Good news first: Neighborhood slow streets are finally coming to Ann Arbor! These signs have been placed on selected roads all over town, and in the next week or two slow street signage goes up. #a2council

Now the bad news: On Monday Council postponed a vote on another aspect of the Healthy Streets program, changes to major roads outside downtown. #a2council

The proposal would close key gaps in common bike and ped routes. The roads were chosen thoughtfully, considering routes from lower income areas to downtown, and routes commonly used by people without cars. #a2council

Please note that council promptly approved downtown street closures so restaurants and bars could safely re-open with outdoor seating. Council is willing to open streets for businesses but not for people. #a2council

And who is working at those downtown businesses, serving the drinks and making the food? Often it’s people who are traveling in from lower income neighborhoods, many without cars. #a2council

As recently as last week, traffic in Ann Arbor was still down 50% compared to pre-COVID. Cities all over the world have responded to the pandemic with huge changes to their roads, and they’ve done it quickly and safely. There is no good reason we couldn’t, too. #a2council

Also on Monday, CMs engaged in some complicated parliamentary rigamarole so they could rescind their approval for some new sidewalks they had approved at the last meeting. #a2council

I’m told that some CMs take offense when I describe them as hostile to pedestrians and cyclists. But like, how else do they imagine the public will interpret actions like this, bending over backwards to say no to sidewalks, delaying Healthy Streets? #a2council

I wish they would just own it. There’s clearly a constituency in Ann Arbor for people who hate sidewalks and bike lanes, so say it out loud! Don’t pretend you care about people getting around without cars and then consistently vote against their interests. #a2council

Appendices: 1) The opinions expressed above are my own. 2) Much of the information in this thread came from last night’s Transportation Commission meeting, which you can watch at