The Palo Alto Daily News has an interesting article about the measured results of a road diet that city implemented on Arastradero to improve safety and encourage cycling, similar to what has been already done in some Sunnyvale locations, and what is being considered at other locations in the city. The resulting study revealed that the new road diet did not decrease automobile volume (it actually increased slightly), it did not increase cut-through traffic in other neighborhoods, and it did indeed increase cycling traffic.
It always strikes people as counter-intuitive that removing lanes can improve traffic, and the immediate resident response is often concern about the potential impact to surrounding streets. But road diets are proven methods of improving transit, when they’re done properly and in the right locations.
Follow