Public urges Ann Arbor to fund Vision Zero safety projects, expand Stadium road diet and reevaluate Miller cycle track

Residents and online callers at the Ann Arbor City Council meeting urged the council to prioritize Vision Zero measures, use city funds for quick-build safety projects, and reexamine the design of the Miller Road two-way cycle track.

Adam Duskevich, calling from the Fourth Ward, said he supports projects in progress such as the Miller two-way cycle track and urged the council to fund reconfigurations or “road diets” across remaining multi-lane segments of the Stadium Corridor as a two-year pilot. Duskevich said the conversion should “include protected bicycle facilities and speed management devices to ensure that drivers do not endanger pedestrians, cyclists, or other drivers.”

Eric Ivancic, calling from the Third Ward, urged extending the Stadium road diet “from Aldi all the way to Trader Joe's,” saying the stretch passes several schools and that “we don't need more studies, we need action.” Ivancic also noted the city administrator requested funds for retractable bollards in downtown closures and asked the council to consider hardened bollards where appropriate.

An unnamed public commenter who addressed Council Member Kathy Griswold asked for a transportation engineer review of a planned two-way cycle track on Miller Road, saying the design includes “90 conflict points” and urging attention to sight-line obstructions. That speaker said the city’s Vision Zero approach should emphasize the engineering component of the policy and rely less on consultants.

Several speakers emphasized driver behavior and education. Jeremy Haley recounted an incident in which someone threw a water bottle that struck his front wheel while he was biking and said infrastructure alone cannot eliminate deliberate or reckless acts by drivers; he recommended enhanced education and driver training.

Jim Acheson, a Fifth Ward resident, cautioned the council that vehicular transportation supports commerce and tourism and urged caution before reducing multi-lane roads citywide. Acheson asked the council to “pause” and study trade-offs, saying many residents believe the city has “overdone it with bike lanes.”

Speakers referenced the Vision Zero framework's core components — including engineer, enforce, evaluate — and urged the council to allocate local funds for quick-build projects if federal grants such as Safe Streets for All are not available. The transcript contains no council motion or vote tied to these public comments during the meeting.