Most members of the public are still very skeptical that removing a vehicle lane won’t cause terrible congestion—especially on already busy streets. A recent articles details some of the counter arguments to those concerns.
In anticipation of Calgrary’s proposal to build a network of cycle tracks in its downtown, Tom Babin explores claims that removing travel lanes won’t wreak traffic havoc on the city.
The most controversial of the proposed plans: to turn a lane of traffic on 1 Street S.E./Macleod Trail downtown into a cycle track—one of four lanes on the road would be given to bikers.
“Doubts about the idea turned to outright skepticism when a traffic study was presented as part of the proposal that said the cycle track would lead to an increase in travel time on 1st Street by a mere 30 to 60 seconds during the evening commute,” writes Babin.
Skeptical, Babin consulted with Rock Miller, the Irvine, CA-based transportation planner and traffic engineer who prepared the report. Miller explains concepts like extra capacity and turning lights. Miller even suggests that travel times might even improve on the street.
Still skeptical, Babin questions Sandeep Agrawal, a professor and director of the Planning Program at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, who lays out a very strong argument: “Whenever you remove a travel lane and put in a bike lane, the bike lane gets a bad rap…The question is, if those people (on bikes) were in cars, how much would it have delayed traffic? They probably would have delayed it more.”
FULL STORY: Remove a lane to improve traffic? Expert explains his Calgary’s cycle track proposal
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.