U of M-Flint Bike and Pedestrian Plan

T e a m B E N C H | 1

Team BENCH GEO 491 Winter2013 |

UNIVERSITY

OF

MICHIGAN

FLINT

BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PLAN


Professor Dr. Greg Rybarczyk

Team BENCH: Calix Martinez, Nina Larsen, Heather DeButts, Erin

Johnston, and Brittany Price

“Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle I have hope for the human race”

-H.G. Wells

community

strength

safety

people


Located in the heart of Flint, Michigan, a city in the midst of writing its first new master plan in 50 years, The University of Michigan-Flint has a unique opportunity to play a vital role in the renewal and improvement of the downtown area. A major part of the University’s role in improving the downtown has been its efforts to improve bicycle and pedestrian facilities on and around campus.

As a result of these ongoing efforts by city and university organizations, U of M – Flint was recently named a Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists. To facilitate further movement toward the eventual goal of Platinum Level Bicycle Friendly University status, a bicycle and pedestrian plan must be developed and approved by the University.

Bicycle transportation is becoming more popular in urban areas and university campus communities. U of M Flint must accommodate this growing trend to remain competitive with other institutions and promote the growth of the campus community, while keeping in mind the importance of facilitating and encouraging an active living lifestyle for the campus and surrounding community.

-Team BENCH


Table of contents

Contents Introduction ....................................................... 5

Goals .............................................................. 5

Current Assets ................................................ 5

Challenges and Opportunities ........................ 5

Part I. Existing Conditions ............................... 6

Current Levels of Transportation Usage on

Campus .......................................................... 8

Current Parking Area Usage .......................... 9

Current Pedestrian Activity .......................... 11

Current Bike Rack Usage and Bicyclist

Density ......................................................... 13

Summary ...................................................... 13

Pedestrian and ADA Accessibility ................. 15

Pedestrian and ADA Accessibility Audit ..... 15

Intersection of Saginaw St./5th Avenue ........ 16

Intersection of Kearsley St./Saginaw St. ...... 17

Intersection of University Blvd/Saginaw St. 19

Intersection at Kearsley St./Harrison St. ...... 21

Intersection at Chavez Dr./Kearsley St. ....... 23

Area surrounding UAH ................................ 25

Summary ...................................................... 26

Bicycle Accessibility on Campus .................... 27

Bicycle Accessibility Audit ......................... 27

Area 7 ........................................................... 28

Area 2 ........................................................... 29

Area 3 ........................................................... 30

Area 4 and 6 ................................................. 31

Area 5 ........................................................... 33

Summary ...................................................... 33

Current Enforcement ....................................... 34

Encouragement ................................................ 36

Current Education ............................................ 37

Part II. Improvements and Recommendations . 39

Intersection of Saginaw St. and 5th Ave. ...... 41

Intersection of Kearsley St./Saginaw St. ..... 42

Intersection of University Blv./Saginaw St. 43

Intersection at Kearsley St./Harrison St. ...... 44

Intersection at Chavez Dr./Kearsley St. ....... 45

Area surrounding UAH ................................. 46

Funding ............................................................ 49

Implementation Strategy/Time Line ................ 50

References ....................................................... 51


Introduction Over the past several years, The

University of Michigan-Flint has been

working to improve pedestrian and bicycling

facilities on and around campus. These

ongoing efforts have recently led to

achieving Bronze level Bicycle Friendly

University (BFU) status by the League of

American Bicyclists. Moving forward, it is

important to develop a master bicycle and

pedestrian plan as a guideline to further

planning and implementation.

Goals

Improving existing and creating new

connections between campus and the

downtown area

Reducing vehicle miles traveled to

reduce vehicle externalities

Promoting active living and

promoting active living

Developing attractive and safe

facilities for bicyclists and

pedestrians

Contribute to strengthening the

downtown network between

businesses, campuses, parks, and

other desirable locations

Contribute to the creation of a sense

of “place” for the City of Flint

Achieve a higher status of BFU by

the League of American Bicyclists

Current Assets

U of M-Flint has a growing, diverse

student body, and with that comes a larger

diversity of interests and activities.

The campus is centrally located in a

diverse, urban downtown district with a

growing academic, art, and food & beverage

culture.

We have an innovative Bicycle

Skills Course facility on campus ready to be

used for community and campus bicycle

safety education. Campus is located at an

attractive site on the Flint River with large

shade trees and green space.

The Flint River Trail already runs

right through campus, providing an easy

starting point for creating connections

between campus and the surrounding

community.

Challenges and Opportunities

Being a largely commuter school,

one of the main challenges to creating this

plan is the heavy influx of vehicles onto

campus every day. The plan must address

this, and seek to change driver habits

through Education and Encouragement.

Encouraging students, faculty and staff who

travel shorter distances to walk, bike, or

utilize public transportation as their mode of

transportation to campus can play a large

role in reaching the goal of reducing vehicle

miles traveled.

With the City of Flint writing their

first master plan in 50 years, the University

can use that opportunity to work with the

city when building new facilities to improve

safety throughout the surrounding

downtown community. This gives the

University an opportunity to play an integral

role in building a stronger network of

connections throughout the city.


