On a typical day, crossing Michigan Avenue in Corktown can feel like stepping into a danger zone. Although overbuilt for the number of cars it carries, the highspeed of vehicles can make crossing this corridor into a real life game of frogger. In 2021, that danger tragically became real when a pedestrian was struck and killed while attempting to navigate the chaotic mix of fast-moving traffic.
This fatal accident, one of several incidents highlighting the dangers of Michigan Avenue, underscored what many locals have long known: this busy corridor isn’t designed for people. Instead, it embodies the worst of a “stroad”—a hybrid of street and road that moves cars quickly but fails to safely accommodate pedestrians, cyclists, or even local businesses. As Corktown grows and evolves, the stroad problem stands in stark contrast to the neighborhood’s walkable potential, spotlighting the urgent need for change
So what is a stroad? At Strong Towns Detroit, we define roads three different ways:
Type 1: road
A road moves traffic quickly and with as little delay as possible. The purpose behind a road is to connect two places together. Ideally, people aren’t interrupting traffic flow, cars aren’t turning in front of each other, etc. Think highways. You build multiple lanes and make those lanes wide so cars have plenty of space.
Hines Drive is another great example of a road. By having wide lanes and very little conflict points, traffic flows continuously on Hines Drive, while reducing opportunities for a crash. As a driver, Hines is a pleasure to drive on.
Type 2: street
A street is where life happens. It’s where we live, shop, play, bike, walk, eat, etc. A street connects people to places and it’s where wealth is created. Unlike roads, streets are a little chaotic. There is a lot going on, and the goal is not to move traffic: the goal is to be the destination. To accomplish this, streets use narrower lanes to slow traffic down. Think of your own neighborhood street or a downtown street!
Type 3: stroad
The last category is what we call a stroad. A stroad is where a street is trying to act like a road. There are businesses, houses, and schools all with their own driveways connected to it. There are sidewalks and crosswalks for people to use. It’s also trying to move lots of traffic and move it quickly. The result: cars are moving fast on the road. Cars are turning left and right out of all the driveways into traffic. People are trying to access those businesses. Because of the wide lanes and high speed, accidents happen frequently on stroads — many deadly. And to make them remotely safe, frequent signals may be used, which in turn, slow down traffic.
Michigan Ave: a stroad without a future
Michigan Avenue in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood is a textbook example of a stroad—a confusing mix of a high-speed road with wide lanes and an active street that fails to serve either purpose well. As a crucial corridor connecting downtown to the city’s neighborhoods, Michigan Avenue should be a vibrant, people-focused street that enhances Corktown’s historic charm. Instead, it functions as a high-speed, multi-lane stroad that endangers pedestrians, frustrates drivers, and limits the potential for local businesses to thrive. Transforming this stroad into a true street would not only improve safety but also unlock economic and social benefits for the entire community.
Thankfully, MDOT has listened to the community, and released a PEL study outlining a vision for the future of this stroad. By reducing the car lanes and expanding the sidewalk to allow for outdoor seating, more room for walking, as well as more space to get bicyclists off the street, Michigan Ave will once again function as it once did: as a street. As a destination. As a place to spend time in.
Detroit is full of stroads
This problem is not isolated to Michigan Ave. In fact, it’s not even a city-only issue. The suburbs and greater region are full of these deadly designs. When you mix high speed vehicles that weigh several tonnes with the chaos of the street, you will get accidents. You will also get traffic, because the only way to make a stroad remotely safe is to make sure that every turn a car makes is with a protected signal (which slows traffic).
Stroads—sprawling, chaotic, and unfocused hybrids of streets and roads—are one of the biggest threats to our neighborhoods. They are the jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none in urban design, combining the speed and function of roads with the access and activity of streets. The result is a dangerous and inefficient environment that fails at both. Stroads are bad for walkability, dangerous for cyclists, frustrating for drivers, and harmful to the economic vibrancy of our cities. To create strong, resilient communities, we must rethink the dominance of stroads in urban planning and instead prioritize streets designed for people, not just for moving cars.
What can we do about them?
Get involved with Strong Towns Detroit! We are a volunteer advocacy group in the city looking to make our city, neighborhoods, and region stronger and safer. We are actively advocating for safer roads and streets across the city and region.
For more information on stroads, check out this article:
https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2018/3/1/whats-a-stroad-and-why-does-it-matter
or watch this (sarcastic and humorous) video:
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