Pathways Committee outlines pedestrian projects and secures SEMCOG grant for Drake Road sidewalk

Heather Davies, chair of the Pathways Committee, presented the committee’s 2025 accomplishments and next steps. The committee conducted a Grand River Avenue walk audit and identified 16 potential locations for new pedestrian crossings. Davies said the committee received 529 responses to a community needs assessment and worked with a traffic engineer to identify five priority locations for further study.

Davies emphasized that Grand River is under MDOT jurisdiction and that any new crossings will require MDOT approval and a pedestrian/traffic study; the committee plans to complete volume counts in 2026 once warmer weather and community events provide representative pedestrian numbers. She also described site-specific safety measures completed or recommended including double-sided pedestrian signage near Farmington Road and CVS, removal of tall center-island grass to improve sightlines, and coordination with DPW and the Road Commission for Oakland County on signal timing changes to extend pedestrian-friendly lighting hours.

The committee highlighted that its work and advocacy helped the city secure a $480,000 grant from SEMCOG to install a new sidewalk on Drake Road and make safety upgrades at key intersections. Davies described a new hazard-reporting process coordinated with the city’s building inspector (Lucas DeDarrow) and assistant city manager (Chris Webber): committee members document issues with photos and locations, email them to the committee and staff, and DeDarrow tracks progress with before-and-after photos.

"We identified 16 potential areas where we could add additional crossings along Grand River Avenue," Davies said. Council members praised the committee and asked about timing and public reporting; the committee provided an email contact (pathwaysatfarmgov.com) for residents to submit photos and locations of hazards.