Report ranks Washtenaw County's most dangerous intersections
The intersection at West Michigan Avenue and Carpenter Road in Pittsfield Township has been ranked Washtenaw County's most dangerous intersection.
Courtney Sacco I AnnArbor.com
An intersection’s rank is determined by two factors - crash rate and total crashes.
The ranks are based on statistics from 2009 to 2011, which is the most recent accident data the Michigan State Police has released.
Washtenaw County Road Commission director Roy Townsend said the data helps the agency determine which intersections might need safety improvements and deserve closer attention from road officials.
The Road Commission also examines the type of accidents at each intersection. That provides insight as to what issue might be causing crashes.
Officials say Carpenter is especially busy because there are few north-south roads that run the span of the county’s populated areas.
Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com
Road Commission officials noticed that there were a significant number of accidents caused by cars turning left out of driveways near the busy intersection. The agency applied for federal safety grants and received funding to install narrow safety medians in the center of the road that will prevent left turns out of driveways near the intersection.
“Turning right in and right out is the safest thing, so when people turn left in and out and cross three to five lanes of traffic, that’s where you don’t see a car coming,” Townsend said, adding that today’s safety standards wouldn’t allow that many driveways built so close to the intersection.
Each year, the Road Commission applies for up to five safety grants, but competes with other road commissions and governments statewide. Some years it won’t receive any extra funds, and in other years it receives funding for up to three projects.
Five of the top 10 intersections on the list are in Pittsfield Township and five are in the Washtenaw and Carpenter corridors. Townsend said that Carpenter is especially busy because there are few north-south roads that run the span of the county’s populated areas.
Whittaker Road turns into Huron Street and eventually Huron River Drive before curving west in Ypsilanti. Hewitt and Golfside Roads both end.
“That pushes a lot of traffic onto Carpenter,” Townsend said.
Likewise, Washtenaw and Packard are the two main direct thoroughfares between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, the county’s two population centers. That means intersections in those areas also see the highest traffic counts in the county and those statistics nearly correlate to the dangerous intersections list.
High traffic volumes lead to delays and that leads motorists to take more chances, Townsend said.
“There is a high volume of traffic at some intersections period. So there is more delay and people have a tendency to take more chances,” he said. “You just have to keep looking at the intersections and hopefully find a way to reduce delay, and try to figure out what things you can do to improve to safety.”
For example, last year, the Road Commission added an additional right turn lane on westbound Washtenaw just before the Hogback-Carpenter intersection, which helped reduce delays.
Other safety projects scheduled over the next several years include the addition of a center left turn lane on Rawsonville at Martz Roads. Turn lanes will be added at the intersection of Curtis and Plymouth roads.
The shoulder will be paved and widened at Carpenter and Bemis where the road curves on Carpenter and a high number of cars are driving off the road. And there is a realignment project scheduled for the intersection of East Austin and Eisman roads.
“We continue to monitor the roads (countywide) and apply for safety funds,” Townsend said.
- Download the entire list of intersection crash totals:
- 2011WashtenawCounty_IntersectionCrashes.pdf
View Most Dangerous Intersections in Washtenaw County in a larger map
Comments
Hmm
Thu, May 30, 2013 : 1:59 p.m.
Turning East or West onto Huron from 7th is dangerous as hell when there's a lot of traffic
jns131
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 5:13 p.m.
What I find interesting is young people involved. Were they driving? Or just happen to be innocent passengers? After reading this one, I am going to inform my young driver to stay the course and no weirdness until age 50. Good luck out there. I know how it goes. Stranger things have happened.
kathryn
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 12:29 p.m.
"Turning right in and right out is the safest thing." I love the "Michigan lefts" that they built into Jackson Road business district. I wish we could have more of that on the busy corridors.
anti-thug
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 2:26 a.m.
no more round abouts!! OK?
Rod Johnson
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 1:02 a.m.
"The roundabout at Whittaker and Stoney Creek significantly reduced delays and the number of accidents." It's nice to see this acknowledged. Roundabouts work!
Jack
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 10:07 p.m.
