Belle Isle mobility study looks to improve traffic, parking, movement at park

Detroit — A mobility study is in the works to find ways to improve traffic flow, parking and movement on Belle Isle, Michigan's most visited state park.

An open house set for Saturday will offer a chance for visitors to learn about the study, which seeks to better understand and improve the park’s circulation, navigation and parking, the the DNR said in a news release.

The multimodal mobility study by the Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Department of Transportation and Belle Isle Conservancy will be conducted by Wade Trim, a Detroit-based engineering consultant firm. Completion is expected by November with recommendations for phasing and implementation, according to Amanda Treadwell, a spokesperson for the DNR.

Treadwell said the study will aim to boost navigation; make the straightway roads two-way, which will encourage drivers to slow down; decrease traffic congestion and accidents; and increase signs for help navigating the island.

"The long stretches of one-way traffic with multiple lanes just lends itself to really high speeds for vehicles," Treadwell said. "The goal of this project is to make the park safer for all visitors — pedestrians, bikers and reducing traffic accidents."

Some cyclists, who regularly frequent the island, express disdain with the park's bike lane conditions, saying they often don't feel safe riding so close to passing and often speeding vehicles.

"It's easy to get lost around the park, and the bike lines aren't as defined as I'd like them to be," said Nathan Shepherd, 41, of Farmington Hills. "It'd be nice to have more designated places for biking or just running or walking."

Shepherd said he's seen first-hand the confusion navigating the island due to the lack of signs. He said, too, if there were more signs to identify the parks attractions like the Belle Isle Aquarium, the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory or the Belle Isle Nature Center, visitors would be better served and may come more often.

"One time, we were trying to get to the conservatory and the aquarium, and just had to kind of circle around until we could find them," Shepherd said. "There are a couple of random signs, but there's nothing big and nice. It'd be nice to have a map of the isle outside the main focal points."

The study will include installing a promenade for walkers and bikers in the center of Central Avenue, which would create a pedestrian corridor for walkers and runners.

For runners like Ashlyn Glann, 27, of Detroit, designating running lanes for those who exercise on the island will enhance their experience and expand their options along the 2.5-mile-long park. She said some drivers get too close to runners, causing them to feel uneasy.

"I think if (the park) had more wider side walks and a designated corridor that's not just on the side of the road, that would be really nice," Glann said during a break from running.

The study, according to Treadwell, will look for ways to offer alternative mobility options, such as a ferry, and improve public transportation on the 982-acre park. She said the Detroit Department of Transportation will look at potential route expansions for Belle Isle, which would align the park with other recreational spaces along the river front.

Detroit residents Regina and Raymond Cleveland, 63 and 62, respectively, said before the state began managing the park in 2014, "it was a bit rowdy," but since then, they've found it safer, diverse and more enjoyable.

They did not agree with some of the study's proposals, such as the two-way road plan.

"I like the one-way because it keeps everyone moving in the same direction like a current," Regina Cleveland said. "It seems like to me there might be a little confusion if there were two-way streets," she said.

"I think we should stick with going one-way because its more organized," Raymond Cleveland said.

Raymond Cleveland said he thinks creating a ferry route to the island would improve traffic congestion on the MacArthur Bridge, which links the Belle Isle park to Detroit. He said he it would invite more visitors to the park.

"That would really be nice; it would be something really different, and people would enjoy that," he said.

"Its a beautiful isle to ride on and run on and just be apart of," Shepherd said. "Its such a jewel, right here, in the middle of Detroit."

The public open house is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum, 100 Strand Drive, on Belle Isle, and will include Sign, Spanish and Arabic translators, Treadwell said.

Information about the study, including data collection to date and a timeline can be found here.

jaimery@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @wordsbyjakkar