Marc Bay has some advice for those planning to ride their bikes across the Gordie Howe International Bridge multiuse path:
Check the weather and maybe pick a day when you don’t have a lot of commitments.
Don’t take his advice as a criticism: He’s a big fan of this new, free option for crossing the Detroit River. It reminds the long-time Michigander of being able to ride across the Ambassador Bridge when that was allowed, when he was 14 or 15, and living in Windsor, Ontario.
But Bay, 62, and a few friends found out the hard way that the unexpected can make your border crossing journey a challenge if you’re walking or riding a bike across the Gordie Howe today.
The group of four traveled on Aug. 22 over to Windsor from Detroit, but when they tried to return to the United States they couldn’t because the crossing was closed. Later they heard inclement weather was the issue.
Bay called his wife who then had to drive their minivan from his home in Farmington to pick up the group so she could ferry them back to the United States. Because although the bridge is open around the clock for cars and trucks, the hours for the walking and biking path are limited − 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with no one allowed to enter after 7 p.m. It's scheduled to close at 4 p.m. from Nov. 1-March 31.
And if the path closes for, say, a weather issue, the path might not reopen before the end of the day.
“People need to be aware that the ability to use the bridge is almost like a gift. And you can’t make any assumptions about it. You’re an unpaid spectator where the cars are paying to go across,” Bay said. “The walkers and riders need to set their expectations that it could be closed at any time and plan accordingly.”
In a statement to the Detroit Free Press, Heather Grondin, chief relations officer for the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, said safety is a top priority for path users:
“Weather and path conditions are monitored, and closures may be required when conditions could affect the safe operation of the path. Each situation is assessed based on the conditions at the time, including current and forecasted weather. Hours of operation may also be affected by border agency operations, scheduled maintenance or emergency situations.”
She highlighted the importance of checking the forecast before using the path:
“Users are encouraged to check weather forecasts for the Windsor-Essex and Detroit regions before travelling and to plan for changing conditions. WDBA provides as much notice as possible about closures and reopenings through its website and social media channels. In rapidly changing weather or emergency situations, advance notice may be limited.”
Bay said he and his friends, who are regular riders, weren’t expecting any problems.
“We just thought we’d ride across the bridge, and if we get rained on, we get rained on,” he said.He described a large group of people waiting to cross to the United States when his group was in Windsor but being unclear on why the path was closed. Eventually they were told the path would be closed the rest of the day.
He said the group went to a brewery and had a nice lunch, and his wife came and got them. It was a tight ride back across the bridge because of the number of people and all their equipment but for Bay and his friends, it wasn’t so bad.
“Not like the last flight out of Vietnam. People have real problems. This wasn’t one of those,” he said.
But others have described more challenging scenarios, trying to find a hotel room for instance.
It’s not clear how many times the bridge path has closed since its Aug. 5 opening because of weather or other factors (we asked for a number but didn’t get a direct response) but it has happened a number of times.
Cycling advocates said they would like to see better communication to avoid potential issues, where folks get stuck on one side or the other without accommodations or ready options.
Karen Dunnam, 69, of Grand Rapids, has been a long-distance cyclist, a city planner and she’s an administrator for the Gordie Howe International Bike Club Facebook group, which boasts about 8,500 members.
She’d like to see a better process for informing path users in advance of a closing and for when the path is reopened. She suspects that part of the issues that have arisen relate to a learning curve with a new crossing between the two countries.
One possible option, she suggested, would be something like what the Mackinac Bridge Authority offers for cyclists there. It’s a shuttle service for riders and their bikes operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week that costs $15. It’s worth noting there is no option to ride a bicycle across the Mackinac Bridge.
Dunnam, who has ridden across the bridge three times, said it was disconcerting to hear in her Facebook group about the various issues with riders getting stuck when the bridge closed unexpectedly. She's described her concerns to Canadian media.
Cyclists, like Dunnam, don’t necessarily worry about adverse weather, so they might not be thinking about weather preventing them from getting back across the bridge.
“I have ridden wearing a trash bag as a raincoat for dozens of miles,” she said of her own experiences, including using bread bags to cover her feet. “Rain is not an issue.”
In other Gordie Howe path news, you can now bring some pedal-assist e-bikes across the path. Here’s what e-bikes are allowed, according to the bridge website:
“Pedal-assist-only power-assisted bicycle models where the electric motor provides power only when the rider is actively pedaling; the bike is not to include a throttle and the motor assistance must automatically cut off when 32 km/h or 19 m/hr is reached.”
Eric D. Lawrence is the senior car culture reporter at the Detroit Free Press, and he also writes about recreational vehicles, boats and bikes. Send your tips and suggestions to elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: When crossing the Gordie Howe bridge on foot or bike, check forecast
