Best solution at Arborland is to let AATA buses use parking lot again

Posted on Sun, Dec 20, 2009 : 5:14 a.m.

Best solution at Arborland is to let AATA buses use parking lot again

By Tony Dearing

For nearly 30 years, city buses picked up and dropped off passengers at
Arborland Center, and the arrangement worked well enough for everyone
involved - except the current owners of the shopping mall.

AmCap Inc. took the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority by surprise last
summer when it announced that buses would no longer be allowed in the
Arborland parking lot.

The result has been hardship and ill will all the way around. It’s been bad for bus passengers. It’s been bad for Arborland shoppers and employees. It’s been bad for Arborland merchants and the mall itself. The shame is that this mess could have been prevented, and still could be resolved if only the mall ownership could be persuaded to sit back down with AATA.

This month, AATA boss Michael Ford and Mayor John Hieftje made another
appeal to AmCap to re-open discussions. We join them, and welcome the
community to join them, in urging the mall ownership to understand the
seriousness of the problem and to help find a solution.

Until AmCap’s action, some 1,000 people a day were getting on or off a bus
at Arborland, including about 150 people who parked there and used the bus
to commute downtown. These commuters raised some concerns among mall
merchants, who said the commuters were taking choice parking spots meant for
customers. But AATA officials say they addressed that problem.

Click here to view a PDF of the letter that AATA and Ann Arbor officials sent to AmCap
Click here to sign an online petition in support of AATA's request to meet with AmCap to discuss possible solutions

AmCap also has said that it had national retailers reject Arborland because of the presence of the buses in the parking lot, and that limited access inÂ and out of the mall needs to be addressed in order for it to considerÂ allowing the parking lot to be used as a transfer location again. These concerns, while legitimate, are hardly insurmountable, and addressing them in a way that allows AATA to again use Arborland offers a far better and less costly solution than any other alternative.

While this issue awaits a solution, the hardship it’s caused has been
considerable. Passengers have been forced to cross the heavily trafficked
five-lane Washtenaw Avenue in order to transfer buses, creating a serious
safety issue for them and for motorists. It’s become harder for mall
employees who use the bus to get to and from work, and harder for shoppers
who use the bus to get to Arborland stores and restaurants. Forcing buses to
stop on Washtenaw also has added to traffic snarls, making it harder to get
in and out of Arborland, exacerbating the very problem the mall owners were
trying to reduce.

Earlier this month, AATA was forced to detour one of its key bus routes
along Washtenaw Avenue because of safety concerns. The change has improved
the situation, but is another stopgap measure.

At this point, if buses can’t use the Arborland parking lot, the long-term
solution will most likely involve constructing bus pull-off spots on
Washtenaw Avenue, and changing traffic lights to allow buses to re-enter
traffic after they stop. This will require time and money, and is infinitely
less desirable than the arrangement AATA used to have.

We have not given up hope that AmCap will see the opportunity to be a good
corporate citizen, and engage city and AATA officials in discussions that
allow buses back into the Arborland lot. That would be the best outcome for
both bus riders and Arborland, and a welcome reversal of the lose-lose
situation that mall ownership has currently created for itself and the
community.

(This editorial was published in today's newspaper and reflects the opinion of the Editorial Board of AnnArbor.com.)

Comments

Bill

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 3:22 p.m.

I miss going to Chili's around Christmas time. I like their ribs. I have not gone to Arborland since they stopped buses from stopping there. As for my usual loyalty to Border's, I will have to go downtown to the main one or down the street to Barnes and Noble. Who knows? Maybe I will grow to like Barnes and Noble better. They have free parking so it's easy to go in and browse some evening for an hour or two. It's silly of Border's to risk losing long time customers because of this. Other places I have not taken my granddaughter or grandsons or daughter include the noodle place, the ice cream place, and I have no idea who took Circuit City's place. I have not been in the mall since this started. Is Toys R Us still over there? I wouldn't know. Haven't been to Arborland this fall.

Joel Batterman

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 3 p.m.

Thanks for keeping this up front. Under the new bus stop configuration, it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.

Leslie Morris

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 : 10:03 a.m.

As a frequent shopper at Arborland, who used the bus stop that used to be in Arborland, I was very interested in the "scammers" who used to operate outside Borders. They were annoying to me, but they had no connection to the bus stop. They did not come from the bus stop, nor did they go to the bus stop, nor did I ever see anyone solicited at the bus stop. They tended to rush in from Washtenaw Ave. with some sort of story about a broken-down car. The lure appeared to be the Borders' store.

ClydeKatz

Mon, Dec 21, 2009 : 10:08 a.m.

The elephant in the room is really the scammers who used to hassle the shoppers at Arborland when the bus stop was there. The bolder scammers even got tossed out out Border's lobby! Too bad the scammers created the unsafe condition today.

Mon, Dec 21, 2009 : 9:48 a.m.

Since this mess started with AmCap's eviction of public transportation from the mall, I've thought the need for vehicular access into and out of the mall should have decreased. Perhaps the city should retime the traffic signals at the two access points to the mall to give more preference to Washtenaw Avenue traffic. To further compensate for the decreased traffic into and out of the mall, perhaps the third non-traffic signal controlled access point could be eliminated, to improve flow on Washtenaw. Also, I think since the one access point is an exit only, it makes sense that the other be converted to an entrance only to improve traffic flow on Washtenaw even more.

ez12c

Mon, Dec 21, 2009 : 8:05 a.m.

I can't say that I avoid Arborland because of what they did to AATA but I can tell you that the bus stops on Washtenaw have definitely made me think twice about driving in that area around rush hour. As bad as it was before, it is far worse now that busses stop on the road. Nice play Arborland! Way to be a team player. BTW you have always had the WORST parking lot design in Washtenaw County.

ToddAustin

Mon, Dec 21, 2009 : 7:58 a.m.

"AmCap also has said that it had national retailers reject Arborland because of the presence of the buses in the parking lot" One can only wonder what retailers these are that reject the value of public transportation. Do they think people with money arrive at their stores only in SUVs? In this economy, can the merchants in the mall really afford to reject customers because of their choice of transportation? Shame on AmCap. I have been intentionally avoiding Arborland since they banned busses and have been actively encouraging others to do the same.

Agusta Gunnarsdottir

Mon, Dec 21, 2009 : 7:48 a.m.

I live close to Arborland Mall and have been witnessing the dangerous situation that has been created with the bus stop changes. I have been wondering if having the buses stop in the half empty parking lot acrosss the street, where the Dollar Store is, and then ad a safe pedestrian crossing to Abroland Mall which is needed anyway.