foobar417

Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 3:24 p.m.

Personally, I think Ann Arbor needs to take a long hard look at sidewalks in areas that were built out as township and then absorbed into the city. (I suspect that's the case here.) If you look at the older neighborhoods (e.g. Old West Side), you've got curbs, sidewalks, crosswalks, etc. If you look at the incorporated neighborhoods, you've got what look like country roads with missing or scattered sidewalks and no curbs. The latter environment is just not safe for pedestrians in general or children in specific. I would like the city to develop a multi-year street by street plan to get us to a point where pedestrians (including children on their way to and from school) can walk safely anywhere in the city.

justcurious

Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 2:51 p.m.

Lets see, the girl should not have (allegedly) crossed the road where there was no crosswalk. All children are taught that when very small. The person who (allegedly) hit her should have been driving more carefully in order to avoid hitting something in their path of travel. The city should consider erecting a traffic light at that intersection. Drivers should slow down and eliminate in-car distractions. It is the first accident that I have heard of occurring there in 65 years, though there could have been others I suppose. It was an accident that should not have happened. Pretty much sums it up for me.

EyeHeartA2

Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 2:50 p.m.

This article has 117 words. I would love to know the article to comment word count ratio here and how it stands with the all-time "greats". Idle speculation and blanket accusations are certainly grist for the mill, aren't they?

Ann E.

Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 2:33 p.m.

Children living in this area are too close to school to warrant school bus transportation and need adequate sidewalks and stop lights to make walking to school reasonably safe. These are preteens and younger walking to and from school in the process of learning safe decision making. Drivers, walkers and bikers all need to cultivate greater awareness of one another.

bgs

Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 1:56 p.m.

I am a parent of two kids who attend Forsythe Middle School. I drive on that Miller-Newport intersection at least four times per day and it is extremely dangerous for kids to cross. I always stop for kids crossing, but even that is tricky. Cars behind me often can't even wait or don't pay attention and continue to drive and pass me on the right. I have to stop towards the right side to prevent cars from passing me while kids cross the street. A stoplight is definitely needed on that intersection!!!

David Cahill

Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 1:41 p.m.

AnnArbor.com, an update on the little girl's condition would be much appreciated!

BTO

Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 1:26 p.m.

I live on Newport Rd. just past M-14 and I drive on it everyday. Except when I need extra speed to get up an icy hill I always go the speed limit which is 25 mph all the way until you get past Rudolph Steiner (or whatever it's called these days). Almost everyday I have very agressive, very pissed off drivers tailgating me and glaring at me after I turn because I go the speed limit on the street with 2 schools and where many children (including my 2 girls) live and walk. I have even been passed on this road for going the speed limit many times and more than once the person who passed me has turned into one of the schools. I'm not trying to blam the driver or the pedestrian for what happened here because as many have already pointed out there is no information about what happened here but I do know that there are many drivers that drive way too fast and are angry about not being able to drive even faster. There is a crosswalk up by the school. It is well marked with a blinking yellow light above it so drivers can see that it is there long before they get to it. I don't think that more crosswalks on Newport would make drivers or pedestrians any safer. As other people have said what needs to happen to make everybody safer is for drivers and pedestrians to pay attention to what other people are doing and think about how they are going to interact with the other people traveling around them.

kennelof4canines

Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 12:41 p.m.

She was crossing from left to right in the photo above, not because the sidewalk ended, walking home from school, not toward the school. And yet AGAIN, as I was traveling Miller TODAY toward downtown Ann Arbor, the FOUR cars in front of me FAILED to stop on Miller at the crosswalk which had two girls, one mother and two white fluffy dogs- very visible and waioting to cross- yet the FOUR drivers in front of me blew right past- AS USUAL!!! I stopped, and finally the oncoming traffic stopped. The problem is that people think where they are going at 7:40 a.m. is more important than anyone else.

leezee

Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 12:26 p.m.

