opened up many more. Just be sure to practice social distancing while recreating.
How are you celebrating the great outdoors and active transportation in your corner of Southeast Michigan? I’d love to hear from you.
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