FINAL Project

T e a m B E N C H | 1
Team BENCH GEO 491
Winter2013 |
UNIVERSITY
OF
MICHIGAN
FLINT
BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PLAN

Professor Dr. Greg Rybarczyk
Team BENCH:
Calix Martinez, Nina Larsen, Heather DeButts, Erin
Johnston, and Brittany Price
“Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle I have hope for the human race”
-H.G. Wells
community
strength
safety
people

Located in the heart of Flint, Michigan, a
city in the midst of writing its first new master planin
50 years,The University of Michigan-Flint has a
unique opportunityto playa vital role in the renewal
and improvement of the downtownarea.A major part
of the University’s role in improvingthe downtown
has beenits efforts to improve bicycle and pedestrian
facilities on and around campus.
As a result of these ongoingefforts bycity
and university organizations,Uof M – Flint was
recentlynamed a Bronze LevelBicycle Friendly
University by the League of AmericanBicyclists. To
facilitate further movement toward the eventualgoal
of Platinum LevelBicycle FriendlyUniversity status,a
bicycle and pedestrianplanmust be developed and
approved bythe University.
Bicycle transportationis becomingmore
popular in urbanareas and universitycampus
communities.U of M Flint must accommodate this
growing trend to remaincompetitive withother
institutions and promote the growthof the campus
community,while keepingin mind the importance of
facilitating and encouraging anactive living lifestyle
for the campus and surroundingcommunity.
-Team BENCH

Table of contents
Contents
Introduction...................................................5
Goals..........................................................5
CurrentAssets............................................5
Challenges and Opportunities......................5
Part I. Existing Conditions .............................6
CurrentLevelsof TransportationUsage on
Campus......................................................8
Current Parking Area Usage........................9
Current Pedestrian Activity........................11
Current Bike Rack Usage and Bicyclist
Density ....................................................13
Summary..................................................13
Pedestrian and ADA Accessibility................15
Pedestrian and ADA Accessibility Audit ....15
Intersection of Saginaw St./5th
Avenue.......16
Intersection of Kearsley St./Saginaw St. .....17
Intersection of University Blvd/Saginaw St.19
Intersection at Kearsley St./Harrison St. .....21
Intersection at Chavez Dr./Kearsley St. ......23
Area surrounding UAH.............................25
Summary..................................................26
Bicycle Accessibility on Campus ...................27
Bicycle Accessibility Audit .......................27
Area 7......................................................28
Area 2......................................................29
Area 3......................................................30
Area 4 and 6.............................................31
Area 5......................................................33
Summary..................................................33
Current Enforcement.....................................34
Encouragement.............................................36
Current Education.........................................37
Part II. Improvements and Recommendations .39
Intersection of Saginaw St. and 5th
Ave. .....41
Intersection of Kearsley St./Saginaw St. .....42
Intersection of University Blv./Saginaw St..43
Intersection at Kearsley St./Harrison St. .....44
Intersection at Chavez Dr./Kearsley St. ......45
Area surrounding UAH..............................46
Funding .......................................................49
Implementation Strategy/Time Line...............50
References ...................................................51

Introduction
Over the past several years, The
University of Michigan-Flint has been
working to improve pedestrian and bicycling
facilities on and around campus. These
ongoing efforts have recently led to
achieving Bronze level Bicycle Friendly
University (BFU) status by the League of
American Bicyclists. Moving forward, it is
important to develop a master bicycle and
pedestrian plan as a guideline to further
planning and implementation.
Goals
 Improving existing and creating new
connections between campus and the
downtown area
 Reducing vehicle miles traveled to
reduce vehicle externalities
 Promoting active living and
promoting active living
 Developing attractive and safe
facilities for bicyclists and
pedestrians
 Contribute to strengthening the
downtown network between
businesses, campuses, parks, and
other desirable locations
 Contribute to the creation of a sense
of “place” for the City of Flint
 Achieve a higher status of BFU by
the League of American Bicyclists
Current Assets
U of M-Flint has a growing, diverse
student body, and with that comes a larger
diversity of interests and activities.
The campus is centrally located in a
diverse, urban downtown district with a
growing academic, art, and food & beverage
culture.
We have an innovative Bicycle
Skills Course facility on campus ready to be
used for community and campus bicycle
safety education. Campus is located at an
attractive site on the Flint River with large
shade trees and green space.
The Flint River Trail already runs
right through campus, providing an easy
starting point for creating connections
between campus and the surrounding
community.
Challenges and Opportunities
Being a largely commuter school,
one of the main challenges to creating this
plan is the heavy influx of vehicles onto
campus every day. The plan must address
this, and seek to change driver habits
through Education and Encouragement.
Encouraging students, faculty and staff who
travel shorter distances to walk, bike, or
utilize public transportation as their mode of
transportation to campus can play a large
role in reaching the goal of reducing vehicle
miles traveled.
With the City of Flint writing their
first master plan in 50 years, the University
can use that opportunity to work with the
city when building new facilities to improve
safety throughout the surrounding
downtown community. This gives the
University an opportunity to play an integral
role in building a stronger network of
connections throughout the city.

