Ann Arbor council directs proactive enforcement, engineering study to keep bike lanes clear

The Ann Arbor City Council unanimously approved a resolution (DC 3) on Feb. 18 directing city staff to develop a proactive enforcement plan, collect data, and identify engineering solutions to reduce obstructions in designated bicycle lanes.

The resolution, moved by Council Member Eckman and seconded by Council Member Kornell, asks the city to create an enforcement strategy that targets high-frequency obstruction areas, produce metrics to track progress, and deliver quarterly reports to council. It also calls for a public education and outreach plan to promote awareness of bike-lane rules.

Public comment and council rationale: Multiple residents urged stronger action. Brandon Dimchuff, who identified himself as a Ward 4 resident and frequent cyclist, described repeated close calls from cars and delivery vehicles blocking the Packard bike lane and said "we absolutely have a safety problem here." Adam Duskevich (caller from the Fourth Ward) urged coupling proactive enforcement with engineering solutions and recommended the city pilot data collection to target resources.

Supporters on the dais framed the measure as safety and climate policy. Council Member Eckman said enforcement will be "focused on some of the areas that are most egregious" and asked staff to recommend engineering changes to make illegal parking physically harder. Council Member Watson highlighted past city education efforts that improved driver compliance at crosswalks and urged that outreach be combined with enforcement.

Outcome: DC 3 was approved; council directed staff to report back with an enforcement plan, data-gathering procedures, outreach materials, and quarterly effectiveness reports.