A stylist at a salon in Kansas City, Missouri, experienced an unexpected and dangerous start to her shift when a car crashed through the storefront window, landing just a few feet away in the waiting area. This incident highlighted a recurring issue along 31st Street, known for its high volume of crashes due to speeding vehicles. Local business owners frequently shared photos of the damage caused by vehicles using this four-lane road as a shortcut between major highways.
Ryan Ferrell, the property owner of the salon along with a bookstore and residential apartments, commented on the dangerous nature of wide roads, suggesting that they encourage drivers to speed. In an effort to enhance safety, Ferrell and other business leaders advocated for a "road diet," a strategy that involves reducing the number of lanes on a road to decrease vehicle speed and improve pedestrian safety.
This concept of road diets has gained traction across various cities as a method to calm traffic, although it has faced opposition, particularly from some Republican governors and the Trump administration, which discouraged lane reductions in federal guidelines for upcoming road safety grants. The U.S. Department of Transportation raised concerns that reducing lane capacity could lead to crashes due to congestion and erratic driving behaviors.
Kansas City had successfully implemented a road diet on 31st Street in 2022 while simultaneously addressing a gas line installation. The street was repaved with one lane in each direction, complemented by a shared turn lane at intersections, improved pedestrian crossings, and protected on-street parking. These changes are now incorporated automatically whenever a road is slated for repaving in the city.
Bobby Evans, an urban planner at the Mid-America Regional Council, praised the road diet initiative as a “smashing success,” noting its effectiveness in reducing vehicle speed and crash risks. He emphasized the importance of creating an environment where drivers do not feel comfortable speeding, effectively guiding them to obey speed limits without overtly slowing them down.
Success stories from other cities reinforce the positive impact of road diets on traffic safety. For example, Philadelphia reported a 19% decrease in injury crashes, while Portland, Oregon, observed a more than 70% reduction in vehicles traveling over 10 mph above the speed limit. Fort Lauderdale, Florida, also noted a decrease of 5 mph on some roads shortly after implementing a road diet.
Despite the positive outcomes, dissenters like Jay Beeber from the National Motorists Association argue that road diets attempt to push vehicles off the road, exacerbating traffic on surrounding streets. Beeber's assertion reflects concerns that while vehicle numbers may decline on dieted roads, traffic congestion could shift to adjacent routes.
Conversely, Leah Shahum from the Vision Zero Network argues for the validity of road diets, emphasizing their relatively low cost and the supporting research backing their effectiveness. She expressed hope that the Trump administration's guidance would not deter communities from employing this proven safety measure.
Addressing fears regarding emergency response times, a study from the University of Iowa found no significant delays for emergency vehicles in areas where road diets were in place. Participants noted that drivers needed to be better educated on how to respond when emergency vehicles utilized turn lanes to bypass traffic.
Before the Trump administration's alterations to policies, there was already a growing skepticism towards road diets in some Republican-led states. San Antonio, Texas, faced political interruptions during its plans to repurpose Broadway Street by removing vehicle lanes to accommodate bicycles and pedestrians. Similar pushback occurred in Florida with Governor Ron DeSantis signing legislation that placed barriers on local governments wishing to eliminate lanes, arguing it would prevent activists from intentionally causing traffic congestion.
The trend of reversing road diets is not exclusive to red states; instances during the pandemic saw cities like Culver City, California, retracting their road diet plans due to traffic buildup. In Vancouver, Washington, litigation tilted against the city's changes, as residents contended that such measures should have undergone public voting.
Evans acknowledged that road diets are not impermeable to reckless driving, stating that determined speeders will still engage in dangerous driving, regardless of road modifications. As urban planners and city officials navigate the complexities of road safety, community concerns, and the balance between pedestrian and vehicle traffic will remain a priority.