I see nowhere where either "elderly driver" nor "young driver" is defined. Can you tell me what ages those two groups encompass?
Julius
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 6:51 p.m.
If it's like TV ratings -- "elderly" is anyone over 49 and "young" is everyone else. But I'm being a little facetious and I really don't know.
Elouise
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 8:17 p.m.
Lets not forget Platt and Michigan Ave or the on ramp to M14 North from Barton Drive...
RUKiddingMe
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 5:22 p.m.
I'm not sure why Carpenter/Packard is so dangerous; there are committed left-turn-only lights on all sides, a left turn lane on all sides, etc. I think there might even be no-turn-on-red signs on a couple sides too. What more can you do to an intersection?
jcj
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 12:58 p.m.
You nailed it Treetown!
Ann English
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 12:55 a.m.
One feature Speedway has with the stores there, that the Meijer gas station further down Carpenter doesn't have with the stores north of it, is concrete curbs surrounding it, so that motorists who wish to get to Speedway from one of the stores must first get onto Packard or Carpenter, and then use a Speedway driveway to get in. No motorists from the Meijer store or those stores north of it, has to get onto Ellsworth Rd. or Carpenter Rd. in order to get to the Meijer gas station, for no curbs stand in the way of driving there directly. If Speedway got rid of those curbs, people from The Tile Shop, Staples, CVS, etc., could drive straight to the pumps without exiting or entering any driveways at all.
Sparty
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 6:48 p.m.
People turning across too many lanes out of Speedway, CVS, etc. is the biggest problem.
treetowncartel
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 5:46 p.m.
I'd attribute most of the accidents to people taking a left out of the gas station and the shopping mall across the eastbound lanes of Packard into the westbound lanes.
djacks24
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 5:10 p.m.
Carpenter and Michigan Ave have the cheapest gas prices around with 4 gas stations in close proximity to US-23...If you dare. Otherwise, I stay away from the intersection. But back in the day before Carpenter got widened and there were no designated left turn signals to head North on Carpenter was always an adventure.
Westfringe
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 4:45 p.m.
Funny how they're all clustered around the SE and in Ypsi...
BhavanaJagat
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 4:35 p.m.
Whole Dude - Whole Prevention: I would like to invite the representatives of major auto insurance companies to participate in this discussion and share information about the relationship between the incidence of crashes and accidents, the geographical location, age of the motorist, type of motor vehicle, the weather, the time of the day, and other related conditions. AAA Insurance Company may like to consider the use of crashed vehicles to educate people about prevention of accidents. At some of these locations described in this story, an arrangement could be made to display the crashed vehicle on a raised platform with a Billboard sign that lists the cause of the crash. The display can be changed periodically to highlight the problems that are experienced in each crash.
BhavanaJagat
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 4:33 a.m.
I will be happy to mount your crashed car for the display that I recommended. The Sign will read : "The Price for Distracted Driving."
Rod Johnson
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 12:58 a.m.
"I never saw him coming, officer, I was distracted by that Billboard with the horrible crash on it."
linuxtuxguy
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 4:12 p.m.
What is the difference between these two? They seem like the same thing to me... Washtenaw Ave & Carpenter Rd Washtenaw Ave N at US 23 ramp
Rod Johnson
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 11:49 p.m.
That's a fair point, and I shouldn't have implied that the engineers who designed it got it wrong, just that it's an insane piece of traffic engineering now. In general, I think the civil engineers who do this kind of work do a good job, with empirical data to back them up (though there is a certain amount of let's-try-this that goes on). But they can't predict changing traffic flows, and in highly developed areas like this they're kind of stuck, since there's no new land to build on. I think there was one bad decision, namely the placement of the path of 23 (and thus the exit) too close to Carpenter. It's similar to the (much less busy) M-36/US-23 interchange, which is kind of a bear to negotiate. But you're right I'm sure conditions seemed very different when 23 was built.
jcj
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 12:56 p.m.
Rod "It's an insane piece of traffic engineering." What you have to realize is that before St Joe was built out there there were very few cars turning left onto Hogback. The ramp and signal were already there. What would your solution be now that St Joe is there?
