GRAND RAPIDS TOWNSHIP, Mich. — As cars drive through Knapp Street between Dunnigan Avenue and Grand River Drive, the concerns shared by Norm Jelsma and Mike Zaskiewicz grow.
“We just want to prevent any, try to mitigate as much danger from the road as we can,” said Zaskiewicz.
Zaskiewicz and Jelsma both live along the stretch of road and explain reckless drivers cause them to worry for the safety of their families and neighbors.
“Coming up at the McGuire intersection, I, last summer, two different times, had to pull people out of their cars because of a horrendous accident that happened down there,” said Jetsam. “It just has terrible sight lines and for me to cross the road right now, I have to time it where nothing is coming.”
Zaskiewicz added, “We stand here and watch people go around people traveling the same direction. The shoulders of the road are smaller now. They're at the end of their road easement, they can't build it any bigger so mailboxes are right on the edge of the road. I've lost mailboxes, Norm has lost mailboxes.”
Jelsma and Zaskiewicz say the issues began shortly after a project in 2018, which winded the street and added a center left-turn lane.
The culmination of their fears about its possible impact happened on December 11, 2023, when someone hit and killed Tessa Stanley, a 17-year-old Forest Hills Eastern student as she crossed the road in that area.
“We've heard about the family and our hearts definitely go out through everything that they're going through,” said Jelsma.
Neither Zaskiewicz nor Jelsma knew Stanley personally but say her death and the other factors in the years that led up to the crash prompted them to start a petition two weeks ago.
It asks the Kent County Road Commission (KCRC) to eliminate the street’s middle turn lane, reduce the speed limit to 45 mph, and relocate mailboxes to the same side of the road as an owner’s residence.
The petition also calls for increased patrols by the Kent County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) to enforce the speed limit.
So far it’s been signed by twenty neighbors.
“The popularity of what we were doing for lack of a better was overwhelming,” said Jelsma. “They were behind us, they asked us how they can help.”
When contacted by FOX 17, KCRC said at this time, they do not plan to make any changes to Knapp Street between Dunnigan Avenue and Grand River Drive because an analysis of data indicates a “substantial decrease” in property damage and injury-related incidents along the corridor.
According to Michigan State Police, from 2014-2017, 66 crashes took place compared to 28 crashes from 2019-2023.
The average number of crashes per year dropped from 16.5 crashes to 5.6 crashes.
“KCRC regularly investigates serious traffic crashes to identify road conditions and traffic controls present at the time of the crash and analyze possible improvements,” said the agency in a statement to FOX17. “Traffic counts along the network are taken about every other year and trends are identified to monitor overall performance and traffic growth.”
Jelsma and Zaskiewicz say regardless of the numbers, residents deserve to feel safe and hope KCRC at least listens to their concerns.
“We’d just like them to do the right thing and we don't want to experience any more tragedies on Knapp Street,” said Zaskiewicz. “I think the neighborhood has certainly gone through enough of seeing and being a part of it.”
Knapp St. Safety Petition 1 by WXMI on Scribd
