Ypsilanti Township to install 19 speed humps to slow motorists using 'cut-through' streets
Speed humps like these installed on Parkwood Avenue will be installed a block over on Hawthorne Avenue in Ypsilanti Township. The speed humps have pushed fast moving "cut-through" traffic from Parkwood to Hawthorne.
Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
Ypsilanti Township will install a total of 19 speed humps on several neighborhood streets motorists are using as a “pass-through” to avoid traffic and traffic lights on busier roads.
The projects will cost the township around $134,000 and were the result of residents’ petition drive.
The projects will get underway in July and be completed this summer.
Nine speed humps, signage and pavement markings will be installed on Big Pine Drive between Huron River Drive and Textile Road. Big Pine serves as a shortcut for residents who don’t want to drive further east to Tuttle Hill Road.
“They have speeding and volume problems there,” Mike Radzik, director of the township’s office of community standards, told the Board of Trustees before it unanimously approved the project at its June 24 meeting.
Big Pine also is wider than most neighborhood streets, which adds to the problem, Radzik said.
Seven speed humps, signage and pavement markings will be installed on Hawthorne Avenue between Ecorse Road and Glenwood Street. It is used as a cut-through between Ecorse Road and South Harris Road.
Trustee Mike Martin said he lives in that neighborhood and sees how fast cars drive down the street.
“They’re running 45 miles per hour. They’re passing people and there are children playing in the middle of those blocks,” he said.
Three speed humps, signage and pavement markings will be installed on Northlawn Avenue between Dexter and Brookside Streets. That street sees heavy traffic from motorists cutting between Washtenaw Avenue and Packard Road.
Radzik said the streets meet Road Commission criteria for qualifying for traffic-calming devices. That includes a traffic count higher than what is normal for the number of houses on a neighborhood street and/or cars regularly traveling 10 miles per hour over the speed limit. Speed limits on all the roads are 25 miles per hour.
“So, the street is demonstrated to be either a racetrack or a cut-through. The speed humps have been proven to reduce speed and volume,” Radzik said.
Three residents led a petition drive and the petitions were submitted to the Washtenaw County Road Commission.
“You are going to make a lot of people happy,” Trustee Scott Martin said.
Radzik said the residents who petitioned for the speed humps spent three months collecting signatures and jumped through a number of bureaucratic hoops to make the project happen.
“It’s quite a process they have to go through,” said Supervisor Brenda Stumbo.
"On all of these projects, the residents there will see an immediate benefit once they are installed," Radzik said.
Tom Perkins is a freelance reporter. Contact the AnnArbor.com news desk at news@annarbor.com.
Comments
Jim Walker
Wed, Jul 3, 2013 : 5:27 a.m.
If the main roads were posted at the safest points, the 85th percentile speeds of free flowing traffic under good conditions, the cut through actions would decrease significantly. James C. Walker, National Motorists Association
jns131
Tue, Jul 2, 2013 : 10:14 a.m.
I hate to say it, but the people on Crestwood still see motorists go flying over the ones that are there now. Sorry, but they are not high enough. I like the ones on Jewett. Now those are speed bumps. Great idea but still not high enough.
Ann English
Wed, Jul 17, 2013 : 12:04 a.m.
Speed bumps are on Rosewood, too, one block over from Jewett. The biggest speed bumps I've ever gone over are on Iroquois, a purely residential road running from Stadium to Packard. I wonder if those are high enough for you. They're high enough for me on Pittsfield, Yost, Hawks, and Blossom Hill.
Steve Pierce
Tue, Jul 2, 2013 : 2:28 a.m.
City of Ypsilanti officials have always told residents you can't do speed bumps because it screws up the snow plows. Good on the TWP for doing this and being responsive to community needs. - Steve
jns131
Tue, Jul 2, 2013 : 10:31 a.m.
Not true. Need to state your facts before stating a false hood. Contact Brenda Stumbo on this one.
mike
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 11:45 p.m.