Rod Johnson
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 12:57 a.m.
That NB 23 exit is the worst spot of all. Cars coming off 23 and needing to get over to turn onto Hogback essentially have to cross three lanes of traffic to get to the left turn lane, and if the lane is full at that point, which it usually is, they end up stuck out in the middle of Washtenaw, perpendicular to the traffic flow. It's an insane piece of traffic engineering.
Kyle Mattson
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 5:03 p.m.
Hi ltg- There is a light at the exit ramp from NB 23 to W-Ave and as noted by other readers the ramp from W-Ave to NB 23 that is at the same location is a frequent location for incidents. I believe this is separated out from the Carpenter intersection as despite being only a couple hundred feet to the west it is the 'hotspot', if you will, of accidents in that area.
Thinking over here
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 4:12 p.m.
Is there any way to study how much traffic the roundabouts have pushed onto other roadways. There is a segment of the population who will avoid the roundabouts.....
Kyle Mattson
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 5:09 p.m.
Just guessing here, but I suspect that that population is so low it would be possible to measure one thing that stands out from these numbers to is that many of the accidents are in locations where roundabouts are not in the immediate area (other than drivers possibly using W-Ave vs the Geddes exit) to where that statistics would be correlated. I know of some people that try to avoid freeways due to their fear of high speeds, but not roundabouts, considering what I've read regarding the safety benefits of roundabouts, I think I'd actually be inclined to search out those interchanges vs the likes of fighting a busy intersection. Thoughts?
David Cotton
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 3:28 p.m.
Cost benefit analysis: How much are is a person willing to be inconvenienced to reduce incidents? If current safety standards would not have allowed driveways so close to an intersection, then make it illegal to turn left from that driveway. Oh but then the property owner will say it makes their business to inconvenient and they'll make less money. Once again, cost benefit analysis, how willing are people willing to tolerate a dangerous situation so someone else can make money?
UpperDecker
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 3:11 p.m.
Well if we can add a roundabout at every intersection I think the problem will be solved!
foobar417
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 3:06 p.m.
One idea I believe is on the long-term list but would alleviate congestion at Carpenter and Washtenaw is to extend Clark Road over the highway and connect it to Huron River Drive. I can't figure out if this is on the "idea" list or the long-term plan list for Washtenaw county though.
Rod Johnson
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 12:53 a.m.
(Hmm, thought I posted this already, but I guess not.) Clark already connects to Huron River Drive via Hogback. Do you mean Huron Parkway? I can't imagine the people living in the Chalmers Drive neighborhood being too happy with that idea.
mabb
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 3:01 p.m.
lack of turn signal use is also a factor in some of these accidents
Kyle Mattson
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 5:15 p.m.
Correct mabb, the downloadable report attached is a summary of the key statistics but the county has detailed data on the various 'types' of crashes ranging from rear-end collision to those involving animals. What the numbers here in Tom's story really seem to highlight are the corridors that do present a notable risk when driving through them. Unfortunately, many of them are also intersections that thousands of residents must use on a daily basis.
slave2work
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 1:42 p.m.
I sometimes wonder if turning right on a red has made some of these accidents happen. We have all been at red lights to see the right turn person not stop and just go thru the light and turn. Drivers have no patience now days, they never give themselves enough time to get to their destination . I'm surprised the intersection of Dorset and the 94 bypass wasn't on the list.
jcj
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 12:52 p.m.
" Drivers have no patience now days, they never give themselves enough time to get to their destination ." I agree this is one of the main problems no matter what time of year or where.
Usual Suspect
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 2 p.m.
There is apparently a prevalent idea out there the you don't have to stop when turning right on a red.
bearlab
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 1:35 p.m.
