KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Kalamazoo city officials are asking everyone who cycles, walks or drives on the city’s streets to give their input on a draft comprehensive safety plan.
The work behind the draft has been years in the making. Back in 2023, $750,000 was awarded in federal funding to help Kalamazoo officials finalize planning work and pilot several traffic calming measures. The road features are designed to make drivers slow down. Public Works Manager and Traffic Engineer Dennis Randolph said the aim is to make drivers want to travel slower and feel comfortable doing it. It’s also about saving lives.
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“Speeds kill. They cause crashes. But often just a sign doesn’t do much and you have to look at other characteristics,” he told News 8.
The draft action plan goes beyond the roadways and address things like lighting safety, bus stops and gaps in the network of sidewalks. Randolph said the city has worked with consultants and utility companies, like Consumers Energy, to expand on crash data to better understand obstacles and possible solutions. One of those is addressing dark intersections…