At cost of over $7,000 per speed hump and signage it seems that a police presence would help a little. This has been a problem throughout the entire county. Why don't we enforce the speed laws. Law enforcement is the only way to stop people from changing locations. Speed humps placed on Parkwood St. caused the traffic to change its course to Hawthorne St. Does this mean that all f our through side streets should have these car rattling humps placed on them? Even at slow speeds these humps cause pain in the elderly and those with chronic pains. I agree with the residents that there needs to be something done about excessive traffic and speeders on these side streets. If the speed laws were enforced the excess traffic would be reduced automatically. Ann Arbor is having the same issues on 7th Street, The police did a study and said that the average speed was near the speed limit and has no idea what they can do. Ypsilanti Twp. wants to put bumps in the road. Wake up.. enforce the speed limit laws.
jns131
Tue, Jul 2, 2013 : 10:31 a.m.
That chronic back pain you feel is probably Sgt Morocco or one of people who have pulled you over for either a speeding ticket or a want and warrant. There is WCSD out there and last month at our watch meeting he stated that there was over 74 pull overs. Most of those were for wants and warrants. I could care less about 7th street because there are no children in that area that play near the street. In ours? There is. So please don't tell me that these bumps are a chronic pain in the arse. We are still getting fly overs at high speeds and yet at least, it is quieter then has been in ages. As for wants and warrants? They are coming from Anderson Apts who let anyone rent a space if they can afford it. So kindly go around or stay out of our area. At the corner of Glenwood and Crestwood? Nice accident. Glad the car did not go thru the house.
mike
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 11:57 p.m.
Hmmm just a thought why not place speed cameras in these area instead of bumps. After getting a ticket or two people will not take the short cuts, and the Twp. can collect some funds at the same time.
Boots
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 9:57 p.m.
Our family lived on Big Pine Dr from 1982 until 1999. Speed Bumps are dearly needed!! The children playing in our yard yelled at a speeding driver "to slow down". It took that man (not a teenager) 73 feet of black tire marks on the road to stop!! We measured them. He exited his car and came after the kids, and the adults came out. Now if there had been speed bumps, like we had asked for many times, our children would not have been in harms way, and witness how adults behave. We are pretty sure that he receive a reckless driving ticket at his home. Even though we move from there we are very glad that the children that live there now can play in the yards with out the fear of a car going out of control and hurting them. Better a few years late then never.
klovejoyroe-ytownclerk
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 7:05 p.m.
The Washtenaw County Road Commission has a process to begin the request to have traffic calming devices installed on local streets. The Washtenaw County Road Commission can be contacted at 734.761.1500 from 7AM-3:30PM Monday-Friday. The traffic calming device installation process is resident driven. A resident or residents on the street requesting the devices must begin the process with the road commission. Once all the stages have been completed and the road commission determines the road is eligible and will benefit from the trafffic calming devices, the funding must be provided by the local jurisdiction. Ypsilanti Township budgets for these projects yearly. As a correction to a former participant on this post Big Pine Drive will be paved after the water project. The road was scheduled to be paved by the road commission and paid for by Ypsilanti Township. Before Ypsilanti Township requests roads to be paved once identified by the road commission as in need of paving, the list of roads needing improvements are sent to YCUA to determine if water and/or sewer reparis are needed. If YCUA indicates water/sewer work is needed on the roads planned to be paved Ypsilanti Township cooridnates with YCUA to do the water/sewer work first before the paving. Big Pine is schedule to have some pavement restored this fall and the remainder in 2014. Have a wonderful Holiday! Karen Lovejoy Roe, Charter Township of Ypsilanti Clerk
Heather
Tue, Jul 2, 2013 : 12:37 p.m.
Thank you for your reply, Karen. I understand that the Road Commission has a process for getting speed bumps. What seems inconsistent to me is that nobody ever asked the residents of our street if we wanted to have it re-paved a few years ago. The road commission and the township just made a decision and re-paved it. The smooth surface of our street today is part of the reason why it has become a speedway. I can understand why residents were asked to sign a petition for streetlights because the residents of the streets that got new lights also have to pay a little extra in their property taxes. However, it does not sound to me as if the residents of the streets that are getting speed bumps/humps are being asked to pay for them. So why is a petition required? A big part of the problem with the failed attempt to petition for speed bumps on Clubview last year was that signatures indicating support of speed bumps were required from residents of several other streets as well. In addition to getting a majority of the residents of Clubview to sign the petition, petitioners also had to get a majority of signatures from people who live in several quiet little streets that connect with Clubview. The people who live on those little side streets never have problems with cars speeding by their front yards. As long as we have to pass a petition that requires support from a majority of residents on Clubview and also a majority of residents who live on several little side streets, too, we will never be be able to get speed bumps on Clubview, even though we are going to need them more and more as Wal-Mart expands and that new store moves into the place vacated by Busch's.
