CA-3 22-1651 Resolution to Prohibit On-Street Parking on the West Side of South Seventh Street from Scio Church Road to Lawton Elementary School and Incorporate Additional Speed Management and/or Traffic Calming
I oppose this resolution. The removal of parking along 7th Street will only push vehicles of those dropping off and picking up children at Lawton school further down the side streets on a daily basis. This does not create safer streets. .With parking on both sides of 7th, as it exists now, there is plenty of room for a cyclist and a vehicle to use the street safely. Adding a bike lane will give the appearance of a much busier street than 7th currently is, resulting in an increase in speeds rather than a decrease.
I’m a resident of the Lawton-Lansdowne neighborhood, and I do NOT support this motion. Extensive, expensive, over-engineered biking infrastructure is not needed or recommended for low traffic, 25 mph speed limit, local neighborhood streets. I do support speed calming initiatives. I walk on this stretch of S Seventh every day. My 11 year old son bikes on it twice per weekday to catch the Slauson bus at Lawton Elementary School. I feel this street is safe, that drastic changes are not needed, and in fact the proposed changes will very likely make the road less safe.
I live in the Lawton neighborhood just off of 7th street and I do NOT support this motion. I fully support adding marked bike lanes and the proposal that city staff prepared which meets the City Transportation Plan, but I do NOT agree with the additional changes that the planning committee added. While staff took the time to meet with the residents and discuss what was important to us, the planning committee disregarded that information and put forth a plan that ignores the concerns of residents and does not address the concern of speed calming. There was no data taken prior to these decisions which doesn't lead to good informed decisions being made. There were also no studies done to show the side effect of removing the parking (how it would affect traffic congestion during school drop off especially during cold months) and who predominantly uses the street parking.
I am a resident of the Lawton neighborhood, along with my two middle school aged children, former Lawton students and I am urging you to vote NO on this dangerous motion. The recommendation to remove parking and instead put in a buffered bike lane is not supported on clear evidence and has not shown to effectuate speed calming. The proposal will actually have the exact opposite effect and will make the area more dangerous for my kids and their friends and neighbors.
As a homeowner in the Lawton-Lansdowne neighborhood I do NOT support this motion. Extensive, expensive, over-engineered biking infrastructure (which entails removal of our street parking causing irreparable reduction in our quality of life and home values) is not needed in our neighborhood.
I live on Braeside Pl. I support bike infrastructure, calmer traffic, and measures that reduce risk of deaths, injuries, and climate change. I know this may mean sacrificing excess in many areas, including street width, and some street parking. Bike lanes and chicanes, when designed well, increase home values for a greener and safer neighborhood. This improves upon our already sought-after homes, sidewalks, 2-car garages, big driveways, and easy access to downtown and the I-94 park-and-ride. We share for the community and future. "Looking like a busy road" doesn't make it busy. The design could be beautiful. I don't love the current plan, but only in that it doesn't consider traffic calming or All Ages and Abilities. While other streets are worse, our time is up because of old, small water mains. S. Seventh is NOT a dead end. It accesses two public parks and paths to reach Scio Church and Ann Arbor Saline Rd. I'm a parent of two Pioneer students who went to Lawton and Slauson.
My family has lived in Lansdowne since 1968. I do NOT support this motion. Safety measures must based on data. Speed calming with 25MPH signage, enforcement and sharrow pavement markings are the most economical first steps to safety on S. 7th. This motion is not inclusive of ALL AGES and DISABILITIES. Disabled residents rely on caregivers & service vehicles who must park in the street. This will continue to be a necessity for the disabled and as homeowners age. Landsdowne residents & those who recreate & attend Lawton have traveled by foot, bike, autos and other vehicles for the 54 years my family has lived here, all without a reported accident. I support a re-evaluation of safety measures, an in-depth study of traffic flow and other vehicle usage along with a survey of residents and education for drivers dropping off & picking up Lawton students. Thank you for your time and consideration.
