I can't speak to Detroit as a cycling venue, but I can to Buffalo. True year-round cycle commuting in a snowy region seems like an epic accomplishment, but just isn't that big a deal once you've actually done it. First, you should already be a competent urban cyclist. By competent, I mean you should have trained in the practices from Forester's Effective Cycling[1] or a similar resource. Second, prepare your bike and yourself for the climate in your area. Icebike.org[2] is a great resource for this.

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Effective-Cycling-John-Forester/dp/026...

[2] http://icebike.org/

The article says that no one is going to bother enforcing this new law.

Instead of waiting for law enforcement to care, the best thing you can do as a cyclist is give $25 to the MIT Press and read Effective Cycling. John Forester is an engineer with decades of cycling experience.

"Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles"

http://www.amazon.com/Effective-Cycling-John-Forester/dp/026...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicular_cycling