KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM/FM) — Mayor Bobby Hopewell says sometimes it’s just not safe to mix cars and bikes and a new roundabout proposed for the eastside of Kalamazoo is one of those examples.
After a number of drafts and redrafts and a year delay because of community input and objections to design features, staff is recommending a revised roundabout for Harrison and Gull Street.
They decided to route bike traffic around it, instead of through it.
That raised complaints from biker’s rights advocates, who want direct routes and fair play. But Hopewell, a former Emergency Medical Technician, says safety has to come first.
Commissioner Matt Milzarek says fixing’s the city’s infrastructure, rerouting and modifying traffic patterns has to be done with the whole system in mind, because it’s all linked and if you change something in part of the system, there could be unintended consequences.
He says they need to make a lot of changes and do a lot of work to eliminate one way streets and add other features to calm traffic. Until then bicyclists will have to be patient. There are a lot of legacy
The commission received a presentation on the proposal last night and will vote on the 15th..
