Ann Arbor Greenway: Parks vs. Non-Motorized Transportation

I fully support the idea of an Ann Arbor Greenway from the Huron River to State Street (or beyond), but it seems to have been stalled for quite some time. The effort to date seems to have been focused on the "downtown area", specifically the three parcels of city-owned land. With this focus, the "greenway" seems more likely to create 3 new parks than to really create a corridor for non-motorized transportation. For example, recent news reports have focused on 415 West Washington. While I think 415 West Washington would be a nice park (and is actually near my house and something I would use), it seems like that's the wrong focus if the goal is to create useful non-motorized paths through the city that significantly improve the safety and speed of cyclists and pedestrians. There are just too many mid-block streets to cross downtown for the central component of the greenway to have much impact on non-motorized transportation.

I would much prefer that the city focus on the northern and southern ends of the proposed greenway, as they seem far more impactful on non-motorized transportation and far more doable in a reasonable timeframe.

1) If the city were to pave a "rail with trail" from Madison to State Street, it would only require 2 mid-block street crossings (Hill and Hoover) and it would provide a significant time and safety savings for non-motorized commuters and folks seeking exercise in the south central district of the city. (This would be fantastic if it was extended south of State/Stimson to Ellsworth to create a connection with Pittsfield Township's emerging network of non-motorized trails.)

2) If the city were to create a rail with trail / bridge link from West Summit Street to Bandemer Park, it would make a huge safety impact for folks attempting to reach the network of trails along the river from Ann Arbor's west side. I'm sure it would cost a lot of money to create such a connection, but fixing North Main Street to be safe for non-motorized transportation seems to be an even bigger proposition and is apparently outside the city's control.