ANN ARBOR, MI — On a recent Sunday afternoon, cyclists riding along Ann Arbor’s William Street bikeway were forced to navigate around bags of garbage and cardboard boxes spilling out of a tipped-over recycling cart.
The cart laying in the middle of the two-way cycle track in front of an apartment building had fallen from its perch atop the thin concrete island separating the bikeway from car traffic, where trash and recycling carts are now set out for pickup.
It’s not the first time such a scene has played out in one of downtown’s new bikeways, and it may not be the last.
Trash and recycling carts — sometimes tipped or otherwise overflowing — are occasional obstacles for cyclists in Ann Arbor’s bike lanes. The Bike Lanes of Ann Arbor Instagram page has documented some of the woes.
With another two-way bikeway under construction on Miller Avenue/Catherine Street and plans to extend the Division Street bikeway four more blocks through a University of Michigan student rental neighborhood, Council Member Ali Ramlawi raised the issue at City Council’s meeting this past week.
“You have a problem with trash cans being knocked over because of wind and cars blowing by, and you have big problems in the bike lanes,” said Ramlawi, D-5th Ward. “And there’s not really a good solution or fit right now for recycling carts and trash carts to be placed and picked up and serviced.”
Ramlawi’s remarks came as council OK’d plans for the Division bikeway extension. City leaders gave no indication of any plans to change the bikeway design to better accommodate trash and recycling carts, such as widening islands, but transportation manager Raymond Hess told council he thinks the buffer space between the bike lanes and automobile traffic is an improvement over the current situation further south on Division where there’s street parking between a painted bike lane and car traffic. Carts there can be more haphazardly scattered about.
Donnell Wyche, a city planning commissioner, called in to explain the situation to council on Monday night, Sept. 19.
“Had you traveled this bike lane with me today, from Hoover to Packard, you would have encountered many obstacles and hazards like trash and recycling cans blocking the painted bikeway, or the idling Amazon delivery truck forcing you to enter the car traffic, putting yourself and others at risk of injury,” he said, speaking in favor of making it a protected bikeway.
‘It’s pretty audacious.’ Trucks blocking Ann Arbor bikeways frustrate cyclists
The Downtown Development Authority has been leading the charge on creating protected bikeways downtown, starting with the William Street bikeway a few years ago, followed by the next two on First and Division, and now Miller/Catherine.
From what the DDA has observed, the recent mess in the William Street bikeway was an exception and carts are typically placed in the buffer, serviced and replaced appropriately, said Maura Thomson, DDA communications manager.
“Unfortunately, there will always be issues with non-compliance, but given the number of carts placed along William, Division, and First, the issues are limited,” she said.
Thomson said she takes the bike lanes into work and has experienced trash and recycling obstacles, sometimes stopping to move carts, and she thinks areas adjacent to housing typically occupied by students may continue to have challenges as tenants change frequently.
While Ramlawi argues the current situation with carts left to balance on thin concrete islands is a failure to plan holistically, Thomson said it’s a balancing act with the new bikeways.
“We are constrained by the width of the street and the desire to maintain adequate width in the bikeway itself and the buffer zone, while maintaining the required width of travel lanes for passenger and safety vehicles,” she said.
MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:
Ann Arbor removing street parking to extend Division Street bikeway
Ann Arbor falls 1 vote short on proposal to consider taking over MDOT roads
Ann Arbor narrowing Huron Parkway lanes to slow down cars
See inside new downtown Ann Arbor condos where prices top $1M
Ann Arbor’s proposed ban on red-light turns downtown raises equity concerns
Ad Choices