Residents raise safety and access concerns about proposed 9 Mile road diet

Several residents used the Jan. 7 Eastpointe council meeting to voice opposition to a proposed road diet on sections of 9 Mile Road, saying the changes could impede emergency access and divert traffic away from local businesses.

Speakers referenced experiences in other cities and national conversations around traffic calming. Carol Reed said she had researched road diets and raised examples — including communities after major fires — to argue the changes can complicate emergency response. Jennifer Nicholas, a resident, questioned whether regional planning recommendations and consultants (she referenced McKenna) were a good fit for Eastpointe and requested clearer documentation about the traffic study methodology and volume assumptions after encountering inconsistent charts.

Council members acknowledged the concerns and noted the city is still reviewing traffic analyses. Council members asked staff to bring clearer study details to future meetings; one councilmember suggested more outreach and a fuller discussion of comparative municipal experiences before any final decision.

No formal vote to change lane configurations occurred at the Jan. 7 meeting; residents and several councilmembers asked for additional information and for the fire and police chiefs to be involved in discussions about emergency access before any change is approved.