Part I. Existing Conditions

University of Michigan Flint Campus Area Including Urban Alternatives House


Map 1 From the

“Existing

Transportation” map

you can see that

the major vehicle

routes on the

campus are

Saginaw St, 5th Ave,

Crapo St, and

Kearsley St.

Map 2 From the

“Existing Bicycle

Facilities” map it’s

evident that the

bicycle level of

service varies

greatly across the

campus area, most

notable on the

Saginaw St. corridor

and its intersecting

streets. It’s also

evident that the

bicycle facilities

across the campus

are not well

connected.


Current Levels of Transportation Usage on Campus Before we could establish a plan or

attempt to make any recommendations

regarding pedestrian and bicycle

accessibility and infrastructure we had to

take inventory of existing conditions and

measure current traffic volume. By

conducting on site observations and

measuring traffic volumes we can establish

high priority areas for pedestrians and

bicyclists.

The maps created for this assignment depict

current bicycle rack usage, pedestrian

activity on campus, and existing parking

area usage as well. Using GIS tools, density

heat maps were created to interpolate

pedestrian and bicycle level counts on

campus. We were able to make

recommendations based on the predicted

levels of pedestrians and bicyclists for key

areas on campus.

Map 3. From the “Existing and Proposed Pedestrian Routes” map you can see

the pedestrian routes are concentrated around the campus area.


Current Parking Area Usage A parking survey conducted in the

fall of 2010, indicated an under-usage of the

parking facilities on campus. However, this

data may be skewed due to an inclusion of

information from weekends, spring and

summer semesters. Further analysis should

be done, breaking down the usage of parking

facilities by semester and weekdays versus

weekends. Current levels of transportation

on campus indicate a high volume of

automobile traffic. The majority of U of M-

Flint‟s students are commuters driving on

average more than 5 miles one way, up to

four days per week. The pie chart in Figure

1 shows that 73% of the students and staff

commute more than 5 miles. (Gallagher).

The highest traffic volume seems to

be the Kearsley/Chavez area. This area

consists of a traffic light at Kearsley and

Chavez, as well as, a three-way stop at


Kearsley and Mill streets. The traffic

behavior here is very erratic. Drivers have

been observed running stop signs, not

yielding to pedestrians, and speeding.

Figure 1

9%

18%

73%

<1 mile 1-5 mile >5 mile


Current Pedestrian Activity

Pedestrian activity is high on

campus. Most of the parking facilities are

located near the periphery of campus

therefore students walk up to 10 minutes to

get to class. There are several areas that

have a high volume of pedestrian traffic.

One area with the largest volume of

pedestrian traffic is near the Mill Street

parking garage. In the mornings there is a

constant stream of students coming to and

from the parking structure. Here, the

majority of drivers roll through the stop

signs causing pedestrians to have to wait for

them, when it should be the other way

around. Kearsley Street and Wallenberg is

also a high density area for pedestrians. This

is a three-way stop intersection that drivers

also tend to roll through, as well as, fail to

yield to the pedestrians. Disobeying the

speed limit is also a factor here. A large

volume of students cross Kearsley to get to

French Hall and Murchie Science Building.

A third area that has a high volume of

pedestrian traffic is at the Harrison Street


and Kearsley intersection. Many students

use the parking structure here and have to

cross the street to get to campus buildings. A

large amount of the pedestrian traffic at this

crossing, are students going to the

University Pavilion building. In both cases,

students have to cross Harrison Street which

is a hazard. Many drivers do not obey any

speed limits here and do not pay attention to

pedestrians in crosswalks.


Current Bike Rack Usage and Bicyclist Density

Bicycle facilities on campus are

extremely underutilized. There are many

bicycle racks located around campus that are

almost empty at all times. Given the amount

of students who live in the area, this could

be changed with more education and

encouragement, to provide incentive to bike

to campus. Also, there are not enough

covered bicycle racks where a cyclist can

park their bike to protect it from Michigan‟s

inclement weather. In the spring/summer

when the weather gets warm, a student may

want to take a shower to clean up after a

long bike ride, so providing access to

shower facilities may be something to

investigate further. Proper bike lanes leading

in to campus will also encourage more

people to ride to campus instead of drive.

Safety is their biggest concern. Many of the

roads leading in to the Flint are high speed

and not safe to cyclists who do not have a

dedicated road space.


Summary

Current transportation conditions on

University of Michigan-Flint campus

indicate a high volume of automobile traffic

and a need for traffic law enforcement.

Driver education and some minor

engineering changes will be pivotal to

providing a safer environment for

pedestrians and bicyclists and will

encourage walking and bicycling. There is a

high volume of pedestrian traffic, which

shows a need for traffic calming devices and

well-designed crosswalks for pedestrians

and bicyclists. Bicycle traffic is still low. It

is possible education and encouragement

could offer incentives to utilize this mode of

transportation and alleviate automobile

traffic volumes.


Pedestrian and ADA Accessibility

Pedestrian and ADA Accessibility Audit

Pedestrian and ADA data for

multiple intersections were collected on and

near the U of M Flint campus. Team Bench

observed the conditions and functionality of

walkways and intersections in six different

locations. An important note is that these

observations while made during peak

pedestrian travel times on campus were

made in the middle of March on extremely

cold days. The observations may not

accurately describe the typical pedestrian

patterns during the warm months.