As a resident directly affected I absolutely support bike lanes on our street and feel strongly as a cyclist, that our street is not as safe as it can and should be for cyclists. We will be losing some of our personal parking space to a bump out, and we are happy to give that up. City survey results that showed there is actually very little parking on our street and that folks prefer a buffered or separated bike lane. I would like to see us set a precedent here that we value cyclists, and kids getting to schools as safely as possible. I was happy to learn that most research shows bike lanes increase property values. With many original owners aging out of our neighborhood, a safe, separated bike way to school will only be a selling point. While I know that this resolution may be voted down today to come up with a new plan, I hope that we work quickly to come up with some new solutions that work to reduce speed with an additional priority of protecting our youngest cyclists
I live on the part of S. 7th St that is impacted by this proposal and I do NOT support the Transportation Committee’s recommendation to remove parking and add a buffered bike lane. First, the recommendation is reckless and will make our neighborhood less safe, making the street visually look like a much busier and major road. Second, this imposes a significant burden on residents and visitors with no benefit flowing to anyone in the community as there are so few bikers using this stretch of dead-end road. The stretch of road is on the northern most part of the Lawton school district (11 houses to the school boarder) and there are two well maintained sidewalks. Therefore, it’s reasonable to think there will never be enough bikes using this path to get to Lawton where it would impact safety or justify this excessive proposal. Third, the cost to implement and maintain a buffered bike lane solution is unwarranted on a neighborhood street and is a complete waste of taxpayers’ dollars.
I am a resident on S 7th St and I strongly urge you to please vote NO on this proposal. It has been identified that this RESIDENTIAL street is atypically too wide for a neighborhood street and causes traffic speeding issues. Most of the residents in this neighborhood would like the street to have a look and feel of a residential street when the project is complete. The current proposal does not adequately do that. It will create a look, feel, and treatment of a main thoroughfare. I would like to see the council reject this proposal and reassess an alternative option that prioritize the needs of the community, which include traffic calming measures, enhanced walkability and pedestrian crossings, parking for the school and residents and a reasonable application for biking that fits the quantity of bikers on this stretch of S 7th Street.
My name is Chris Westfall, and I live on the corner of Greenview and 7th street, along the area that will be impacted with the adoption of this Resolution. I strongly oppose this resolution. The Resolution includes the removal of parking on the West side of 7th Street. Please remember that you and your staff proposed no removal of parking and adding bike lanes on September 21, 2022. I assume this was based on sound reasoning that there was no need to remove parking on 7th street as it is merely a residential street. But, after the Transportation Committee review, there appears to be some dis-connect between sound reasoning and a proposal to eliminate parking on a residential street. Please remember your mindset on September 21st and adopt a resolution that includes traffic calming initiatives without the removal of parking.
My family lives on Seventh in the Lawton neighborhood. I do NOT support the motion to remove street parking. The motion conflicts with guidance in the City’s own Transportation Plan and would make our local street more dangerous, as it would create a wider street for cars to speed down. The street should become an appropriate-sized local neighborhood street with enough space for parking and bikers that leverages traffic calming measures to keep everyone safe.
Please reject this motion to further consider the needs and wants of the residents of Lansdowne. We must address the water mains and improve the streets with a solution that addresses the residents’ real problems. This DANGEROUS motion directly conflicts with the City Transportation Plan and is based on a flawed survey that was too narrow in scope and too broad in sample size. It was developed without empirical data and seemed to cater to a vocal minority pressing blurred special interests. Bike safety for elementary school children looks different than buffered bike lanes in busy streets for commuters. Removing street parking for some is INEQUITABLE for all. The street should become an appropriate-sized local neighborhood street with enough space for bikes and parking for residents, delivery trucks, contractors, and other visitors. It MUST leverage traffic calming measures to keep everyone safe and continue to function as a shared resource. Please do not experiment with this street!
The street should become an appropriate-sized local neighborhood street with enough space for parking and bikers that leverages traffic calming measures to keep everyone safe.
I live in the Lawton-Lansdowne neighborhood on Braeside Pl, and I do NOT support this dangerous motion that is in direct conflict with guidance in the City Transportation Plan, would make our local street MORE dangerous, and would set dangerous precedent going forward, impacting ALL residents living on local neighborhood streets. Extensive, expensive, over-engineered biking infrastructure is not needed with rare bicycle traffic in this area, or recommended for low traffic, 25 mph speed limit, local neighborhood streets. If anything, street parking can be used effectively to calm speed better than protected bike lanes. Speed calming is what we need to keep everyone safe and allow local streets to continue to function as shared resources for all who live in and visit the neighborhood.
