Tall fences, large trees, overgrown bushes: Each of these features can make it difficult for cars approaching an intersection or turning out of an alley to see what’s around the corner, notably cyclists and pedestrians. While many communities have “clear vision” ordinances to keep street corners free from visual obstructions, Traverse City only has such rules for commercial districts – not residential ones. City commissioners Monday will discuss the possibility of directing the planning commission to research and draft a policy that would outline “clear vision” rules for the city’s residential neighborhoods.

City Planning Director Shawn Winter says the topic came up recently when the planning commission updated rules for the city’s commercial (C) and development (D) districts. The update “included a provision for clipped corners where a building that sits near an intersection, corner lot, or driveway would have to be recessed five feet on the first floor,” Winter says. Recessing part of the building on such lots helps ensure that drivers approaching the intersection can see around the building to any conflicting traffic. The rule change will help avoid situations like the Starbucks/Purely CBD building on East Front Street, Winter says, where the building hugs the sidewalk and “cars and pedestrians can’t see each other.”

While discussing the C and D district changes, planning commissioners noted that challenges also exist with visual obstructions in residential neighborhoods. “Specifically, the planning commission addressed areas adjacent to alleys and corner lots, where landscaping, fences, etc., create a safety issue when pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and others are not able to see around the corner when approaching an intersection,” according to Winter.

He cites as one notorious example the alley south of Webster Street between Barlow Street and Railroad Avenue, where cars exiting the alley onto Railroad must cross the TART Trail to do so (pictured). Bushes and trees on the north side of the alley make it impossible to see around the corner to oncoming trail traffic without the driver moving up into the trail itself. There is no stop sign for alley traffic; small stop signs are stationed on the trail approaching the alley, but are not always seen or heeded by cyclists unaware that vehicles might suddenly emerge from the alley. Executive Director Ty Schmidt of local nonprofit cycling group Norte says the alley intersection is “100 percent dangerous by design.”

Other city streets with “big shrubs blocking sight lines” include Highland Park Drive and Cherry Lane Drive near Eastern Elementary School, according to Schmidt. Winter adds there are other locations “around the city where there are obstructions, especially at intersections along the sidewalks where they’ve allowed fences and tall landscaping,” as well as other alley conflicts. In a memo to city commissioners, planning commission chair David Hassing said that the city’s current requirements cater to motorists and “do not take into account the increased amount of pedestrian activity on our sidewalks.”

“The city’s outstanding recent investment of miles of new sidewalk construction within our city will further promote increased pedestrian activity,” Hassing wrote. “To continue creating a safer environment for all pedestrians, we encourage you adopt a clear-view (or clipped corner) ordinance that addresses these residential blind spots.”

Hassing said the planning commission is “more than willing to assist in the research and study to help draft a reasonable set of guidelines for such an ordinance.” According to Winter, Monday’s meeting is intended to confirm with city commissioners that they’re generally supportive of exploring such a move before the planning commission tackles the “leg work” of drafting new rules, which will eventually come back to city commissioners for approval. Winter included several examples of “clear vision” regulations in communities of different sizes across Michigan for city commissioners to review as a reference, including Acme Township, Mason, Grayling, and Grand Rapids.

In some communities with high traffic speeds, rules might call for a triangle clearance as big as 25 feet at intersection corners, measured across the road right-of-way in each direction from the corner of a lot. “In those townships, they’re driving 55-60 miles per hour, so they need clear-view triangles of that size,” says Winter. “That size wouldn’t necessarily be appropriate in Traverse City, because vehicles are going slower speeds and the lots aren’t that big. So maybe we explore a smaller dimension.” Driveway approaches tend to have a smaller “clear sight” triangular area, often 10 feet.

Ordinances also commonly outline how tall obstructions can be near a street corner or intersection. It’s common to focus on banning obstructions in a range of three to 10 feet, says Winter, allowing shorter fences and bushes at the corner but not those that exceed the height limit. Several ordinances allow for large trees near intersections, but stipulate that limbs must be cleared off the first 8-10 feet of the tree to avoid blocking sight views. Many Traverse City residential intersections involve city right-of-way, Winter notes, meaning that both the city and private homeowners would likely be responsible for adhering to clear sight line rules if an ordinance is approved. Winter says several factors specific to Traverse City will have to be considered if the planning commission gets the green light to work on such a policy.

“Depending on how it’s worded and drafted, it’s going to be a balancing act,” he says. “Because we want to protect pedestrian and motorist safety, but at the same time, we value trees and the tree canopy. So it’ll be interesting to hear from the city commission Monday on their priorities for balancing those.”

Representatives from Norte and TART Trails also welcome a community discussion on the topic. “Blind spots certainly exist,” says Norte Advocacy and Communications Director Gary Howe. “If pursued, a clear corner ordinance should be part of a continued effort to integrate traffic calming like tightening turning radiuses and narrowing of streets. When we calm our neighborhoods down, regardless of how we’re getting around, the more people will feel encouraged to get out and enjoy being part of the community. If an ordinance can reduce stress and help people enjoy their neighborhood, it’s a worthy pursuit.”

TART Trails Communications and Policy Director Brian Beauchamp agrees. “Just the fact that our city planner and city commission and community at large is taking seriously the safety of all modes of transportation and is putting this on the agenda says a lot that this is a priority,” he says. “Especially when we've invested as a community in non-motorized infrastructure, we want to make sure we're cognizant and doing everything we can to improve the safety and mobility of folks on bikes and sidewalks.” Beauchamp adds that it will be important to include feedback from property owners, saying: “We'd want to make sure everybody has a say in any changes that are made.”