Intersection of Saginaw St. and 5th

Avenue

Observations were made on 3/14/13

at 2:50pm.The intersection of 5th

Avenue

and Saginaw Street, just north of downtown

Flint, consists of four travel lanes and two

turn lanes on Saginaw and four travel lanes

and one turn lane on 5th

avenue. The land

use surrounding the intersection consists of a

large amount of parking for the University

of Michigan-Flint, a Rally‟s Hamburger

restaurant, St. Michaels Roman Catholic

Church, New Horizons Rehabilitation

Services, and MI Work Employment

Services. The area provides social services

to low income residents of the city at New

Horizons, MI Work, Career Alliance, and

Catholic Charities. On the northwest corner

of the intersection is a bus stop which

provides transportation to these services to

non-automobile owners.

The intersection consists mostly of

automobile traffic, although while

evaluating the intersection two bicyclists

and some pedestrians were observed.

Visibility for the intersection was clear and

unobstructed except for a tree on the

northeast corner. The posted speed limit for


the area is 30 mph. The speed limit seemed

appropriate for the amount of traffic that

was seen, however there were some

observed drivers that were speeding relative

to the other vehicles. There were no

observations of backed up traffic in the

travel or turning lanes and no traffic calming

devices seen. The crossing signals for the

intersection seemed adequate if traveling at

an average walking speed without

disabilities. Traveling across the street from

east to west the signal time was clocked at

20.74 seconds and 26.15 seconds when

crossing south to north.

All four corners of the intersection

had texture pads on site to accommodate the

disabled but some obstacles were present.

Intersection of Kearsley St. and Saginaw St.

Observations were taken on

3/12/13at 10 am as well as on 3/15/13 at 12

pm. This intersection is located at the west

end of the University of Michigan-Flint

campus. This is a high traffic area for

vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.

Pedestrian traffic includes campus students,

business customers and business


professionals who work downtown. This is

also a historic street paved with bricks that

date back over 100 years. Any

recommendations for change must be made

with care regarding this street. It is a four

way intersection with traffic lights,

including left turn lights. Right turns are

allowed on red.

Visibility is good with a clear line of

sight all four ways although one concern

might be that parked cars have the potential

to be a visual obstruction for a disabled

individual. At night it is very well lit so

there are no concerns in that aspect.

Visibility is not hindered by landscaping and

street furniture.

The speed limit is not posted on

either Kearsley or Saginaw within sight at

this intersection. Traffic calming

implements are not present at this

intersection although the bricks themselves

are a natural calming device. Cars were

observed to be traveling northbound at a

high rate of speed. The behavior of vehicular

traffic seems to be that vehicles speed up

significantly as they proceed north through

this intersection, due to the bricks getting

slightly more level and ending just a short

way up the road. Southbound vehicles on

Saginaw tended to slow down coming to the

intersection. This is presumably due to the

bricks. The bricks seem to have a dual effect

on traffic. In one respect, because they are

very uneven and bumpy, most drivers drive

slower, thus being safer for pedestrians and

cyclists. On the other hand, when the bricks

are wet due to precipitation, they become

very slippery, making it dangerous if drivers

need to stop quickly.

Travel lanes on Saginaw are one lane

each way and a left turn lane. On street

parking are on both sides of Saginaw St.

south of Kearsley and only on the west side

of the road north of Kearsley. There are bike

lanes designated and marked with pavement

markings and sharrows on both sides of the

street. Travel lanes on Kearsley are also one

lane each way with a left turn lane. On street

parking is available on the south side of

Kearsley, both to the east and west of

Saginaw. There are pavement markings and

sharrows in the eastbound lane indicating

road bike travel is allowed here.

The crosswalk signals here average

about 35 seconds for all of them. This is a

hazard for disabled persons that have

physical mobility issues as well as those that

utilize mobility aids such as wheelchairs and

crutches. 35 seconds is not enough time for

the majority of disabled individuals to cross

safely. There are no pedestrian push buttons

for the crosswalk signal located here.


The crosswalks themselves are in

poor condition crossing Saginaw. The

historic bricks that pave it have heaved with

the freeze thaw cycles of Michigan weather.

Many are also cracked and broken from

heavy vehicle traffic over the years. This is a

commercial area and as such requires heavy

vehicles to traverse it to make deliveries and

pick-ups. The pavement markings are

heavily weathered and worn. Observation of

pedestrian behavior indicates inconsistency,

with some people utilizing the crosswalk

and others jaywalking. Sidewalks leading

up to crosswalks are in somewhat fair

condition. There are some minor issues that

should be looked into such as some sidewalk

slabs heaved and curb-cut placement. The

landings are not as level as they could be.

There are textured warning pads for the

visually impaired at each crosswalk.

Intersection of University Blvd. and Saginaw St.


(Intersection of University Blvd. and Saginaw St. cont.)