Part I. Existing Conditions
University of Michigan Flint Campus Area
Including Urban Alternatives House

Map 1 From the
“Existing
Transportation” map
you can see that
the major vehicle
routes on the
campus are
Saginaw St, 5th Ave,
Crapo St, and
Kearsley St.
Map 2 From the
“Existing Bicycle
Facilities” map it’s
evident that the
bicycle level of
service varies
greatly across the
campus area, most
notable on the
Saginaw St. corridor
and its intersecting
streets. It’s also
evident that the
bicycle facilities
across the campus
are not well
connected.

Current Levels of Transportation Usage on Campus
Before we could establish a plan or
attempt to make any recommendations
regarding pedestrian and bicycle
accessibility and infrastructure we had to
take inventory of existing conditions and
measure current traffic volume. By
conducting on site observations and
measuring traffic volumes we can establish
high priority areas for pedestrians and
bicyclists.
The maps created for this assignment depict
current bicycle rack usage, pedestrian
activity on campus, and existing parking
area usage as well. Using GIS tools, density
heat maps were created to interpolate
pedestrian and bicycle level counts on
campus. We were able to make
recommendations based on the predicted
levels of pedestrians and bicyclists for key
areas on campus.
Map 3. From the “Existing and Proposed Pedestrian Routes” map you can see
the pedestrian routes are concentrated around the campus area.

Current Parking Area Usage
A parking survey conducted in the
fall of 2010, indicated an under-usage of the
parking facilities on campus. However, this
data may be skewed due to an inclusion of
information from weekends, spring and
summer semesters. Further analysis should
be done, breaking down the usage of parking
facilities by semester and weekdays versus
weekends. Current levels of transportation
on campus indicate a high volume of
automobile traffic. The majority of U of M-
Flint’s students are commuters driving on
average more than 5 miles one way, up to
four days per week. The pie chart in Figure
1 shows that 73% of the students and staff
commute more than 5 miles. (Gallagher).
The highest traffic volume seems to
be the Kearsley/Chavez area. This area
consists of a traffic light at Kearsley and
Chavez, as well as, a three-way stop at

Kearsley and Mill streets. The traffic
behavior here is very erratic. Drivers have
been observed running stop signs, not
yielding to pedestrians, and speeding.
Figure 1
9%
18%
73%
<1 mile 1-5 mile >5 mile

Current Pedestrian Activity
Pedestrian activity is high on
campus. Most of the parking facilities are
located near the periphery of campus
therefore students walk up to 10 minutes to
get to class. There are several areas that
have a high volume of pedestrian traffic.
One area with the largest volume of
pedestrian traffic is near the Mill Street
parking garage. In the mornings there is a
constant stream of students coming to and
from the parking structure. Here, the
majority of drivers roll through the stop
signs causing pedestrians to have to wait for
them, when it should be the other way
around. Kearsley Street and Wallenberg is
also a high density area for pedestrians. This
is a three-way stop intersection that drivers
also tend to roll through, as well as, fail to
yield to the pedestrians. Disobeying the
speed limit is also a factor here. A large
volume of students cross Kearsley to get to
French Hall and Murchie Science Building.
A third area that has a high volume of
pedestrian traffic is at the Harrison Street

and Kearsley intersection. Many students
use the parking structure here and have to
cross the street to get to campus buildings. A
large amount of the pedestrian traffic at this
crossing, are students going to the
University Pavilion building. In both cases,
students have to cross Harrison Street which
is a hazard. Many drivers do not obey any
speed limits here and do not pay attention to
pedestrians in crosswalks.

Current Bike Rack Usage and Bicyclist Density
Bicycle facilities on campus are
extremely underutilized. There are many
bicycle racks located around campus that are
almost empty at all times. Given the amount
of students who live in the area, this could
be changed with more education and
encouragement, to provide incentive to bike
to campus. Also, there are not enough
covered bicycle racks where a cyclist can
park their bike to protect it from Michigan’s
inclement weather. In the spring/summer
when the weather gets warm, a student may
want to take a shower to clean up after a
long bike ride, so providing access to
shower facilities may be something to
investigate further. Proper bike lanes leading
in to campus will also encourage more
people to ride to campus instead of drive.
Safety is their biggest concern. Many of the
roads leading in to the Flint are high speed
and not safe to cyclists who do not have a
dedicated road space.

Summary
Current transportation conditions on
University of Michigan-Flint campus
indicate a high volume of automobile traffic
and a need for traffic law enforcement.
Driver education and some minor
engineering changes will be pivotal to
providing a safer environment for
pedestrians and bicyclists and will
encourage walking and bicycling. There is a
high volume of pedestrian traffic, which
shows a need for traffic calming devices and
well-designed crosswalks for pedestrians
and bicyclists. Bicycle traffic is still low. It
is possible education and encouragement
could offer incentives to utilize this mode of
transportation and alleviate automobile
traffic volumes.

Pedestrian and ADA Accessibility
Pedestrian and ADA Accessibility Audit
Pedestrian and ADA data for
multiple intersections were collected on and
near the U of M Flint campus. Team Bench
observed the conditions and functionality of
walkways and intersections in six different
locations. An important note is that these
observations while made during peak
pedestrian travel times on campus were
made in the middle of March on extremely
cold days. The observations may not
accurately describe the typical pedestrian
patterns during the warm months.

