DETROIT – Cyclists are fed up with drivers parking in bike lanes all over Metro Detroit.
The latest complaints are from Detroit’s Grandmont Rosedale neighborhood.
The bike lanes were installed in 2019 on West Grand River between Woodmont Ave and McNichols.
“To them that’s VIP parking,” said cyclist Darryl Fuller. “Normally I go on the sidewalk or out in the street and say the same thing: ‘You need the bike lane, too.’”
Darryl’s lived in this neighborhood for 20 years and he’s not the only one complaining.
“When we’re in these community meetings, residents want solutions,” said Mike Randall, the executive director of Grandmont Rosedale Development Corp. “In the past, when it comes to maintenance of the streetscapes, unfortunately there aren’t a lot of answers. When we’re looking at who’s responsible when it comes to Public Works, Wayne County, to MDOT, who is responsible when it comes to maintenance? Unfortunately, it’s finger-pointing,” Fuller said.
The issue gets complicated because West Grand River in Grandmont Rosedale falls under MDOT.
But the state says the city is responsible for maintaining the bike lanes.
“The number one solution in the immediate term would just be basic maintenance, making sure they’re repainted, cleaned properly and free of debris,” said Randall. When pressed on how that would stop drivers from parking in bike lanes, Randall said: “Maintenance is a big thing, but also enforcement; we need enforcement on Grand River, not just for illegal parking but also the speeding.”
Daryl has heard all of this before. “All I can do, because it’s so often, and I don’t want to be upset every day, and this is every day, so if they’re out there ‘oh you need the bike lane too and go on around’” he said.
Next week, Detroit Police say they’re planning to deploy officers to patrol this stretch of Grand River on foot and issue tickets to anyone parked illegally.