Observations were taken on 3/12/13

at approximately 12 pm. At the intersection

of University Boulevard and Saginaw Street

pedestrian safety is a top priority. Along this

intersection there is a hotel, an abandoned

market, a bus stop, and an absence of

parallel parking. There are no pedestrian

specific signs other than the traffic lights

that are in time with the pedestrian

crosswalk signals. At several ends of the

crosswalk there is either no ADA texture

pad or a faded texture pad that has been

worn down and is shown in Figure 3. On the

north side crossing Saginaw St. there is a

hole in the crosswalk pavement that could

be a hazard.

The traffic speed is labeled 25 mph

on both Saginaw Street and University

Boulevard. The sidewalks around the

intersection were all in good condition,

however the slope of a couple of the corners

when approaching the sidewalks from the

crosswalk are steep. There were no visibility

issues that arose when testing each

individual crosswalk.

All crosswalks on all four sides of

the intersection had pedestrian signals timed

at 29 seconds to cross which seems to be

plenty of time for the average individual.

During the 40 minutes of observation time a

couple of pedestrians were jaywalking

versus using the crosswalks to get across the

street. A man was observed walking across

Saginaw Street, a four lane road, from the

east side to the west side while using the left

turning lane to observe if there was any

oncoming traffic. Twenty feet away from

where he was crossing the road, there was a

crosswalk conveniently available for him to

use, however he chose not to. Not only did

he cross the road illegally, but he also chose

to cross while the traffic light was green

with oncoming traffic at a distance. The

second pedestrian violating the traffic laws

was a female jogger running down the bike

lane in University Boulevard. Without pause

she continued to jog down the side of the

road crossing in the middle of the

intersection. There were no cars around at

the moment, however she still could have

easily used the crosswalk to get across the

road safety, but chose not to.


Intersection at Kearsley St. and Harrison St.

Observations were taken on 3/12/13

at 10:30 am. This intersection is probably

the most dangerous of all the intersections

observed in this study. The buildings

surrounding this intersection are mainly

campus parking garages and academic

centers as well as a flat parking lot. Kearsley

St. is a very busy pedestrian corridor that

links U of M Flint campus to downtown

Saginaw St. while Harrison St. is a busy

vehicle corridor that allows traffic to bypass

Saginaw St. to get around the downtown

area. The main problem here is the need for

pedestrians to cross a busy road. The speed

on both roads is 25mph and seems to not be

an issue on Kearsley however speed is a

factor on Harrison St.


Harrison St. south of the

intersection it is one way with 2 vehicle

travel lanes, parallel parking on the west

side of the street and a bike lane on the east

side of the street. Just past the intersection

heading north it immediately changes to 4

vehicle travel lanes and is shown in Figure

2. The bike lane ended at the intersection as

did the on street parking. The entire corridor

is nicknamed the autobahn because of the

intense speeds that are a major safety

concern for pedestrian and bicyclists.

Kearsley St. is a two way street with one

lane for each direction of traffic and a bike

lane on both sides of the street. The

sidewalks surrounding the intersections are

in good condition. The ADA texture pads

are present and functioning. Recently there

was a solar powered speed detector and

display put in place on Harrison St. just

north of the intersection as a speed deterrent

although from observation vehicle traffic

was still moving at very high speeds. The

only visibility issues are poles which may be

a visual obstruction on the southeast corner

of Harrison St. that may pose to be a

concern for drivers and pedestrians on

Kearsley St. heading west. There does not

seem to be any observed lighting issues on

either street.

The crosswalk signal was timed on

both streets and it was found that the walk

signal crossing Harrison St. was 36 seconds

and crossing Kearsley it was 22 seconds.

They both seemed adequate for the distance

that needed to be covered to get across

safely. During the observation of this

intersection there were multiple instances of

jaywalking further down Harrison St. north

of the intersection and pedestrians not

adhering to the cross walk signal which is a

serious concern because of vehicular speeds.

Figure 2


Intersection at Chavez Dr. and Kearsley St.


at 3:30 pm. The Chavez Drive and Kearsley

Street intersection sits on the eastern border

of campus, just before Kearsley St. crosses

over I-475 heading east. This intersection

has moderate pedestrian traffic. The speed

limits for Chavez and Kearsley are 35mph

and 25mph respectively. Chavez is one-way

at this intersection with three southbound

lanes, Kearsley is two-way with one lane

each direction. At the intersection, Kearsley

has a right turn lane on the eastbound side to

turn onto Chavez and a left turn lane on the

westbound side. There are bike lanes on

Kearsley up to the intersection that do not

continue on the bridge or further east past I-

475.

There are four crosswalks at the

intersection; two running north and south

across Kearsley, and two running east and

west across Chavez. Timing the crosswalk

lights showed that the total walk time

crossing Kearsley was around 45 seconds.

That breaks down to 30 seconds white and

15 seconds flashing red. Crossing Chavez

the total walk time was around 35 seconds,

25 seconds white and 10 seconds flashing

red. This seemed to be sufficient time to


cross each way. There are no traffic calming

devices at the intersection aside from the

stop signs at the crosswalk further back on

Kearsley and the traffic lights at the

intersection. Visibility is good in all

directions. The intersection is well lit with

one large street light on each corner.

