Safety System to be Installed at Some Roundabouts in Oakland County

The Oakland Press

By JERRY WOLFFE
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Friday, December 16, 2011

A “mutual agreement” between the Road Commission of Oakland County and three disabled plaintiffs have ended a four-year court case involving the issue of safety at roundabouts.

Three disabled metro-Detroit residents —  Garret Gersin, Jason Turkish and Michael Harris — have agreed to settle a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit in 2007 with the RCOC.

In the lawsuit filed by attorney Richard Bernstein, Bernstein of Farmington Hills contended pedestrian safety was compromised at West Bloomfield roundabouts located at the intersections of Maple and Drake roads and Maple and Farmington roads because the intersections lacked a safety mechanism for blind, deaf or otherwise disabled pedestrians to cross the roads without having a way to notify vehicles they are in the intersection.

The settlement was approved by the court late Thursday after lengthy negotiations by both sides.

The agreement was reached after the safety of the High-intensity Activate crossWalK (cq) was evaluated for safety effectiveness by Western Michigan University and North Carolina State University.

Cost of the HAWK system varies, depending on the number of lanes in a roundabout, said RCOC spokesman Craig Bryson.

“We will consider installing the HAWK system at future roundabouts in the Northwestern Connector Project area and at the existing roundabout at 14 Mile Road and Farmington.”

The HAWK system involves placing a signal light at each entry and exit point to a roundabout that can be activated by a pedestrian trying to cross the roundabout.

Pushing a button turns a signal light to red to stop the traffic and a chirping sound is activated. The combination of the signal light and chirping sound allows the physically disabled or someone who is blind to move safely across the roundabout.

The chirping sound indicates to a blind individual that the signal light has been activated.

The northwest connector is about a four-square-mile area at the intersection of 14 Mile Road and Orchard Lake near the border of Farmington Hills and West Bloomfield and goes to 14 Mile Road to Haggerty and then to 15 Mile Road and Orchard Lake in West Bloomfield and down Maple to Haggerty, Bryson said.

“The goal is to make our roads as safe as possible for all users whether they are pedestrians, motorists or those with disabilities,” said Bryson.

The settlement detailed an agreement to:

- Recommend installation of pedestrian safety facilities be included in any future construction project plans of multi-lane roundabouts to Federal Highway Administration and the Michigan Department of Transportation within the Northwestern Connector Project area;

- Seek approval to install HAWK beacons at the roundabout at the intersection of 14 Mile and Farmington roads in Farmington Hills;

- Continue monitoring the current Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon at the Maple/Farmington intersection to determine its effectiveness.

- Implement the current pedestrian safety technology (Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons or HAWK) or new/improved pedestrian signals/technology, as it becomes available, to new construction projects, as approved by the FHWA and MDOT.

“This case is a real benchmark for how roundabouts will be used in the future so the disabled, blind pedestrians, bike riders, senior citizens and parents with their children can safely cross the streets at roundabouts,” said Bernstein. “We are very pleased with how cooperative the Road Commission for Oakland County has been as we work together to resolve the issue.”