Sterling Heights unveils Vision Zero safety plan, outlines Ryan Road changes and citywide traffic-calming pilot

Sterling Heights officials presented a comprehensive transportation safety action plan to the City Council on March 17, detailing neighborhood traffic-calming pilots, a proposed multi-segment redesign of Ryan Road and near-term grant applications aimed at reducing serious and fatal crashes.

The plan, completed by consultant Hobelroth & Clark with local task-force input, adopts a “safe system” approach and sets a long-term target of eliminating serious and fatal roadway crashes by 2050. City Manager Mark Vanderpool and City Engineer Brent Bayshaw told the council the initiative is data driven, targets intersections and high-crash segments the city controls, and integrates engineering, enforcement and public engagement.

The plan grew out of a $500,000 Safe Streets for All grant used to complete the study, Vanderpool said. Consultant Leah Michaels told the council the study’s public outreach gathered more than 560 citywide safety comments and about 330 mapped location‑specific responses; a separate Ryan Road visioning survey drew 33 responses. Citywide crash data reviewed in the plan show roughly 4,200 crashes per year across Sterling Heights, with an average of just over six fatalities and about 34 serious injuries annually.

Ryan Road was identified as a high-crash corridor. The study found, on average, more than 200 crashes per year on the corridor, about 0.8 fatalities per year and roughly 2.5 serious injuries per year over the five‑year review. The task force proposed cross‑section changes that vary by segment: south of 18 Mile Road, a boulevard with two travel lanes each way, a center median and 10‑foot shared paths on both sides; north of 18 Mile, a three‑lane cross section with one lane each way plus a center left‑turn lane and continuous 10‑foot paths, adding medians in places where left turns are not needed.

Bayshaw and Michaels described the Ryan Road redesign as modular and phased. The city plans three phases: (1) 14 Mile Road to Metro Parkway; (2) Metro Parkway to 18 Mile Road; and (3) 18 Mile Road to M‑59. Officials said each phase can stand alone for grant applications and construction.

City staff reviewed pilot projects installed in 2024: speed cushions on Broome Drive, center islands on Pond View Drive, pavement markings on Viceroy and bike lanes on Plum Brook Road. Bayshaw said pre‑ and post‑installation speed counts on Plum Brook showed a 2 mph reduction in average speeds and a substantial drop in the proportion of vehicles traveling at extreme speeds. He said resident feedback on Broome’s cushions has been ‘‘overwhelmingly positive.’’

The presentation included school‑area work carried out with Utica Community Schools. Bayshaw cited curb bumpouts, push‑button pedestrian signals (RRFBs) and lighting added near Stevenson High School. Utica Community Schools Superintendent Bob Monroe was quoted in the city presentation: “These changes at Stevenson High School greatly increase the safety of our students as they begin and end their day at school.”

Deputy Chief Dave Allen described how the police department will intake and triage traffic complaints through an online portal and a public-facing dashboard. He said the department currently receives complaints through SeeClickFix, web forms and phone calls; the new process will standardize reporting, apply a scoring criteria, and present status updates to residents via a dashboard.

Planned 2025 actions described to the council include modernization of 14 traffic signals in cooperation with Macomb County, installation of speed cushions on Fox Hill and Hillsdale, curb extensions near Washington Square Park, medians added during a 17 Mile resurfacing project, a multi‑year effort to plant 15,000 street trees, RRFBs at Shaner/Haive Elementary, and pedestrian‑safety improvements at Hayes Road and 18 Mile Road. The city said it will seek SS4A (Safe Streets for All) demonstration and implementation grants and apply to the Highway Safety Improvement Program for projects such as Salt Road pedestrian improvements and a project at Utica Road/19.5 Mile Road and Triangle Drive.

Councilmembers pressed staff on maintenance and measurement. Councilmember Mary Koski asked whether delineators and pavement markings installed on Plum Brook would survive winter plowing; Bayshaw said the pilot helps answer maintenance questions and that some delineators are removable for winter. Councilmember John Radke asked how long post‑installation speed monitoring will continue; Bayshaw said the task force will set a reasonable multi‑year monitoring period and that the city is scheduling post‑installation counts.

Several council members raised design questions: whether pedestrian bridges are being considered (Bayshaw said all pedestrian improvements are on the table), how heavier electric vehicles change crash forces (Bayshaw said vehicle design, post‑crash care and evolving vehicle safety features are part of the ‘‘safe system’’ approach), and whether protected, separated bike facilities would be provided where space allows (multiple councilmembers urged separation where feasible).

Vanderpool told the council that a critical agenda item (labeled Item H in the packet) would allow the city to qualify for federal implementation grants. He also noted the city has historically been competitive for road grants and cited an upcoming $10 million Clinton River Road reconstruction project that will incorporate safety features from the plan.

Why this matters: Sterling Heights’ plan targets frequent, local causes of fatal and serious crashes and ties design changes to grant funding and a continuing task force. Council members emphasized measurement and maintenance; staff said pilots and grant awards will guide which temporary measures become permanent.

What’s next: staff said they will post project materials and the safety action plan on the city website under a Vision Zero page, continue community outreach—especially along Ryan Road—and pursue SS4A and other federal grant rounds for construction funding. Task‑force members present at the March 17 meeting invited further community input through the portal and public meetings.

Speakers quoted in this article are identified in the council meeting transcript and are listed in the speakers section below. Direct quotations are reproduced verbatim from the meeting record.