Is Kalamazoo Removing The Oddly Placed Crosswalk Signs Downtown?

Have you noticed some of the banged up crosswalk signs are disappearing from downtown Kalamazoo?

I've heard a lot of people complaining about the in-road crosswalk signs that have popped up all over Kalamazoo.  Why do these in-road signs exist in the first place?  Unfortunately, we've had an increase of pedestrians stuck by vehicles this year.    In an effort to decrease these incidents a new ordinance began on June 1st of 2019 in the city of Kalamazoo according to WWMT.com,

The in-road signs are meant to further increase awareness to the new city ordinance that took effect June 1, 2019. It requires motorists to stop for pedestrians at crosswalks without a traffic signal. Where traffic signals are present, all road users must obey the signal, officials said.

Signs starting going in October.  Here's a map of the in-road crosswalk signs.

Some drivers complain that the bright yellow/green pillars in middle of the road are distracting and dangerous.  Other drivers are frustrated that they may be damaging their cars when they are forced to run over them during heavy traffic times.

Lately, we've noticed that many of the signs are gone.  But it's not because the city is removing them.  The signs are breaking off due being constantly struck by cars and trucks.

So, does that mean the signs are staying?  Even through the winter?  That's exactly what that means according to CW7Michigan.com,

Road crews will monitor the signs and posts throughout the winter, then replace any broken or damaged signs or posts come springtime.  Chamberlain said snow plow operators have also received additional training on how to plow around the new signs. He said signs and posts were also installed far enough apart for plows to fit between them.

It's more than likely too early to tell if the in-road signage has helped decrease the number of pedestrian vs. vehicle incidents in downtown Kalamazoo.  Sorry, if you got your hopes up when you noticed the absence of some of those signs.  They are coming back.