YpsiYapper
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 3:27 p.m.
Trustee Mike Martin said he lives in that neighborhood and sees how fast cars drive down the street. "They're running 45 miles per hour. They're passing people and there are children playing in the middle of those blocks," he said (Did I or did I not read an ordinance was passed in Ypsilanti Township just last week about "playing basketball in the street"?)
jns131
Tue, Jul 2, 2013 : 10:34 a.m.
Yes. They will be taken if seen.
Chris
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 3:48 p.m.
They're not allowed to play basketball in the streets. Catch or bike riding is fine. Just none of that urban hooliganism that bball brings.
YpsiYapper
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 3:22 p.m.
Why is it that speed bumps are painted white? In the winter months, They become invisible! The Yellow that is used for warning signs in (such as the one in the above picture) would provide much better visibility. I noticed this is also done with curbs on the islands in the middle of some roadways. Anyone know the reason for this?
Homeland Conspiracy
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 3:17 p.m.
Speed bumps, speed humps, calming bumps, & calming humps what PC name are we calling them today?
jns131
Tue, Jul 2, 2013 : 10:34 a.m.
A chronic pain in the arse to those cutting thru our neighborhood.
mmammel
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 3:17 p.m.
I live on Brookside and am confused about the placement of the speed bumps in this neighborhood. I suppose I don't know the driving patterns, but I would think that Brookside is the more direct cut through between Washtenaw and Packard instead of going down Northlawn. If I were to have made a suggestion about placement it would be a speed bump on Brookside south of the curve before hitting Packard. This is always a congestion point with a hill to the north and is something of a blind spot because of the curve and trees. Put the speed bump a bit south of the hill with the sign for the speed bump at the middle or near the top. It would help out speeds for that entire road.
tdw
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 3:21 p.m.
I agree.I do think the main reason for speeding on Northlawn is because of the big hill
UncleMao
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 2:42 p.m.
19?! That's a lot of bumps. I'm jealous that my neighborhood won't be getting any. I would wager that every street running between Packard and Washtenaw could use a few too.
Heather
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 2:32 p.m.
Why does this have to be decided by petition? Why can't the Township and/or the road commission make a decision in regard to safety? This petition process just gets a lot of neighbors mad at one another.
speedl
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 2:13 p.m.
The speed humps within any Township will be installed by the WCRC and WILL NOT be like the speed humps installed on Parkwood. Parkwood is in the city of Ann Arbor and they install their own proper speed humps. If you want to see what the ineffective, expensive speed humps look like that the WCRC installs, drive through the Arbor Woods subdivision off Packard in Ann Arbor, Pittsfield Township. They don't deter speeders nor traffic volumes.
UM Rocks
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 6:16 p.m.
Parkwood is in Ypsi Twp too. Live in this area and they have helped slow traffic a lot.
rs
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 1:27 p.m.
we had these put in throughout our subdivision several years ago and they made a huge difference. I don't live on a drag racing strip anymore.
leadersandbestfan
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 1:23 p.m.
Hurray!!! There was a plan to install speedbumps on Clubview last year but a vocal few overturned the plan. At least twice a week I encounter vehicles going waaaaayyyyyyy too fast. This is a tragedy waiting to happen. Of course, while drivers are driving at reckless speeds they are often on a cell phone. Am I wrong or is this selfishness on their part? ("I need to get somewhere...", "I want to get their fast...", "I, I, I" )
TryingToBeObjective
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 2:03 p.m.
Leadersandbestfan, I totally agree. "I'm late for my lobotomy!"
tdw
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 1:34 p.m.
For some reason its real easy to speed on Clubview.I have to make it a point to keep my speed down ( I keep it under 25 )
tdw
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 1:23 p.m.