Typical Ann Arbor response - placing blame all over the place before they know what actually happened. Let's just hope the little girl is okay and the driver can get over the trauma. .....and annarbor.com, where is the update? In such a small town where something like this happens so rarely you should be able to find out something more by now.

Darwinia

Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 11:12 a.m.

Where have the schools been with information? When the Skyline student was hit, they were quick with an email. Its bad enough that AnnArbor.com is so vague, but why is the school system so quiet this time? I also grew up in this area. There is no excuse for the city to not have done something a long long time ago. The newer subdivisions add additional traffic that was not there in the 70's and 80's, and no changes occurred to handle the traffic. Recently, I sat waiting to turn right onto Miller, while a bus waited to turn onto Newport for at least 10 minutes. There was a terrified young boy trying to decide if he should play a life size game of frogger because westbound Miller would not stop for him to cross. Its amazing something like this didn't happen sooner. It shouldn't have happened at all.

greymom

Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 10:56 a.m.

Put speed bumps down that street, that helps slow people down

LSB

Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 10:30 a.m.

How about a simple old-fashioned stop light at the corner of Miller and Newport? Congestion there, especially at school arrival and departure times, often leads to impatient drivers and questionable safety for people standing at the corners. My sixth grader walks home from school along this route. I don't know what took place to create this terrible accident, thanks to no updates from Ann Arbor.com for the past 16 hours since it happened. But a traffic light at the corner would go a long way toward making things safer at that corner for walkers and bikers.

bunnyabbot

Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 4:24 a.m.

it doesn't matter that the sidewalk ends, just because it does doesn't mean that is where you cross the road. You cross the road at the safer spot, which in this case would be at the intersection of Miller and Newport. Also, further up on the side we can see the reason why there is no sidewalk is because there is a huge slope in the land (wooded area). There isn't enough of a level area to have a sidewalk. You'd fall into a wooded abyss especially if it were icy. I agree that Newport offers roadway for speeding, perhaps some speed bumps closer to the school. Part of the problem is the big hill turning from Miller you have to accelerate to climb the hill. Many just keep the foot down on the gas longer than they need and they wind up speeding, the opposite effect happens coming down Newport, you end up coasting at a higher speed then the limit and you are then speeding unintentionally. Growing up there were always two speed traps on Newport. One at Bird Hills and one further down near Newport School.

shepard145

Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 3:26 a.m.

I see people texting while driving all over town. My favorite was a women on a 50mph road driving 40mph while she looked down, weaving a little, clacking away as the cars stacked up behind her. This trend is going to continue for years as foolish drivers learn the hard way, one ruined life at a time.

L

Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 3:08 a.m.

There are actually sidewalks on both sides of Newport here. So the problem is not the lack of sidewalks.

say it plain

Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 2:19 a.m.

Isn't there a roundabout planned for the intersection of Miller and Newport? That should help safety for everyone, I'd imagine, as would sidewalks.

AAJoker

Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 1:48 a.m.

What a tragedy Important points that have already been said: 1. Why does the city allow the sidewalk to end without a proper cross walk? Why is there no sidewalk? Last I checked we wanted sidewalks in the city to allow safe walking yet for the next dozen plus houses there is none? 2. While I cannot comment on this driver, many go far too fast on roads all over town as Ann Arbor police enforcement of speeds has virtually disappeared. The standard speed on Liberty is 10 over, on Maple from Jackson to M-14 15 over, on Miller and Dexter 5-10 over... but I haven't seen a police car in months. 3. Just up from this area the sidewalk is directly next to the road offering no pedestrian protection. 4. I agree the cross walk at Miller and Newport is dangerous AT BEST! The cars only focus on the Miller traffic (as it is flowing too fast and constant) so trying to cross is taking your life in your hands. Is it going to take a death for A. Police to step up enforcement B. The reduction of some speed limits?

Tesla

Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 1:36 a.m.

I love how everyone is quick to blame the driver here. It looks to me judging from where the car is stopped on the roadway that the gal stepped off the curb because the sidewalk ran out. Perhaps she was distracted somehow but the car is clearly in the middle of the road as it should be. With all the hullabaloo about pedestrian safety, this area seems an oversight. Where are the pedestrians supposed to go when the walk runs out, and thats 200 feet off the intersection uphill where people are accelerating. What give ann arbor ?

