2050 Long Range Transportation Plan Virtual Public Priorities Workshop

Pros:

• Increases road capacity, can alleviate traffic congestion and lead to smoother traffic flow and reduced travel time in the short term.
• Reduces the likelihood of crashes related to congestion by giving drivers additional room.

Cons:

• Wider streets can be less safe for turning traffic, pedestrians, and bicyclists.
• Widening streets can often lead to long-term increases in traffic due to drivers choosing the higher-capacity route.
• Can negatively impact the livability of adjacent neighborhoods due to increased air pollution, loss of green spaces, and additional noise.

Pros:

• Cost-effective use of existing infrastructure and equipment.
• Reduces overall travel time and congestion due to vehicles stopping at fewer intersections.
• Can improve safety.

Cons:

• Optimization methods do not prioritize non-motorized users.
• Unable to be funded by many state and federal funding sources.
• Timing and optimization strategies require regular maintenance and monitoring.

Pros:

• Reduces injury crashes by 75 percent or more due to naturally lower speeds.
• Can provide enhanced pedestrian safety when crossings are placed further away from where vehicles enter the roundabout.
• Can reduce average vehicle delay at intersections.
• Long-term maintenance costs are lower than a traffic signal.

Cons:

• Pedestrian traffic must travel a further distance outside the roundabout and use a crossing where vehicles are not stopped.
• Often creates a larger right-of-way footprint than other intersection types.
• Initial costs of implementation may be higher than a traditional intersection.

Pros:

• Increases capacity on roadway.
• Reduces low severity, rear-end crashes by an average of 50 percent.

Cons:

• Increase crossing distances for multimodal users - negatively impacting safety.
• Vehicles stacking in the turn lane can cause delays in the through lanes.

Pros:

• Reduces vehicle crashes.
• Increases pedestrian safety by allowing a pedestrian refuge in the median.

Cons:

• Creates additional street space than not having a median, which may require on-street parking removal or additional right of way.
• Medians can restrict property access.
• May slightly increase travel distance to reach destinations due to potential restricted left turns.

Pros:

• Improves safety by providing a dedicated lane to turning traffic and potentially reducing travel speeds.
• Creates on-street parking or bike lane opportunities.
• Can be a cost-effective way to reducing severe crashes through low-cost modifications to existing infrastructure.

Cons:

• Can decrease the overall street capacity and lead to increased peak hour congestion.
• Road diets are not a universal solution and may not be appropriate for all corridors.

Pros:

• Increases visibility of people crossing for drivers.
• Decreases risk of pedestrian collisions.
• Creates a more pedestrian-friendly and safer environment.
• Significantly increases vehicles yielding to crossing pedestrians.

Cons:

• Enhanced crosswalks may require additional maintenance costs and staff time.
• Installing infrastructure to shorten pedestrian crossings can be expensive.
• Snow removal and other maintenance costs may increase.

Pros:

• Increases cyclist comfort and safety by clearly identifying bicyclists' space.
• Creates physical separation between bicyclists and automobiles.

Cons:

• Cycle tracks require additional street space and may require additional right of way, narrowing or re-purposing of travel lanes, and on-street parking lanes.
• Increased maintenance costs for regular restriping and pavement markings.

Pros:

• Separation from vehicular traffic can improve the experience for some users.
• A boulevard section can be landscaped to add to aesthetics and user comfort.

Cons:

• Sidepaths add to the total right-of-way width requirements.
• Drivers turning out of driveways and side streets may have a harder time seeing people bicycling on a sidepath than on an on-street facility.

Pros:

• Separation from vehicular traffic can provide a direct and safe connection.
• Provides connections across barriers that cannot otherwise be crossed.

Cons:

• Grade separations are expensive.
• Where they require out-of-direction travel, pedestrians may not use the grade separation.

Pros:

• Increased access for those with irregular schedules.
• Increase mobility for people that cannot drive or do not have access to a car.

Cons:

• Higher costs to operate the transit system.

Pros:

• Closer to an on-demand service that would allow transit trips to be provided when unplanned needs and emergencies arise.

Cons:

• Higher costs, potentially including more transit vehicles to accommodate shorter-term ride requests.