04. Two-Way Street Conversions Downtown — original pdf

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Two-Way Street Conversions in Downtown Austin One Policy: Many Benefits 49% Fewer crashes 23% Less crime 39% Property value rise Two-Way Street Conversion: Evidence of Increased Livability in Louisville KY (Riggs & Gilderbloom (2015), Journal of Planning Education and Research 10-20% Increase in retail sales (Vancouver WA) "One-way streets should not be allowed in prime downtown retail areas. We've proven that." Rebecca Ocken, Executive Director, Vancouver WA Downtown Association “The design has facilitated a better response from police and fire.” “When we experience a problem, we are provided with more options to redirect traffic.” Wm. Todd Bailey, Police Chief, New Albany IN Less Congestion, Shorter Travel Times “Dozens of cities have reconfigured one-way streets into two-way streets as a means of bringing their downtowns to life.” Governing Magazine Two-Way Conversions: One Policy, Many Benefits ● Safer streets ● More walking and bicycling ● Healthier local businesses ● Faster emergency access ● Lower crime ● Higher property values ● Easier navigation and access Addressing Left-Turn Lanes & Transit Reliability ● Left-turn pockets ● Leading left-turn traffic signals ● All-way stops ● Prohibit left turns at certain intersections and/or at certain times Two-Way Conversions: Success Every Time in Austin 1992: First Street / E Cesar Chavez, Second Street (east of I-35) 2008: Cesar Chavez, Second Street 2015: Brazos Street 2017: 5th Street 2018: Colorado Street 2019: 16th, 17th, 18th Street “Sixth Street should be immediately converted to two-way traffic…" Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team (R/UDAT) of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), 1991 “Just do it.” “15 minutes after you make the change [to two-way], people will be asking why you didn’t do it 25 years earlier.” Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak (2010)