Information About the Crash
User u/fredzannarbor started the thread “Pedestrian v. car, Plymouth & Traver, 8 pm” in the subreddit r/AnnArbor on October 1, 2025. It described a person laying in the road near the intersection of Plymouth and Traverwood with their belongings spread around them.
AAPD released the UD-10 to CIAA on October 10, 2025. The report describes a pedestrian (name redacted) who was crossing Plymouth headed north. As he crossed the first lane of Plymouth, he was struck by an eastbound vehicle. The pedestrian stated that the RRFB lights of the crosswalk were flashing, but the driver said that they were not.
Excerpt of the UD-10 report showing the narrative and diagram.
CiAA visited the location of this crash on October 8, 2025 and confirmed that both of the buttons activated the RRFB lights and that all of the lights were functioning. The buttons indicate that they have been pressed with visual feedback of a single blinking light on the button assembly and an audible message that repeats “yellow lights are flashing” three times. Pressing the button once caused the RRFB lights to flash and a single LED light on the button to blink for approximately 25 seconds. Pressing the button a second time mid-way through the cycle extended the flashing lights for another 25 seconds. For example, in one trial, the button was pressed and then, after 20 seconds, pressed again. The lights flashed for 45 seconds (20 seconds + 25 seconds). During this trial, the audible message only activated after the first button press. When the button was pressed again after 20 seconds, it did not trigger any additional audible messages.
The pedestrian button has a single light that flashes when the RRFB signals flash.
Each direction of Plymouth has two through lanes and a bike lane closest to the curb. This crosswalk also has a pedestrian refuge island. Each direction of traffic has two RRFB lights; one is on a pole and the other is above the traffic lanes on a mast arm. The poles are located so that the RRFBs are visible to approaching drivers but not visible to crossing pedestrians. The only indication that the RRFBs are illuminated is the audible message and the single light on the button.
The poles for the RRFBs are located between the approaching pedestrian and the oncoming traffic. A control box mounted on the pole on the eastbound side of the crosswalk (where this crash happened) obscures drivers’ view of pedestrians waiting on the approach ramp.
The RRFB lights are not visible to crossing pedestrians. Only the back side of the RRFB is visible to pedestrians.
The crosswalk from the perspective of the crossing pedestrian. A large control box for the signals is mounted on the pole of the RRFBs where it obscures drivers’ view of a pedestrian standing in the approach ramp.
The control box obscures drivers’ view of the pedestrians waiting on the approach ramp.
Recommendations:
More Feedback
Pedestrians don’t get enough feedback that the RRFB lights are indeed flashing when they cross at this location. This can lead to dangerous situations. For example, a walker might arrive at the crosswalk 23 seconds after the beginning of the cycle that was initiated by a previous crosser. This second walker might try to extend the cycle with another press but be unsuccessful because they don’t push hard enough or they push in the wrong spot. If this happens, they will get no indication that they didn’t activate a new cycle because the message does not replay and the blinking of the single LED does not change. Two seconds later, as they turn towards the street, the 25 second cycle will complete and the RRFB lights will stop flashing. But the walker will get no notification since the single LED on the button assembly is no longer within their view.
In the narrative of the UD-10, the statements of the pedestrian and the driver seem to contradict; the pedestrian says the lights were flashing but the driver says they weren’t. With the information available now, there’s no way to know the exact circumstances of this crash. But a scenario like the one described above could very well have been the cause of these seemingly contradictory statements.
An inspection of other nearby crosswalks on Plymouth road on October 18, 2025 revealed that the audible signal repeats for the entire duration of the cycle and continues if the cycle is extended by a subsequent button press. The crosswalk at Traverwood should be changed to behave similarly. CIAA logged an A2Fixit ticket with this request. The button assembly at the Traverwood location appears to be newer and in better condition than the buttons at the other crosswalks on Plymouth. If any other buttons like this one have been installed recently, they should also be checked to make sure that their audible signals repeat for the entire duration of the RRFB cycle.
In the case of this crash, the driver and the pedestrian disagree about the status of the lights when the crash occurred. Ann Arbor’s crosswalk ordinance applies to any pedestrian who is approaching a crosswalk as if intending to cross, so the driver was obligated to stop for the pedestrian regardless of the status of the RRFB lights. Nonetheless, the purpose of these lights is to alert drivers that a pedestrian may be crossing; it is imperative that they work correctly.
Additionally, RRBF lights and crosswalk signs should be added to the backs of the existing signs, where they will be visible to drivers and crossing pedestrians.
Finally, both of these improvements should be added to a city standard that describes expectations for future RRFB installations.
Remove The Obstruction
The control box for the lights should be higher, lower, or just about anywhere other than directly between approaching traffic and the waiting pedestrian. Infrastructure that is intended to help pedestrians cross safely should not inhibit safe crossing. Further, obscuring visibility of the pedestrian’s body makes the RRFB lights that much more critical to informing drivers of the presence of an approaching pedestrian. It also makes a failure of the RRFB lights (like the one described above) more critical.
Slow It Down
Perhaps no one has said it better than page 34 of Ann Arbor’s Transportation Plan:
Reducing vehicular speeds throughout Ann Arbor is likely the most effective, singular approach to improving safety on Ann Arbor’s streets.
This sounds like a fantastic idea for Plymouth near Traverwood.
11/4/2025 Update: The A2Fixit ticket for the short duration of the audio feedback message (“yellow lights are flashing”) was closed on October 23. CIAA visited this location on October 30 and confirmed that the message now sounds for the entire time that the RRFB lights are flashing.