Ann Arbor Considers Bike Lane Blocking ‘Bounty’

The proposal would award people who report blocked bike lanes a percentage of resulting tickets. Critics say the city must address the underlying reasons for blocked bike lanes first.

1 minute read

November 21, 2022, 8:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Black car parked in bike lane

Ajdin Kamber / Car blocking bike lane

Ann Arbor, Michigan is the latest city to consider a proposed ‘bounty’ for citizens who report blocked bike lanes, reports Ryan Stanton for MLive. The policy, which would award people who submit a report of a blocked bike lane a percentage of the resulting citation revenue, has also been proposed in New York City and Austin, Texas. 

Some Ann Arbor city council members argue the policy would be unfair to delivery workers and other “folks just trying to work” who are the victims of “Planning failures like not requiring drop-off areas for deliveries, creating protected bike lanes without meaningful public input or proper notice of affected property owners, requiring zero setbacks and doing away with parking minimums”—a not-so-tacit admission of the city’s role in creating the problem. City Council Member Erica Briggs, D-5th Ward, says “Solving the problem requires engineering, education and enforcement solutions.”

A recent proposal from Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine would take a different approach in New York that would begin to address infrastructure shortfalls, as another article on Spectrum News 1 describes. “Under that proposal, delivery workers would have access to parking garages to unload and sort packages, some deliveries would be made using larger electric cargo bikes and more curbside loading zones would be added to every residential neighborhood.”

Friday, November 18, 2022 in M Live

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing

The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

7 hours ago - Strong Towns

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14 - Smart Cities Dive

Green Skid Row mural satirizing city limit sign in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents

The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.

July 14 - Los Angeles Public Press