Fantastic news from the State of Michigan: Farmington has permission to move ahead with a project to install traffic-calming bump-outs along Grand River, a state-owned roadway.
Chat with Farmington City Manager Vince Pastue, and you’ll find he is reluctant to take much credit. It’s more likely he’ll point to the loss of a construction season spent wrangling with MDOT over the idea of whether Farmington should simply take ownership of Grand River within city boundaries and point out the advantage of having a $20,000 traffic study in hand for the latest round of negotiations. But Pastue remained devoted to this effort against all odds and his hard work is reflected in this success.
The benefits of bump-outs only begin with traffic calming, which simply encourages cars to actually adhere to the city’s 25 mph speed limit on Grand River. Pedestrians will no longer be forced to choose between walking to one of two signalized cross-walks and taking their lives in their hands. Motorists won’t have to jockey for position in areas where parking is allowed on both sides of Grand River.
All in all, a good day for Downtown Farmington.
Michigan Woman Blogger
