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Resolution to Accelerate Safety Improvements on Multilane Roads
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Whereas, City Council proclaimed its commitment to Complete Streets in 2011 “to promote safe, convenient, comfortable, energy efficient and environmentally sustainable travel for all users”;
Whereas, In 2017, Council directed the City Administrator to develop a work plan to implement Vision Zero;
Whereas, The 2021 Moving Together Towards Vision Zero Transportation Plan has two main goals: 1. Zero traffic related deaths or serious injuries by 2025; and 2. Transition to a carbon neutral transportation system by 2030;
Whereas, Lower car speed is a critical component of Vision Zero, as there’s a 95% survival rate if a pedestrian is involved in a crash with a vehicle traveling 20 mph but only a 10% survival rate when the vehicle is travelling 40 mph;
Whereas, In the FY2022 budget, City Council funded the development of a Vision Zero Transportation Plan Implementation Strategy and Major Streets Traffic Calming Program (Speed Management Program);
Whereas, In January 2023, the City of Ann Arbor received notification that it was awarded a $3.8 million United States Department of Transportation Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant to advance Ann Arbor's Vision Zero transportation plan goals. Grant funding has been awarded to advance Vision Zero Quick Build projects and the Speed Management Program. Projects will begin in calendar year 2024;
Whereas, Streets with speed limits over 35 mph account for 55% of severe crashes but only comprise 15% of all streets within the City and streets with four or more lanes account for 40% of severe crashes but only comprise 7% of all streets withing the City;
Whereas, The Speed Management Program establishes a set of tools that will be considered and evaluated on the City’s major streets to improve safety and reduce crashes, and this program includes Lane Reductions under cross-section modification;
Whereas, There are at least nine multilane roads under the City’s jurisdiction - Stadium Blvd, E. Packard, Eisenhower, S. Main, Ann Arbor-Saline Road, S. State, Plymouth, Huron Parkway, and Fuller;
Whereas, Wide roads encourage faster car driving speeds and are inherently more dangerous for all road users, which is in direct conflict with the City’s Vision Zero commitment;
Whereas, Four-lane roads can create a hostile environment for people walking, biking, and taking transit, thus hindering the City’s efforts to promote a 50% reduction in Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) by 2030;
Whereas, The 2021 Moving Together Towards Vision Zero Transportation Plan calls for evaluating opportunities for lane reconfigurations as a means of making roads safer and repurposing the space for other uses, such as bicycle infrastructure, dedicated transit facilities, or public space;
Whereas, The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) points to numerous safety benefits of lane reductions (aka “road diets”) that convert 4 lanes to 2, with a 2-way center turn lane, including reducing crashes 19-47%, improving pedestrian safety by removing “double-threats” at mid-block crossing, increased opportunity to install pedestrian refuge islands, bicycle lanes, on-street parking, or transit stops, and more consistent travel speeds;
Whereas, FHWA notes that the safety benefits of lane reductions to motorists include reduced rear-end and left-turn crashes due to the dedicated left-turn lane, reduced right-angle crashes as side street motorists cross three versus four travel lanes, and decreases in crashes involving drivers under 35 years of age and over 65 years of age;
Whereas, Lane reductions on Green Road, Jackson Avenue, Packard Street, and Platt Road led to significantly fewer crashes, and the South Main Street (north of Stadium) lane reconfiguration led to an increase of vehicles traveling at or below the speed limit from 42.2% (pre-deployment) to 74.9% (post-deployment);
Whereas, the Federal Highway Administration recommends consideration of lane reconfigurations for daily traffic volumes ≤25,000, a threshold that most 4- to 5-lane roads in Ann Arbor appear to meet;
Whereas, People continue to be injured or killed every year on City roads that are dangerously wide, a significant number of whom could be spared this trauma through a more rapid deployment of lane reconfigurations and other proven safety countermeasures;
Whereas, Council Resolution R-18-275 created reporting requirements to City Council related to lane reductions, some of which conflict with principles and goals established in the 2021 Transportation Plan and serve to slow rather than expedite plan implementation; and
Whereas, In November 2020, City Council adopted a new Transit Oriented Zoning (TC1) District to facilitate infill development and increased housing density along existing transit corridors, with the goal of shifting these corridors from areas one travels to and through by car to places designed for people to safely and comfortably live and visit on foot, bike, or by transit;
RESOLVED, City Council reaffirms the City’s Vision Zero commitment to eliminate all road deaths and serious injuries by 2025 and to transition to a carbon neutral transportation system by 2030;
RESOLVED, City Council directs the City Administrator to utilize the Speed Management Program, as well as the annual resurfacing/reconstruction program and capital projects list, to evaluate opportunities for road reconfigurations and incorporate into the annual capital improvements work plan, with the goal of reconfiguring multilane roads to advance the city’s safety and sustainability goals;
RESOLVED, City Council directs the City Administrator to develop a plan for evaluation of reconfiguring all existing multilane roads under the City's jurisdiction by 2030 for Council consideration as part of the FY2025 budget process;
RESOLVED, City Council directs the City Administrator to partner with the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority and the University of Michigan to prioritize road projects that facilitate the integration of bus lanes, transit priority measures, and/or nonmotorized improvements, such as floating bus stops to protect and enhance bicycle connectivity and pedestrian safety, along busy transit corridors; and
RESOLVED, City Council repeals the following resolved clause from R-18-275 which requires that “in conjunction with any proposed lane reduction proposals, city staff shall provide council current traffic volume data including peak hour volumes and volume-to-capacity ratios as well as projections for safety improvements and traffic delays.”
Sponsored by: Councilmembers Akmon, Briggs, and Cornell
As Amended and Approved by Ann Arbor City Council on November 6, 2023