It is disappointing that year after year Carpenter Rd is on the top of this list and yet very little is done to actually solve the problem. It is clear that both the Packard and Washtenaw intersections with Carpenter have problems that induce drive bad behavior. The Packard intersection has a light that intermittently restricts east bound traffic from moving smoothly during rush hour causing a huge backup on Packard and frustrated drivers who compensate by running the red light (only 6 or 7 cars out of 40 or 50 who are waiting can get through). The Washtenaw intersection also slows traffic by not being designed to allow North and Southbound traffic to flow at the same time (after left turns have been accommodated) thus again causing huge backups and frustrated drivers. Further, the left turn lanes for the northbound traffic are just not organized well for the traffic patterns. US 23 traffic is often in the wrong lane because of poor markings and the lane they should be in is too congested with traffic that is not even turning left. Money was recently spent to improve the safety for the daily handful of pedestrians using that intersection yet the problems for the thousands of daily drivers went largely ignored. Clearly, there are physical problems with these intersections but drivers are also at fault for acting poorly and root cause here is the lack of enforcement. There is virtually no downside for a driver to run a red light at these intersections as there is no enforcement so more and more ethically challenged drivers participate in the free for all. During heavy traffic periods, there are close to 100% odds of seeing a red light violation from eastbound traffic at Packard or left turn traffic onto Washtenaw (from Northbound Carpenter) on EACH and EVERY light cycle. In the short term more enforcement will help but the intersection flaws need to be addressed to really reduce the problem.
Rod Johnson
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 12:49 a.m.
Great analysis.
Chase Ingersoll
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 1:26 p.m.
Could someone note the effect of the Michigan turns on Jackson Rd and the roundabouts on Geddes. Would a Michigan turn be applicable at Carpenter and MIchigan ave?
ThinkingOne
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 1:42 p.m.
I believe a Michigan left is a right turn, then a U-turn through a median. There are no medians on Michigan or Carpenter. Are you proposing those roads be re-built with medians?
Usual Suspect
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 1:39 p.m.
"Detroit left turns"
Plubius
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 1:16 p.m.
The report is meaningless drivel. Yes, Carpenter Rd has the most accidents, but it also likely has the highest amount of vehicular traffic. In fact, most every intersection noted is one with lots of traffic. For the study to have any meaning at all, the data need to be normalized, i.e., number of accidents per vehicle using the intersection. Yet again more evidence that traffic engineers are those who finish at the bottom of their engineering class...
Kyle Mattson
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 3:20 p.m.
Epengar is correct Plubius. The top 25 as referenced in the map is based on crashes to traffic volume giving a level assesment assessment to all intersections across the county. If you download the pdf you can see the actual crash totals for every intersection. Note that the two young and elderly driver charts included are simply totals and not the adjusted 'dangerous' ranking.
Epengar
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 1:43 p.m.
Second line of the story, emphasis mine: "An intersection's rank is determined by two factors - CRASH RATE and total crashes." Also, since the goal is to minimize total number of crashes, paying attention to the actual number of crashes at intersections makes good sense. It's necessary, but not sufficient. Yet more evidence that AA.com comments are those who finished at the bottom of their class...
Vivienne Armentrout
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 1:13 p.m.
Question: are these only intersections on roads maintained by the Road Commission? Do they omit, for example, roads maintained by the city of Ann Arbor? Also, what about highways that are principally MDOT's responsibility?
Kyle Mattson
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 5:18 p.m.
Hi Vivenne- These are the top 25 from a list of every intersection in the county. If you download the pdf included above you can see the total number of incidents reported for every intersection including those in the county and city.
Nicholas Urfe
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 1:12 p.m.
Too many drivers who think the laws don't apply to them, in a big hurry to get to no place particularly important. They speed. They make illegal turns. They ignore right of ways. They drive too fast, and refuse to slow when the roads are rough - they want the roads smoother so they can drive ever faster, and so their coffee doesn't spill. And then there are the confused drivers, who have no idea what they are doing or where they are going. They often slip through the cracks and somehow keep getting license renewals. Expect Washtenaw and Huron Parkway to go on the list, as too much expension has been created in that area.
HermanP
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 12:43 p.m.
Funny, as far as I know drivers, not roads, are responsible for 99.9% of the crashes. Crashes are caused when drivers are in a hurry, take chances, don't follow the rules, and think they are immune from getting into a crash. That's why the are called CRASHES because all ACCIDENTS are avoidable.
