Note: a preliminary review of this crash was posted on July 11, 2024. This expanded post is being shared now that the AAPD incident reports have been released.
Information About the Crash
On June 21, 2024, the AAPD Facebook account posted about an investigation of a car/bicycle crash at the intersection of Washtenaw and Huron Parkway.
Screenshot of AAPD Facebook post, captured on July 7, 2024.
The crash was also covered by MLIVE in an article that includes the same details as the AAPD post.
The AAPD incident report was released to CIAA in September. The UD-10 report how a vehicle was driving west-bound through the intersection of Washtenaw and Huron Parkway and struck a cyclist who was headed north through the intersection. The UD-10 narrative also says that witnesses and video footage confirm that the signal was green for the west-bound vehicle when the crash occurred.
CIAA has reviewed the Advanced Crash Reconstruction documents and the video footage of the crash, which was taken from the Shell gas station on the southwest corner of the intersection. The witness statements do support that the vehicle was proceeding through a green light. The signal lights are not visible in the video, but based on how other drivers proceeded through the intersection before and after the crash, it does appear that the signals are green for east- and westbound Washtenaw. The video also shows the bike rider’s route before the crash; he approached the intersection riding on the south sidewalk of Washtenaw, partially crossed Huron Parkway, and then headed north to cross Washtenaw.
Excerpt of UD-10
CIAA visited the crash site on August 4, 2024 and collected images of the intersection and the surrounding area. There are no bike lanes on either of the streets. Some of the sidewalks in this area are wider than standard, and the city, in the Ann Arbor Bike Map, has optimistically labeled them in purple as “off street paths”.
Excerpt of Ann Arbor Bike Map
In reality however, these streets and their intersections are very unwelcoming for people on bikes and on foot. On the southwest corner of the intersection, along the path the bike rider took before the crash, the path has obstacles (including a brick wall!) and a light pole, and it makes an unexpected jog towards the street. Shortly after the crash, a thorough examination of this intersection, focusing on the perspective of a pedestrian user, was created by Hannah Stanton-Gockel and shared on Nextdoor.
The bike path on the southwest corner of Washtenaw and Huron Parkway. (Image credit: Google Maps)
Google Street view image of the sidewalk the cyclist was using before the crash. The sidewalk abruptly jogs closer to the street near the SW corner of Huron and Washtenaw.
After looking at the UD-10 narrative, the witness statements, and the surveillance footage of the crash, it is difficult to draw any conclusions about why this bike rider chose to cross Washtenaw at the time and location that he did. But it is clear that in the moments before the crash, he was riding through an environment that is very inhospitable to cyclists and generally has very little infrastructure for non-motorized transportation users.
Recommendations
Evaluation of This Crash By Transportation Experts
The Transportation Engineering staff of the City of Ann Arbor need to evaluate this crash and recommend changes to prevent future incidents like this one. Any serious or fatal crash in the city should get this kind of scrutiny, with a focus on both quick, interim fixes and long term solutions.
Slow it Down
Washtenaw is too fast. East of Huron Parkway, the speed limit is 40 MPH. West of the intersection, it is 45 MPH. In this incident, a bad decision about when to cross resulted in a life-altering injury. It doesn’t have to be that way. Safety while riding and walking doesn’t have to be contingent upon making perfect decisions every time and never making mistakes
With the current speed limit of 45 MPH, a crash between a car and cyclist or pedestrian is very likely to result in death or serious injury. Pedestrians and cyclists sharing space with 45 MPH car traffic at this location (and a few others throughout the city) is never going to align with Vision Zero. The only way to reduce the severity of the dangerous vehicle/cyclist and vehicle/pedestrian conflicts at this location is to slow down the vehicle traffic.
Take it Back From MDOT
Reducing the speed limit on this street (and just about any other improvements for non-motorized users) is very unlikely to happen until the City of Ann Arbor has control of Washtenaw Ave. Currently, this street, along with Huron, Jackson, and N. Main, are state trunk lines under the control of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). The city commissioned a study on the process, cost, and likely implications of transferring control of the state trunk lines from MDOT to the city. The final report was presented to the Ann Arbor Transportation Commission during the February 2024 meeting. (Discussion of this topic can be seen on Youtube: first part, second part.) The trunk line transfer was also discussed in a city council work session in June 2024. Then in August, City Council passed a resolution directing the city administrator to negotiate the transfer with MDOT. Since then, the city administrator has not offered any public updates on the negotiation process.