**The following article reports on previous accidents involving students and crosswalks. Please do not read if you are sensitive to these topics.
Eleven percent of children in the United States walk to or from school every day (Rutgers). Moreover, thousands of AAPS students walk to school (AAPS). By common sense, those children must also have a safe way to travel their distances. However, Huron students cannot do that because of a particular structure that restricts pedestrians’ view. The bus stop right next to the Huron entrance. This hindrance makes the bus stop unsafe, and therefore the stop should be moved to a safer area.
Bus lanes near intersections or crosswalks are known to be particularly dangerous. Per Arxiv.org, public transportation stops within 1,000 feet of an intersection or crosswalk increase the chances of a pedestrian accident by 200 to 400 percent. Moreover, pedestrian accidents are the fifth leading cause of injury-related deaths in the US for children aged five to 19. Huron also had several incidents where students were injured (Ann Arbor News) or killed (Fox2Detroit) due to pedestrian accidents.
The bus stop alone isn’t the danger; the hazard is the bus occupying the space and the amount of people next to it. More than 20 people cluster around the stop every day, blocking the view for pedestrians. Oncoming traffic is also prevented from having a good view of the pedestrians on the right-hand side of their perspective.
Michigan law mandates that if a bus stop is within 200 feet of an intersection, private or public, there shall be a clear view for both drivers and pedestrians from the stop to the intersection. However, the Huron city bus stop is only 132 feet from the intersection and it does not create a clear view. Therefore the bus stop appears to conflict with Michigan state law and should be relocated to a position that ensures a safe and clear view for both pedestrians and drivers, such as right after the intersection.
It also is not helping that not many vehicles follow the 25 mile per hour speed limit during school hours, driving 40 mph even in a school zone.
Moreover, from daily observation, within 10 minutes of the school ending, more than 30 people walk across the crosswalk, and city buses occupy the bus stop space for over half of that time. Additionally, the buses not only block the view, but also create situations where cars that were not visible beforehand suddenly appear and must skid to a stop. This alone is dangerous because if both drivers and pedestrians are not paying attention, it could lead to a major accident. Further exacerbating the situation, many people do not push the yellow lights button before crossing, giving almost no time for drivers to react after they spot hidden pedestrians behind the bus. Even when a car is able to stop before hitting a pedestrian, another vehicle tailgating the stopped vehicle can ram into it, creating a traffic collision. Students keeping an eye on their phones instead of oncoming traffic is another hazard.
Many students are also complaining that they cannot see cars coming to the crosswalk when buses are present. The buses always occupy the space right after school is over to pick up students, as both bus-riding and walking students pour out of the school. Importantly, not only students walking home are in danger at this crosswalk, many students also take buses on the other side of Huron Parkway, so they need to use the crosswalk every day. Fortunately, there have been no tragic events there, but there have been many dangerous situations that stopped just short of an accident. If nothing is done, it may only be a matter of time before an incident occurs.
At the issue’s core, the priority should be clear: students’ safety and well-being should not be compromised by infrastructure. The current design blocks views for pedestrians and drivers, endangering Huron students. With clear evidence showing increased accident risk and a possible violation of Michigan state law, the current placement of the stop is unacceptable. Relocating it to a safer place such as further away from the crosswalk so that stopped buses do not block the pedestrians’ view of incoming traffic should be done as soon as possible. At the very least, city officials should put a mirror on the crosswalk sign so that pedestrians can view oncoming traffic. Until this change is made, Huron students will be forced to deal with the current hazard, making it imperative that action is taken now.
