Title
Resolution to Restrict Turns on Red Downtown
Body
Whereas, There is significant pedestrian activity downtown and travel by foot, including those using mobility devices, is an important transportation mode in this area;
Whereas, The 2015 Pedestrian Access and Safety Taskforce Final Report recommended the enactment of a “district wide elimination of right-on-red and left-on-red turning movements in the downtown;
Whereas, Ann Arbor’s 2020 Comprehensive Transportation Plan found that “half of all the traffic crashes where a person walking or biking was killed or seriously injured involved a driver failing to yield;
Whereas, From 2017 to 2021 there were 90 crashes involving pedestrians in the downtown core bordered by Kingsley St., State St., Hoover Ave., and First Street;
Whereas, The FHWA notes that, " Prohibiting right turns on red is a simple, low cost measure. Together with a leading pedestrian interval, the signal changes can benefit pedestrians with minimal impacts on traffic. They should be done in locations with substantial pedestrian volume and places where children cross,”;
Whereas, A no turn on red restriction would reduce conflict points at intersections and support other initiatives such as leading pedestrian intervals and cycling infrastructure accommodations; and
Whereas, Continuing to build an efficient transit system is essential for Ann Arbor to better connect people to destinations in the city and across the region and achieve the city’s climate and mobility goals;
RESOLVED, City Council directs the City Administrator to prohibit turn on red movements in the downtown and near-downtown area as bordered by Kingsley St., State St., Hoover Ave., and First St. on streets under the City’s jurisdiction and to the extent permissible by law;
RESOLVED, City Council directs the City Administrator to coordinate with the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority to provide an exemption from these turn restrictions for AAATA buses at intersections that serve multiple or frequent bus routes; and
RESOLVED, City Council directs the City Administrator to provide data on enforcement activities annually, including demographic data which includes race and ethnicity of the driver during traffic stops.
As Amended and Approved by Ann Arbor City Council on October 3, 2022
Sponsored by: Councilmembers Briggs, Grand, and Song