Halter
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 1:14 a.m.
Accidents also occur when elderly drivers with depth perception problems get cut off by over-eager turners in intersections -- the main problem I think at Michigan Ave and Carpenter, especially making left turns onto Northbound Carpenter -- drivers just don't stop before cutting into the intersection or making a turn right in front of someone else trying to make that turn...
Rod Johnson
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 12:46 a.m.
Roads determine the conditions under which crashes are more or less likely. Some conditions are better than others. Crashes are also caused when drivers can't see clearly, have to contend with congestion, poor road conditions, confusing signage and substandard intersection design.
M-Wolverine
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 1:40 p.m.
If that was the only factor, then why are there more accidents on certain roads than others? Shouldn't they all be evenly distributed, but traffic, if the road design and access doesn't influence it?
jcj
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 1:03 p.m.
The only ( somewhat) sure way to avoid all accidents is to stay home in bed.
Usual Suspect
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 12:27 p.m.
There is a single Jackson Rd intersection on this list. There are several in the areas we all know are a traffic circus, like Washtenaw Ave, Carpenter Rd, Michigan Ave and the Briarwood area. Keep this in mind the next time you hear that Scio Township is not granting any prospective new businesses (e.g, Costco) all the entry/exit cuts they want. Several years ago I heard a Scio Township official state that their goal is to avoid ending up with a mess like Washtenaw Ave, where people are turning left and right to and from driveways every 100 feet. They are doing a fine job of it and it's one of the reasons the township get a lot of my family's business.
Ann English
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 12:40 a.m.
You have to look down the PDF list of crashes to find the ones at Jackson and Zeeb, or WAY down the list to find the one at Jackson and Enterprise Drive. The list goes down to intersections where just ONE crash took place. But yes, traffic on the exit ramp to Jackson Avenue from eastbound I-94 can easily catch those already on eastbound Jackson by surprise.
MathGeek
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 12:22 p.m.
I know this will drive some people crazy, but some red light cameras would do wonders. I frequently see people go through red lights at intersections (particularly on a left turn) because they are too impatient to wait for the next cycle (which will probably come in 3 minutes, but feels like 25). The police departments in all of these jurisdictions have better things to worry about than staking out an intersection to pull over a few cars here and there. Don't get me wrong, I'm not delusional enough to think that 100% of the people that would get a red light ticket would pay it.
Ann English
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 12:23 a.m.
If you miss the green left-turn lights at Maple-Jackson or Washtenaw-Carpenter, the cycle lasts two minutes, and you may be so far in the back of the line waiting to turn left, two or three cycles may take place before you move up far enough to turn left on a green light. So they're intersections to avoid unless you wish to do errands at businesses nearby, such as gas stations, and then you should turn right on one of the roads.
John of Saline
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 1:20 p.m.
I'd be in favor if--and only if--the yellow time is set by traffic engineers and there's no revenue line-item for the camera revenue in the relevant local government budgets (meaning, any revenue they generate should be considered a windfall, not something that's expected annually).
mw
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 1:13 p.m.
Red light cameras have been show to increase accidents at intersections (as drivers doing panic stops on yellow lights to avoid tickets are rear-ended by other drivers). Also, because red-light cameras are big revenue-generators, local governments have been caught multiple times shortening yellow light times in order to increase ticket revenues.
Thomas
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 12:05 p.m.
Seems Carpenter road needs to assessed, too many accidents.
tdw
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 12:44 p.m.
The drivers need to be assessed
Sooze
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 11:58 a.m.
The ramps at northbound US23 at Washtenaw are very dangerous with a small space for cars entering and exiting and fast traffic not allowing merging. I have ended up on the shoulder because I could not merge and I have almost been hit by fast moving exiting cars cutting right in front of me right after I have just entered. Signs on 23 with Thru Traffic Keep Left before this area would give the right exit/enter lane a chance. Big fix needed for this area before major accident!
talker
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 3:45 a.m.