As a homeowner in the Lawton-Lansdowne neighborhood I do NOT support this dangerous motion that is in direct conflict with guidance in the City Transportation Plan, would make our local street MORE dangerous, and would set dangerous precedent going forward, impacting ALL residents living on local neighborhood streets. Extensive, expensive, over-engineered biking infrastructure (which entails removal of our street parking causing irreparable reduction in our quality of life and home values) is not needed or recommended for low traffic, 25 mph speed limit, local neighborhood streets. Speed calming is what we need to keep everyone safe and allow local streets to continue to function as shared resources for all who live in and visit the neighborhood.
My wife and I have lived on Tilsby Ct (one short block east of Seventh) for 30 years and do NOT support the City's Transportation Plan which removes parking on the street's west side and puts in a protected bike lane. Street parking is used by local residents and is also needed by construction vehicles, contractors, landscapers, parents attending school meetings, and delivery trucks. The recent November Ann Arbor Observer's article entitled, Building a Bike-Safe City" described an horrendous event when a bicyclist struck a delivery van and was seriously injured when the van driver drove over the curb into a protected bike lane immediately in front of the cyclist. This was possibly due to the lack of sufficient street parking. There currently aren't any school zone, speed limit or "Your speed is" signs along Seventh near Lawton. These should be installed for area speed control. The current plan makes the area more dangerous and there are better, cheaper, safer alternatives.
My wife and I, and our two young kids, live on Scio Church Road near Seventh in the Lawton-Lansdowne neighborhood. I do NOT support this dangerous motion that is in direct conflict with guidance in the City Transportation Plan, would make our local street MORE dangerous, and would set a dangerous precedent going forward, impacting ALL residents living on local neighborhood streets. Extensive, expensive, over-engineered biking infrastructure is not needed or recommended for these low traffic, 25 mph speed limit, local neighborhood streets. Speed calming is what we need to keep everyone safe and allow local streets to continue to function as shared resources for all who live in and visit the neighborhood.
I live on Seventh in the Lawton neighborhood, and I do NOT support the motion to remove street parking. The motion conflicts with guidance in the City’s own Transportation Plan and would make our local street more dangerous, as it would create a wider street for cars to speed down. Expensive, over-engineered biking infrastructure is also not needed or recommended for local neighborhood streets. Speed calming measures including narrowing the street by keeping the street parking and curb bump outs is what the majority of residents who live in the neighborhood and use the street actually want and it is what would make the street safe for both bikers and pedestrians.
I oppose this resolution. The removal of parking along 7th Street will only push vehicles of those dropping off and picking up children at Lawton school further down the side streets on a daily basis. This does not create safer streets. .With parking on both sides of 7th, as it exists now, there is plenty of room for a cyclist and a vehicle to use the street safely. Adding a bike lane will give the appearance of a much busier street than 7th currently is, resulting in an increase in speeds rather than a decrease.
I’m a resident of the Lawton-Lansdowne neighborhood, and I do NOT support this motion. Extensive, expensive, over-engineered biking infrastructure is not needed or recommended for low traffic, 25 mph speed limit, local neighborhood streets. I do support speed calming initiatives. I walk on this stretch of S Seventh every day. My 11 year old son bikes on it twice per weekday to catch the Slauson bus at Lawton Elementary School. I feel this street is safe, that drastic changes are not needed, and in fact the proposed changes will very likely make the road less safe.
I live in the Lawton neighborhood just off of 7th street and I do NOT support this motion. I fully support adding marked bike lanes and the proposal that city staff prepared which meets the City Transportation Plan, but I do NOT agree with the additional changes that the planning committee added. While staff took the time to meet with the residents and discuss what was important to us, the planning committee disregarded that information and put forth a plan that ignores the concerns of residents and does not address the concern of speed calming. There was no data taken prior to these decisions which doesn't lead to good informed decisions being made. There were also no studies done to show the side effect of removing the parking (how it would affect traffic congestion during school drop off especially during cold months) and who predominantly uses the street parking.
Please reconsider this decision so as to include on street parking on both sides. Very doable, very essential, very fair.
I am a resident of the Lawton neighborhood, along with my two middle school aged children, former Lawton students and I am urging you to vote NO on this dangerous motion. The recommendation to remove parking and instead put in a buffered bike lane is not supported on clear evidence and has not shown to effectuate speed calming. The proposal will actually have the exact opposite effect and will make the area more dangerous for my kids and their friends and neighbors.
As a homeowner in the Lawton-Lansdowne neighborhood I do NOT support this motion. Extensive, expensive, over-engineered biking infrastructure (which entails removal of our street parking causing irreparable reduction in our quality of life and home values) is not needed in our neighborhood.
