Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Residents urge pedestrian signal at Merrill and Howard, warning moving crosswalk uphill would increase risk
Summary
Neighbors and students urged the Kalamazoo City Commission to install a pedestrian-activated signal at the existing Merrill & Howard crossing rather than relocate it uphill, citing near-misses, bus obstructions and long-term stormwater and equity concerns.
At the March 2 Kalamazoo City Commission meeting, a string of residents, parents and students urged the city to install a pedestrian-activated traffic signal at the Merrill and Howard intersection to protect schoolchildren who use the crossing.
A neighborhood resident summarized the problem bluntly: "25 kids, 4 lanes of traffic, 13,000 cars going 40 miles an hour," and said the safest solution is "a signal that stops the cars," not moving the crosswalk higher up the hill. The commenter said buses exiting a nearby driveway would obstruct drivers' sightlines at the proposed new crossing and that an island refuge could not fit in the proposed location.
Multiple speakers backed that assessment. Austin Shannon said he…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
