Ann Arbor, Michigan
Photo: Dwight Burdette via CC
Some U.S. cities like Ann Arbor have started to reimagine their roads to make urban areas more friendly to pedestrians and cyclists. In the short-term, the new changes will help them adapt to COVID-19. More residents are ditching public transportation and opt for walking or biking around town to follow social distancing guidelines, drastically changing traffic patterns.
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Revamping Ann Arbor’s urban design
Earlier this month, the Downtown Development Authority board approved $60K to help fund four separate pilot projects that would adapt Ann Arbor streets to a surge in pedestrian and cyclist traffic. Some of the plans include establishing more protected bike lanes, expanding sidewalks, and increasing outdoor patio seating for restaurants and bars. The DDA will monitor the pilots over a 90-day period then reassess whether or not the changes made will be permanent ones.
The board also approved another $35K for a collaboration with the Arts Alliance. This partnership would commission local artists to help design street features like seating areas, barricades, bike lanes, and corner bump-outs. Not only would this help the city adapt its design in creative ways, but it would also help keep local artists afloat during the COVID-related economic challenges.
Ann Arbor is already experimenting with temporary road closures for downtown streets during weekend hours. Here are just some of the roads that will close to car traffic every Friday at 2 p.m. through Sunday at 8 p.m., now through Aug. 23: South State Street from East Washington Street to East William Street; Washington Street from South Ashley to Main Street; Main Street from William Street to Liberty Street.
The city has also started to cater to the growing trend of curbside pickup. So far, 140 streetside parking spaces have been set aside for those retrieving carryout orders.
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An emphasis on adaptability
The city’s vision is to make Ann Arbor a safe and healthy place for residents can access local businesses and services during the pandemic. As SmithGroup consultant Oliver Kiley expressed, though, current plans will emphasize flexibility in case the city needs to revise or discontinue the new strategies sometime in the future “as conditions change.”
It will be interesting to see how many other cities start to revamp their design in light of COVID-related transportation changes. Ann Arbor’s proposed changes should serve as an example that other urban hotspots can follow in the days ahead as we all adapt to the new normal.
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Whitney Russell is a current resident of Dayton, though her spirit can be found beach-bumming in Puerto Rico (the land of her half-Puerto Rican heritage). When not adventuring through the exciting world of car news, she can be found hiking with her husband and their two dogs, motorcycling, visiting nephews and nieces, discovering new memes, thrifting, decorating, crafting, woodburning, researching random things, and escaping into a great movie. See more articles by Whitney.
