AATA - citing safety concerns - alters routes near Arborland Mall

The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority is creating a long-term detour for riders who transfer between one of its busy routes along Washtenaw Avenue near Arborland Mall due to safety concerns, the AATA announced this evening.

Starting Dec. 8, Route 22 - which is a north-south route through Ann Arbor between the Green Road park-and-ride and the Meijer on Carpenter Road - will no longer stop at the Pittsfield Boulevard stop to allow non-coordinated transfers to Route 4 and Route 7.

The AATA stops near Arborland Mall have been cited as a safety concern.

AATA bus stop

Instead, the bus will take a detour to the Glencoe Crossing shopping center east of Carpenter Road. That will allow passengers traveling toward downtown Ann Arbor to use either Route 4 or 7 to transfer to northbound Route 22 there.

Many passengers are tempted to jaywalk through busy traffic across Washtenaw Avenue because of where the crosswalks are located, and that's a safety issue, said Mary Stasiak, AATA's manager of community relations.

Earlier this year, the Arborland shopping center's management terminated a lease agreement that allowed for a bus stop and transfer location there.

The AATA had offered a stop at Arborland for 30 years. AATA officials previously said they were attempting to work out an agreement with the mall's owners to get back into Arborland, but that hasn't happened.

AATA said it's concerned about passengers crossing busy Washtenaw Avenue to make bus transfers.

AATA will offer a bus stop on the north side of Washtenaw Avenue in front of Belle Tire. It will be scheduled to leave at 16 minutes and 46 minutes past the hour, and also will have a bus stop on the south side of Washtenaw in front of Mattress World and Frame Factory, scheduled to leave at 10 minutes and 40 minutes past the hour.

AATA is recommending passengers transferring to Routes 4 or 7 transfer at Washtenaw Avenue and Huron Parkway or transfer to eastbound buses on the south side of Washtenaw Avenue east of Pittsfield Boulevard.

"The safety of our passengers is the driving reason for this change," AATA Chief Executive Officer Michael Ford said in a release Friday. "It will serve as an interim solution until we complete development and installation of a permanent bus transfer location on Washtenaw."

For questions, contact the AATA at 734-996-0400.