Traffic Information

Traffic Information and Resources

The Department of Public Works maintains all of the street traffic controls in the city. These include traffic signals, traffic signs, and pavement markings.

Grand Valley Metro Council

The City of East Grand Rapids is a member of the Grand Valley Metro Council (GVMC), which is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the greater Grand Rapids area. One of the functions of the GVMC as the MPO is to monitor traffic counts, safety, environmental impacts, etc. for the regional federal aid transportation network.

Traffic Safety Planning

GVMC and partner members like the City of East Grand Rapids collaborate to evaluate investments in safety programs and improvements throughout the region as pedestrians, cyclists, and motor vehicles cross jurisdictions.  GVMC has an MPO Crash Summary Dashboard that displays incidents that have occurred in our MPO area over a five-year span. This mapping tool of imported data is important for all member communities and the general public:

MPO Interactive 5-Year Accident Map

Grand Valley Metro Council-Report Near Misses

The City encourages residents to report near misses via the GVMC Transportation Department reporting tool.  Reporting near misses helps inform safety improvements.  To access the reporting map tool please visit the following:

GVMC Near Miss Report Mapping


Mobility-Bike Action Plan

The City worked with Progressive AE and Aligned Planning to develop a Mobility-Bike Action Plan.  The final plan was approved in 2021 was reflective of community priorities and input from public engagement opportunities, surveys and public hearings over several years. In July 2022, after public engagement sessions, input, and feedback the Implementation Plan was approved.  Implementation Plan improvements were completed 2022.  Future implementation projects/improvements are made each year in conjunction with construction projects or grant funding opportunities/programs.

To view more detailed information on the plan, completed improvements and future improvements: EGR Mobility-Bike Action Plan

To review current construction project improvements including sidewalk and pedestrian improvements: EGR Construction Updates

Speeding Concerns

The City takes all speeding complaints seriously and encourages all speeding safety concerns to be reported to the Department of Public Safety at 616-949-7010 to initiate the process as noted below in the traffic calming policy.   

Traffic Calming Requests:

Traffic Calming Policy and Process

Crosswalk Concerns

The City of East Grand Rapids routinely reviews crosswalks throughout the city to ensure the crosswalks are up to current best practice standards for each location. The City also reviews crosswalk locations based upon reported concerns. It is important to note that certain crosswalk elements that are seen in one community do not translate to another because crosswalk treatments are based on variables for each environment such as street designation, vehicle and pedestrian volumes, street design, etc. For example, a crosswalk on a four-lane street adjacent to an amusement park would require different signage, pavement markings and flasher beacons versus a residential two-lane street with bump outs. Each location is viewed on an individual basis and sources such as the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) and the Michigan Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MMUTCD) are used by traffic engineers using the variables of the physical environment and data to make sure the appropriate signage, pavement markings or signals are in place. 

Crosswalk Policies/Information/Improvements:

Click here to see the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) sections on intersection design elements.

Our Public Works Department relies on the Michigan Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices to determine everything from speed limits to pavement markings and signage. In addition to the above measures, we regularly perform traffic-engineering reviews/studies in areas where residents show concern. We utilize speed/volume studies and actual pedestrian/vehicle accident data in conjunction with State of Michigan standards when reviews are conducted.

Education

Education regarding safe behaviors and use of crosswalks is very important. The East Grand Rapids Community Foundation generously funded educational videos in a partnership between the City of East Grand Rapids and East Grand Rapids Public Schools. East Grand Rapids Public Schools utilize these videos throughout the year to promote safety and awareness. You can help keep your friends and family safe by talking about and teaching one another about crosswalk safety. Please view the following safety videos to keep East Grand Rapids a safe, walkable community.


Pedestrian Safety:
 Link to Michigan State Police website with safety video
 Link to Michigan Secretary of State website-pedestrian and bicycle safety tips 

Pedestrians should:

  • Use sidewalks whenever available.
  • Obey traffic signals, signs and markings.
  • Cross streets at a corner, using traffic signals and crosswalks whenever possible.
  • If you must walk along the roadway, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
  • Always stop at the edge of a parked car, curb, or vehicle before walking out into traffic.
  • Look left-right-left before crossing a street and continue looking while crossing.
  • Make eye contact with drivers prior to crossing roadways.
  • Be visible: wear reflective clothing and lights at night and wear bright colors during the day.
  • Never allow children under age 10 to cross the streets alone. Young children do not have the skills to accurately judge traffic risks.

Drivers should:

  • Obey traffic signals, signs and markings.
  • Yield to pedestrians.
  • Stop well back from the crosswalk to give other vehicles an opportunity to see the crossing pedestrians so they can stop too.
  • Never pass vehicles stopped at a crosswalk. There may be people crossing that you can’t see.
  • Avoid distractions.
  • Obey the posted speed limit.
  • Stay alert and take extra caution at intersections, especially when making turns.
  • Make eye contact with pedestrians waiting to cross roadways.
  • Be extra cautious when backing up—pedestrians can move into your path.

Local and State Law Pertaining to Bicycles 


City Ordinances:

  • Everyone Under 18 must wear a helmet at all times
  • No person shall ride 2 or more abreast on any roadways
  • No person shall ride a bicycle up a sidewalk in the business district
  • Bicyclist must yield right of way to any pedestrian
  • If riding a bike on the roadway, same duties as driver of vehicle
  • All bikes on road must be registered with EGRDPS

State Law:

  • When a person is operating a bicycle the operator shall signal as follows: Left Turn, Right Turn and Stopping
  • Ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of roadway
  • Walk bike in crosswalks
  • A bicycle being operated on a roadway between 1/2 hour after sunset and 1/2 hour before sunrise shall be equipped with a lamp on the front which shall emit a white light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the front and with a red deflector on the rear which shall be visible from all distances from 100 feet to 600 feet.

