COMMUNITIES EMBRACE WIDESPREAD ROAD DIET USE

Since 2009, Road Diets have rapidly become culturally accepted in Michigan, and agencies are scouring their systems to identify which 4-lane roads are the best candidates for a Road Diet.

Genesee County Metropolitan Planning Commission (GCMPC), encompassing one county and 33 municipalities, has been both progressive and aggressive with Road Diet installations. Since the introduction of this safety treatment to the public, the GCMPC set out to make Road Diets a positive treatment in the community's eyes. The 4- to 3-lane Road Diet conversions in the county have been so successful that citizens now favor the 3-lane cross section where it is operationally feasible.

City of Clio.

The GCMPC stated that...

"Road Diets are seen as treatments that can be used to keep a downtown area 'current' and follow the national [livability] trends."

BACKGROUND

The real boost to widespread implementation of Road Diets in the region occurred in 2009 with the adoption of a Complete Streets program and completion of a technical study in which the GCMPC assessed every 4-lane road in its jurisdiction for potential of conversion to 3 lanes, ranking the desirability of each for Road Diet consideration.

In the beginning, routes with lower volumes (6,000 to 8,000 vehicles per day) were targeted in order to allow for easy conversion, and the results included immediate safety benefits. After several successful conversions with positive outcomes, GCMPC began selecting implementation sites with higher volumes – up to 15,000 vehicles per day.

GCMPC has encouraged local agencies in the county to try out a low-cost Road Diet by restriping existing 4-lane segments to three lanes as part of their ongoing restriping plans. After a trial period, if the conversion is not operating as desired or publicly accepted, the road can be restriped back to the original layout.

STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT, EDUCATION, AND BUY-IN

GCMPC uses an educational approach to gain public support for Road Diets. Selecting appropriate Road Diet locations within the county based on engineering studies is the first step. The GCMPC then approaches individual city agencies about the potential Road Diet corridor and educates the stakeholders on the benefits. This collaboration begins early in the planning process and continues through the Road Diet installation. Working together with these stakeholders gives a sense of project awareness and buy-in to all involved, and it helps to overcome obstacles that arise along the way, leading to smoother implementation.

SAFETY

Road Diet installations have improved safety in Genesee County. Analyzing the traffic crash data from 1996 to 2007, the GCMPC completed a before-and-after safety study using seven Road Diet sites, with results showing an overall reduction of crashes.