Proposed Woodward Ave Road Diet Meets With Strong Opposition

By Sara Teller

FERNDALE’S CITY COUNCIL, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTA- TION (MDOT), is planning to implement what they’re calling a ‘Woodward Ave Road Diet.’

The project, formally named WOODWARD MOVES will eliminate a lane on each side of Woodward Ave from 8 Mile to I-696. Like the Coolidge Hwy Diet, bike lanes and parallel parking will be added instead. While some welcome the idea, not everyone is thrilled about the upcoming project.

In fact, the Facebook group Say No to the Woodward Ave Road Diet currently has more than 250 members who oppose the Council’s plans, and organizer Steve Kuzmanovich, who lives near the heart of the city, is especially passionate about putting a stop to it.

He said of the group he started, “We’re not formal or anything. We have no president or a board of directors. We’re just a bunch of citizens who are unhappy. And there are more people who are opposed to this than the Council would like to admit.”

While their numbers on social media are strong, City Council has so far turned a blind eye to any opposition to this deal, and “there have been no real formal town hall meetings or dialogue” concerning this point-of-view, Kuzmanovich said. He and fellow members have attended Council meetings but continue to feel as if they’re being ignored.

“I attended a meeting and it’s like they don’t even want to talk about it,” said Vardell Haio who runs Rainbow Liquor (along Woodward Ave between Woodland and Maplehurst) with this brother, Levander. The store has been family owned-and-operated for 22 years and they are concerned that the construction alone will make them close their doors.

PARKING IS ALREADY A MESS,” Levander said. “How am I going to get my trucks through? We’re afraid to order anything because we don’t know when it’s going to start or how long it’ll take. We’re the only convenience store between 8 and 10 Mile. This will ruin a lot of businesses.”

Ferndale Friends reached out to City Council and Mayor Melanie Piana responded in a written statement, “My goal in serving residents is to support solutions to problems. Over the last three years, the City Council has heard from hundreds of residents about the Woodward safety improvements needed with many ways to engage and give feedback on the plans. I have heard from residents who dislike the separated travel lane or lane reduction. I disagree with them.”

The statement continues, “Work for Woodward Moves is scheduled to take place in two phases, starting as early as mid- to late September of 2022, with the majority of the work taking place between April 2023 and September 2023. The Ferndale DDA is now working to provide business owners with the information, resources, and support they need to keep their businesses thriving throughout the project.”

Kuzmanovich stated that the City will receive federal funding for the Diet and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is also kicking in some money. However, he noted, “At the end of the day, Ferndale’s budget will still be impacted,” and added, “Taxpaying drivers have rights. I have a right to get from Point A to Point B. If you’re going to eliminate lanes, there’s going to be major issues.”

THERE ARE ROUGHLY 45,000 VEHICLES TRAVELING ALONG WOODWARD AVE on any given day, and that’s without the ongoing construction along I-75, which has caused more drivers to detour through downtown. Kuzmanovich believes lane reduction will increase traffic jams and lead to unmanageable congestion.

He speaks from his own experience both as a resident of Ferndale for 22 years and as a firefighter for more than three decades when he says, “Consider the street fairs when 9 Mile is totally closed down.” Drivers will do some dangerous maneuvering, including cutting through on side streets.

The ‘Say No…’ group wrote a letter to MDOT but, again, felt like their efforts got them nowhere. “We appealed to MDOT but they turned a deaf ear to us,” said Kuzmanovich. He cited in his correspondence that one of the reasons the Mayor wants to move forward with the Diet is that it will reduce speeds throughout the city. “There are other ways to slow down traffic, including adding crosswalks or changing the timing on traffic lights,” he argued.

AT THE SAME TIME, KUZMANOVICH WANTED TO MAKE IT CLEAR that he and his group are not opposed to bicycling around town and making it easier todo so. “Cycling is great,” he said. “And I like the bike lanes we already have. I have two bicycles in my garage and a Harley Davison. We’re not anti-bike lanes.”

At one point, Kuzmanovich and a cohort fronted money to buy yard signs meant to draw awareness around the issue. They told members they’d drop off the signs to whoever wanted one. In doing so, they were reimbursed for their efforts, but still have extras on hand. Now, Kuzmanovich is busy collecting signatures from businessowners who wish to stop the project. He said they “have many.”

For the Haio brothers, the prospect of having to close their store is so much more than vacating the space. “This is our childhood, our whole life,” said Levander. “We don’t have a father anymore to mentor us. I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

Although the ‘Say No…’ group has experienced some setbacks, its members aren’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. “We’re going down swinging,” Kuzmanovich said.