LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Do you think Lansing is headed in the right direction? What is your biggest concern when it comes to the city?

Those were just two of the questions people were asked in a new poll.      

The poll comes from the nonprofit Advance Greater Lansing. It asked more than 300 people what their top concern was, and if they believed Lansing was going in the right direction.

41% of people believe that the city is on the wrong track, and the top for many was public safety at 22%, followed by roads at 19%, and then neighborhood at 14%.

“Frankly I kind of stay out of particular areas because I don’t feel comfortable there,” said Pamela Sawatzki.

Sawatzki has been living in the Lansing area for most of her adult life. She’s not surprised to hear that public safety is a top concern.

“I know we have an officer downtown that’s his primary duty is to keep things safe downtown. I think he does a good job doing that but I would just like to see maybe a little more presence downtown and a little more concentration in the area,” she said.

The second most popular concern in the poll was the roads.

“It’s basically dodging potholes and while I appreciate all the work they’re doing, all the construction on 496 and the streets in the general area. It does make commuting very difficult at times,” said Ann Miller, who works in Lansing.

Both women disagreed with the poll. They believe Lansing is headed in the right direction.
They’ve noticed some changes and hope more is done to help the downtown area.

“It would be nice to see some effort to bring more businesses back into downtown Lansing especially things that are open after hours so people think of downtown Lansing as a destination instead of a place to work,” said Miller.

The mayor of Lansing says he is not surprised to see the top two concerns. He says his staff is always working to make Lansing a safer place.

“You’ve seen homicides come down you’ve seen violent crimes come down. We’re doing a lot with speeding were doing operation slow down where we are just about to talk about the next steps,” said Mayor Andy Schor.

Mayor Schor says that change is coming it just takes time.

“We’re always, active it’s very busy. Again you’re seeing a lot of growth a lot of economic development.”