Not sure where the speed bumps will be on Northlawn half of that stretch of road is a big hill.I have to ride my breaks so I don't speed
Ann English
Wed, Jul 17, 2013 : 12:32 a.m.
I wonder how effective it would be if more yellow BRAKING REQUIRED signs were installed in front of hills going down; Geddes Road has such a sign, between Observatory and Shipman. Or are such signs only for main streets such as Geddes? That stretch has its own share of residential side streets, on both sides.
nickcarraweigh
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 1:01 p.m.
Speeding cars will hit these bumps and go out of control. Will superheated poisonous gases rising from the blazing, blackened, twisted hulks of automotive wreckage hang like a pall over tomorrow's Ypsilanti? More firefighter hiring coming, and colorful sunsets, too.
Chris
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 3:46 p.m.
Really, I have never seen or heard of a car exploding because of a speed bump. All the more reason to get one in front of my house!
Laura
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 12:55 p.m.
I worked to get speed bumps on my street in Ypsilanti township a few years ago and I LOVE them. It has greatly reduced the speed, in fact it has almost lowered it to the actual speed limit in a residential neighborhood. Driving takes time. Sometimes you have to sit at a light for a minute. That is why it is called driving, not teleportation. A little patience makes all the difference.
TryingToBeObjective
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 2:01 p.m.
Good for you! Some drivers give me the impression they are always late for their brain transplant! No reason to speed!!
Julius
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 11:54 a.m.
This is called making your own life harder while pretending to solve a problem. Big Pine doesn't serve as much of an advantage for cutting through. It's probably just teenagers or young people who live in that neighborhood, truth be told. The Hawthorne one is avoidable because most of that traffic is due to the light at Harris. Offset that light by 10-15 seconds and you will have no issues at all. Now what you'll have is people zipping around these things right next to the curb -- so they'll be even closer to your yard, or you'll have people going 50 in between and 30 over them.
John Tuttle
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 7:49 p.m.
I would respectfully disagree with your assessment of the situation. I was on South Huron Drive one day and was passed by a reckless driver (in a fancy sticker and logo-bedecked "street car") who turned into Smokler on Big Pine. He most definitely did not live there. I followed him in (since I live there) and watched him blow the stop sign at Big Pine and New Meadow. I followed him so I could get his license plate, but he kept pulling away from me as I got at high as 35. Thankfully, I did get his plate, and called him in to 911 for reckless driving.
obviouscomment
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 1:51 p.m.
I was thinking the same thing about Big Pine. Anybody that knows the area knows that Big Pine is not a good short cut. Most people cut through at Michael Dr/Cary Dr...it's more of a straight shot. Big Pine doesn't save time, might as well take Tuttle Hill.
Linda Peck
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 11:50 a.m.
It is unfortunate that speed bumps are necessary to control reckless drivers, but that is the case in this fast moving world where some people think only of themselves. These may be a good idea in some areas of Ann Arbor, too, where people don't follow the speed limits on neighborhood streets.
Ann English
Wed, Jul 17, 2013 : 12:17 a.m.
Are you thinking of Burwood, Longman Lane and Fairview? Or of Manchester, Colony, Medford and St. Francis? They're nice cut-through streets in order to avoid traffic signals. I don't speed down residential streets and don't remember if some of these have speed bumps or not. Marlborough, Kensington and other dead-end streets off Packard don't need speed bumps, unless their residents near their dead ends consistently exceed the speed limit.
Chris
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 3:44 p.m.
Ann Arbor is rife with speedbumps, some of them quite poorly marked particularly at night. It is a conspiracy among the muffler repair companies.
thedime
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 11:40 a.m.
So, YCUA is replacing the water mains in Smokeler Estates and the only upgrade the WCRC is doing is speed deterrents. I mean, really? No street rehab in this subdivision, but money is going to be put into the Grove, Snow, Ide, etc. neighborhood. Interesting call on the WCRC's part.
daywell
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 11:19 a.m.
How about Summit between Michigan Ave and Washtenaw?
AdmiralMoose
Mon, Jul 1, 2013 : 11:34 a.m.
@Daywell -- Although the story is about Ypsilanti Township, I agree that the City of Ypsilanti could use a few speed bumps, too.