Look both ways

The Ann Arbor City Council has taken the first step towards repealing the city's controversial crosswalk law, voting 8-3 in preliminary hearings to scale back the ordinance. The "pedestrain safety ordinance" requires motorists to stop for pedestrians waiting at the curb to enter a crosswalk—a final vote on the repeal
is on Monday, December 2. Local officials argue that the unique local law only causes confusion and places pedestrians at unnecessary risk. The repeal would require motorists to yield only if the pedestrian is in the crosswalk. Officials have proposed focusing on better paint and signage, claiming that pedestrian safety has not improved since the ordinance passed in 2010. The council has also created a Pedestrian Safety and Access Task Force, a group that will explore strategies to improve pedestrian safety—applications from citizens interested in serving on the task force are due to the mayor's office by 4pm on December 2.

+ posts
Previous article
Next article

Recent Articles