06/08/2026
CRLI CLIENT'S ADVOCACY LEADS TO NEW ORDINANCE INCREASING ACCESS FOR DISABLED CYCLISTS ON MACKINAC ISLAND
Recently, the City of Mackinac Island enacted a new ordinance, making the Island more accessible to people with disabilities. The ordinance will allow individuals with mobility disabilities to bring their Class 2 e-trikes as well as Class 1 e-bikes and trikes to Mackinac Island, increasing their opportunity to enjoy the Island to the same extent as people without disabilities. (See https://www.cityofmi.org/media/1676 ). The new ordinance comes as a welcome change to disability rights advocate Beth Hudson, who has been calling for this change for several years with support from the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative at the University of Michigan Law School.
“This change to the ordinance will now allow those of us with disabilities who require Class 2 e-cycles to cycle on the Island,” said Ms. Hudson. “My thanks go to the residents of Mackinac Island for educating themselves about implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act. I am looking forward to cycling on their beautiful Island!”
Mackinac Island generally prohibits motorized vehicles on the Island during the summer. After a 2003 lawsuit against the Island for banning all e-cycles from the Island, the City created an exception to its ban. This exception allowed people with disabilities to bring Class 1 e-cycles, which provide motor assistance only when pedaling, to the Island. The new ordinance expands this exception and allows certain cyclists to bring Class 2 e-tricycles, which use a throttle to help the rider pedal, to Mackinac Island.
For many cyclists with disabilities like Beth Hudson, cycles without a throttle are nearly impossible to use safely and independently. Ms. Hudson is a retired teacher who, following a motorcycle accident in 2017, had one of her legs amputated below the knee. Following her injury, she became an avid cyclist, traveling to cycling destinations to use her adaptive electric tricycle. Knowing Mackinac Island is a cyclists’ haven, Ms. Hudson planned a trip to the Island in August 2023. Before her visit, she asked for a reasonable accommodation to bring her Class 2 e-trike to Mackinac Island. The City of Mackinac Island denied her request. Rather than give up or file a lawsuit, Ms. Hudson worked to convince the City to change its mind.
In May 2024, the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative (CRLI) sent a letter to the City on behalf of Ms. Hudson requesting the City change its policy to better accommodate cyclists with disabilities and to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Michigan Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act, which require that all cities make reasonable accommodations for disabled individuals. (See https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Cs4zusOuhaMExsTQuHh8Ys4CSA3s4xuo/view ). Over the past two years, the City of Mackinac Island has worked with CRLI to revise the e-bike ban and amend the ordinance to permit people like Ms. Hudson to bring their Class 2 e-trikes to the Island.
Those seeking to bring their Class 2 e-trikes to Mackinac Island should submit an application to the Mackinac Island Police Department at least two weeks before their planned trip to Mackinac Island. (See https://www.cityofmi.org/media/1681 ). Once the application is approved, visitors should be prepared to present their approved application to the ferry companies to obtain a special tag for their e-cycle. Applicants may also be required to transport e-bike batteries in a fire-resistant storage bag while on board the ferries. More information on the application process and requirements can be found on the City of Mackinac Island website: https://www.mackinacisland.org/e-bikes/ More information on ferry requirements for transporting e-cycles can be found here: https://www.arnoldtransitcompany.com/e-bike-policy/
If a visitor’s application is denied, they have the right to appeal it to the City’s Chief of Police.
In extenuating circumstances, people may apply in person with the City’s Police Department on the Island. On-site applicants must be prepared to complete an affidavit, or a document swearing that they need the accommodation.
“People with a disability have the right to enjoy the same amenities, like cycling on the Island, as everyone else,” says Laura Greer, one of the CRLI student attorneys working with Ms. Hudson. “The new ordinance allowing Class 2 e-trikes is a meaningful step towards making Mackinac Island accessible for everyone. We greatly appreciate the City’s willingness to collaborate with us to make this change.”
In addition to the new rules governing electric cycles, the Americans with Disabilities Act requires the City to discuss alternative accommodations for those whose disabilities prevent them from safely and independently using Class 1 e-bikes and e-trikes or Class 2 e-trikes.
In addition to Ms. Greer, Ms. Hudson is represented by CRLI student attorney Sophia Grant and Professor Michael J. Steinberg, director of CRLI.
