Peninsula Township Non-Motorized Public Input Session Tonight, Survey Live Online

Tonight’s the night to review and provide feedback on Peninsula Township’s plans to improve non-motorized transportation on Old Mission Peninsula. 

A community input session will be held this evening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Old Mission Peninsula School gym. Those who aren’t able to attend are encouraged to review information and provide feedback at this link through May 10.

The meeting/survey is the latest step in a years-long process to improve non-motorized transportation of all kinds on Old Mission. This effort is not about creating a single, TART-like trail along the peninsula, but instead about improving certain pinch points for walkers, cyclists and others who get around with something other than a car.

“Going back to 2019 when the township did a township-wide survey, non-motorized transportation was the number one priority that came out of that…and so that got put into the master plan,” Township Supervisor Maura Sanders tells The Ticker. “Everything got put on the shelf because of the lawsuit, but it has re-energized over the past year and a half.”

Last year, the township held focus group meetings with farmers, cyclists and other stakeholders, then gathered substantial public input at a community-wide meeting in June. Susie Shipman, a township planning commissioner who’s helped lead this process since the beginning, says a consulting firm hired by the township with grant dollars has spent the last several months distilling all of this input and suggesting some options.

“Since that meeting, the consultants took all the information that was gathered and they did some ground truthing throughout the peninsula, starting to look at opportunities where we could improve safety and build connections that were more effective for non-motorized transportation,” Shipman tells The Ticker. “Obviously our roads weren’t designed with that in mind, but they’ve looked at what our constraints and opportunities are.”

More than 25 intersections have been identified as “conflict points” due to visibility, speed, traffic patterns or other factors. Options suggested to fix these include compact roundabouts, all-way stops, pedestrian beacons and/or enhanced signage and markings. The online survey (and public input session) aims to find out what solutions people think are appropriate, and where. 

“Everything is scaled for our community,” Shipman says. “No one's expecting a big giant roundabout anywhere, but we're putting it out to the community to say, 'Hey, when you click through all of these different spots on the peninsula, what do you prefer as a solution?'”

Six shoreline corridors have also been identified as in need of safety improvements, but have limited space to make them due to a combination of their coastal location, right-of-way width and other factors. Options suggested to fix these include paved shoulders, separated paths, two-way protected shoulders and advisory bike lanes.

Though the consultants (Northville, MI-based McKenna) will have their own suggestions, the goal now is to see what’s palatable to residents of and visitors to the peninsula.

“The consultants have recommendations that they have drafted, but those need to jive with what our community actually wants,” Shipman says.

Shipman hopes that plenty of people – particularly those who do engage in non-motorized transportation – take the time to attend the meeting or complete the survey.

“This is for (people aged) eight to 80. We want everyone in all walks of life,” she says. “If they're not in a vehicle, what are those activities that they're doing in the roadway or alongside the roadway? How do we make them feel safe and comfortable and part of the community and build connections as well?”