Sidewalk quality is good near this

intersection however there was one area of

raised, jagged concrete around a manhole

cover that could be a tripping hazard. The

intersection is fair for ADA standards. The

main issues are the curb cuts are not all

smooth and the timing crossing Chavez may

be too short.

Driver behavior posed some

problems at this intersection. The biggest

issue was speeding on Chavez and drivers

accelerating through yellow lights. On a

green light, a vehicle was witnessed

speeding up to turn right onto Kearsley from

Chavez in front of a pedestrian who was

beginning to cross Kearsley. This is a

serious safety concern

.


Area surrounding Urban Alternatives House


at 3 pm. The Urban Alternatives House

(UAH) is located at the dead end of Eddy

Street, with the side yard backed up against

Crapo Street. Eddy St. is a short residential

street with no defined lanes and no posted

speed limit; however traffic is very slow due

to the dead end and vehicles can park on the

side of the road. Crapo Street is a two-lane

through street with an appropriate speed

limit of 30mph.

ADA accessibility is limited around

the house. The house itself has a ramp that is

accessible from the Eddy St. driveway and

sidewalk. At the time of observation,

visibility of the sidewalks was limited due to

recent snowfall; however it was clear to see

that the sidewalks are too narrow for

wheelchair accessibility. Additionally, the

sidewalks not being cleared from snow due

to the residential nature of the streets poses

an issue for pedestrian travel around the

house during winter months.

There is access for bicycles from

each street via the driveways and bike racks,

but there are no bike lanes along Kearsley

street between the UAH and campus, and

there are no bike lanes along Crapo St.

Visibility is fair on both Crapo and Eddy

streets. Lighting on both streets is poor.


There are streetlights on Crapo and Eddy

streets as well as the outside of the UAH,

however observing the area at night you can

see that it is still dark on the sidewalks.

There were no pedestrians to observe

at the time of observation. Visual analysis of

driver behavior on Crapo Street showed

drivers frequently exceeding the speed limit.

There are no traffic calming devices on

Crapo St. and the infrequent amount of

vehicle travel and street width seem to

promote speeding.

Summary

Overall there are many intersections

and corridors within and around campus that

need to be addressed. It is clear that all 5 e‟s

need to be looked at. Education,

encouragement and enforcement are at the

forefront of what needs to be addressed first.

There are many recommendations that do

not involve enormous sums of money in

order to educate both drivers and pedestrians

on how to share the road safely. It will take

encouragement to progressively make a

cultural shift in driver behavior so that more

people will feel safe to walk and bike in the

City of Flint and University of Michigan‟s

Flint campus.


Bicycle Accessibility on Campus

Bicycle Accessibility Audit

Various methods were used to

collect bicycle infrastructure data and use

that to assess the safety and attractiveness of

the transportation environment on and near

U of M Flint‟s campus. Direct observations

were taken on Thursday April 4, 2013

around 9 a.m. using campus bicycles. The

groups traveled by bike on a predetermined

route and familiarize themselves on the

campus bicycle skills road course and then

continued on to different study areas with

assessment checklists. The criteria for the

audit forms regarding each study area will

be further discussed in this assignment as

well as recommendations to increase safety

and attractiveness. The route and study areas

are shown in Figure 1 and each study area is

discussed in order as it was observed on the

bike route.


Area 7

At the intersection of Kearsley and

Harrison Streets there is a high traffic

volume of automobiles. The traffic speed

down Harrison Street is posted at 25 miles

per hour, however many automobiles will

speed to around 35 miles per hour. There is

a traffic light with pedestrian signage at all

four corners of the intersection, providing

access for safe crossing. There is a bike lane

on both sides of Kearsley Street, however

none down Harrison Street. With Harrison

Street being a 4 lane one way, there should

be two directional bike lanes added and

additional traffic calming devices to help


Pavement dip at drain plate

Cracked pavement along bike lane

slow down this high volume traffic area,

such as turning it into a 2 way directional

road. All drain gates are adequate for

bicyclist safety, except for the drain plate on

the south side of the intersection on Harrison

Street. This drain plate is placed near the

corner of the intersection on the bike route

and has a pavement dip surrounding it

creating the possibility for a bicyclist to trip

their bike wheel while approaching the

intersection. Also, following down the north

curb side of Kearsley Street, before and after

the intersection, the pavement is broken up

and uneven along the right side of the bike

lane. This pavement section should be

repaired and smoothened so that bicyclist

can ride safety without the hazard of

tripping their bike on broken pieces of

pavement. This is shown below.

Area 2

The intersection of Kearsley and

Mill St. is one of the busiest on U of M-

Flint‟s campus. It is a three-way intersection

with stop signs and well defined bike lanes.

Kearsley is two lanes west of the

intersection and 4 lanes east of it (two

coming in to the campus and 2 leaving

campus). There is a boulevard at the

entrance to the campus on Kearsley at

Chavez. The road surface is very smooth

and easy for bicyclists to traverse.

Visibility is good both to the west

and north, but to the east, going towards the

Chavez intersection and the bridge that

crosses I-475, the visibility is very poor, due

to a hill. This creates a hazard for both

cyclists riding here and drivers who are


travelling westbound on Kearsley. It is

difficult to see the oncoming traffic while on

a bicycle. There are also no signals for

cyclists at the intersection of Kearsley and

Chavez. Bike lanes proceeding through this

intersection are present but are unclear as to

how to use them. There are sharrows present

on Kearsley, indicating a shared road space;

however the meaning of these may be

unclear to some.

