Traverse City Record-Eagle

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    PEDESTRIANS
July 16, 2009

City officials talk the walk

BY Sheri McWhirter

TRAVERSE CITY -- Several strides have been made by Traverse City over the years to become a more "walkable" community.

The city's created a myriad of crosswalks and bicycle paths to help pedestrians and bicyclists get around town. But moving about without a car still isn't as safe as it could be, officials said, so the city will press state lawmakers to tweak Michigan's traffic laws to improve safety and convenience for walkers.

"The existing law is pedestrians must yield to motorists in all cases, except when a pedestrian is in the pathway of a motorist," city planner Russ Soyring said. "You might even get the walk sign in a crosswalk, but if the pedestrian is not in the path of a vehicle, the motorist does not have to yield."

Soyring wants the state to make it a requirement for drivers to stop for pedestrians in a marked crosswalk, a rule that currently isn't on the books. That means drivers now can travel through a crosswalk, even with someone crossing the street, if they can do so without hitting the pedestrian.

It's been a problem for Janet Fleshman, a frequent walker around town.

"Even when we're walking on a sidewalk at a stoplight, at Cass and State for example, frequently motorists turning right or left do not yield to pedestrians," she said. "Motorists need to pay attention to more than other motorists."

City commissioners approved a resolution this month to request state officials amend the state's Motor Vehicle Code and Uniform Traffic Code in that and other areas, plus generally make state laws and regulations more pedestrian friendly.

"I think we have to work on this at all levels," said Chris Bzdok, city commissioner and mayor pro tem.

Trying to update state laws to improve pedestrian safety is worth the effort, and so are local infrastructure improvements, he said.

More crosswalks across town, slower vehicular traffic speeds on major corridors and traffic calming measures on local streets would help improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, Bzdok said.

"If we could slow them down to the posted speed limits, that would be an improvement," he said.

Officials also hope to change rules for crosswalks and mid-block crossings without a marked crosswalk. For example, the red and white signs at many existing crosswalks tell motorists to stop for pedestrians there. But there's no state law to support those signs, Soyring said.

"I would like to make those signs legal," he said.

Not everyone finds it hard to walk around the town.

Traverse City resident Charles Ulrich often finds motorists do yield to him while he's walking along city sidewalks and at intersections or crosswalks.

"Cars do stop and motion you across the street. It shows a small town atmosphere when motorists yield to pedestrians," he said.

Regardless, pedestrians and bicyclists should be on the defensive and recognize the danger of an encounter with an automobile, he said.

Another change Soyring wants to see is to allow pedestrians to cross local residential streets when vehicular traffic is not present, such as walking across the street to a neighbor's house. Currently, the law requires pedestrians to walk to the end of the block to cross at an intersection, marked crosswalk or not.

"Let's legitimize human behavior that seems reasonable and safe," Soyring said.

Vehicle accidents with pedestrians occur "infrequently," said city police Capt. Steve Morgan. Between 10 and 12 such incidents happen each year, mostly causing minor injuries. But there was one fatal accident last year on Grandview Parkway, Morgan said.

"I think that pedestrian safety is always a priority and anything that would promote the safety of pedestrians when in close proximity to motor vehicles would be a good thing," he said.

Aides for state Rep. Wayne Schmidt and state Sen. Jason Allen, both Traverse City Republicans, said the two lawmakers are likely to sponsor legislation regarding pedestrian safety improvements.

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