So I just parked by bike over at the Ann/Ashley parking structure today and saw something I’ve never seen before: all of the moped/motorcycle spaces in that lot were being used!

The reason this is so surprising is because I had been told that these spots are never full.

I’m seeing the same phenomenon with non-motorized bikes.  It seems like everywhere I turn downtown there is a bike parked at a bike hoop, or on a sign, or on a tree.

Now, I’ve not worked downtown before, so perhaps the increase in bikes and bikers happens just like this every summer.  But I wonder if it’s even more pronounced this year because of gas prices.

That’s the problem with observation . . . you can see something, but you don’t really know if it’s statistically accurate or not.

So, I’d be really interested in hearing from folks who have recently started biking to work (either on a bike or a moped/motorcycle) as a result of high gas prices, or for another reason.

You can email me your thoughts at getdowntown@annarborchamber.org