LANSING, Mich — Residents in Lansing’s Cherry Hill neighborhood say an uptick in traffic and speeding due to construction detours has been a cause of concern in recent months.
- Residents in Lansing’s Cherry Hill neighborhood say traffic and speeding have increased due to nearby construction detours.
- Longtime resident Penelope Godfrey says the situation has become dangerous, with drivers frequently cutting through residential streets.
- City officials acknowledge the issue and say it’s a common side effect of road closures as drivers search for faster alternate routes.
- Lansing plans to increase police enforcement and may install temporary speed bumps to reduce speeding in affected neighborhoods.
WATCH: Lansing construction leads to cut-through traffic complaints
For Penelope Godfrey, who has lived in the neighborhood for nearly three decades, the change has been noticeable and alarming.
“I was almost hit twice,” Godfrey said.
She says the increase in traffic is largely due to ongoing construction projects across the city, which have led drivers to seek alternate routes through residential areas.
“Sometimes they’ll turn and go up into Printer’s Row, then realize they have to turn around and come back,” she said. “Or they’ll go around the corner and speed up Cherry Street.”
City officials say this kind of traffic pattern is not unusual when major road closures are in place.
“Anytime we’re shutting down roads and there are detours, we’ll have folks trying to find a different way that they think might be faster,” said Andy Kilpatrick.
As drivers search for quicker routes, neighborhoods like Cherry Hill are seeing an increase in cut-through traffic, often accompanied by speeding.
To address the issue, the city says it plans to work with the Lansing Police Department to increase enforcement in affected areas.
Residents like Godfrey say they’ve seen some police presence, but believe more is needed.
“We do have police, but we need more,” she said.
In addition to enforcement, the city is also considering installing temporary speed bumps in neighborhoods experiencing high traffic volumes.
“Generally it takes about a week or more until people find their best alternate route,” Kilpatrick said. “If we see neighborhoods being used as cut-through streets, we’ll work with law enforcement and take other measures to minimize that as much as we can.”
With more construction projects expected as summer approaches, city officials say they will continue monitoring traffic patterns and adjusting their response as needed.
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