Letter to the Editor: Plan Would Make Maple 'More Crowded and Slower'
Homeowner predicts increased vehicle detours through neighborhoods if bike lanes are OK'd.
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This letter was received by Birmingham Patch Editor Laura Houser and comments on a proposal to eliminate one of Maple Road's four vehicle lanes, the subject of a Feb. 13 public hearing by the City Commission.
I'm very much against the proposal to reduce East Maple Road to three vehicle lanes between Eton Road and Woodward Avenue so that two bike lanes can be added.
Maple, which I use regularly, would become more crowded and slower-moving. Residents living along that one-mile portion of the busy road would have a much harder time pulling out of their driveways with just one eastbound and one westbound traffic lane.
Another certain result would be an unwelcome increase in cut-through traffic on streets in our South Poppleton Park area and other neighborhoods as drivers avoid backups on Maple.
Peg Ryan
The viewpoints in this letter are those of the writers, and Patch is not responsible for any ideas portrayed as facts. For questions and clarifications, please leave a comment below or contact editor Laura Houser at laura.houser@patch.com or 248-534-9780.
Janice Montgomery
6:00 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
I couldn't agree more. I live south of Maple and west of Eton. I work in Rochester and the worst part of my commute (on my way home) is getting through the light at Eton and Maple.
Charles Wickins
7:57 am on Friday, February 3, 2012
I can't think what they are thinkin of. Without exageration, 20% there are road works on thet protion of Adams, and we see everytime the backups that creates.
Imagine reducing the road sie and then adding roadworks.......we'd end up with a parking lot.
Frederick Acomb
2:38 pm on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
I travel a great deal and have noticed that cities that people actually want to visit have been implementing traffic calming measures and "complete streets" measures like these for years. These cities have taken the focus off of "moving metal" and have instead moved it to creating streets that are safe and enjoyable for everyone. That includes pedestrians, bike riders, and people who actually live and work along the street. Maple between Woodward and Eaton is unsafe, ugly, loud, and an embarrassment. It is not the kind of street a world class town would tolerate. If narrowing the street makes it harder for some to break the law with excessive speeds, then bravo! A large percentage of such people are from out of town in any event. Slowing down a notch or two is a good thing, not a bad one, and if Birmingham wants to be a world class town then the city should implement traffic calming and complete streets measures whenever wherever they have the opportunity.
Bham Resident
3:11 pm on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
I can't imagine that anyone living along Maple Road would complain about reducing the number of lanes in front of their house. As it is, people fly down that street at excessive speeds, without a care in the world for the fact that people live, walk and bike there. I know I was very happy when they reduced the lanes on my street from four to two, and I'm sure the residents of Maple are too. If you don't like traffic, don't take Maple or Adams. They are not intended to be high-traffic commuter thoroughfares.
Birmingham resident
3:44 pm on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
A friend of mine recently sent me two links describing the kinds of improvements that other towns are making to their streets:
Here's the first one: http://www.pps.org/articles/livememtraffic/
Here's the second: http://www.completestreets.org/complete-streets-fundamentals/complete-streets-faq/
I think it's great that Birmingham is doing this too. I don't know about you, but it seems to me that the faster the traffic, the uglier the town.