Below is the expert testimony we gave before Detroit City Council’s Budget, Finance and Audit committee on September 23rd, 2026:
There is a need for more bike parking in Detroit. Unfortunately we don’t have quantifiable numbers, but I hear about it often from bicyclists. It’s also common to see bikes locked to trees or signs.
Some of the biggest need is in our downtown area where local businesses don’t have options for installing bike racks on their property. However, it’s very challenging for them to install racks in the public right-of-way. So why is that?
Detroit has a one size fits all approach to permitting public right-of-way encroachments. The permit requirements for a pedestrian bridge over a road aren’t much different than for a $200 bike rack on the sidewalk. The combined permit labor and fees for a bike rack is around $2,000.
We have been working with DPW to explore how other cities handle this permitting and how we can make it more affordable for local businesses. We expect to bring to Council a solution to this issue in the near future.
That said, the city doesn’t require those permits and can install bike racks just as they install anything else in the public right-of-way.
That’s why we’re supportive of this bike parking budget item. It can help pilot a bike rack installation program, something many other cities have successfully operated for years.
We also helped the city get an additional $5,000 worth of bike racks donated from a local manufacturer. That will help as well.
The timing for this is critical given the recent opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge’s multiuse pathway. Local businesses are seeing a big influx of cycling tourism which is creating even more demand for bike parking.
It’s not just Canadian bicyclists, but from the bicyclists across the region, the state, and the country that are traveling here to ride the bridge and visit Detroit.
CBC Canada published a recent article about this tourism. One business in Windsor’s Sandwich neighborhood said they “can hardly keep up” because of the increased foot traffic in the community. American bike groups coming over are a huge part of their clientele.
Another business said sales have gone up dramatically and that this is the beginning of economic revitalization for Sandwich.
We need to make sure Detroit’s local businesses feel this revitalization as well, and having more bike parking is a very good next step.