Information About the Crash
On March 12, 2025, AAPD posted the following media release to their department Facebook page.
MLIVE covered the crash in an article on March 12, 2025. A follow up article on March 17, 2025 identified the pedestrian as JoAnn Rogers, a cancer survivor and mother to 4 sons.
CIAA visited the site March 12 and March 13 to collect images, and again on March 22 to review the location with Ann Arbor City Council Representatives Chris Watson and Jon Mallek.
The incident report filed by AAPD contains a detailed description of the scene and the events that led up to the crash. During all three visits to the scene, CIAA observed pedestrians crossing Plymouth in the exact location of the crash that killed JoAnn Rogers. Clearly many people want to walk between destinations on both sides of this part of Plymouth Rd.
Plymouth is 6 lanes wide at the location where the crash occurred, and the speed limit is 45MPH.
A pedestrian crosses Plymouth Rd. two days after JoAnn Rogers was killed in a crash nearby.
Recommendations
Add a crosswalk
As is often the case*, it took a tragedy like the death of JoAnn Rogers to bring to the fore a shortcoming in our infrastructure. There is a signalized intersection with a crosswalk approximately 750 feet west of the location where this crash happened. There may be no correct answer to the question “how far out of their way should a pedestrian have to detour to use a crosswalk?” But in this case, many people are indicating by their actions that 750 feet is too far, and they are choosing instead to hustle across Plymouth at the Plum Market driveway. Those people should have a safer alternative for crossing.
Page 31 of Ann Arbor’s transportation plan shows how vehicle speed impacts a pedestrian’s chance of surviving a crash.
Narrower and Slower
If a crosswalk is installed near this location, pedestrians will still be mixing with 45MPH and faster vehicle traffic when they cross. Plymouth Rd. should be reconfigured to be narrower and slower. Drivers and pedestrians make mistakes, and when they do, a 45MPH collision, in a crosswalk or not, is likely to be deadly. The only way to make this area safe for crossing pedestrian traffic is to slow down the vehicles.
*Note: Many crosswalks in Ann Arbor have been installed or improved after serious or fatal crashes. Some examples are below.
- Crosswalks were added on Plymouth after two students were killed in 2003 while crossing near the Islamic Center. https://www.michigandaily.com/uncategorized/students-killed-while-crossing-road/
- Crosswalks were installed at two places on Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. after a woman was killed in 2012 while crossing near the Cranbrook shopping center. http://www.annarbor.com/news/pedestrian-safety-measures-ann-arbor-saline-road-death/
- RRFBs were added to a crosswalk on Fuller after a pedestrian was seriously injured there in 2015. https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2015/04/fuller_road_crosswalk.html
- A crosswalk on Fuller was improved after a Huron High student was killed while crossing to get to school in 2016. https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2016/10/crosswalk_improvements_coming.html
- The crosswalk at Huron and Thayer was improved after a student was critically injured there in 2019. https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2019/01/university-of-michigan-student-critical-after-being-struck-in-crosswalk.html