Street sweeping policy for bike lanes

[John Lindenmayer]

Hi WBWC Friends,

LMB is interested in doing an article about best practices regarding street sweeping/snow & ice removal of bike facilities. As more and more communities adopt Complete Streets, we want to make sure that the maintenance piece is getting included in the community dialogs to ensure that all users can use the roads all the time. Since Ann Arbor is ahead of the curve in terms of the number bike lanes compared to other Michigan communities, I thought I would start with you to see if anyone knows if the City has an official policy that they follow regarding how they deal with keeping the bike ways clean and safe. (i.e. When do they start street sweeping in the spring? How many times a year? Do they prioritize popular bike routes? Are they responsive to community requests for cleaning through SeeClickFix or other outlets? How about in the winter, is there a snow clearing priority for bike lanes? And, mowing and leaf blowing, is there a policy that the City or residents can't leave yard waste on the side of the road?)

Appreciate any help folks can provide. If there is an official policy, I'd would be great if somebody could send me a copy.

Thanks!

John Lindenmayer

Advocacy & Policy Director

League of Michigan Bicyclists

www.LMB.org

(517) 334-9100

416 S. Cedar St, Suite A

Lansing, MI 48912

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[Phillip Farber]

Hi John,

I think I have this basically correct.  Others who follow the list may check me on some of this.

Here's a link to some information on snow removal.

http://www.a2gov.org/government/publicservices/fieldoperations/Pages/SnowRemoval.aspx

If you can figure out how to navigate the labyrinthine city website the information on other aspects it is all there.

Ann Arbor now does not plow for snow events less than 4 inches which creates issues for cyclists. On main arteries, the automobile lane is cleared by motor traffic but the bike lane remains snow covered and loaded with slush thrown from the automobile lane.  While warmer temperatures eventually finish the job in the automobile lane, the bike lanes take longer due to lack of traffic.  When the snow event exceeds 4 inches it is policy to clear curb-to-curb, however an initial pass often excludes the bike lane which is sometimes cleared on a subsequent pass but that may be delayed by a day or so. 

Snow less than 4 inches on neighborhood streets tends to compact because the traffic load is lower eventually becoming hard pack or ice to which the city applies sand.  Consequently many neighborhood streets are dangerous unless ice studded tires are employed.  As the hard pack softens, neighborhood streets become cookie dough for perhaps a day or two making them virtually impassible by bike.

Streets are swept once or twice during the warmer months.  The sweeping is effective at removing most debris from the bike lanes.  

The city forbids raking leaves into the roadway as was past practice now that leaf collection services have been suspended.  If the service is restores service property owners are directed to rake leaves into the roadway on the day of collection.  The impacts bike lanes for a period.

Trash recepticles may not be placed in bike lanes. This policy is widely adhered to though not universally.

I don't have information on prioritization of roadways that include bike lanes.  The city has an online service http://www2.a2gov.org/A2CSR/CSRRequest.aspx and phone service 734-99-HOLES through which one can report potholes etc.  My experience is that the city is very responsive to these reports.

- Phil Farber

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[robert klingler]

How do I report a bike lane maintenance issue? If you encounter a pothole or similar maintenance issue in a bike lane during your ride, please use the online Citizen Request System.  When you make the request, be sure the report it as a "pothole repair" issue in Step 2. f I have a question about bicycling in the City of Ann Arbor, who should I contact? The City of Ann Arbor is dedicated to making bicycling an easy, dependable, and fun way to make trips.  The Ann Arbor Transportation Program Manager is Eli Cooper (eco...@a2gov.org), and any questions or comments about bicycling in Ann Arbor should be directed to him.  wwwa2gov.org  Home > Government > Public Services > Systems Planning > Water Resources > Stormwater Permit > Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping

Street sweeping Street sweeping is an effective method for removing large and small debris and pollutants that collect on city streets. From April-October, street sweeping occurs weekly in downtown Ann Arbor. The remaining streets are swept twice per year, in spring and fall.