Intersection of Saginaw St. and 5th
Avenue
Observations were made on 3/14/13
at 2:50pm.The intersection of 5th Avenue
and Saginaw Street, just north of downtown
Flint, consists of four travel lanes and two
turn lanes on Saginaw and four travel lanes
and one turn lane on 5th avenue. The land
use surrounding the intersection consists of a
large amount of parking for the University
of Michigan-Flint, a Rally’s Hamburger
restaurant, St. Michaels Roman Catholic
Church, New Horizons Rehabilitation
Services, and MI Work Employment
Services. The area provides social services
to low income residents of the city at New
Horizons, MI Work, Career Alliance, and
Catholic Charities. On the northwest corner
of the intersection is a bus stop which
provides transportation to these services to
non-automobile owners.
The intersection consists mostly of
automobile traffic, although while
evaluating the intersection two bicyclists
and some pedestrians were observed.
Visibility for the intersection was clear and
unobstructed except for a tree on the
northeast corner. The posted speed limit for

the area is 30 mph. The speed limit seemed
appropriate for the amount of traffic that
was seen, however there were some
observed drivers that were speeding relative
to the other vehicles. There were no
observations of backed up traffic in the
travel or turning lanes and no traffic calming
devices seen. The crossing signals for the
intersection seemed adequate if traveling at
an average walking speed without
disabilities. Traveling across the street from
east to west the signal time was clocked at
20.74 seconds and 26.15 seconds when
crossing south to north.
All four corners of the intersection
had texture pads on site to accommodate the
disabled but some obstacles were present.
Intersection of Kearsley St. and Saginaw St.
Observations were taken on
3/12/13at 10 am as well as on 3/15/13 at 12
pm. This intersection is located at the west
end of the University of Michigan-Flint
campus. This is a high traffic area for
vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.
Pedestrian traffic includes campus students,
business customers and business

professionals who work downtown. This is
also a historic street paved with bricks that
date back over 100 years. Any
recommendations for change must be made
with care regarding this street. It is a four
way intersection with traffic lights,
including left turn lights. Right turns are
allowed on red.
Visibility is good with a clear line of
sight all four ways although one concern
might be that parked cars have the potential
to be a visual obstruction for a disabled
individual. At night it is very well lit so
there are no concerns in that aspect.
Visibility is not hindered by landscaping and
street furniture.
The speed limit is not posted on
either Kearsley or Saginaw within sight at
this intersection. Traffic calming
implements are not present at this
intersection although the bricks themselves
are a natural calming device. Cars were
observed to be traveling northbound at a
high rate of speed. The behavior of vehicular
traffic seems to be that vehicles speed up
significantly as they proceed north through
this intersection, due to the bricks getting
slightly more level and ending just a short
way up the road. Southbound vehicles on
Saginaw tended to slow down coming to the
intersection. This is presumably due to the
bricks. The bricks seem to have a dual effect
on traffic. In one respect, because they are
very uneven and bumpy, most drivers drive
slower, thus being safer for pedestrians and
cyclists. On the other hand, when the bricks
are wet due to precipitation, they become
very slippery, making it dangerous if drivers
need to stop quickly.
Travel lanes on Saginaw are one lane
each way and a left turn lane. On street
parking are on both sides of Saginaw St.
south of Kearsley and only on the west side
of the road north of Kearsley. There are bike
lanes designated and marked with pavement
markings and sharrows on both sides of the
street. Travel lanes on Kearsley are also one
lane each way with a left turn lane. On street
parking is available on the south side of
Kearsley, both to the east and west of
Saginaw. There are pavement markings and
sharrows in the eastbound lane indicating
road bike travel is allowed here.
The crosswalk signals here average
about 35 seconds for all of them. This is a
hazard for disabled persons that have
physical mobility issues as well as those that
utilize mobility aids such as wheelchairs and
crutches. 35 seconds is not enough time for
the majority of disabled individuals to cross
safely. There are no pedestrian push buttons
for the crosswalk signal located here.

The crosswalks themselves are in
poor condition crossing Saginaw. The
historic bricks that pave it have heaved with
the freeze thaw cycles of Michigan weather.
Many are also cracked and broken from
heavy vehicle traffic over the years. This is a
commercial area and as such requires heavy
vehicles to traverse it to make deliveries and
pick-ups. The pavement markings are
heavily weathered and worn. Observation of
pedestrian behavior indicates inconsistency,
with some people utilizing the crosswalk
and others jaywalking. Sidewalks leading
up to crosswalks are in somewhat fair
condition. There are some minor issues that
should be looked into such as some sidewalk
slabs heaved and curb-cut placement. The
landings are not as level as they could be.
There are textured warning pads for the
visually impaired at each crosswalk.
Intersection of University Blvd. and Saginaw St.

