We’re excited to be taking a broader approach to public safety. You’ll still find many of the traditional resources here on this page. In addition, we want to cover issues like traffic and public health – including community identified priorities from the Kent County Community Health Needs Assessment:
It often feels like the traffic in our neighborhood moves too fast! We recently helped Fairview and Coit Avenues apply for the City’s Traffic Calming Program. Fairview did not meet their criteria for intervention, but Coit did. We’re excited to see what changes can be made to make Coit safer for pedestrians. We are happy to provide petition materials to neighbors in requesting these evaluations in the future, and help with digital submission if needed. Here are some basics on the City’s program:
Step 1: A successful petition.
Step 2: A traffic calming application with supporting petitions.
Step 3: Traffic Safety assesses the situation – volume, speed, crash history, etc.
Step 4: We learn the results and find out what they recommend.
Initial options are geared towards education/enforcement – neighborhood awareness programs, selective police patrols, speed boards. These tools are tried before any engineering considerations.
If changing the feel of the road for drivers is needed, Traffic Safety will recommend a specific improvement. Based on their expertise, they’ll choose from a variety of tools. Bulb outs are really popular these days (see image below). They’re curb extensions at crosswalks that narrow a street by extending the sidewalk or widening the planting strip. This method also makes pedestrian crossings shorter and safer and protects parked cars. Another resident approval step with 60% response is required to move to installation.
- Vandalism: An exception, our best action is a swift correction. For example, you can report graffiti on public property (street signs, etc.) by dialing 311 or using the City’s mobile app,
“grcity 311”. Quick clean up shows the area is well cared for and should not be disturbed again. - Aggravated Assault: A standard list of safety tips – walk in a lighted area, carry your phone, walk with a friend – and more. About half the assaults here are domestic – visit the YWCA site to learn more.
- Larceny from Vehicles (and Motor Vehicle Theft): Hide (or better yet remove your valuables), lock your car, and take your keys with you!
- Shootings: Learn the difference between gunshots and fireworks:
We’re so glad to welcome Cure Violence to Grand Rapids, housed at the Grand Rapids Urban League. In 2022 they’ll be focusing on the area around Franklin and Eastern.
Cure Violence is a public health approach for ending violence. It’s being used in major metropolitan areas throughout the US and across the globe. They focus on reducing violence by treating it as a health issue that transmits and spreads like a contagion. They use disease control and behavior change methods.
Has Cure Violence been successful elsewhere? Yes! Cure Violence has been shown to be effective globally across multiple cities. They led to a 63% decrease in shootings in New York City. In Chicago they saw a 48% decrease in shootings within the first week of the program. Across all US partners, there has been up to a 73% decrease in shootings and killings. Their written presentation to the city commission can be found here on pages 278-307. The video of the presentation can be found here.
