Residents urge safer bike routes; flight academy invites community to open house

At the July 13 meeting, two Troy residents used public comment to press for local improvements and community outreach.

Dale Marish presented a revised proposal with prioritized, actionable steps to improve biking and pedestrian safety: beginning with striping existing multi‑use trails so pedestrians and bicyclists are more visible and separated; adding bike‑route signage on Coolidge Highway from Square Lake to South Boulevard; and improving crosswalk signage on Big Beaver near Beach Road. "I'm proposing... the striping of existing multi‑use paths so they're safer for everybody," Marish said, and recommended starting with low‑cost items before pursuing larger projects like converting sidewalks to dedicated bike paths.

Nathan Miller, representing Victor’s Aviation flight academy, thanked the council and invited residents to a "Wings and Wheels" open house on Aug. 22 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., aimed at raising awareness of the academy and offering STEM programming. Councilmember Chamberlain encouraged Miller to share information with the council so members could help spread the word.

Councilmembers responded to the public comments: Chamberlain asked staff to review how proposed bike routes relate to established routes (county or regional plans) and clarified that the city may need to coordinate with other authorities before declaring new official routes. Chamberlain also reminded residents that council rules allow three minutes per public commenter.

No formal council action was taken on the proposals; councilmembers acknowledged receipt of submitted materials and said staff would review and follow up as appropriate.