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Residents press East Lansing council for simpler traffic-calming steps after speed study finds widespread speeding
Summary
Parents and neighborhood residents urged the East Lansing City Council to simplify the process for pedestrian-safety improvements and step up traffic enforcement after a speed study at Glencairn Elementary showed high rates of speeding. Council members said they would pursue data-driven, long-term fixes and work with neighborhood associations.
Residents from multiple neighborhoods told the East Lansing City Council on June 3 that speeding and unsafe driving near schools and neighborhood streets need faster, clearer remedies.
Carissa Buchholtz, speaking for the Glencairn Elementary School community council, cited an October 2022 speed study and said the city’s data showed 70% of drivers near the Harrison and Northlawn crosswalks were speeding, 15% exceeded 35 mph in a 25 mph zone, and two readings exceeded 57 mph. “We are very pleased to see the three-phase plan laid out by Public Works,” Buchholtz said, “but I urge the council to replace this plan with a simple one-page plan that lists traffic calming options available to the community.”
Gary Mescher and other residents from Southeast Marble urged more consistent enforcement and local solutions such as four-way stops and intersection diverters. Mescher praised a recent letter from the city manager noting that police command staff would dedicate officers to traffic enforcement when shifts exceed minimum staffing, and he said neighborhood volunteers are prepared to keep pressure on the council until problems are addressed.
Council members said they had heard the concerns and would press for clearer data and long-term solutions. Council Member Meadows said the city needs school-specific plans and added that neighborhood associations often mobilize when problems arise. “We have to react to that,” Meadows said, referencing recent public meetings and petitions from Glencairn, Southeast Marble and Chesterfield Hills.
Council Member Altman and Mayor Pro Tem Singh both discussed longer-term infrastructure priorities that affect traffic outcomes. Altman noted the high cost and multiyear nature of moving utilities underground as part of a resilience and aesthetics strategy but said it remains a strategic priority. Singh highlighted a city block-pruning tree program that staff said reduced storm damage in recently pruned blocks, and he suggested homeowners consider pruning private trees to reduce storm-related outages that can affect traffic safety.
Residents and council members also discussed whether techniques labeled “tactical urbanism” – short-term, low-cost interventions – should be combined with permanent measures, and whether enforcement technologies such as speed cameras or automated enforcement could be used. No formal policy changes were adopted at the meeting; council members asked staff to continue compiling data and to report back.