(Intersection of University Blvd. and Saginaw St. cont.)
Observations were taken on 3/12/13
at approximately 12 pm. At the intersection
of University Boulevard and Saginaw Street
pedestrian safety is a top priority. Along this
intersection there is a hotel, an abandoned
market, a bus stop, and an absence of
parallel parking. There are no pedestrian
specific signs other than the traffic lights
that are in time with the pedestrian
crosswalk signals. At several ends of the
crosswalk there is either no ADA texture
pad or a faded texture pad that has been
worn down and is shown in Figure 3. On the
north side crossing Saginaw St. there is a
hole in the crosswalk pavement that could
be a hazard.
The traffic speed is labeled 25 mph
on both Saginaw Street and University
Boulevard. The sidewalks around the
intersection were all in good condition,
however the slope of a couple of the corners
when approaching the sidewalks from the
crosswalk are steep. There were no visibility
issues that arose when testing each
individual crosswalk.
All crosswalks on all four sides of
the intersection had pedestrian signals timed
at 29 seconds to cross which seems to be
plenty of time for the average individual.
During the 40 minutes of observation time a
couple of pedestrians were jaywalking
versus using the crosswalks to get across the
street. A man was observed walking across
Saginaw Street, a four lane road, from the
east side to the west side while using the left
turning lane to observe if there was any
oncoming traffic. Twenty feet away from
where he was crossing the road, there was a
crosswalk conveniently available for him to
use, however he chose not to. Not only did
he cross the road illegally, but he also chose
to cross while the traffic light was green
with oncoming traffic at a distance. The
second pedestrian violating the traffic laws
was a female jogger running down the bike
lane in University Boulevard. Without pause
she continued to jog down the side of the
road crossing in the middle of the
intersection. There were no cars around at
the moment, however she still could have
easily used the crosswalk to get across the
road safety, but chose not to.

Intersection at Kearsley St. and Harrison St.
Observations were taken on 3/12/13
at 10:30 am. This intersection is probably
the most dangerous of all the intersections
observed in this study. The buildings
surrounding this intersection are mainly
campus parking garages and academic
centers as well as a flat parking lot. Kearsley
St. is a very busy pedestrian corridor that
links U of M Flint campus to downtown
Saginaw St. while Harrison St. is a busy
vehicle corridor that allows traffic to bypass
Saginaw St. to get around the downtown
area. The main problem here is the need for
pedestrians to cross a busy road. The speed
on both roads is 25mph and seems to not be
an issue on Kearsley however speed is a
factor on Harrison St.

Harrison St. south of the
intersection it is one way with 2 vehicle
travel lanes, parallel parking on the west
side of the street and a bike lane on the east
side of the street. Just past the intersection
heading north it immediately changes to 4
vehicle travel lanes and is shown in Figure
2. The bike lane ended at the intersection as
did the on street parking. The entire corridor
is nicknamed the autobahn because of the
intense speeds that are a major safety
concern for pedestrian and bicyclists.
Kearsley St. is a two way street with one
lane for each direction of traffic and a bike
lane on both sides of the street. The
sidewalks surrounding the intersections are
in good condition. The ADA texture pads
are present and functioning. Recently there
was a solar powered speed detector and
display put in place on Harrison St. just
north of the intersection as a speed deterrent
although from observation vehicle traffic
was still moving at very high speeds. The
only visibility issues are poles which may be
a visual obstruction on the southeast corner
of Harrison St. that may pose to be a
concern for drivers and pedestrians on
Kearsley St. heading west. There does not
seem to be any observed lighting issues on
either street.
The crosswalk signal was timed on
both streets and it was found that the walk
signal crossing Harrison St. was 36 seconds
and crossing Kearsley it was 22 seconds.
They both seemed adequate for the distance
that needed to be covered to get across
safely. During the observation of this
intersection there were multiple instances of
jaywalking further down Harrison St. north
of the intersection and pedestrians not
adhering to the cross walk signal which is a
serious concern because of vehicular speeds.
Figure 2

Intersection at Chavez Dr. and Kearsley St.
at 3:30 pm. The Chavez Drive and Kearsley
Street intersection sits on the eastern border
of campus, just before Kearsley St. crosses
over I-475 heading east. This intersection
has moderate pedestrian traffic. The speed
limits for Chavez and Kearsley are 35mph
and 25mph respectively. Chavez is one-way
at this intersection with three southbound
lanes, Kearsley is two-way with one lane
each direction. At the intersection, Kearsley
has a right turn lane on the eastbound side to
turn onto Chavez and a left turn lane on the
westbound side. There are bike lanes on
Kearsley up to the intersection that do not
continue on the bridge or further east past I-
475.
There are four crosswalks at the
intersection; two running north and south
across Kearsley, and two running east and
west across Chavez. Timing the crosswalk
lights showed that the total walk time
crossing Kearsley was around 45 seconds.
That breaks down to 30 seconds white and
15 seconds flashing red. Crossing Chavez
the total walk time was around 35 seconds,
25 seconds white and 10 seconds flashing
red. This seemed to be sufficient time to

cross each way. There are no traffic calming
devices at the intersection aside from the
stop signs at the crosswalk further back on
Kearsley and the traffic lights at the
intersection. Visibility is good in all
directions. The intersection is well lit with
one large street light on each corner.
Sidewalk quality is good near this
intersection however there was one area of
raised, jagged concrete around a manhole
cover that could be a tripping hazard. The
intersection is fair for ADA standards. The
main issues are the curb cuts are not all
smooth and the timing crossing Chavez may
be too short.
Driver behavior posed some
problems at this intersection. The biggest
issue was speeding on Chavez and drivers
accelerating through yellow lights. On a
green light, a vehicle was witnessed
speeding up to turn right onto Kearsley from
Chavez in front of a pedestrian who was
beginning to cross Kearsley. This is a
serious safety concern
.

