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Garden City adopts regional Safe Streets for All action plan to target dangerous intersections
Summary
Garden City council voted unanimously to adopt a Safe Streets for All unified safety action plan developed with three neighboring cities; the plan identifies priority locations and positions the city to compete for federal and state safety and multimodal grants.
Garden City on Monday adopted a regional Safe Streets for All action plan intended to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries by targeting the city’s most dangerous roadways and intersections.
The plan, developed over roughly 12 months in partnership with the cities of Wayne, Inkster and Westland and prepared by McKenn and Associates, maps priority project locations, pairs quantitative crash data with resident input and recommends funding sources and timelines for safety improvements. "Garden City from 2019 to 2023 experienced 2,086 crashes, including 5 fatal crashes and 34 serious or incapacitating injuries," consultant Ashley Dankowski told the council during a presentation. "Most crashes were occurring on county and state roads."
The council voted 7-0 to adopt the unified plan by resolution. Council member Witt made the motion and Council member King seconded. The resolution directs staff to make the plan immediately actionable and positions Garden City to pursue implementation grants under the federal Safe Streets for All program and other regional and state funding opportunities.
The consultant described the process as a mix of quantitative and qualitative research: five years of crash records, online comment mapping, street walks and roundtables with planning, public works and public safety staff across the four cities. Ashley Dankowski said the regional approach was chosen because key roadway nodes cross municipal boundaries and a joint plan makes the participating cities more competitive for future grants.
Matt Miller, Garden City’s community development director, introduced the presentation and thanked the consultant and the working group of roughly 15 representatives from planning, public safety, parks and economic development. Dankowski told the council the plan organizes recommendations by suggested funding level, probable funding sources and timelines and offers a menu of options so the city can prioritize near-term projects and long-term investments.
Council members asked about next steps. Dankowski said the plan needs to be submitted to the Michigan Department of Transportation this fall; after state review the cities can apply for implementation funding under Safe Streets for All and other programs such as Safe Routes to School and regional planning assistance through SEMCOG.
City staff said hard copies of the final plan would be made available to council members. With adoption in all four partner cities, the plan will unlock a separate implementation funding opportunity under the Safe Streets for All program.
The plan highlights several focus areas, including safer school routes, improved bus-stop connections and expanded nonmotorized trail links between green spaces across the four-city network. The resolution adopted by the council does not appropriate implementation funds; it authorizes adoption of the action plan and directs staff to pursue funding and project development consistent with the plan.
