KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Oshtemo Township is working to address a troubling statistic: despite representing only 10% of the county's population, the township accounts for a third of all vehicle crashes.
The township is developing a comprehensive road safety plan separate from its master plan, focusing on high-crash areas like the intersection of 9th Street and Stadium Drive.
"We understood that they really see some of the future land use, and the development that's happening in the community, tied to streets. And we really want to make sure that none of that growth makes our roads even more unsafe," said Anna Horner, Oshtemo Township's Public Works Director.
The safety concerns are particularly acute in commercial areas where roads maintain 45 mph speed limits. At these speeds, pedestrians face a 50% higher chance of being seriously hurt or killed if struck by a vehicle.
The findings for the streets master plan will be presented to the Oshtemo Township Planning Commission this Thursday. You can view the agenda packet here.
"Eight out of the 10 highest crash intersections in the county are in Oshtemo. And that's all types of crashes, not just the worst case," Horner said.
The discussion has taken on added emphasis following a deadly vehicle crash in the township months ago that killed two teenagers.
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"We need to understand, how can we help those numbers? Those are numbers that don't really make sense to me as an engineer. And we really need to address some of the reasons those are happening," Horner said.
The township is considering several proven safety measures, including roundabouts, which can reduce fatal and injury crashes by up to 78%. Officials are also exploring pedestrian islands in crosswalks, which have been shown to reduce pedestrian crashes by 56%.
Local business owners like Themi Corakis, who owns Ted and Maries restaurant, have witnessed the safety issues firsthand.
"There's lots of accidents. Because that's a bad intersection, at 9th and stadium," Corakis said.
As the township moves forward with its road safety planning process, Corakis and other residents are hopeful for improvements.
"There's something in the works, and it should be better, hopefully," Corakis said.
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