Area surrounding Urban Alternatives House
at 3 pm. The Urban Alternatives House
(UAH) is located at the dead end of Eddy
Street, with the side yard backed up against
Crapo Street. Eddy St. is a short residential
street with no defined lanes and no posted
speed limit; however traffic is very slow due
to the dead end and vehicles can park on the
side of the road. Crapo Street is a two-lane
through street with an appropriate speed
limit of 30mph.
ADA accessibility is limited around
the house. The house itself has a ramp that is
accessible from the Eddy St. driveway and
sidewalk. At the time of observation,
visibility of the sidewalks was limited due to
recent snowfall; however it was clear to see
that the sidewalks are too narrow for
wheelchair accessibility. Additionally, the
sidewalks not being cleared from snow due
to the residential nature of the streets poses
an issue for pedestrian travel around the
house during winter months.
There is access for bicycles from
each street via the driveways and bike racks,
but there are no bike lanes along Kearsley
street between the UAH and campus, and
there are no bike lanes along Crapo St.
Visibility is fair on both Crapo and Eddy
streets. Lighting on both streets is poor.

There are streetlights on Crapo and Eddy
streets as well as the outside of the UAH,
however observing the area at night you can
see that it is still dark on the sidewalks.
There were no pedestrians to observe
at the time of observation. Visual analysis of
driver behavior on Crapo Street showed
drivers frequently exceeding the speed limit.
There are no traffic calming devices on
Crapo St. and the infrequent amount of
vehicle travel and street width seem to
promote speeding.
Summary
Overall there are many intersections
and corridors within and around campus that
need to be addressed. It is clear that all 5 e’s
need to be looked at. Education,
encouragement and enforcement are at the
forefront of what needs to be addressed first.
There are many recommendations that do
not involve enormous sums of money in
order to educate both drivers and pedestrians
on how to share the road safely. It will take
encouragement to progressively make a
cultural shift in driver behavior so that more
people will feel safe to walk and bike in the
City of Flint and University of Michigan’s
Flint campus.

Bicycle Accessibility on Campus
Bicycle Accessibility Audit
Various methods were used to
collect bicycle infrastructure data and use
that to assess the safety and attractiveness of
the transportation environment on and near
U of M Flint’s campus. Direct observations
were taken on Thursday April 4, 2013
around 9 a.m. using campus bicycles. The
groups traveled by bike on a predetermined
route and familiarize themselves on the
campus bicycle skills road course and then
continued on to different study areas with
assessment checklists. The criteria for the
audit forms regarding each study area will
be further discussed in this assignment as
well as recommendations to increase safety
and attractiveness. The route and study areas
are shown in Figure 1 and each study area is
discussed in order as it was observed on the
bike route.

Area 7
At the intersection of Kearsley and
Harrison Streets there is a high traffic
volume of automobiles. The traffic speed
down Harrison Street is posted at 25 miles
per hour, however many automobiles will
speed to around 35 miles per hour. There is
a traffic light with pedestrian signage at all
four corners of the intersection, providing
access for safe crossing. There is a bike lane
on both sides of Kearsley Street, however
none down Harrison Street. With Harrison
Street being a 4 lane one way, there should
be two directional bike lanes added and
additional traffic calming devices to help

Pavement dip at drain plate
Cracked pavement along bike lane
slow down this high volume traffic area,
such as turning it into a 2 way directional
road. All drain gates are adequate for
bicyclist safety, except for the drain plate on
the south side of the intersection on Harrison
Street. This drain plate is placed near the
corner of the intersection on the bike route
and has a pavement dip surrounding it
creating the possibility for a bicyclist to trip
their bike wheel while approaching the
intersection. Also, following down the north
curb side of Kearsley Street, before and after
the intersection, the pavement is broken up
and uneven along the right side of the bike
lane. This pavement section should be
repaired and smoothened so that bicyclist
can ride safety without the hazard of
tripping their bike on broken pieces of
pavement. This is shown below.
Area 2
The intersection of Kearsley and
Mill St. is one of the busiest on U of M-
Flint’s campus. It is a three-way intersection
with stop signs and well defined bike lanes.
Kearsley is two lanes west of the
intersection and 4 lanes east of it (two
coming in to the campus and 2 leaving
campus). There is a boulevard at the
entrance to the campus on Kearsley at
Chavez. The road surface is very smooth
and easy for bicyclists to traverse.
Visibility is good both to the west
and north, but to the east, going towards the
Chavez intersection and the bridge that
crosses I-475, the visibility is very poor, due
to a hill. This creates a hazard for both
cyclists riding here and drivers who are

