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Advocates urge Ann Arbor to deactivate flashing yellow turn arrows and fund quick-build road safety projects
Summary
Members of the public and transportation commissioners urged the city to deactivate certain flashing yellow turn arrows at pedestrian crossings until hardware and software fixes are complete and to appropriate local funds for quick-build safety projects, including reconfiguring multi-lane sections of Stadium and Maple.
Transportation and safety advocates told the Ann Arbor City Council on May 5 that intersections with flashing yellow left-turn arrows remain dangerous for pedestrians and should be temporarily deactivated until permanent fixes are installed.
Peter Houck, speaking as a member of the city's Transportation Commission, said staff has converted 17 of 26 intersections with flashing yellow arrows so those arrows cancel when pedestrians are present, but several remaining intersections require new hardware, software or coordination with the University of Michigan or MDOT. He singled out Huron and Division, where he said a pedestrian was seriously injured the prior week.
"Deactivate these remaining flashing yellow arrows right now to protect public safety," Houck told council, asking Administrator Dehoney to support staff in removing roadblocks.
Separately, Adam Goodman presented a petition of roughly 300 signatures calling on council to allocate local funds for two-year quick-build pilot projects to reconfigure multi-lane sections of Stadium and Maple as part of an urgent Vision Zero strategy. Goodman said a Safe Streets for All federal grant the city expected was effectively frozen, leaving the city with no local quick-build line item in the proposed budget; he asked council to bring forward amendments to appropriate local funds.
Both speakers framed the requests as urgent public-safety measures. The comments were delivered during public hearings and public comment; no council action to deactivate signals or to reallocate funds occurred at the May 5 meeting.
