Ride of Silence

(Kalamazoo Gazette file photo)

DETROIT - City and state officials plan to hold a public meeting this week on a proposal to add protected bike lanes to a stretch of Michigan Avenue.

The meeting with city planners and state transportation officials is scheduled for 4-7 p.m. Thursday at UAW Local 22, 4300 Michigan Ave.

The Michigan Avenue pilot project would add protected bike lanes between Livernois and Cass avenues, connecting the Livernois bike pathway with the planned Cass bike pathway.

Central to the idea is the prospect of moving existing bike lanes adjacent to motor vehicle travel lanes to the inside portion of the parking lane, allowing bicyclists to ride next to the curb.

The proposal comes amid a recent spike in safety concerns for non-motorized vehicle traffic on Michigan roadways.

A June accident in Kalamazoo took the lives of five bicyclists and left four others injured, inspiring the introduction of legislation that would expand existing law to create harsher sentencing guidelines for crimes in crashes that cause serious physical injury or death to "vulnerable roadway users."

Staff from multiple city departments with an interest in the project, including Public Works, Traffic Engineering, Planning and Development and Neighborhoods, are scheduled to attend the open-house style meeting.