GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Grand Rapids man who set up a surveillance camera on his home captured a two-car crash Monday morning at an intersection he says is a problem.
"It's not safe right now," says Lucas Leverett, who lives nearby.
Leverett moved in near the intersection of Walker Avenue and Tamarack Street earlier this year. He says he knew it was only a matter of time until an accident happened here.
"This morning, these ladies both walked away," he says. "But lives can be destructively changed by something like this."
Leverett sent the video to city leaders. They say the accident was not because of the intersection.
"It was driver error," says deputy city manager Eric DeLong. "It had nothing to do with the street. The driver made a mistake."
According to city data, since 2018, there have been four recorded accidents within 100 yards of the intersection, including Monday's crash. Leverett says he's pitched a few ideas to the city, including a four-way stop.
"If the ladies both had to stop behind other people who had to stop, there wouldn't have been as much blind spot and confusion," says Leverett.
He has also suggested speed bumps. DeLong says speed bumps in that area aren't feasible.
"Walker is a major street," explains DeLong. "So as a major street, it carries 7,000 vehicles per day. That's too many vehicles per day for a speed bump."
The city recently invested $2.2 million into Walker Avenue, in what DeLong calls as many traffic calming efforts as possible.
"We narrowed the lanes, put in curb protectors, put in protected parking," says DeLong.
And says traffic speeds have decreased to around 30 miles per hour.
But Leverett doesn't trust the measurements.
"That doesn't give me an honest impression, because when people see a measure showing them how fast they go, they're going to slow down," says Leverett.
In the end, he hopes he can help lead positive change in the area.
"I criticize because stuff isn't happening," says Leverett. "I'll thank them when the job is done."
DeLong says the city has plans to do a full traffic study on Walker Avenue in the spring.
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