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Mount Clemens staff urge adoption of downtown safety action plan to pursue FHWA SS4A and other grants
Summary
City staff presented a downtown safety action plan prepared under an FHWA SS4A grant, citing 2,340 citywide crashes (2020–2024) and 313 downtown crashes; they asked the commission to adopt the plan by Oct. 30 to pursue implementation grants and set a Vision Zero goal for downtown by 2035.
Ashley and Alexa Sorenson, who worked on the plan under an FHWA Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant, asked the commission to adopt a downtown safety action plan so the city can pursue federal construction and implementation funding.
Ashley explained the grant structure: SS4A requires an adopted action plan to be eligible for later implementation and demonstration funds. "To go for any of those construction dollars you have to have this plan in place and adopted by city commission," she said, and staff noted a final package must be submitted to FHWA by Oct. 30 for next‑cycle consideration.
Presenters summarized outreach: an online survey (Jan. 16–Feb. 17), a public meeting and stakeholder sessions. Survey highlights included that 64% of respondents feel very or somewhat safe walking in the downtown district; open responses flagged insufficient pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, unsafe driving (speeding), sight‑distance issues and uneven pavement.
Alexa presented crash data the team used in planning: 2,340 crashes citywide from Jan. 1, 2020–Dec. 31, 2024 (about 1,556 property‑damage only; the presenters reported 8% involved fatalities in that period) and said roughly 54% of crashes citywide involved pedestrians or bicyclists according to the analysis. For the downtown district there were 313 crashes in five years, 236 property‑damage only and two fatalities.
The action plan recommends multiple countermeasures designed to reduce conflicts and improve visibility: pedestrian refuge islands and rectangular rapid‑flashing beacons (RRFBs) at crossings, converting angled to parallel parking on North Main, signal backplates and visibility upgrades, targeted signal improvements and road diets with center turn lanes that free space for bike lanes. Presenters noted parts of the roadway rehabilitation already have TIP funding while ancillary elements (sidewalks, crossings, bike lanes) would rely on TAP, SS4A implementation grants, CMAC and HSIP opportunities.
Ashley asked the commission to adopt the plan and commit to a Vision Zero goal for the downtown district by 2035 to strengthen grant eligibility. "By adopting this plan... you are committing to a vision zero by 2035," she said. Staff emphasized adoption does not commit the city to specific expenditures immediately but positions Mount Clemens to apply for multiple funding sources.
The plan will return as a resolution on the regular meeting agenda for formal adoption; if the commission adopts it staff will finalize the package for FHWA before the Oct. 30 deadline.
