Cities narrow roads to make them people friendly

[thelakelander]

This is something that has been discussed from time to time on this forum.

South Florida cities narrow roads to make them people friendly


Traffic heads southbound in the 600 block of South Federal Highway in Delray Beach where the road has been narrowed with temporary barriers.

By Angel Streeter | South Florida Sun-Sentinel

The incredulous callers don't hold back when they ask the Delray Beach city engineer about the seaside municipality's yearlong experiment reducing Federal Highway to two lanes from three between Southeast 10th Street and George Bush Boulevard.

"They say, 'I can't believe you're doing this. Most cities are widening roads,'" said Randal Krejcarek, the city engineer.

But the city isn't alone. Others have adopted this new urbanism tool designed to make downtowns walkable again.

The state narrowed Olive Avenue in West Palm Beach to two lanes from five about five years ago at the city's request to make it a pedestrian-friendly, residential road. That success led to requests for more.

Fort Lauderdale narrowed a section of Northeast 15th Avenue five years ago from four to two lanes.

And while it's still uncommon for cities to reduce lanes on roads, more are willing to try it. Wilton Manors asked the Florida Department of Transportation to reduce Wilton Drive, a state road, to three lanes from five in the city's downtown entertainment district. Dania Beach also sought approval to reduce Dania Boulevard to four lanes from six.

Consider it the extreme side of traffic calming. Like creating traffic circles, speed humps and raised intersections, narrowing roads is basically an effort to make people drive slower. At the same time, city planners see it as an opportunity to enhance an area's curb appeal and make it more pedestrian and bike friendly. Along with the narrowed roads, cities tend to widen sidewalks, add bike lanes and put in landscaping.

That's what got Delray Beach interested in the idea.

full article: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpnarrow0606pnjun06,0,3024197.story