Westland Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Action Plan

Purpose

The Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Action Plan (PDF), also known as Walk & Roll Westland, is intended to identify and prioritize potential future non-motorized infrastructure projects for the City of Westland aimed at improving bicycle and non-motorized connectivity, safety, and comfort for Westland residents.  An implementation plan will help guide the City of Westland through the design and engineering process and will include information such as total capital cost, right-of-way needs, and design options.

Process and Results

Walk & Roll Westland developed concepts for the non-motorized projects that are most needed in the City of Westland and which could be implemented over the next five to ten years.  The projects identified in this plan are those that connect the areas of the City of Westland most in need of non-motorized connections, provide better connection to the Rouge River trails on the north and south sides of the city, and provide the best access to popular destinations in the City of Westland.  Throughout the planning process, the community, stakeholders, and city staff were engaged and able to provide input on recommended facilities.

The development plan began in the beginning of 2021 and planning is set for completion by end of year 2021.

Final Report

Key Findings

The existing conditions analysis helped to shed light on the potential non-motorized infrastructure needs of Westland.  The land use, demographic, transportation, and demand analyses show where residents may need to travel, how they might get there, and which areas of the City of Westland are most in demand for new facilities.  The existing conditions analysis brought to light the following key findings:

• Poorly connected pockets of high density residential areas, especially between Cherry Hill Rd. and Ford Rd.
• Consistent medium to high non-motorized trip demand with similar concentrations of equity population.
• Few existing and planned bicycle facilities with much of the City of Westland not within a half mile of a bike facility.
• High sidewalk density throughout the City of Westland, except the southeastern portion.
• Need for mass transit connectivity.
• Demand for safe and comfortable non-motorized facilities.

Combined Route Identification Results

When combining the results from the various brainstorming sessions and feedback methods, the popular primary and secondary routes began to emerge.  The intersections most in need of safety improvements also appeared. 

Primary and Secondary Routes

Primary and secondary routes (PDF) include north-south and east-west connections that connect Westland’s neighborhoods to important community assets such as city parks, regional trails, shopping and retail districts, and local schools.  

Intersection Improvements

Many of the intersections in the City of Westland are unsafe and uncomfortable for bicyclists and pedestrians who are attempting to cross the street.  The intersection improvements recommended by Walk and Roll Westland are not tied to any specific intersection in the City of Westland and the City Administration will need to identify which investments are most feasible and which will have the greatest benefit to the community. The list of recommendations are:

• More high visibility crosswalks. 
• More crossing signage at intersections. 
• Improved pedestrian lighting at intersections. 
• Pedestrian countdown signals at busier or longer crossing locations.   
• Pedestrian crossing islands where three or more lanes of traffic are being crossed. 
• Curb bump outs to shorten the crossing distance at intersections. 
• Midblock pedestrian crossings where the distance to an intersection crossing is too long. 
• Leading pedestrian intervals to give pedestrians a head start when entering an intersection for crossing.

Be sure to read Walk & Roll Westland (PDF) for more details about the key findings and route identification results.

Implementation Plan

Walk and Roll Westland includes an Implementation Plan (PDF) for planned bicycle and shared use paths through the City of Westland.  It was developed through a combination of input gathered from the community, previous planning, ease of implementation, cost to construct, and the level of contribution each makes to non-motorized mobility in the City of Westland. 

Bicycle Lanes

There are two main types of lanes being recommended for use by the City of Westland; dedicated bike lanes and sharrow lanes. 

• Dedicated bike lanes, which can be unbuffered, buffered, and protected are lanes that appear on one or both sides of the road specifically for bicycle use.  Bike Lanes Identifiers and Information (PDF) provides information and examples of signage and pavement markings for dedicated bike lanes.
• Sharrow lanes, or "shared" lanes are when the road is marked to be "shared" between bicycle, moving vehicle traffic, and parked vehicles.  Sharrow Lanes Identifiers and Information (PDF) provides information and examples of signage and pavement markings for sharrow lanes.

Wildwood Bike Lane

A pilot combination bicycle lane and sharrow lane system implemented is the Wildwood Bike Lane which runs on Wildwood for 3.5 miles from Warren Road to Glenwood Road.  Wildwood Bicycle Lane Map (PDF) shows the route of the Wildwood Bike Lane.