I live on Braeside Pl. I support bike infrastructure, calmer traffic, and measures that reduce risk of deaths, injuries, and climate change. I know this may mean sacrificing excess in many areas, including street width, and some street parking. Bike lanes and chicanes, when designed well, increase home values for a greener and safer neighborhood. This improves upon our already sought-after homes, sidewalks, 2-car garages, big driveways, and easy access to downtown and the I-94 park-and-ride. We share for the community and future. "Looking like a busy road" doesn't make it busy. The design could be beautiful. I don't love the current plan, but only in that it doesn't consider traffic calming or All Ages and Abilities. While other streets are worse, our time is up because of old, small water mains. S. Seventh is NOT a dead end. It accesses two public parks and paths to reach Scio Church and Ann Arbor Saline Rd. I'm a parent of two Pioneer students who went to Lawton and Slauson.
My family has lived in Lansdowne since 1968. I do NOT support this motion. Safety measures must based on data. Speed calming with 25MPH signage, enforcement and sharrow pavement markings are the most economical first steps to safety on S. 7th. This motion is not inclusive of ALL AGES and DISABILITIES. Disabled residents rely on caregivers & service vehicles who must park in the street. This will continue to be a necessity for the disabled and as homeowners age. Landsdowne residents & those who recreate & attend Lawton have traveled by foot, bike, autos and other vehicles for the 54 years my family has lived here, all without a reported accident. I support a re-evaluation of safety measures, an in-depth study of traffic flow and other vehicle usage along with a survey of residents and education for drivers dropping off & picking up Lawton students. Thank you for your time and consideration.
As a resident directly affected I absolutely support bike lanes on our street and feel strongly as a cyclist, that our street is not as safe as it can and should be for cyclists. We will be losing some of our personal parking space to a bump out, and we are happy to give that up. City survey results that showed there is actually very little parking on our street and that folks prefer a buffered or separated bike lane. I would like to see us set a precedent here that we value cyclists, and kids getting to schools as safely as possible. I was happy to learn that most research shows bike lanes increase property values. With many original owners aging out of our neighborhood, a safe, separated bike way to school will only be a selling point. While I know that this resolution may be voted down today to come up with a new plan, I hope that we work quickly to come up with some new solutions that work to reduce speed with an additional priority of protecting our youngest cyclists
I live on the part of S. 7th St that is impacted by this proposal and I do NOT support the Transportation Committee’s recommendation to remove parking and add a buffered bike lane. First, the recommendation is reckless and will make our neighborhood less safe, making the street visually look like a much busier and major road. Second, this imposes a significant burden on residents and visitors with no benefit flowing to anyone in the community as there are so few bikers using this stretch of dead-end road. The stretch of road is on the northern most part of the Lawton school district (11 houses to the school boarder) and there are two well maintained sidewalks. Therefore, it’s reasonable to think there will never be enough bikes using this path to get to Lawton where it would impact safety or justify this excessive proposal. Third, the cost to implement and maintain a buffered bike lane solution is unwarranted on a neighborhood street and is a complete waste of taxpayers’ dollars.
I am a resident on S 7th St and I strongly urge you to please vote NO on this proposal. It has been identified that this RESIDENTIAL street is atypically too wide for a neighborhood street and causes traffic speeding issues. Most of the residents in this neighborhood would like the street to have a look and feel of a residential street when the project is complete. The current proposal does not adequately do that. It will create a look, feel, and treatment of a main thoroughfare. I would like to see the council reject this proposal and reassess an alternative option that prioritize the needs of the community, which include traffic calming measures, enhanced walkability and pedestrian crossings, parking for the school and residents and a reasonable application for biking that fits the quantity of bikers on this stretch of S 7th Street.
City Council Members,
My name is Chris Westfall, and I live on the corner of Greenview and 7th street, along the area that will be impacted with the adoption of this Resolution. I strongly oppose this resolution. The Resolution includes the removal of parking on the West side of 7th Street. Please remember that you and your staff proposed no removal of parking and adding bike lanes on September 21, 2022. I assume this was based on sound reasoning that there was no need to remove parking on 7th street as it is merely a residential street. But, after the Transportation Committee review, there appears to be some dis-connect between sound reasoning and a proposal to eliminate parking on a residential street. Please remember your mindset on September 21st and adopt a resolution that includes traffic calming initiatives without the removal of parking.
