"Road diets": narrower in-town streets on the menu?

[txstateends]

http://hosted2.ap.org/txdam/54828a5e8d9d48b7ba8b94ba38a9ef22/Article_2011-11-24-Road%20Diets/id-1c7a6b92a4c14e26ba91203e0591cb07

Making the street/road narrower, the sidewalk wider, with better economic development for the neighborhood or downtown as the result?  Opinions are mixed in one AR town.

I've heard a similar concept bounced around in local DFW media--"complete streets".  Those wanting that not only want the streets narrower, sidewalks wider, but bike lanes added (while they're at it).

[NE2]

It's a communist plot.

[Brandon]

Hit or miss, IMHO.  Depends very much on the traffic load.  If there's too much traffic, all it will do is piss off drivers and make them drive through residential areas that border the main street.  Which actually makes the situation worse than before.

[agentsteel53]

it is great for roads with little through traffic, but for main arterials ... just imagine one of those roads with eight consecutive 4-way stops in a row.  what a pain!

[froggie]

If you have extra-wide lanes to begin with, there's absolutely nothing wrong with narrowing those lanes to add bike lanes or widen the sidewalk.  This has been the case in both DC and Minneapolis.

[roadfro]

It's something that has been used on quite a few resurfaced streets in the Reno-Sparks area. Roads that were originally two lanes each direction with possible space for on-street parking are now one lane in each direction with center turn lane, bike lanes, and on-street parking on both sides. These converted streets have been mostly collector arterials and not major thoroughfares, where traffic volumes are relatively constant and reducing the number of lanes would not have had a major impact.

In some ways, it has helped traffic flow--drivers now have the center lane as well as the ability to move to the bike lane (or dedicated right turn lane, where provided) to make left and right turns, which reduces the amount of stopping in the through lanes. The desired effect of lowering speeds has also been realized, at least from my own personal observation--I know I have driven slower on these streets than I did in the past.

[kphoger]

These streets are usually more pleasant to drive on.  I lived in Wheaton, Illinois, when they did this to Main Street; traffic didn't really back up because of it, and there was a certain je ne sais quoi that made it more of a pleasant experience to drive.  Most important to me was that the driving lanes ended up slightly wider; not having a car, that meant there was more room for cars to pass by me on my bike, and the bus no longer banged the front bumper when going past cross streets (drainage elevation) simply because it was a foot or two farther from the curb.  Now, the sidewalks weren't extended or bike lanes added or anything, it was just a repaving and restriping, similar to the article.

Hey, if two lanes and a center turn lane can work on the strip in Branson, it can work in your town.

I don't think anyone is seriously considering doing this kind of thing to major arterial roads in urban areas, where traffic volumes would choke the new road.  I haven't heard it suggested for Preston Road through Plano, Texas, for example.  The roads in question are usually those that never really needed to be four lanes to begin with.  Am I right?

[vtk]

West Jefferson, Ohio just recently finished its reconstruction of Main St (US 40) through its core.  Previously, it was a 4-lane street with parallel parking on both sides and no turn lanes, and there were 3 traffic lights (timed for about 12 MPH, but you could shoot through at 25 MPH if you got there at just the right point in the cycle).  Old trees lined the street, which were lit every holiday season.  Now, it's a 3-lane street including left-turn lanes with parallel parking on both sides.  The sidewalk is slightly wider, and lined with young trees.  Such a shame they couldn't have just left the old trees in place!  Also, the easternmost traffic light has been removed, now featuring two-way stop control.  I think the plans originally featured angle parking, and I'm not sure why that changed.  Anyway, US 40 in most of Ohio tends to have through-traffic volumes similar to most 2-lane state highways, and I'm not talking about the major ones.  The only reason West Jefferson's Main St might need more than one lane each way is for vehicle storage due to the obstructionist signal timing.  I haven't been through there in rush hour lately so I'm not sure if it backs up badly.

[txstateends]

I haven't heard it suggested for Preston Road through Plano, Texas, for example.

This setup *definitely* wouldn't work on Preston Road!  TOO MANY rush hour commuters through there for that.  Maybe 15th and 14th Street or Ave. K or L downtown, maybe.

[Brandon]

Naperville, IL does an interesting take on the road diet in that it is only during non-rush hour periods in downtown along Washington St.  However, during rush hour, the parking lanes become driving lanes to facilitate traffic flow.