I haven't had problems with vehicles entering Washtenaw from southbound U.S.-23. While there's sometimes a problem when someone who wants to exit, wants my place in the "exchange" lane too soon, the biggest problems are drivers who aren't exiting. The worst offenders are the drivers of semis apparently following the speed limit for cars instead of trucks and the cars passing on the right sometimes apparently to go faster than the drivers who have gone into the left lane of the intersection. Then there are the cars and SUVs that are in the right lane (even when there's room in the left lane) that don't leave intervals for vehicles entering U.S. 23. The exchange of lanes is part of what makes entering from going eastbound on Washtenaw harder than entering from going westbound on Washtenaw. But another reason it's easier to enter U.S. 23 from being westbound on Washtenaw than eastbound on Washtenaw is the just slightly curved ramp is longer and there's much better visibility while driving on the ramp.
Rod Johnson
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 1:10 a.m.
Yeah, there's a reason that full cloverleaf interchanges are rare. The enter/exit weaving problem is bad enough that a lot of cloverleaves are being converted to other types.
Ann English
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 12:15 a.m.
By "ramps" you mean both for eastbound and westbound traffic on Washtenaw attempting to turn north. Reading through the long list of intersections in the PDF download, I got the impression that the ramp from eastbound Washtenaw onto northbound US-23 was one of them. Under the US-23 bridge, you have to deal with traffic coming OFF southbound US-23, going east. Then, once you're (hopefully safely) on the bridge yourself, you have to quickly trade lanes with the drivers who wish to get OFF the bridge to go west on Washtenaw. Sounds like you encounter drivers who allow you on the bridge, but can't wait to get off of it themselves. They're asking for loss of control of their cars if they think they can hurry off US-23 on a 270-degree ramp! When I used a 270-degree ramp today to get on eastbound I-94, there was a 25 mph sign at it, a good suggestion for speed on that sharp curve until merging with I-94 traffic. There should be such a sign at this ramp from north US-23 to westbound Washtenaw, if there isn't such a sign there already.
talker
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 10:03 p.m.
I need to re-check the Michigan rules book about lane changes. I routinely move into the left lane when approaching intersections where vehicles will likely be entering. I learned that decades ago, even before moving to Michigan in 1975. Someone posted that changing lanes is a kindness that's now required by law. I plan to check to see if that's correct or not. Meanwhile, a post by anyone with the answer would be appreciated and might help prevent accidents.
talker
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 9:55 p.m.
I have had to abort an entry and exit instead. When I am going full speed in the right lane of a highway and approach an active exit/entrance, I routinely move into the left lane. When entering U.S. 23 at Washtenaw, I have to assume that vehicles approaching in the right lane won't change lanes, though some do closer. I never expect the semis or tankers to change lanes. One thing that helps is to keep an ample distance from any car ahead on the ramp. That way I can accelerate better into a space. I'm fortunate that my car has "turbo" which allows quick bursts of speed. That intersection is worse for people with 4 cylinder cars without turbo. The problem is mainly when entering U.S. 23 from eastbound Washtenaw. It's easier from westbound Washtenaw, including for vehicles making the left turn from inner left turn lane (for U.S. 23) on Carpenter Road. The entrance to U.S. 23 at Washtenaw is the type of entrance that can't be on a road designated an Interstate, I believe.
djacks24
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 5:05 p.m.
If you want to talk about short and dangerous on ramps. Jackson road and I-94 East. 'Nuff said...
PhillyCheeseSteak
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 3:29 p.m.
There was a major fatality accident there several years ago involving a U-M student. Problems that makes this highway entrance so dangerous: 1. short distance to accelerate to 70 mph 2. drivers exiting US23 in the same lane as cars entering US23 3. if a driver can't merge and continues on the shoulder, they drive into the merging space for the cars entering US23 north from westbound Washtenaw Avenue I think the right lane for that section of US23 should be signed "Right Lane Exit Only" so the only traffic in that lane is exiting or entering the highway.
Holanta
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 3:11 p.m.
Have to agree with Sooze on this one. @Silly Sally, not sure if you are familiar with this ramp. It is extremely short, following a sharp curve with no vision on oncoming traffic going N on 23. Then there are other drivers on this same ramp exiting the freeway and slowing down a lot to make the sharp curve onto Washtenaw. So half the time it is not possible to get up to speed before you have to enter 23N.
treetowncartel
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 2:07 p.m.
