This summer we heard from hundreds of residents who shared their thoughts on traffic calming and priority crossing locations on Westnedge Avenue and Park Street. Community members noted that high speeds, few crosswalks, and no bike lanes made walking or biking along Westnedge and Park challenging and uncomfortable. City staff incorporated this feedback with traffic crash data and best practice research in street design to plan improvements to make these streets safer for all users. 

Implementation will start this fall and continue into 2022. This fall residents of the Northside neighborhood will be the first to see these changes with the addition of crosswalks and speed radar signs. In 2022, Westnedge and Park between Dunkley and Crosstown will be restriped to right-size the vehicle lanes (11 ft). Bike lanes and in some locations, parking, will be added in the extra space. Bike lanes will include plastic bollards as a buffer from the vehicle lanes where possible. In 2022 we will be repairing sidewalks along these corridors and adding crosswalks in the Vine neighborhood and Downtown. The City will also engage both the Northside and Vine neighborhoods to create new artistic installations at specific intersections along the Westnedge and Park corridors.

A project map and additional information is available on the Imagine Kalamazoo project page at www.imaginekalamazoo.com/projects/westnedgepark