Detroit on two wheels

America’s Motor City is now a hub for two-wheeled pedal power.

In today’s Detroit, the automobile takes second fiddle compared to the bicycle.

The Comeback City is now a place of greenways and innovative bike share companies.

Navigating Detroit is increasingly driven by pedals along premier greenways – the International Riverwalk, Dequindre Cut and Southwest Greenway.

“I’ve done it myself, biking up the Riverwalk and taking in the scenery,” Visit Detroit CEO & President Claude Molinari said.

“What we’re hearing is that these trails are a lifeline for the interconnectivity of Detroit. Our region is just getting started providing some of the nation’s best bike paths.”

The International Riverwalk is the nation’s top-ranked riverwalk, tracing the banks of the Detroit River it shares with Canada – including historic Belle Isle, an island park located between the US and Canada.

The Dequindre Cut is a 2.5-mile path converted from an abandoned railroad line, one of the first greenways opened in Detroit.

Additionally, the Southwest Greenway opened in May 2023 after sponsorship from the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy.

It connects Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park, a community space set to open in 2024, with Michigan Central Station, newly renovated and home to Ford Motor Company’s electric vehicle (EV) research teams.

All of Detroit’s modes of transportation are connected via these greenways, making the transportation arteries increasingly important.

Together, the three established trails provide more than 6.5 miles of bikeable paths with access to hundreds of shops, offices and restaurants in Detroit.

Even the very access to bikes has seen innovation in Detroit.

Local rental company MoGo provides a comprehensive bikeshare service similar to Spin scooters.

These MoGo bikes allow anyone to rent a bike on-demand, getting Detroiters where they need to be, when they need to be there.

These bike paths are only expanding, as the 27.5-mile Joe Louis Greenway project is rapidly growing thanks to its award-winning Framework Plan.

This path will connect and expand Detroit’s existing trails, as well as link them to pathways in nearby Dearborn, Hamtramck and Highland Park.

The under-construction Gordie Howe Bridge will also connect to the Joe Louis Greenway in 2025, with bike access linking the United States and Canada at one of the two nations’ busiest intersections.

Detroit’s past might’ve been tied to the gas-powered automobile, but its future is sustainable multimodal transportation.

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