travelling westbound on Kearsley. It is
difficult to see the oncoming traffic while on
a bicycle. There are also no signals for
cyclists at the intersection of Kearsley and
Chavez. Bike lanes proceeding through this
intersection are present but are unclear as to
how to use them. There are sharrows present
on Kearsley, indicating a shared road space;
however the meaning of these may be
unclear to some.
Driver behavior here is extremely
hazardous to cyclists. Drivers continuously
failed to make complete stops, constantly
rolling through stop signs and did not wait
for cyclists or pedestrians. Speeding is also
an issue. Campus speed limit is 15 mph, and
it was clear many drivers were not obeying
the speed limit. Enforcement by U of M-
Flint police is needed here. Education for
drivers on sharing the road with bicycles is
necessary so they know how to treat bikes
lanes and cyclists, making the road safe for
everyone.
Area 3
The crossing of Kearsley and Chavez
includes the overpass bridge where Kearsley
crosses over I-475. The lanes on the bridge
are wide enough to accommodate bicyclists
on either side, with adequate time to cross
Chavez on both sides of the bridge. The
speed limit changes to 35mph and moderate
traffic volume seems safe for bicyclists on
the bridge. However, Kearsley narrows East
of Chavez and the bike lanes do not
continue, so the 35mph speed becomes more
dangerous because bikes and vehicles must
share a lane without sharrows or any type of
signage. Crossing the bridge, there were
several areas of concern for bicyclists. First,
along the entire shoulder of the bridge there
is a layer of loose, fine-grained gravel and
sand that caused bike tires to slip and skid
when applying the brakes, which is a
potential danger. Also, there was an area of
broken pavement that could be dangerous if
driven over by a bike, as well as several
grates and holes with jagged edges that are
hazardous. There are faint lines where it
looked like bike lanes had been painted in
the past, however they were largely faded or
brushed away due to the loose gravel on the
surface. A major suggestion for this area is

to remove the loose gravel and paint clear
bike lanes along the bridge. There is not
much room to widen Kearsley East of the
bridge for bike lanes, but the addition of
painted sharrows or “share the road” signage
could increase safety for bicyclists going
toward the Cultural Center and UAH from
campus.
Area 4 and 6
Area 4 starts at the corner of
Kearsley and Crapo streets and ends just in
front of the Urban Alternatives House. This
is a culturally rich neighborhood with lots of
facilities such as the Planetarium, Public
Library, and FIA that would benefit from
being better connected with its surrounding
neighborhood. This segment of road has a
posted speed limit of 25mph and consists of
two wide lanes of traffic with rounded curb
cuts with a low traffic volume. There is an
absence of shoulders or bike lanes, but an
abundant amount of space available to
accommodate a bike lane going north and
southbound. Crapo St. is also lined with
trees which reduce traffic speeds, provide
shade and cover to pedestrians and
bicyclists, and are aesthetically pleasing.
The surface conditions of the roads
and sidewalks were fair. Sidewalks were
uneven and rough in some areas and need to
be leveled out. There was also the presence
of debris, such as sediment and broken
glass. Some of the sediment seems to be
coming from the curbs which are degrading;
repairing the curbs may help reduce the
debris issue.
At the corner of Crapo St. and
Kearsley St. it is a 4 way intersection with a
stop light, but no cross signal. Due to the
low traffic volumes and small width of the
roads a pedestrian crossing signal is likely
not necessary but should be present for
safety reasons. Crosswalks are outlined with
white lines and are in good condition.
Visibility at the intersection was good, with
no obstructions.
Area 6 consists of the segment of
Eddy St. in front of the UAH and the
segment of Crapo St. from the UAH to
Court St. The posted speed limit is 25mph

and consists of four traffic lanes, low
rounded curb cuts, and a low traffic volume.
The school across the street is close d which
in turn has decreased the traffic volume that
may have been. Four lanes aren’t necessary
anymore for the amount of traffic this area
experiences, so two of the lanes, one going
north and one going south, should be
converted into a bike lane and connect Court
St. and Kearsley St. This segment of road
would also benefit from finding a use or
demolishing Central High School, which is
now vacant and a deterrent to pedestrians
and bicyclists. The facilities at the school are
used by residents of Flint, namely the
running track behind the vacant high school.
By demolishing the southernmost building,
or converting it to a recreational center, and
making the track visible and accessible to
the public you could change the character
for the better on this segment of Crapo St.
The area would become more friendly and
accessible increasing bicyclist and
pedestrian traffic volume.
The surface conditions of the roads
and sidewalks were similar to area 6 and had
some uneven and rough areas which need
maintenance. The curbs are also degrading
and contributing to sediment on the road.
The sidewalk connecting Eddy St. to Crap
St. is in poor condition and needs to be
smoothed out and maintained. Visibility for
this area is poor and could be increased by
cutting back brush.
The Crapo St. corridor, which areas
4 and 6 consists primarily of, has the
potential to be a grade A bicycle corridor.
This is due to the presence of a wide range
of services and facilities in the area, low
traffic volume of the streets, and the
presence of trees along the roads to lower
traffic speeds and provide shade for
pedestrians and bicyclists

