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Ann Arbor DDA Releases Findings Of Healthy Streets Pilot Project

DDA

The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority has released findings from a Healthy Streets pilot project it implemented in September to create more space for social distancing during the pandemic.  

Seventy-three percent of residents who participated in a survey about the project said their biking experiences in the downtown area improved because of the pilot program.  Meanwhile, 76% of respondents said the project increased their sense of comfort, security, and safety when bicycling downtown.  Maura Thomsonis the communications manager for the DDA and explains the impact the 90-day project had on vehicular traffic. 

Maura Thomson: Speeds within those pilot corridors were reduced between 1-6 miles per hour. That’s really significant when you think about, with every mile an hour faster somebody is going, the increase in fatalities and in serious injuries that occur.

Broadway, South Main, and Miller Avenue were among the corridors used for the project.  The DDA plans to use the information it gathered during the study to roll out additional safety projects in the future.

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— Jorge Avellan is a reporter for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him javellan@emich.edu

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