Driver behavior here is extremely

hazardous to cyclists. Drivers continuously

failed to make complete stops, constantly

rolling through stop signs and did not wait

for cyclists or pedestrians. Speeding is also

an issue. Campus speed limit is 15 mph, and

it was clear many drivers were not obeying

the speed limit. Enforcement by U of M-

Flint police is needed here. Education for

drivers on sharing the road with bicycles is

necessary so they know how to treat bikes

lanes and cyclists, making the road safe for

everyone.

Area 3

The crossing of Kearsley and Chavez

includes the overpass bridge where Kearsley

crosses over I-475. The lanes on the bridge

are wide enough to accommodate bicyclists

on either side, with adequate time to cross

Chavez on both sides of the bridge. The

speed limit changes to 35mph and moderate

traffic volume seems safe for bicyclists on

the bridge. However, Kearsley narrows East

of Chavez and the bike lanes do not

continue, so the 35mph speed becomes more

dangerous because bikes and vehicles must

share a lane without sharrows or any type of

signage. Crossing the bridge, there were

several areas of concern for bicyclists. First,

along the entire shoulder of the bridge there

is a layer of loose, fine-grained gravel and

sand that caused bike tires to slip and skid

when applying the brakes, which is a

potential danger. Also, there was an area of

broken pavement that could be dangerous if

driven over by a bike, as well as several

grates and holes with jagged edges that are

hazardous. There are faint lines where it

looked like bike lanes had been painted in

the past, however they were largely faded or

brushed away due to the loose gravel on the

surface. A major suggestion for this area is


to remove the loose gravel and paint clear

bike lanes along the bridge. There is not

much room to widen Kearsley East of the

bridge for bike lanes, but the addition of

painted sharrows or “share the road” signage

could increase safety for bicyclists going

toward the Cultural Center and UAH from

campus.

Area 4 and 6

Area 4 starts at the corner of

Kearsley and Crapo streets and ends just in

front of the Urban Alternatives House. This

is a culturally rich neighborhood with lots of

facilities such as the Planetarium, Public

Library, and FIA that would benefit from

being better connected with its surrounding

neighborhood. This segment of road has a

posted speed limit of 25mph and consists of

two wide lanes of traffic with rounded curb

cuts with a low traffic volume. There is an

absence of shoulders or bike lanes, but an

abundant amount of space available to

accommodate a bike lane going north and

southbound. Crapo St. is also lined with

trees which reduce traffic speeds, provide

shade and cover to pedestrians and

bicyclists, and are aesthetically pleasing.

The surface conditions of the roads

and sidewalks were fair. Sidewalks were

uneven and rough in some areas and need to

be leveled out. There was also the presence

of debris, such as sediment and broken

glass. Some of the sediment seems to be

coming from the curbs which are degrading;

repairing the curbs may help reduce the

debris issue.

At the corner of Crapo St. and

Kearsley St. it is a 4 way intersection with a

stop light, but no cross signal. Due to the

low traffic volumes and small width of the

roads a pedestrian crossing signal is likely

not necessary but should be present for

safety reasons. Crosswalks are outlined with

white lines and are in good condition.

Visibility at the intersection was good, with

no obstructions.

Area 6 consists of the segment of

Eddy St. in front of the UAH and the

segment of Crapo St. from the UAH to

Court St. The posted speed limit is 25mph


and consists of four traffic lanes, low

rounded curb cuts, and a low traffic volume.

The school across the street is close d which

in turn has decreased the traffic volume that

may have been. Four lanes aren‟t necessary

anymore for the amount of traffic this area

experiences, so two of the lanes, one going

north and one going south, should be

converted into a bike lane and connect Court

St. and Kearsley St. This segment of road

would also benefit from finding a use or

demolishing Central High School, which is

now vacant and a deterrent to pedestrians

and bicyclists. The facilities at the school are

used by residents of Flint, namely the

running track behind the vacant high school.

By demolishing the southernmost building,

or converting it to a recreational center, and

making the track visible and accessible to

the public you could change the character

for the better on this segment of Crapo St.

The area would become more friendly and

accessible increasing bicyclist and

pedestrian traffic volume.

The surface conditions of the roads

and sidewalks were similar to area 6 and had

some uneven and rough areas which need

maintenance. The curbs are also degrading

and contributing to sediment on the road.

The sidewalk connecting Eddy St. to Crap

St. is in poor condition and needs to be

smoothed out and maintained. Visibility for

this area is poor and could be increased by

cutting back brush.

The Crapo St. corridor, which areas

4 and 6 consists primarily of, has the

potential to be a grade A bicycle corridor.

This is due to the presence of a wide range

of services and facilities in the area, low

traffic volume of the streets, and the

presence of trees along the roads to lower

traffic speeds and provide shade for

pedestrians and bicyclists


Area 5

The intersection of Crapo St. and

Court St. is a high traffic intersection with a

traffic light and pedestrian walk signals.

