Royal Oak weighs shrinking 11 Mile in favor of bike lanes, street parking, and a left turn lane

Royal Oak weighs condensing lanes on 11 Mile

The city is aiming to help shrink congestion by reordering the lanes on 11 Mile, one of the arterial roadways through the downtown.

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (FOX 2) - The City of Royal Oak will hold a public hearing on Tuesday night regarding proposed changes to 11 Mile Road.

The traffic committee meeting is at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. It's open to the public, and anyone is able to attend and speak during public comment.

Big picture view:

Royal Oak is looking to change 11 Mile Road between Woodward and Stephenson Highway, running through downtown. 

The number of lanes could be condensed for new bike lanes, street parking, and green space. However, the main purpose of the project is to incorporate left turn lanes throughout the corridor.

"We want to take some of that left-turn lane blockage which you get right now - which is just adding to the congestion - and kick that to the left-turn lane so you can keep the outer lanes moving," Royal Oak City Manager Joseph Gacioch said. "By doing that, you free up usage for the outer lanes."

If approved, the project would start in 2027, aided with $2.3 million in outside funding. 

Local perspective:

The renovation would be a welcome change for some cyclists.

Ronaldo Ramirez, of Royal Oak, told FOX 2 that she would like to see some bike lanes added. 

"That would create space. It would be much more convenient than an inconvenience, I’d put it that way," Ramirez said.

However, not everybody is a fan of the proposed changes.

"It's bad because there is a public bus driving 11 Mile," said Svitlana. "And the bus is pretty big."

What's next:

The traffic committee will see the results of a traffic study and vote on the recommendation to change 11 Mile Road. The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. at Royal Oak City Hall. It's open to the public, and anyone is able to attend and speak during public comment.

Their recommendation will go before the city commission at the June 23, 2025 meeting.