March 20, 2011 - 4:37pm
Ann Arbor City Council postpones cell phone ban
BY DYLAN CINTI
At last night’s Ann Arbor City Council meeting, councilmembers postponed deciding on an ordinance that would ban the use of “portable electronic devices” while driving or cycling in Ann Arbor. The ban would include talking or texting on cell phones and entering information into navigational devices.
Councilmember Christopher Taylor (D–Ward 3) spoke in favor of postponement, arguing that both councilmembers and citizens need more time to review data illustrating how and to what degree electronic devices distract drivers.
Councilmember Stephan Rapundalo (D—Ward 2) proposed the ordinance — which was first read by City Council on March 1.
At that meeting, Paul Green, a research professor at the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute, spoke to the council about the risks associated with driving while operating a cell phone.
Ann Arbor Police Chief Barnett Jones also expressed support for the ordinance at the March 1 meeting. He recommended that violating the ordinance be made a primary offense — meaning drivers could be pulled over for just using a device — rather than a secondary offense, which would require a driver be pulled over for another violation and then found guilty for using an electronic device.
The proposed ban does does not currently allow for the ordinance to be enforced as a primary offense and it does not include a ban on hands-free devices because, according to Rapundalo, this would be too hard to enforce.
City Council planned to read the ordinance for a second time at last night's meeting after questions about hands-free devices and whether the offense would be primary or secondary were addressed. However, the second reading was delayed.
The ordinance will now be up for discussion at the council’s next meeting on April 5.
— Daily News Editor Mallory Jones contributed to this report