Signal times crossing east to west are brief

and need to be extended by 5 more seconds

to allow adequate crossing time for

pedestrians, bicyclists, and the disabled.

Drivers on Court Street were consistently

observed running the red light which is a

serious concern. This could be rectified by

police enforcement. There are no bike lanes

on Court St. nor is there any other signage.

The speed limit is 25 mph and is rarely

observed due to many young drivers

attending Mott Community College. Court

Street is a busy thoroughfare in general and

needs better speed enforcement and signage

so that drivers are more aware of the college

campus area. This was the only street that

we were not able to bike on due to justified

safety concerns. The hill on Court west of

the intersection creates visibility issues. In

order to have better connectivity and a route

back to campus it would be appropriate to

include a bike lane heading east along court

to reconnect with downtown and U of M

Flint campus area.

Summary

In summary the five study areas

included Harrison/Kearsley, Kearsley/Mill,

Kearsley/Chavez, Crapo/Eddy and

Crapo/Court Streets. All five study areas

have many issues regarding bicycle and

pedestrian safety concerns. Speed

enforcement, signage, and improved

infrastructure are recurring themes in each

study area and should be addressed so that

more people will feel safe to ride which in

turn will improve people‟s perception if they

see more bicyclists in and around the U of

M Flint campus.


Current Enforcement

Current Enforcement Strategies

Current enforcement strategies in place by University of Michigan- Flint Public Safety

include:

Partners with other local law enforcement agencies in a collaborative effort in

crime prevention and enforcing local laws.


Issuing tickets to vehicles parked in violation of Flint ordinances and university

regulations. Parking enforcement is continuous for violators of handicap, fire

zones, and prohibited parking areas.

Enforces a „straight to jail‟ policy for drivers caught driving on a suspended

license.

Public safety officers on bicycles patrolling through campus and adjacent areas in

downtown Flint have greater mobility and larger police presence than an officer in

a car.

Patrols in golf carts.

Work with walk and bike groups on campus.

Implemented „yield to pedestrian‟ signs at most crosswalks.

Issuing parking citations and warnings.

Over 200 security cameras around campus.

Have student patrol program.


Encouragement

Encouragement is a key to a successful transition to sustainable transportation on

campus. There are many ways to encourage active living and healthy transportation modes.

Getting people interested in a sustainable transportation lifestyle is a major step towards a more

active lifestyle, decreasing their dependence on their vehicles and increasing safety for all on

campus.

Marketing Campaign- A full on marketing campaign can serve to promote awareness of

the benefits of sustainable transportation.

o Send emails

o Create flyers with maps

Bicycle Skills Course- Get the word out. Many students don‟t know about the bicycle

skills course. One way to do this is to integrate it into the new student orientation.

U of M-Flint Walk and Bike Work Group

Implementing pay for parking on campus to encourage walking and bicycling and

promote off campus parking. Currently cost of parking is included in tuition.

Incentive programs

Bike Kiosk Program

Special event days to promote alternative transportation

o Bike to Work/Campus Day


Current Education

Education Strategies

Current Education strategies that

exist on the UM-Flint campus are the Flint

River Trail Bicycle class, bicycle skills

course, Maize bicycle safety brochures and

the campus shuttle bus for pedestrians. To

improve the education in the community we

need to first focus on improving the

programs that already exist by advocating

and promoting the awareness of such

programs.


For the advocating of the Flint River

Trail Bicycle class emails could be sent out

to the UM-Flint students with pictures of the

trail and historic information about the trail

to encourage the involvement of more

students into the program. The bicycle skills

course could then be added to this class as a

requirement in order to educate the

awareness of bicycle etiquette on the road.

The bicycle safety brochures could

expand through the use of a webpage

dedicated towards implementing the

education of bicycle and pedestrian

awareness. This website could provide

current bike and pedestrian routes, locations

of showers and lockers and any businesses

that would attract bicyclist and pedestrians

such as ice cream shops, cafes and coffee

shops.

A great way to increase the

involvement of a more bicyclist and

pedestrian community would be to design a

phone app that provides the routes of bike

paths, bike lanes, pedestrian sidewalks and

the locations of businesses that connect to

these routes. Implementing a smartphone

app would provide easy access to

information regarding sustainable

transportation options and supports the

changes for connectivity within the city.

Additional suggestions outside of

current programs would be to add bicycle

and pedestrian safety education as a

requirement for orientation to new students

attending UM-Flint; expanding this idea

towards the initiation of enforcement on

education for bicycle safety into driver‟s

training would be fundamental to the

expansion for state sustainable

transportation education.


Part II. Improvements and

Recommendations


Pedestrian and ADA Accessibility

Improvements

Most of the audited intersections were in fair conditions but had room for ADA

accessibility improvement. The following section contains images and tables for each of the

intersection with each improvement ranked in their priority.


Intersection of Saginaw St. and 5th

Ave.

Proposed

Improvements Location Assessment Logic Rank

Traffic calming

devises

Saginaw St. and 5th

Ave.

Traffic frequently

exceeds posted

speed limit.

1

Road diet (Reduce

from 4 to 2 lanes)

and install bike lane

Saginaw St. and 5th

Ave.