Area 5
The intersection of Crapo St. and
Court St. is a high traffic intersection with a
traffic light and pedestrian walk signals.
Signal times crossing east to west are brief
and need to be extended by 5 more seconds
to allow adequate crossing time for
pedestrians, bicyclists, and the disabled.
Drivers on Court Street were consistently
observed running the red light which is a
serious concern. This could be rectified by
police enforcement. There are no bike lanes
on Court St. nor is there any other signage.
The speed limit is 25 mph and is rarely
observed due to many young drivers
attending Mott Community College. Court
Street is a busy thoroughfare in general and
needs better speed enforcement and signage
so that drivers are more aware of the college
campus area. This was the only street that
we were not able to bike on due to justified
safety concerns. The hill on Court west of
the intersection creates visibility issues. In
order to have better connectivity and a route
back to campus it would be appropriate to
include a bike lane heading east along court
to reconnect with downtown and U of M
Flint campus area.
Summary
In summary the five study areas
included Harrison/Kearsley, Kearsley/Mill,
Kearsley/Chavez, Crapo/Eddy and
Crapo/Court Streets. All five study areas
have many issues regarding bicycle and
pedestrian safety concerns. Speed
enforcement, signage, and improved
infrastructure are recurring themes in each
study area and should be addressed so that
more people will feel safe to ride which in
turn will improve people’s perception if they
see more bicyclists in and around the U of
M Flint campus.

Current Enforcement
Current Enforcement Strategies
Current enforcement strategies in place by University of Michigan- Flint Public Safety
include:
 Partners with other local law enforcement agencies in a collaborative effort in
crime prevention and enforcing local laws.

 Issuing tickets to vehicles parked in violation of Flint ordinances and university
regulations. Parking enforcement is continuous for violators of handicap, fire
zones, and prohibited parking areas.
 Enforces a ‘straight to jail’ policy for drivers caught driving on a suspended
license.
 Public safety officers on bicycles patrolling through campus and adjacent areas in
downtown Flint have greater mobility and larger police presence than an officer in
a car.
 Patrols in golf carts.
 Work with walk and bike groups on campus.
 Implemented ‘yield to pedestrian’ signs at most crosswalks.
 Issuing parking citations and warnings.
 Over 200 security cameras around campus.
 Have student patrol program.

Encouragement
Encouragement is a key to a successful transition to sustainable transportation on
campus. There are many ways to encourage active living and healthy transportation modes.
Getting people interested in a sustainable transportation lifestyle is a major step towards a more
active lifestyle, decreasing their dependence on their vehicles and increasing safety for all on
campus.
 Marketing Campaign- A full on marketing campaign can serve to promote awareness of
the benefits of sustainable transportation.
o Send emails
o Create flyers with maps
 Bicycle Skills Course- Get the word out. Many students don’t know about the bicycle
skills course. One way to do this is to integrate it into the new student orientation.
 U of M-Flint Walk and Bike Work Group
 Implementing pay for parking on campus to encourage walking and bicycling and
promote off campus parking. Currently cost of parking is included in tuition.
 Incentive programs
 Bike Kiosk Program
 Special event days to promote alternative transportation
o Bike to Work/Campus Day

Current Education
Education Strategies
Current Education strategies that
exist on the UM-Flint campus are the Flint
River Trail Bicycle class, bicycle skills
course, Maize bicycle safety brochures and
the campus shuttle bus for pedestrians. To
improve the education in the community we
need to first focus on improving the
programs that already exist by advocating
and promoting the awareness of such
programs.

For the advocating of the Flint River
Trail Bicycle class emails could be sent out
to the UM-Flint students with pictures of the
trail and historic information about the trail
to encourage the involvement of more
students into the program. The bicycle skills
course could then be added to this class as a
requirement in order to educate the
awareness of bicycle etiquette on the road.
The bicycle safety brochures could
expand through the use of a webpage
dedicated towards implementing the
education of bicycle and pedestrian
awareness. This website could provide
current bike and pedestrian routes, locations
of showers and lockers and any businesses
that would attract bicyclist and pedestrians
such as ice cream shops, cafes and coffee
shops.
A great way to increase the
involvement of a more bicyclist and
pedestrian community would be to design a
phone app that provides the routes of bike
paths, bike lanes, pedestrian sidewalks and
the locations of businesses that connect to
these routes. Implementing a smartphone
app would provide easy access to
information regarding sustainable
transportation options and supports the
changes for connectivity within the city.
Additional suggestions outside of
current programs would be to add bicycle
and pedestrian safety education as a
requirement for orientation to new students
attending UM-Flint; expanding this idea
towards the initiation of enforcement on
education for bicycle safety into driver’s
training would be fundamental to the
expansion for state sustainable
transportation education.

Part II. Improvements and
Recommendations

Pedestrian and ADA Accessibility
Improvements
Most of the audited intersections were in fair conditions but had room for ADA
accessibility improvement. The following section contains images and tables for each of the
intersection with each improvement ranked in their priority.

