In late 2010, the Ann Arbor City Council passed an ordinance that grants Ann Arbor pedestrians greater safety when entering crosswalks. The city ordinance requires vehicles to come to a complete stop at crosswalks with no traffic control signals. In the past, vehicles were only required to yield to pedestrians that were in a crosswalk. Vehicles must now stop for both those pedestrians that are in the crosswalk and those that are approaching the crosswalk; however, the ordinance states that pedestrians cannot enter a vehicle’s path when the driver is unable to respond in the proper fashion. Additionally, the ordinance does not cover those pedestrians that cross streets at places other than crosswalks. The aim of the new ordinance is to give pedestrians in the City of Ann Arbor a greater feeling of safety and encourage more people to walk to work, use Ann Arbor’s pedestrian friendly downtown, and provide safety for the city's university students.
In order to educate the public, Ann Arbor City Police have set up targeted enforcement areas that have included changeable message signs to announce the new ordinance. Police and city officials have stated that they have observed more drivers obeying the new ordinance and coming to a complete stop for pedestrians entering crosswalks. Be aware of pedestrians entering crosswalks when in Ann Arbor or you may face a costly ticket. http://www.michiganautoaccident.com/Practice-Area/Common-Injuries.shtml
