The Seattle area and Puget Sound as a whole is one of the worst places in the country for traffic. We often fall in the 3rd to 6th place in the country for traffic congestion consistently year after year even though we have a relatively low population compared to many places around the country. Some of it has to do with the weather, some of the problem is the lack of fast extensive mass transit, and of course crossing a bridge to get anywhere in the area doesn’t help.
One big concern is the number of car accidents due to congestion. Of course, environmental advocates and civil planners alike want part of the solution to be getting people out of cars. The city is doing what it can by creating a long-overdue rail system that goes from downtown to some of the outlying and high traffic areas. But this is America and Americans love their cars.
Many car accidents happen on the freeways and highways, but if you read this blog you know that for every accident on the highway, there are two on the surface streets. We have done literally hundreds of stories about cars turning left across multiple lanes of traffic just to get into a T-bone accident with a car they didn’t see coming in the far lane. Also, left turns across multiple lanes is the #1 cause of pedestrian accidents.
A study by the Federal Highway Administration has just concluded and they say that they have a solution for both traffic flow and to reduce accidents at the same time. It’s called a “Road Diet.”
Road Diet Study
The study looked at “road diets” in several cities and suburbs in California and Washington, including Bellevue and Seattle. It also analyzed data from small towns in Iowa.
Essentially, the concept is that by making existing four lane main roads and creating wide one lane roads with a turn lane in the middle and a bike lane will reduce pedestrian accidents and will not inhibit traffic flow because there are not cars stopping traffic to turn left.
Researchers looked at four-lane reconfiguration similar to the city’s proposal for Northeast 125th Street in North Seattle. They also studied the lane reductions made on Stone Way North and Nickerson Street in 2007 in which the fourth lane was converted to another use such as bike lanes or sidewalks.
The data from Washington and California showed a 19% reduction in collisions. The data from Iowa showed a whopping 47% decrease, but that may be just due to a lower volume of cars. As the study explains, speeds can vary on four-lane street between lanes, and drivers must slow or change lanes due to slower vehicles and cars stopped in the left lane trying to turn left.
“In contrast, on streets with two through lanes plus a center turn lane, drivers’ speeds are limited by the speed of the lead vehicle in the through lanes, and through vehicles are separated from left-turning vehicles. Thus, road diets may reduce vehicle speeds and vehicle interactions, which could potentially reduce the number and severity of vehicle-to-vehicle crashes.”
The study researchers admit that this does not work for all roads, only roads that have a traffic volume that averages less than 20,000 cars per day, NE 125th gets about 16,200 vehicles per day.
Washington Car Accidents
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) reached similar conclusions when they studied the after-effects of a road diet on Stone Way North. Stone Way traffic collisions dropped 14% while crash injuries decreased by 33% after the road diet. Bike traffic increased by 35%.
Of course this study has its opponents and some of the reactions look similar to road rage. The main concern is the fact that this proposal says straight out that the reconfiguration of the road slows the overall speed of the road. Of course this is enough to enrage some people, inspiring them to call the plan “liberal pandering” to environmentalists and bicycle advocates.
Others who oppose the system say that traffic congestion is bad enough that lowering or limiting the capacity of area roads forces people to take alternative routes on highways where there is a higher chance of personal injury in car accidents. Of course, there is no evidence supporting that claim.
Another point that opponents have brought up is their concern for local businesses. They point out that reconfiguring roads hurt businesses during construction and the slowing of the road may deter people from going to that area. They point to business closures on Stone Way since 2007. What the people with this concern may have overlooked is the fact that 2007 was the beginning of a massive global economic downturn. Though there is no causal evidence as to the loss of business on Stone Way, the reconfiguring of the road may have less to do with the demise of small businesses and may have to do with the economic downturn, which has killed thousands of small businesses around the country since 2007.
Regardless, we support any initiative that lowers the number of car accidents, bicycle accidents, and pedestrian accidents. These types of reconfigurations all add to the “Target Zero” initiative proposed by Governor Gregoir, which aims to eliminate all vehicle fatalities by 2030. Along with seat belt laws and stiff drunk driving laws these may all add up to a successful campaign.
Phillips Webster represents families of victims who have been injured or died in car accidents in Washington state. They are skilled attorneys in wrongful death lawsuits and personal injury lawsuits with years of experience that they will use to assure the you get the compensation you deserve. Call today for a free consultation.
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