| Regulations. And other regulations. And regulations that conflict with those regulations.
Clawson is experiencing a faustian choice among which regulations, and which political forces (the mighty senior voter) to accomodate.
The issue - whether to put an extra traffic light on the busy 14 Mile road near a senior senior and strip mall. Politics - and actual practical wisdom since police and others say any crossing of 14 Mile is unsafe unless you walk quite a distance to another intersection - says put the light there so seniors and others can cross more safely and efficiently.
But wait - environmental regulations say that Clawson would have to PAY BACK a $100,000 air quality grant if it "slows" traffic on the 14 Mile corridor because the grant is designed to facilitate traffic flow, and a light would slow it. Clawson took advantage of that grant by reducing the number of signals, so this proposal would both schizophrenically reverse that decision (you do have wonder what planning or thought process was behind that originally) and force a loss of federal money (perhaps we should question why the federal money is being given out with such a stupid string attached, when air quality is better promoted not by sacrificing safety).
The Mayor, Penny Luebs, is committed to making the right political decision (support the seniors), which I think is also the practical decision as well, as a resident who drives the road daily. The whole area has been under reconstruction anyway, and if a light is to be built, and safety a genuine issue, that's the right thing to do and now, during reconstruction of City roads, is the right time.
But that's not all - the Americans with Disabilities Act might yet conflict with all this analysis, and given the grade and geographics of the area, it might not be possible to build an economical crossing that complies with ADA. That would mean no crossing.
What an irony. The ADA could kill the very senior it seeks to protect, by making it harder for government to build any crossing and causing an individual to walk across the street in an unsafe way. Or, our desire to stop global warming could have the same effect.
Regulations. A maize of regulations.
A clip from the Observer story here:
Numerous senior citizens who live at the Manor, students walking to and from Clawson middle and high schools, and families have complained about not being able to cross the five-lane road since it was reopened following reconstruction in October when the number of signals between Main and Crooks was reduced to one, according to Mayor Penny Luebs. The city received a federal air-quality grant for $100,000 when it reduced the number of signals.
Haberman said the city may have to forfeit the grant if it adds a signal, jeopardizing its ability to compete for grants in the future.
But Luebs said she remains committed to providing a pedestrian crossing, even if it means giving back the $100,000.
Kathy Leenhouts, coordinator of the Clawson Senior Center, said the Clawson Manor is the perfect place for a crossing so seniors can shop at the strip mall on the other side of 14 Mile. But she expressed concern over whether the TIA study would be accurate since the Clawson Police Department warned Manor residents in a letter in October that the only safe and legal place to cross 14 Mile is at an intersection with signalization. Currently, that would be Main, Crooks and Bywood. School officials were sent a similar letter. |