[tdindy88]

Indianapolis has just gone through some transtioning from wide streets to more pedestrian friendly streets. Broad Ripple Avenue, a four lane arterial through the Broad Ripple village of the city was converted to a three-lane road with bike lanes with people, on both sides mind you, complaing about it. Drivers are complaining about the heavier traffic congestion on the road and bicyclists are complaining that it is still a dangerous road to ride your bike. In other parts of the city, Madison Avenue (the original U.S. 31) was changed from a five lane road to...a five lane road with bike lanes on the side, so the road lost none of its capactiy except for each travel lane being about a half foot shorter in width. Of course, the nature of the road doesn't make it a pratical bicycling corridor. Indy's big problem at the moment is that they are choosing the most direct routes, but not the best or safest routes. Perhaps that is the problem for elsewhere.

Then there is the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, a different take on the same subject where a parking and travel lane have been taken out of various streets in a loop around the downtown area linking up to various districts of the downtown. The trail is divided into a bicycling and walking section to allow space for both off the road. The Cultural Trail is heralded as a new concept that hasn't been used anywhere else, and personally is not a bad thing in terms of wanting to walk and bike around the city with some of the corridors following along little-travelled roads. But then there is Washington Street where the trail was built along that had a parking lane and travel lane eliminated for the new trail and traffic has been backed up most of the year (due to its construction and the repaving of just about every downtown street for a little football game that Indy is hosting next year.) But even the Cultural Trail has not been without controversy. The section of the trail in front of the Conrad Hotel was rebuilt so that the vallet parking for the hotel, which is along Washington Street was allowed to be kept despite the new trail being built right in front. So now, you have a section of the trail, that is otherwise continous, where bicyclists are being told to get off their bikes to walk around the section of luxury vehicles being valet parked. The "trail and transit"  crowd has not been pleased by this move, but for the sake of compromise it was allowed to be this way, with bicyclists planning on riding their bikes through the "Cultural Trail/Parking space"  regardless of what the sign tells them.

On a personal note, I have no problem with some roads being reduced to allow for bicyclists or pedestrians to use the route as well...but only if the road is low in traffic. Major highways and arterials should be left out of any "road diets"  if at all possible. I believe that all commuters, regardless of mode should be given their adaquet pathways to travel, and that goes for motorists too.

[vtk]

Naperville, IL does an interesting take on the road diet in that it is only during non-rush hour periods in downtown along Washington St.  However, during rush hour, the parking lanes become driving lanes to facilitate traffic flow.

There are several major streets in Columbus like that.  Been that way as long as I've been aware of such things.  Actually, a significant portion of Broad St on the west side had travel/parking lanes like that until it was redone recently; now it has fewer auto lanes, dedicated parking spaces, and bike lanes, more like the road diets already described in this thread.

[tidecat]

In Louisville, Brownsboro Road was put on a diet in August:

http://www.bicyclingforlouisville.org/node/71

Planning is underway to put Grinstead Road on a diet:

http://blog.mygreentriangle.com/2011/10/20/grinstead-drive-road-diet-project/

[US71]

Arkansas has a habit of adding extra lanes without widening the road.

US 71 in Mena and AR 5 in Mountain Home have had their lanes narrowed to squeeze in a continuous Left Turn Lane. Now the semi trucks straddle the lanes so you can't pass them.

[JREwing78]

Wisconsin really isn't that fond of continuous center turn lanes; you'll see it occasionally, but usually on lower-volume corridors. You also tend not to see many road diets, though E Milwaukee St. in Janesville has a section converted from 4 lanes to 2 lanes with a center left turn lane and bike paths on the outside.

You see this much more frequently in Michigan. A number of 4-lane city streets in many municipalities, including Lansing and East Lansing, have been converted to 2 lanes with a center left turn lane and bike paths. Portions of Miller Rd in Lansing actually got a diet to 2 lanes with a center left turn lane only at select intersections.

These 3-lane sections tend to work much better for traffic flow in my experience. The traffic flow is much more consistent and predictable. Signalized intersections are simpler to handle; you don't need to play tricks like setting separate signal phases for each direction of travel. Of course, you end up with far fewer rear-end accidents. There's much less weaving. People tend to comply with the posted speed limit better, if only because they can only go as fast as the person in front of them.

Thankfully, neither state makes a habit of narrowing lanes in the name of traffic calming.

[ftballfan]

Wisconsin really isn't that fond of continuous center turn lanes; you'll see it occasionally, but usually on lower-volume corridors. You also tend not to see many road diets, though E Milwaukee St. in Janesville has a section converted from 4 lanes to 2 lanes with a center left turn lane and bike paths on the outside.

You see this much more frequently in Michigan. A number of 4-lane city streets in many municipalities, including Lansing and East Lansing, have been converted to 2 lanes with a center left turn lane and bike paths. Portions of Miller Rd in Lansing actually got a diet to 2 lanes with a center left turn lane only at select intersections.