Traffic calming

and increase

accessibility.

3

Widen sidewalk to

60 inches (NW

corner)

Saginaw St. and 5th

Ave.

Increases

wheelchair

accessibility

4

Level incline by ¼

inch

Saginaw St. and 5th

Ave.

Incline from cross

walk is too steep

for the disabled.

5

Trim vegetation

(visibility)

Saginaw St. and 5th

Ave.

Trimming

vegetation would

be a low cost fix to

improve visibility.

2


Intersection of Kearsley St. and Saginaw St.

Proposed


Speed limit signs

should be posted

Kearsley St.and

Saginaw St. Traffic calming 1

Level bricks within

the crosswalk

Kearsley St.and

Saginaw St. Accessibility 2

Pedestrian activated

crosswalk

Kearsley St.and

Saginaw St.

Improve traffic

circulation and

safety

3

Increase crosswalk

time

Kearsley St.and

Saginaw St. Safety 4


Intersection of University Blvd. and Saginaw St.

Proposed Improvements Location Assessment

Logic Rank

Replace worn and missing texture pads University Blvd. and Saginaw

St.

Safety and

ADA

accessibility

2

Fix crosswalk signal University Blvd. and Saginaw

St. Safety 1


Intersection at Kearsley St. and Harrison St.

Proposed


Road diet Kearsley St. and

Harrison St. Traffic calming 2

Law enforcement Kearsley St. and

Harrison St. Traffic calming 1

Continue bike lane Kearsley St. and

Harrison St. Accessibility 3

Textured sidewalk Kearsley St. and

Harrison St. Safety 5

Sidewalk

maintenance

Kearsley St. and

Harrison St.

Slush and ice build

up. 4

Signage Kearsley St. and

Harrison St. Safety 6


Intersection at Chavez Dr. and Kearsley St.

Proposed


Sidewalk

maintenance

Chaves Dr. and

Kearsley St.

Safety and

accessibility. 1

Install crosswalk

median

Chaves Dr. and

Kearsley St. Safety 2


Area surrounding Urban Alternatives House

Proposed


Road diet (reduce to

2 lanes)

Urban Alternative

House Traffic calming 2

Install bike lanes Urban Alternative

House Accessibility 3

Reduce speed limit Urban Alternative

House Traffic calming 1


Map 2 shows existing and

proposed bicycle facilities

and bicycle level of service

of local roads


Map 3 shows

existing and

proposed pedestrian

routes


Funding

Through the awarding of grants and mini grants a sustainable transportation master plan for

the Flint area could be supported and funded. The main organization for the Genesee County

Area, which includes the downtown area and the University of Michigan campus in Flint, is

SAGE (Safe and Active Genesee for Everyone). SAGE is responsible for the collaborating of

several different organizations working together to support safe and active living proposals such

as the University of Michigan- Flint‟s sustainable transportation master plan. Grants that are

available to look into are the following:

SAGE – Eight $1000 mini grants

o Requirements

Proposal Coversheet

Proposal Plan

Letters of Support

Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities

o Those Eligible

A local or state public agency

A for-profit organization (however, not allowed to gain profit off of

project)

A nationally recognized and accredited University or College


Implementation Strategy/Time Line

Present and Ongoing

Traffic enforcement.

Clear debris from sidewalks and streets.

o Chavez, Kearsley, Crapo St.

Fix segments of streets and sidewalks that contribute to debris.

Short Term 1-2 Years

Improve signage for bicyclists and drivers.

o University Blvd and Saginaw St., Kearsley and Chavez, Kearsley St.

and Harrison St., Kearsley St. and Saginaw st.

Fix sidewalks near UAH.

o This should assist with the debris problem on the sidewalks and

streets.

Design student orientation to incorporate bike, pedestrian and drivers

education on campus

Trim vegetation to increase visibility.

o Saginaw St. and 5th

Avenue.

Level bricks within the crosswalk of Kearsley St. and Saginaw St.

Increase crosswalk time

o Kearsley St. and Saginaw St,

Fix crosswalk signal at University Blvd. and Saginaw St.

Reduce speed limit around the UAH.

Pedestrian activated crosswalk at Kearsley St. and Saginaw St.

Replace worn and missing texture pads

o University Blvd. and Saginaw St., Kearsley St. and Harrison St.,

Long Term 5-10 Years

Road diet: reduce lanes of traffic from 4 to 2.

o Saginaw St., Crapo St.

Install proposed bike lanes and pedestrian facilities in additional space

provided from the traffic lane reduction.

o Increasing connectivity of existing routes should take priority over the

creation of new routes of traffic.

Widen Sidewalk to 60inches at Saginaw St. and 5th

Ave.

Level inclines to ¼ inch at Saginaw St. and 5th

Ave.

Install Crosswalk median at Chavez Dr. and Kearsley St.


References

http://www.activelivingbydesign.org/what-we-do/albd-grant-program

http://portal.hud.gov

http://www.activelivingbydesign.org/what-we-do/albd-grant-program

http://portal.hud.gov/

U of M-Flint Bike and Pedestrian Plan

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Transcript of U of M-Flint Bike and Pedestrian Plan