Kalamazoo’s traffic engineer says crashes fell 30% to 60% on streets where the city converted four lanes to three.
The city’s “road diets” are part of its Safe Streets for All program. In a recent episode of Kalamazoo & You, produced in partnership with the City of Kalamazoo, host Mike Smith talked with Dennis Randolph, the city’s public works manager and traffic engineer. They discussed what the conversions look like on Portage Street.
Randolph said the city has long had more crashes than it should for its population, and that crashes cost residents and visitors in repairs, lost work time, hospital bills and insurance. He said converting four lanes to three adds a center turn lane, gives pedestrians a refuge island to cross in stages, and makes driver behavior more predictable.
He said Portage between Cork and Stockbridge was matched to the three-lane design the street already had closer to downtown, where he said crashes had dropped by more than half. The converted streets also get six-foot bike lanes with a buffer, marked bus stops with red pavement, raised pedestrian islands and flashing crossing signs.
Randolph said the city is also adjusting traffic signals, which are timed for the 30 mph speed limit. He said driving the limit means fewer stops, and that even a few miles per hour less improves survival for anyone hit. His advice to drivers was short: “Go the speed limit first.”
He said the conversions add only a minute or two to a trip. Watch the full conversation above to hear how he answers the argument that fewer lanes means less capacity.
