EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A life taken on Tuesday night, now leading to a larger conversation.
People in East Grand Rapids told FOX 17 they've expressed concerns over pedestrian and bicyclist safety for years. They believe something needs to change. Recent data from the city and police department, however, says otherwise.
This ongoing conversation made its way back into the spotlight after a 67-year-old man, riding a Onewheel, was hit by a car and killed on the corner of Breton and Berwyck roads Tuesday evening.
On Wednesday, FOX 17 saw residents placing flowers and writing messages at the intersection, memorializing the man who was killed and reminding others of crosswalk safety.
Many living in the area told FOX 17 this heartbreaking incident only adds fuel to their fight for better safety measures.
“We're going to get hurt," said Kate Zell, who's lived there since 2015. "You can see cars going by here right now, and they're going well over the 25 miles an hour. There's no respect or concern for pedestrians.”
Zell's concerns come from firsthand experience two years ago. Her then-18-year-old step-son was struck by a driver in another crosswalk just down the street.
"He went into the road quickly and a car from the other direction hit him," she said. "Threw him I think at least 15 feet and had multiple head injuries and lung injuries.”
Zell is not alone in her fears for others' safety.
Mandy Sharp Eizinger, another resident, has been pleading with city commissioners to make a change. Back at a meeting May, she addressed them all. You can watch the full meeting here.
“I’m not just here as a mom with a heart for community change," she said. "I’m really trying to talk to those of you who are in the decision-making spaces.”
FOX 17 reached out to the East Grand Rapids Department of Public Safety for collision data along Breton Road.
Since January 1, 2023, there's been one reported vehicle-vs-pedestrian incident at Breton and Berwyck. That was the fatal crash from Tuesday.
A block away, at Breton and Boston, they reported only two vehicle-vs-pedestrian collisions, and that was dating back even further — since the start of 2022, although one of them came last month.
“It looks good on paper," Sharp Eizinger said, "if there’s a low number of pedestrian injuries or fatalities. But, even one is too many. You just have to see a picture of a child that’s been hit by a car on your local community forum, or in your book club text, which is where it came to my attention, to feel like we need to do more.”
East Grand Rapids' most recent Traffic Control Order, from 2018, analyzed the intersection of Breton and Berwyck.
At that time, recent upgrades were made to "include newer advance warning signs and applicable signs and advisory plates at the crosswalk itself." However, the study found, even during peak traffic hours, "the short crossing distance of approximately 29 feet combined with very low crossing volume does not meet pedestrian thresholds to warrant a signal or warning beacon."
“We need to have more precautions in place," Zell said. "We should have flashing light crosswalks. Yes, pedestrians need to use them and actually press the button, but it's better than nothing.”
FOX 17 spoke with a city commissioner who said, first and foremost, their condolences go out to the family and the community at-large. They're very sympathetic to the topic and want to see change, but said they weren't ready to speak on camera at this time. They added concerns have been heard, but want to first see a final increased density proposal before they make any lasting decisions.
In the meantime, Sharp Eizinger said she hopes more residents will make their voices heard at the next city commission meeting on Monday, July 1 at 6 p.m.
She told FOX 17 Wednesday, "We each have a role to play in modeling the behavior we want to see as drivers, cyclists, pedestrians —- in our neighborhood and in each community we enter.”
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