Night bike ride planned to promote safe bicycling in Ann Arbor

Area cyclists are planning to light up the night on Sept. 15 with a "Lite Bike" evening ride through the streets of Ann Arbor.

The event is being hosted by a nonprofit group called Bike A2. Participants are encouraged to dress their bicycles in lights and come out for a "critical-mass style" ride from 7-9 p.m.

The night will begin at Arbor Brewing Co. in downtown Ann Arbor with a demonstration on how to light up your bike by Wheels in Motion.

Riders will then embark on a ride through the city and return to a beer garden sponsored by Arbor Brewing Co.

The Ann Arbor City Council approved a resolution Monday night to close a portion of East Washington Street for the event.

The plan is to close half a block of Washington in front of Arbor Brewing between Main Street and Fourth Avenue, starting at 5 p.m. and ending at 11 p.m.

The intersection of Main and Washington will remain open during the event.

The mission of Lite Bike is to inspire leaders, business owners and citizens of Ann Arbor to support initiatives that will enable more people to ride bikes more often. The ride also is designed to create awareness around the issue of bike safety, especially at night.

Though there will be a four-mile bike ride through the city, city officials said no street closures are required for that part of the event.

The ride is open to cyclists of all skill levels. Marshals are expected to ensure that riders are compliant with all traffic laws — obeying traffic lights, and only riding two abreast.

The cost to register is $12.

• Go here to register

A special liquor license for the post-ride event is being approved by the city, contingent upon approval from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission.

Musical enjoyment is being provided by The Finer Things and Light Out for the Territory, who will take the stage outside Arbor Brewing. Tree Town Sound's Matt Altruda is the emcee.

There also will be a raffle with prizes from Joshua Tree Products, Moosejaw, Planet Rock, REI, Sonic Lunch and more.

In addition to the Lite Bike event on Sept. 15, the City Council approved requests from Arbor Brewing, Grizzly Peak and Blue Tractor to close portions of Washington between Ashley and Fourth Avenue for Oktoberfest, which starts Sept. 20 and runs through midnight the following night.

Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.