There's got to be a law

[Willy]

One of my pet peeves that happens this time of year is when people put leaves and debris in the bicycle lanes on the roadways for pickup. This is most flagrant on Lake Shore Drive. Why not put the leaves near the curb off the road. If there is a sidewalk the leaves can be stored between the house and curb. The truck that picks up the leaves can reach over the sidewalk with it's vacuum hose.  When the leaves are wet they get mushy and slippery which could be a hazard and the fact that a bike must veer into the road to avoid the piles can cause be the cause of an accident. I'm sure there is a law against this practice but I could not locate it in the MDOT web page

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[XLFD]

Good point.  I am surprised I haven't carped on this before as it presents a hazard to all traffic: foot, bicycle and motorcycle motorist.  These are not technically bike lanes, just highway shoulders so they are still considered part of the highway by the definition of "shoulder" in the Michigan Vehicle Code. 

Foot traffic:  The residences on the west side of M-116 (Lakeshore) all have decided that they have too expensive of a property to bother with putting the mandatory sidewalks in.  Instead they have put up fences and other barriers to make it so that people have to walk on that shoulder rather than off the highway, up a curb.  This is dangerous when there is no leaves around, extremely dangerous this time of year.

Bicycle traffic:  Besides having to weave in and out of the highway, if a bicyclist does hit one of these leaf clumps they could easily go down, easily get a stick in their spokes, etc.  Liability may be shared with both the person who raked the leaves there and the municipality that decided it wasn't an issue.

Motorcycle traffic:  By Willy's pictures, you can see the leaves extend well into the road and wet leaves could easily  make a motorcycle go down just like a bike. 

Motorist traffic:  Willy's first picture shows a car getting into the turn lane to avoid these piles.  Under bad conditions a motorist may not see these piles and suffer major damage by running into a pile like pic 3 shows.

 

If you need a law to point to that shows this is illegal behavior, you need go no farther than the MVC, at MCL 257.676b : 

(1)   A person, without authority, shall not block, obstruct, impede, or otherwise interfere with the normal flow of vehicular or pedestrian traffic upon a public street or highway in this state, by means of a barricade, object, or device, or with his or her person. This section shall not apply to persons maintaining, rearranging, or constructing public utility facilities in or adjacent to a street or highway.

(2)   A person who violates this section is responsible for a civil infraction.

 

[Willy]

X.

Somehow I knew you would find the answer. I always thought the white lines along a road were to mark off bike lanes. Do you know What or who designates a section of the road as a "bike lane"? Another point you bring up and I'm am surprised that I never noticed it before is how close power poles, fences and gates, bushes and other obstruction are to the curbs on the west side of Lakeshore Drive. Thanks for posting that link.

[XLFD]

Bike lanes only differ from most shoulders in that they have markings which identify them as bike lanes.  The only bike lanes in the area are between Rath and Lakeshore Drive on Bryant Road.  Interesting factoid: the bike lane there was mandated by the state MDOT in order for them to OK funding for the circular multi-use paved trail put into Cartier Park in 2005.  

Even though I am an avid bicyclist, I find bike lanes redundant, and just another reason for motorists to dislike bicyclists.  Unlike a road shoulder, if you have to pull off the road and block a bike lane you are committing a misdemeanor offense.