General Safety Tips:

  • Adjust seat
  • Check tires, brakes, sprocket and chain before riding
  • Pedals must be secure
  • Yearly maintenance/check by service professional
  • Handle bar should have a horn and rear view mirror
  • Never carry objects in your hand
  • Where light or bright colored clothing to be seen by others


Speed Limits

The State of Michigan updated sections of the Michigan Vehicle Code in 2017 with respect to speed limits in sections MCL 257.627 through 257.628. The changes determine how cities set speed limits within their municipal boundaries as noted above. The objective of any speed limit is that it be reasonable, enforceable, and that it assures a maximum limit. 

There are two ways to determine speed limits. The first method available to set speed limits is based on the 85th percentile speed of free flow traffic from a traffic speed study. The 85th percentile speed is the speed that 85 percent of vehicles do not exceed. Another way of looking at this is that only 15 percent of vehicles go faster than this speed, and 85 percent go at or below this speed. Most drivers voluntarily adjust their speed to the total roadway/roadside environment (width, alignment, surface condition, roadside development, pedestrian activity, weather, light conditions, etc.) The state and many traffic engineering professionals believe that this method helps to minimize crashes and promote a more uniform traffic flow.

When a speed study is performed the calculated 85th percentile speed combined with low accident history can result in speed limit increases. Generally it is acceptable to allow for an allowance/buffer with respect to for the 85th percentile for the posted speed. For example, if the posted speed is 25 mph and the 85th percentile is 29 mph, it is still acceptable to keep the posted speed at 25mph. A traffic engineering study also analyzes the road conditions, crash history along with the speeds on a street. The speed limit is then set at the speed at or below which 85th percentile of the drivers drive, otherwise known as the 85th percentile speed. Studies have shown that posting the speed limit at the 85th percentile speed results in more uniform traffic flow and fewer accidents. Drivers tend to be less impatient, pass less often and tailgate less, thereby reducing crashes.

The second method is called the Vehicle Access Point (VAP) method. In this approach a count of the number of driveways along a ½ mile segment is conducted. If there are 60 or more driveways and intersections the speed limit can be posted at 25 mph.

The VAP speed limit method is further detailed below:

Access Points Speed Limit

60 or more  25 mph

50 to 59  30 mph

45 to 49  35 mph

40 to 44  40 mph

30 to 39  45 mph

It is important to note that the state law allows MDOT or the Michigan State Police to actually step in and raise local speed limits if they believe that a local community is not in compliance with the law.

The City of East Grand Rapids routinely completes traffic speed studies throughout the City. Below are maps noting studies on major and local streets that were completed via the pneumatic road tube method where tubes are placed in the travel lanes and are connected to recorders located at the side of the street. This method also provides the most accurate data because it is discrete compared to radar speed feedback collection methods.

For more information about speed limits, please read “Setting Realistic Speed Limits” from the Michigan State Police and Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc. 

Speed Enforcement

The Department of Public Safety enforces all traffic laws within the City of East Grand Rapids. Below is a link to a third-party report system that shows the parking and traffic enforcement activities with the filter pre-set to show a rolling six-month history in the City. The data provided is linked to the state TIMS reporting system. The locations of the stops noted have numbers indicating multiple activities at the location. If you click on the numbers, it breaks out into each individual activity. You can then click on each incident and view details. Please note that the location is where the stop occurred not necessarily where the violation was observed. For example, several stop locations may show adjacent to a parking lot where the stop occurred, but the traffic violation could have been observed to initiate the stop a half-mile away.

Stop Signs

Stop signs installed in the wrong places for the wrong purposes usually create more problems than they solve. One common misuse of stop signs is to arbitrarily interrupt traffic, either by causing it to stop or by causing such an inconvenience that motorists are forced to use other routes. Studies conducted in many parts of the country show that there is a high incidence of intentional violations where stop signs are installed as "nuisances" or "speed breakers." These studies show that speed was only reduced in the immediate vicinity (about 100 to 150 feet) of the "nuisance" stop signs. But, speeds were actually higher between stop signs than they would have been if these signs had not been installed. These same studies show that drivers increase their speeds between unwarranted stop signs to make up for the lost time. Because of these studies and the increased speeds of drivers on streets with unwarranted stop signs, the Michigan Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MMUTCD) clearly states that "Stop signs should not be used for speed control." At the right place and under the right conditions, a stop sign tells drivers and pedestrians who has the right of way.

For more comprehensive information about these studies, please read W. Martin Bretherton’s traffic study titled: “Multi-way Stops—The Research Shows the MUTCD is Correct!”

Additional Stop Sign FAQ

Parking Restriction Requests

The City has a parking restriction request policy and petition. Please click here for the policy and petition request form.

Distracted Driving

https://www.nsc.org/road-safety/safety-topics/distracted-driving

https://www.assp.org/docs/default-source/news/distracted-driving_010917-safestart_distracted_driving_guide_asse.pdf?sfvrsn=2&sfvrsn=2

What can you do? Please visit this link to the National Safety Council.  

 

Distracted Driving Info Picture

Click here for more statistics on distracted driving.


If you notice an unsafe situation or have a suggestion regarding pedestrian or vehicular safety, please call Public Safety at 616.949.7010 or Public Works at 616.940.4817.