This interchange needs to be redone. Build something similar to the interchange at I-94/Telegraph and M-59/US 23.
Frank Lee
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 1:23 p.m.
It's also worth noting that it is merging traffics responsibility to merge safely. Traffic already occupying the lane of travel is under no legal obligation to facilitate a merge, its just a kind gesture by doing so.
Craig Lounsbury
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 1:01 p.m.
I agree with silly sally, the key to any freeway entry is to be up to "race speed"when you enter the "track".
Silly Sally
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 12:30 p.m.
You need to get up to the legal speed limit of 70 MPH or at least 60 MPH by the end of the onramp. Are you, "Snooze", sleeping and one of those scary drivers who enter thefreeway at only 50 or even less? I'm always scared when I'm caught behind one who does so, as is is a dangerous practice. Onramps are not the place to try to save gas. I agree, all Michigan highways should have much longer accelaration lanes, especially Barton Drive, but when they don't, Speed up.
dconkey
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 11:41 a.m.
There are no curves at the intersection of Carpenter and Bemis. I would like to see the traffic light at Bemis and Platt removed and a round-a-bout built there.
John of Saline
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 1:17 p.m.
There are several intersections like that that could be candidates for roundabouts. Bemis and Moon and State and Textile are others. Most of the time it's low-traffic, but the roundabout would help keep traffic moving during morning and evening rush.
Jeffersonian
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 11:30 a.m.
Basically Carpenter Road and any crossing street. Got it.
Rod Johnson
Wed, May 29, 2013 : 12:41 a.m.
Yep. All those intersections are a mess, but the snarl of Washtenaw/Hogback/Carpenter/US-23 has to take some kind of prize for sheer frustration, endless waits and crazy routing.
actionjackson
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 11:39 a.m.
And the Washtenaw to Ypsi corridor.
Basic Bob
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 10:55 a.m.
Now if this kind of real data would drive our transportation funding, instead of local politics: 1. Fix Carpenter Road. Extend AATA route #22 to Textile Road. 2. Widen Michigan Avenue. 3. Fix Ann Arbor Saline Road. 4. Better lane markings for the Briarwood Mall exit onto State St. Ticket people who can't stay in their lane.
Barb's Mom
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 12:37 p.m.
Bob, You forgot Widen Ellsworth between Platt and at least State Street. That would cut down on traffic on Packard and Eisenhower and add another East -West route from A2 to Ypsilanti.
dexterreader
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 11:58 a.m.
Agreed about the Briarwood Mall exit onto State. I drive that area daily and RARELY do I see people do the correct thing when exiting from Briarwood in the right lane. That lane is marked for entering westbound I-94 ONLY. People just don't pay any attention to the sign. Most people get in that lane then cut over into southbound State Street traffic.
Murf
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 11:31 a.m.
If you are referring to the exit where it's two lanes turning right onto southbound State, I concur although it is kind of wonky. People don't seem to see the sign that indicates the right lane is ONLY for getting on westbound 94. I avoid that one and just go to the one by Red Robin. A lot less of a headache.
Arieswoman
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 10:14 a.m.
"Road Commission officials noticed that there were a significant number of accidents caused by cars turning left out of driveways near the busy intersection." I have seen many at Carpenter & Packard cutting through traffic to make a left turn out of the Speedway Station. Very dangerous practice.
JRA
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 5:48 p.m.
Uncle Mao - unfortunately I don't think this would have much of an impact on people who choose to make a left turn out of speedway.
UncleMao
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 3:20 p.m.
They should make left turns out of the Speedway and onto Packard illegal during morning and afternoon drive times.
Murf
Tue, May 28, 2013 : 10:39 a.m.
Not to mention the actual customers of that gas station and even the strip mall. Rich Kinsey wrote a piece on here awhile back about that kind of stuff and people that let these people out which then leads to accidents. That just reinforced my behavior of not doing so. Now if others would just follow suit.