My family lives on Seventh in the Lawton neighborhood. I do NOT support the motion to remove street parking. The motion conflicts with guidance in the City’s own Transportation Plan and would make our local street more dangerous, as it would create a wider street for cars to speed down. The street should become an appropriate-sized local neighborhood street with enough space for parking and bikers that leverages traffic calming measures to keep everyone safe.
Please reject this motion to further consider the needs and wants of the residents of Lansdowne. We must address the water mains and improve the streets with a solution that addresses the residents’ real problems. This DANGEROUS motion directly conflicts with the City Transportation Plan and is based on a flawed survey that was too narrow in scope and too broad in sample size. It was developed without empirical data and seemed to cater to a vocal minority pressing blurred special interests. Bike safety for elementary school children looks different than buffered bike lanes in busy streets for commuters. Removing street parking for some is INEQUITABLE for all. The street should become an appropriate-sized local neighborhood street with enough space for bikes and parking for residents, delivery trucks, contractors, and other visitors. It MUST leverage traffic calming measures to keep everyone safe and continue to function as a shared resource. Please do not experiment with this street!
The street should become an appropriate-sized local neighborhood street with enough space for parking and bikers that leverages traffic calming measures to keep everyone safe.
I live in the Lawton-Lansdowne neighborhood on Braeside Pl, and I do NOT support this dangerous motion that is in direct conflict with guidance in the City Transportation Plan, would make our local street MORE dangerous, and would set dangerous precedent going forward, impacting ALL residents living on local neighborhood streets. Extensive, expensive, over-engineered biking infrastructure is not needed with rare bicycle traffic in this area, or recommended for low traffic, 25 mph speed limit, local neighborhood streets. If anything, street parking can be used effectively to calm speed better than protected bike lanes. Speed calming is what we need to keep everyone safe and allow local streets to continue to function as shared resources for all who live in and visit the neighborhood.
As a homeowner in the Lawton-Lansdowne neighborhood I do NOT support this dangerous motion that is in direct conflict with guidance in the City Transportation Plan, would make our local street MORE dangerous, and would set dangerous precedent going forward, impacting ALL residents living on local neighborhood streets. Extensive, expensive, over-engineered biking infrastructure (which entails removal of our street parking causing irreparable reduction in our quality of life and home values) is not needed or recommended for low traffic, 25 mph speed limit, local neighborhood streets. Speed calming is what we need to keep everyone safe and allow local streets to continue to function as shared resources for all who live in and visit the neighborhood.
My wife and I have lived on Tilsby Ct (one short block east of Seventh) for 30 years and do NOT support the City's Transportation Plan which removes parking on the street's west side and puts in a protected bike lane. Street parking is used by local residents and is also needed by construction vehicles, contractors, landscapers, parents attending school meetings, and delivery trucks. The recent November Ann Arbor Observer's article entitled, Building a Bike-Safe City" described an horrendous event when a bicyclist struck a delivery van and was seriously injured when the van driver drove over the curb into a protected bike lane immediately in front of the cyclist. This was possibly due to the lack of sufficient street parking. There currently aren't any school zone, speed limit or "Your speed is" signs along Seventh near Lawton. These should be installed for area speed control. The current plan makes the area more dangerous and there are better, cheaper, safer alternatives.
My wife and I, and our two young kids, live on Scio Church Road near Seventh in the Lawton-Lansdowne neighborhood. I do NOT support this dangerous motion that is in direct conflict with guidance in the City Transportation Plan, would make our local street MORE dangerous, and would set a dangerous precedent going forward, impacting ALL residents living on local neighborhood streets. Extensive, expensive, over-engineered biking infrastructure is not needed or recommended for these low traffic, 25 mph speed limit, local neighborhood streets. Speed calming is what we need to keep everyone safe and allow local streets to continue to function as shared resources for all who live in and visit the neighborhood.
I live on Seventh in the Lawton neighborhood, and I do NOT support the motion to remove street parking. The motion conflicts with guidance in the City’s own Transportation Plan and would make our local street more dangerous, as it would create a wider street for cars to speed down. Expensive, over-engineered biking infrastructure is also not needed or recommended for local neighborhood streets. Speed calming measures including narrowing the street by keeping the street parking and curb bump outs is what the majority of residents who live in the neighborhood and use the street actually want and it is what would make the street safe for both bikers and pedestrians.