What’s a Road Diet?

Nothing’s more nerve-racking than sitting in front of a blank computer screen with the obligation and intention of filling that white screen with words, quotes and photos.

I pondered my next column subject matter for a number of days, wondering, who’s my target market, what do they care about and why?

We Tuckerites know there’s lots to discuss about our town, both good and bad, but what I kept coming back to was my last column on the Chamblee-Tucker “road diet” proposal. After reading your comments and concerns, I realized this subject deserves another column, if only to explain to folks the good, bad and ugly of new traffic flow designs.

Here’s some research. All of it you can goggle and learn for yourself. Consider this a Did-Ya-Know Overview.

The term Road Diet was coined by a gentleman named Dan Burden with the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute.

What exactly is a Road Diet? According to the Road Diet Handbook Overview, “A road diet entails removing travel lanes from a roadway and utilizing the space for other uses and travel modes.”

Some of these “other uses and travel modes” include, bicycle lanes, cycle tracks, buffered bike lanes, wider sidewalks, landscape buffers, street parking, transit stops, public benches, just to name a few.

This alternative roadway movement has been tested in various parts of the U.S. including Iowa and Washington state as well as globally in countries such as New Zealand and Canada.  

What’s so helpful about a road diet? Baxter Street in Athens, Georgia is a good example. They reduced Baxter Street’s original 14-foot travel lanes down to 11 feet, and added a 3-foot shared area, which was eventually turned into a bicycle lane.

After the changes, auto accidents decreased by 53%, crashes at intersections with no traffic signals decreased by 60%, and rear-enders were reduced by 45%. Locals felt it was easier to cross the street, vehicle speeds slowed down, and traffic volumes didn’t change much.

What problems can occur with a road diet? Possible traffic backups during construction of the redesign, and the fear of ~ what if it doesn’t actually improve traffic flow? Communities around the country may spend time, money and effort on “improvements” only for it to backfire. One frustrated Texas blogger wrote, “There has been no marked increase in cyclists, but the auto congestion has doubled,” in her corner of the world in San Antonio.

What’s needed? Accident and roadway analysis. If accidents are only occurring at night, there may be a lighting issue on the street, if most fender benders are near a park or school, maybe the public facility isn’t marked well enough.

Roadway analysis takes time, money and effort. What’s important to acknowledge is that each and every project is unique and different. Design solutions for road diet projects vary from street to street, state to state, country to country, depending on safety needs, public transportation protocols, and what the community wants in general.

My advice to those living or working near a proposed road diet project? Be patient, do your research, and get involved. Be a part of the process. It’s our right as Americans. With PTA meetings, Zumba class, and family obligations, we busy citizens tend to forget this sometimes.

As the months roll on, expect a public meeting or two on the Chamblee-Tucker Road Diet discussion. If you live in the neighborhood or have a stake in the area, it’s your obligation to take part. Keep an eye on Tucker Patch for more details.