KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — A new traffic safety plan has gotten the green light from Kalamazoo city commissioners after a late-night meeting Monday.
The nearly 140-page Safety Action Plan covers changes from intersection improvements and bus stops to lighting and pedestrian safety. The recommendations are required to be submitted to federal officials by the end of the month as part of a grant focused on traffic safety. Kalamazoo Public Works Manager Dennis Randolph said they all come down to accessibility and safety.
“We need sidewalks that are configured in a certain way. We need to be able to get to a bus stop or a bus shelter from the sidewalk. And that’s not always possible. Some intersections are inherently poorly designed,” he said.
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West Main Street and N Sage Street is one of those intersections mentioned. A concept plan calls for removing a conflict-prone turning lane with a median and closing off some access points at nearby parking lots in favor of more sidewalks leading to businesses and a bus stop. Over at Howard Street and Michigan Avenue, the median could be widened and expanded with similar access point closures for parking lots around the intersection…