EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — East Grand Rapids is considering a local ordinance that would require drivers to stop for pedestrians waiting at crosswalks, expanding the circumstances under which drivers would be required to stop.
The city currently operates under the Uniform Traffic Code, which Doug La Fave, East Grand Rapids' deputy city manager and director of public works, said requires a pedestrian to enter the roadway before traffic must stop. Under the proposed change, drivers would instead be required to stop when a pedestrian is waiting at the crosswalk.
According to La Fave, the change would be the first of its kind in East Grand Rapids.
Watch FOX 17 reporter Cassandra Alonso's report in the the video below:
A crossing guard's close call
After three decades of helping students cross the street, East Grand Rapids crossing guard Jean Timmer said one of the biggest problems she encounters is drivers who do not understand what they are supposed to do when approaching a crossing guard. Once a guard is in the street with a sign raised, drivers should remain stopped until the guard returns to the curb and lowers the sign.
Timmer recently experienced a close call while working on Lake Drive.
“A car came up, turned left, and went right around me on the wrong side of the road, right through the crosswalk.”
Timmer said she was two steps from where the vehicle traveled and could have been hit. She also said a student approaching the crossing could have been struck.
She said encounters with drivers violating crossing rules are not unusual.
“I write up about 20 to 25 incident reports a year," says Timmer.
What could change
The proposed ordinance would require drivers to stop for pedestrians who are at a crosswalk rather than requiring them to first enter the roadway. The proposal would apply citywide at marked crosswalks and unmarked intersection crosswalks without operating traffic signals.
Drivers who violate the proposed changes would face a civil infraction.
“That kind of safety is all of our responsibility. So, from the users, from the community, everybody working together to try to make that change in our culture and with our policies and laws, so that we can keep everybody safe."
Part of a regional effort
East Grand Rapids has been working with the Grand Valley Metro Council and other Kent County communities on language aimed at creating more consistent pedestrian rules across municipalities. La Fave said the goal is for drivers to encounter the same rules and expected behavior as they travel between communities.
The proposal also has support at the city commission policy level and has been advocated for by community citizen groups, according to La Fave.
Timmer said she believes the proposed change could help.
“Oh yes, yes. It’s just all about educating the community.”
What happens next
The city commission has already approved the ordinance at its first reading. It must still go through a second and final reading before becoming law.
If the second and final reading is approved in November, La Fave said residents can expect the ordinance to take effect by early December after the remaining legal and city code process is completed. The city plans to work with the school district, community partners, neighboring municipalities and the Grand Valley Metro Council to educate people about the change.
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