Bubbles for Bike Lanes is an ongoing performance project that explores the relationship - and contends with the tension - between car centric urban design and bike commuting in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The idea began as an absurdist protest: Attach a bubble machine to my bike and ride on East Stadium Boulevard in rush hour traffic, with a trail of bubbles behind me, until the City of Ann Arbor builds protected bike lanes. Bicyclists/bike lanes are often seen as a nuisance on our roadways by drivers, instead of a valid part of our overall transportation system. I use bubbles to flip this dynamic. Bubbles ask: How could our commutes be not just safe but also fun, joyful, even silly? And why do we accept anything less from our built environment?

By bringing bubbles to unexpected locations, like a traffic-filled 5 lane road, brave bubble riders disrupt otherwise mundane commutes. The bicycle (and bubble machine) become a source of whimsical delight to drivers, children in carseats, pedestrians and other bike riders. The bubbles make the bike riders more visible in a system that would prefer not to share the road.

The project is part critical mass, part interactive street performance, and part protest against the car centric design. But more important than that, it creates moments of community joy everywhere we ride. People of all ages yell "BUBBLES!" when they spot a Bubble Ride. When I park my bike and leave the bubble machine on, kids flock to it. People ask me, "Are you the bubble lady?!"

There is potential for scaling this project. Last summer I put a Library Lawn Code on my Bubble Bike and road it around town. By August the code "BUBBLE RIDE" had over 1300 entries. I am in the process of developing my own bubble machine, designed specifically for bikes. I have potential funding for that project already.

I've hosted 5 Bubble Rides so far with more planned for 2026's warmer months. My goal is to host a monthly bubble ride (or more!) from April - October.