Whitney

Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 1:22 a.m.

I live on that block and even though that hill is a bad block for pedestrians, the real issue is that cars go WAY too fast. I have almost been hit tons of times walking across the street to get the mail because people come over the hill or around the corner from Miller going 30, 40, 45 mph. I hope that this will encourage the police to patrol this area for speeders more.

uabchris

Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 11:36 p.m.

I moved here a few years ago from down South, live in 7th Street, and continue to be amazed at the carelessness and aggressiveness displayed by drivers here. A2 drivers: take a chill pill! If you are that late...you should have left a half hour earlier...your arrival time is not more important than someone's life! Prayer for the little girl!!!

kennelof4canines

Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 11:14 p.m.

I travel down Miller and Newport several times a day, and my child attends Forsythe with the victim. Anyone can see how many people blow through the crosswalks when children are waiting in the morning, and after school. EVERY DAY. Which is, of course, no only unsafe, but ILLEGAL. BOTH the crosswalk on Miller and the crosswalk on Newport are hazardous. The beige car that hit her obviously turned off Miller onto Newport- LOOK at the photo! SLOW down people! Especially when it's during the time that many children are traveling to and from school. There is no place you are going that is more important than a childs life. Either a crossing guard or something else is needed- NOW- before it's too late.

justcurious

Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 10:08 p.m.

I can't count how many times while driving on country roads I come over the crest of a hill and two pedestrians are walking two abreast up the hill toward me on the other side. It is a scary situation. Similar to what may have happened here I would think.

bunnyabbot

Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 9:47 p.m.

I am surprised to read that area residence want proper crosswalks, as someone who went to Forsythe and then worked as a nanny in the neighborhood every summer in highschool and for a number of years beyond I walked quite a bit up and down Newport often pushing a double stroller while walking a dog or two. It is not impossible or unsafe to cross the street at the stop signs. Even the picture shows the wide band marking where there is a stop sign, yet the car that struck the girl is approx 7 car lengths from that. So did the girl cross at the stop sign and was dragger or did she cut across rather than walk (all the way) to the stop sign? and why not at the stop sign where it would be safer to cross? One thing about Newport is you don't cross too close to one of the hills where it will be more difficult for a driver to see you. At any rate I hope she is ok. and gee, did ALL of the patrol officers respond? I haven't seen so many patrol cars in Ann Arbor at one time!

Blerg

Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 9:41 p.m.

I am so tired of the lack of reporting done on the part of AA.com. It seems every pseudo-article I read is highlights from a police radio. Where is the reporting?!?

Wolf's Bane

Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 9:31 p.m.

I run along Newport and right were the accident happened, I see many fellow runners and pedestrians trying to cross from the west side sidewalk to the east side of Newport because that's where the sidewalk resumes. This is a real tragedy. I hope she is okay.

Ann English

Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 9:10 p.m.

That distinctive pine tree branch near the sidewalk gives away just where on Newport Road this accident took place; a distinctive tree in the front yard of a home well back from the road. I had no idea that residents had been trying to get proper crossing areas for children walking to and from school, but the photo above shows the risk of anyone crossing Newport Road on one side of that crest. Road crests are risky areas for motorcyclists and motorists turning left at them and for oncoming traffic; whoever turns left or is crossing the street on foot suddenly appears in front of those going straight.

Linda Peck

Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 8:36 p.m.

Heartbreaking story! Please everyone, let's be careful on the roads. It is horrible to have this happening in a "civilized" society. Blessings to the little one and may she heal completely and quickly.

lancelot

Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 8:11 p.m.

she was on her back in the southbound side of newport 100 feet north of miller at 330

rosy12

Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 7:52 p.m.

Isn't this the area where residents have been trying to get proper crossing areas for the children going to and from school? Is this what it takes for them to get it done? Hope she is ok.