Intersection of Saginaw St. and 5th Ave.
Proposed
Improvements
Location Assessment Logic Rank
Traffic calming
devises
Saginaw St. and 5th
Ave.
Traffic frequently
exceeds posted
speed limit.
1
Road diet (Reduce
from 4 to 2 lanes)
and install bike lane
Saginaw St. and 5th
Ave.
Traffic calming
and increase
accessibility.
3
Widen sidewalk to
60 inches (NW
corner)
Saginaw St. and 5th
Ave.
Increases
wheelchair
accessibility
4
Level incline by ¼
inch
Saginaw St. and 5th
Ave.
Incline from cross
walk is too steep
for the disabled.
5
Trim vegetation
(visibility)
Saginaw St. and 5th
Ave.
Trimming
vegetation would
be a low cost fix to
improve visibility.
2

Intersection of Kearsley St. and Saginaw St.
Proposed
Improvements
Speed limit signs
should be posted
Kearsley St.and
Saginaw St.
Traffic calming 1
Level bricks within
the crosswalk
Kearsley St.and
Saginaw St.
Accessibility 2
Pedestrian activated
crosswalk
Kearsley St.and
Saginaw St.
Improve traffic
circulation and
safety
3
Increase crosswalk
time
Kearsley St.and
Saginaw St.
Safety 4

Intersection of University Blvd. and Saginaw St.
Proposed Improvements Location
Assessment
Logic
Rank
Replace worn and missing texture pads
University Blvd. and Saginaw
St.
Safety and
ADA
accessibility
2
Fix crosswalk signal
University Blvd. and Saginaw
St.
Safety 1

Intersection at Kearsley St. and Harrison St.
Proposed
Improvements
Road diet
Kearsley St. and
Harrison St.
Traffic calming 2
Law enforcement
Kearsley St. and
Harrison St.
Traffic calming 1
Continue bike lane
Kearsley St. and
Harrison St.
Accessibility 3
Textured sidewalk
Kearsley St. and
Harrison St.
Safety 5
Sidewalk
maintenance
Kearsley St. and
Harrison St.
Slush and ice build
up.
4
Signage
Kearsley St. and
Harrison St.
Safety 6

Intersection at Chavez Dr. and Kearsley St.
Proposed
Improvements
Sidewalk
maintenance
Chaves Dr. and
Kearsley St.
Safety and
accessibility.
1
Install crosswalk
median
Chaves Dr. and
Kearsley St.
Safety 2

Area surrounding Urban Alternatives House
Proposed
Improvements
Road diet (reduce to
2 lanes)
Urban Alternative
House
Traffic calming 2
Install bike lanes
Urban Alternative
House
Accessibility 3
Reduce speed limit
Urban Alternative
House
Traffic calming 1

Map 2 shows existing and
proposedbicycle facilities
and bicycle level of service
of local roads

Map 3 shows
existing and
proposedpedestrian
routes

Funding
Through the awarding of grants and mini grants a sustainable transportation master plan for
the Flint area could be supported and funded. The main organization for the Genesee County
Area, which includes the downtown area and the University of Michigan campus in Flint, is
SAGE (Safe and Active Genesee for Everyone). SAGE is responsible for the collaborating of
several different organizations working together to support safe and active living proposals such
as the University of Michigan- Flint’s sustainable transportation master plan. Grants that are
available to look into are the following:
 SAGE – Eight $1000 mini grants
o Requirements
 Proposal Coversheet
 Proposal Plan
 Letters of Support
 Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities
o Those Eligible
 A local or state public agency
 A for-profit organization (however, not allowed to gain profit off of
project)
 A nationally recognized and accredited University or College

Implementation Strategy/Time Line
Present and Ongoing
 Traffic enforcement.
 Clear debris from sidewalks and streets.
o Chavez, Kearsley, Crapo St.
 Fix segments of streets and sidewalks that contribute to debris.
Short Term 1-2 Years
 Improve signage for bicyclists and drivers.
o University Blvd and Saginaw St., Kearsley and Chavez, Kearsley St.
and Harrison St., Kearsley St. and Saginaw st.
 Fix sidewalks near UAH.
o This should assist with the debris problem on the sidewalks and
streets.
 Design student orientation to incorporate bike, pedestrian and drivers
education on campus
 Trim vegetation to increase visibility.
o Saginaw St. and 5th Avenue.
 Level bricks within the crosswalk of Kearsley St. and Saginaw St.
 Increase crosswalk time
o Kearsley St. and Saginaw St,
 Fix crosswalk signal at University Blvd. and Saginaw St.
 Reduce speed limit around the UAH.
 Pedestrian activated crosswalk at Kearsley St. and Saginaw St.
 Replace worn and missing texture pads
o University Blvd. and Saginaw St., Kearsley St. and Harrison St.,
Long Term 5-10 Years
 Road diet: reduce lanes of traffic from 4 to 2.
o Saginaw St., Crapo St.
 Install proposed bike lanes and pedestrian facilities in additional space
provided from the traffic lane reduction.
o Increasing connectivity of existing routes should take priority over the
creation of new routes of traffic.
 Widen Sidewalk to 60inches at Saginaw St. and 5th Ave.
 Level inclines to ¼ inch at Saginaw St. and 5th Ave.
 Install Crosswalk median at Chavez Dr. and Kearsley St.

References
http://www.activelivingbydesign.org/what-we-do/albd-grant-program
http://portal.hud.gov

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