TART Trail Crossing of Grandview Parkway to be Changed for Pedestrian Safety

Tue, Aug  8, 2006 - By Missy Luyk

TRAVERSE CITY (August 8, 2006) -The City of Traverse City, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails, Inc., have been working together to consider short-term and long-term solutions to improve pedestrian safety at the Division Street and Grandview Parkway intersection. MDOT proposed reconfiguring the pedestrian crossings to cross the Parkway on the east side of the intersection. Last September, in a walking audit performed as part of the Bayfront Study by Michigan State University, walkability experts observed that the current crossing of Grandview Parkway at Division had a significant "conflict point" between auto traffic and pedestrians and concurred with the proposed changes.

Beginning August 14, construction and erection of new walks, curb ramps, pedestrian signals and pedestrian crosswalk markings will start. The new crossing will have trail users and pedestrians cross the Grandview Parkway on the east side of Division, and then cross Division on the south side of the intersection.

The new crossing will eliminate the left-turning vehicle/pedestrian conflict point and will be replaced with crossings with only right-turning vehicle conflict points. "Right turn vehicle movements are slower moving and have a tighter turn radius than left turning vehicles. The new crossings are more conventional designs," explains City of Traverse City Engineer, Tim Lodge.
Drivers must yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk.

"The newly constructed pedestrian walks will be ten-feet wide which is much wider than the existing walks," said Bob Otwell, executive director of TART Trails. "A wider trail crossing will be more visible to motorists and more convenient for trail users. This trail crossing is very busy with a variety of users: bicyclists, runners, parents with baby strollers, in-line skaters," continues Otwell.

Drivers and trail users are asked to use caution at the Grandview Parkway/Division intersection while construction is underway. Once the new crossing is complete, please continue to use caution as drivers and trail users adjust to the changes.


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TART Trails, Inc. is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization formed in 1998 and located in Traverse City, Michigan. TART works to enrich the Traverse area by providing an interconnected network of trails, bikeways and pedestrian ways; and encouraging their use. The TART Trails are a network of four trail systems located in Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties and include the Boardman Lake Trail, Leelanau Trail, TART Trail, and Vasa Pathway. These trails combine to form over 50 miles of recreation and transportation pathways spanning from Suttons Bay to Acme Township. It is estimated that the trails serve over 200,000 users annually while preserving valuable community greenspace. TART is working to integrate these trails into the community by advocating for interconnected bike lanes, bike routes and sidewalks, and is also working to extend these trails to connect with a developing regional trails system.

Missy Luyk, Trail Program Specialist
TART Trails, Inc.
232 E. Front Street - PO Box 252 - Traverse City, MI 49685
(231) 941-4300
[email protected]
http://www.traversetrails.org

"Enriching the Traverse area by providing an interconnected network of trails, bikeways, and pedestrian ways; and encouraging their use."

TART Trail - Leelanau Trail - Vasa Pathway - Boardman Lake Trail