Walking Through Birmingham with Complete Streets in Mind

Birmingham resident Michael Kopmeyer loves having the ability to comfortably walk along many of downtown streets, neighborhoods, and business districts that to him, help comprise a true community. But that doesn't include the largest, and perhaps most important, roadway: Woodward Avenue.

"I never walk here," he said while strolling along the busy thoroughfare near the city's gateway with a handful of residents and community stakeholders Tuesday morning.

"I feel uncomfortable because of the traffic, because there are no sidewalks in many spots, and just the overall atmosphere."

The critical, yet honest impression is exactly what organizers of the Woodward Avenue Action Association's (WA3) Complete Streets master plan hoped to get during their three days of interactive community events this week in Birmingham. The program, or "charrette" as it is called, is part of the WA3's Woodward Complete Streets master planning effort, and is the second in a series of five planned for communities along the Woodward corridor.

The fact-finding mission in Birmingham culminates tonight with a Complete Streets Plan Concepts Presentation from 5-7 p.m. at 555 S. Woodward Ave. (on the building's west side, facing Old Woodward). The event is free and open to the public.

A New Perspective

Despite his disappointment with Woodward's current state in the city, Kopmeyer said he is optimistic about what it can become, after touring the corridoor with Walkable and Livable Communities Institute expert Dan Burden with more than a dozen others Tuesday.

Donning yellow caution vests and armed with cameras and notebooks, the group walked along Old Woodward, New Woodward, Maple Road and several side streets to inspect what works and what needs work to become a better place for pedestrians and motorists alike.

Burden led the group for nearly an hour, pointing out details that most don't think about, from the size and angles of curb cuts to the placement of aesthetic landscaping, and from street structure to parking spaces sizes. Everything needs to be on the table when considering how to revamp one of the area's busiest commuter and commercial arteries, he said.

Though Burden's findings, and the input from the walkers and other citizen participants won't be known until tonight, recommendations could include closing a lane in each direction on Woodward, or reducing speeds.

"All cities are organic," Burden said. "They are never finished and always changing, and Birmingham is no different."

As with every day of the event, WA3 officials and experts with Parsons Brinckerhoff Michigan Inc. consulting firm will be available to answer questions from the public during 'drop-in' hours at 555 S. Woodward Ave. throughout the day. For more information, visit the project's website.

Upcoming Complete Streets meetings in other communities: 

• Bloomfield Township/Pontiac – June 3-5 
• Pleasant Ridge, Huntington Woods, Royal Oak and Berkley – June 10-12 
• Downtown Detroit through Highland Park – June 17-19 

Would you support trimming Woodward Avenue by a lane in each direction or lowering speed limits in Birmingham? Tell us in the comments.