These 3-lane sections tend to work much better for traffic flow in my experience. The traffic flow is much more consistent and predictable. Signalized intersections are simpler to handle; you don't need to play tricks like setting separate signal phases for each direction of travel. Of course, you end up with far fewer rear-end accidents. There's much less weaving. People tend to comply with the posted speed limit better, if only because they can only go as fast as the person in front of them.

Thankfully, neither state makes a habit of narrowing lanes in the name of traffic calming.

Grand Rapids has done it on Fulton St (old US-16/M-21/M-50) and has considered it on Division Ave (old US-131/M-37)

This is not technically a road diet, but US-31 between Lakeshore Rd and M-55 was converted from four lanes (two each way) to three lanes (one each way plus a center turn lane) back in the 1990s.

[myosh_tino]

There are two local "road diet" projects that have been publicized in the local papers and a controversial one that's being planned.

Arastradero Road in Palo Alto was converted from a 4-lane road into a 2-lane road about a year ago because the residents complained about traffic and safety because there are a three schools (including a high school) located on Arastradero.  When the city implemented the new configuration, complaints rolled in from commuters and parents about the increased congestion.

Pruneridge Avenue from Tantau to Pomeroy in Santa Clara was converted from a 4-lane to a 2-lane road within the past few months.  I believe Santa Clara's plan is to narrow Pruneridge all the way to San Tomas Expwy but they are studying the traffic impacts before proceeding.

There is also a plan to narrow El Camino Real within the cities of Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and Mountain View from 6 lanes down to 4 and add 2 dedicated bus-only lanes (called "Bus Rapid Transit").  This has drawn a ton of criticism from commuters worried about added congestion and from residents worried that traffic will spill into their neighborhoods.  The local transit agency wants to make El Camino more transit and pedestrian friendly but at the expense of motorists.  The San Jose Mercury News ran wrote a story about this project back in October (link to story)

[agentsteel53]

There is also a plan to narrow El Camino Real within the cities of Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and Mountain View from 6 lanes down to 4 and add 2 dedicated bus-only lanes (called "Bus Rapid Transit").  This has drawn a ton of criticism from commuters worried about added congestion and from residents worried that traffic will spill into their neighborhoods.  

do commuters use El Camino that much?  I thought they'd use 101 or Central Expressway.

I used to commute from Santa Clara (San Tomas Expwy) to Mountain View (basically Moffett Field) and took Central Expressway during busy hours, 101 otherwise.

[triplemultiplex]

Wisconsin really isn't that fond of continuous center turn lanes; you'll see it occasionally, but usually on lower-volume corridors. You also tend not to see many road diets, though E Milwaukee St. in Janesville has a section converted from 4 lanes to 2 lanes with a center left turn lane and bike paths on the outside.

The City of Milwaukee recently completed a reconstruction of S. 2nd St in the Walker's Point neighborhood (aka the 5th Ward) that involved reducing travel lanes and utilizing the 'complete street' concept.  There is also much talk about converting some of downtown's 3 lane, one way streets into two way complete streets.  Wells St in particular.  And I tend to agree on that one.  It's currently 2 way on a 'temporary' basis while the Wisconsin Ave bridge over the Milwaukee River is replaced.  There are no major issues that have resulted from this, so there's no reason not to make it permanent.  Wells St doesn't have nearly the amount of traffic it did before the Marquette Interchange rebuild when the SB I-43 terminal was moved away from Wells St.

I happen to be reading an article recently about how back in the 90's, Wisconsin Ave was reduced from 6 lanes to 4 through the campus of Marquette University.  Apparently there was an ill-conceived proposal to close that street to traffic at the time.  These days, I can't believe there aren't already pedestrian bridges/skywalks over Wisconsin Ave on campus.

[mapman1071]

A few years back Tempe, AZ and Arizona State University redesigned Mill Avenue Between Rio Salado Parkway (1st Street) and University Drive. Mill Avenue Was 6 Lanes From The Center Parkway Interchange South to Apache Blvd. then reduced to 2 traffic Lanes, 2 Bike Lanes and Parking/Bus Stop Lanes from Rio Salado to University resuming 6 lanes at University south to Apache Blvd.

Now Tempe and Valley Metro Rail are going to redesign the street again for Tempe Streetcar.

Phase 1 Design of a Single Track Loop N On Mill From University to Rio Salado then E to Ash Avenue then S to University and E to Mill Avenue with a Junction N And S.

Phase 2  2 Tracks S On Mill Avenue To Southern Avenue.

Phase 3 2 Tracks E On Southern Avenue To Rural Road

Phases 1 and 2 will start construction in 2012 and will be complete in 2016
Phase 3 Is Planned but not funded.

http://www.tempe.gov/tim/TempeStreetcar.htm#Overview