Despite common concerns that narrower traffic lanes and bike infrastructure can slow emergency response, response times in one study didn’t change.
A study that sought to quantify the impact of road diets on emergency response times found that “there was virtually no difference in emergency response travel time (in min/km) after a road conversion compared to before, both in total and when they looked at specific road diets.”
As Jonathan M. Gitlin explains in Ars Technica, a research team from the University of Iowa surveyed first responders. Roughly half of the first responders surveyed believed there was no change in response time, while a third believed response times slowed down and 16 percent thought response times became faster.
The team then looked at specific response times from three fire districts in Cedar Rapids, Iowa where road diets were installed, finding no change in response times. The study is an important part of the debate over traffic calming tools such as lane width reduction, which has been shown to improve traffic safety — thus also reducing the need for emergency response to traffic crashes.
Read the full story: Bike lanes and narrowed streets don’t slow emergency vehicles
Balancing Road Diets With Emergency Access
Examples from the Netherlands show how bike lanes and traffic calming can coexist with effective emergency response.
Irish Study Shows Bike Lanes Don’t Slow Emergency Response
Well-designed bike lanes can actually improve the flow of traffic for all vehicles, including emergency responders.
Getting Buy-in for Road Diets From Fire Departments
Proposals to narrow streets often meet resistance from emergency responders concerned about safety and access.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
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Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
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Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
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FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
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Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
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City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority