The reviving river mill town of
Conshohocken, Pa. is seeing the problems that come from a rapid influx of new
residents. Among these, traffic
congestion brings by far the most complaints. To speed up traffic flow, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
(PennDOT) is proposing a fundamental change in the layout of the Borough’s
prime thoroughfare, Fayette Street. Borough Council, however, wants to increase
pedestrian safety. PennDOT calls its
proposal a “Road Diet,” and says putting Fayette Street on it will help to
alleviate both concerns. Is it possible
to both speed up traffic flow and increase pedestrian safety? Conshy residents should pay close attention
to this one.
For those readers unfamiliar with Conshohocken, Pa., the following two paragraphs
sum up the basics about the town and its backbone, Fayette Street. Those of you familiar with the area may safely
skip them.
Conshohocken, Pa., is a municipality (a “borough”) of approximately one
square mile, virtually all of which sits on a hillside, terminating at a
particularly scenic curve of the Schuylkill River. Fayette Street proceeds down the hillside that
is Conshohocken to the floodplain below, effectively bisecting the town (its
name derives from the fact that it is a considerably straightened version of
the route General Lafayette’s troops took in the retreat from Philadelphia that
culminated at Valley Forge). The street
is the left bank’s only direct means to cross the river and access the
intersection of two Interstate highways in the adjoining but much smaller
Borough of West Conshohocken. This
intersection, completed in the 1980s, has transformed both the formerly
downtrodden mill towns. The floodplains
of both are seeing condominiums, apartments and hotels replace the long-defunct
mills, while the value of older homes up the hill continues to
rise. The two boroughs are connected by
the Matsonford Bridge, which indicates the reason both Conshohockens came into
existence in the first place.
The lowest section of Fayette Street has been transformed as part of the
effort to accommodate the steadily increasing volume of traffic over the
bridge. It is the upper stretch—most of
the street, actually—that is now the subject of discussion. This stretch of Fayette Street is four lanes
wide, plus a parking lane on each side.
There are stoplights, but only at a minority of the intersections. Left turns onto Fayette from Borough streets
thus require crossing two lanes of incoming traffic before turning and merging
into one of the two lanes in the other direction (legally, only the near lane,
but you know how traffic behaves).
During high traffic periods this can be an intimidating task. Equally intimidating is the effort a
pedestrian much exert to walk across four lanes of traffic in the absence of a
traffic light.
Fayette Street carries Borough residents on their way to the Interstates
across the river, but also carries traffic into and out of the Borough from the
neighboring townships of Whitemarsh and Plymouth, some of which is headed
to/from these highways. It is thus, by
definition, an “arterial road.”
Wikipedia defines this as “a high-capacity urban road,” and identifies
its primary function as “to deliver traffic from collector roads to freeways or
expressways and between urban centers at the highest level of service possible." The engineering terminology derives from large
urban centers, but in a municipality of only one square mile, the usual
distinction between “collector roads” and urban streets is irrelevant. Many of Conshohocken’s urban streets debouch
directly onto Fayette Street.
To get traffic moving more quickly, PennDOT wants to put Fayette Street
on a “Road Diet.” It proposes to convert
the current four-lane structure to three lanes, consisting of one through lane
in each direction and a center two-way left-turn lane. The parking lanes on each side would not be
altered.
Just how can fewer lanes improve the flow of traffic? The major reason is that by changing the four
lanes to three you make the center lane a mutual left-turn lane, for both
directions. Such an arrangement can do
wonders for that bugaboo of urban driving, getting stuck behind a car making a
left turn. Absent a designated left-turn lane, the left
lane, so-called “fast” lane, is periodically blocked by cars stopped to make a
turn and waiting for oncoming traffic to clear.
In even light traffic, those annoying delays can frustrate drivers,
particularly those who wish to pass through the town as quickly as
possible. “Studies show that…” as the
experts say, going on a road diet actually speeds up traffic flow.
But the June 2nd article in MoreThanTheCurve.Com about the proposal pointed out a potential
conflict: while PennDOT’s goal is “to create conditions to move
vehicles as quickly and effectively as possible…the municipality wants to slow
traffic and create a safer environment.”
So what about Conshohocken’s
stated goal of increasing pedestrian safety?
There will be fewer lanes to cross, but more traffic at a higher speed
travelling along them.
This is where things get interesting, at least for us non-traffic engineers. It appears that while PennDOT sees a road diet as
increasing both the speed and the density of traffic, Borough Council sees it
doing the exact opposite. As the article
in MoreThanTheCurve.Com put it, “Members of Borough Council seemed interested
in this concept as a way to calm traffic and discourage pass through traffic in
the Borough. For example, if a commuter
is coming from Whitemarsh, this new configuration might encourage him or her to
access [Interstate] 76 off Chemical Road instead of driving down Fayette Street
to the bridge.”
The Wikipedia articles on arterial roads and road diets offer a
fascinating juxtaposition. An arterial
road should deliver traffic at “the highest level of service,” (in both speed
and density), but “Proponents of road diets generally believe key benefits
include LOWER VEHICULAR SPEEDS [emphasis mine], reduced crash rates, and
improved pedestrian safety.” That’s probably why the
Borough Council and Administration see merit in the proposal. Borough Mayor Bob Frost even suggested that
if the project goes forward, the lane configuration change be extended one
block closer to the bridge.
The Federal Highway Administration would
appear to agree. MoreThanTheCurve.Com quoted it as saying, “A roadway configuration known as a Road Diet offers several high-value
improvements at a low cost when applied to traditional four-lane undivided
highways. In addition to low cost, the
primary benefits of a Road Diet include enhanced safety, mobility and access
for all road users and a “complete streets” environment to accommodate a
variety of transportation modes.”
For Fayette Street, that means a dedicated
bicycle lane on each side of the street. Expediting bicyclists on Fayette
Street can have a very beneficial effect. The nation’s finest river valley trail system—The Schuylkill
River Trail—traverses Conshohocken’s floodplain. I have written previously about my concern that the “old” Conshy up the hill will be isolated from the “new” Conshy down
below. Bicycle lanes will certainly help, but the proposal does not provide a dedicated connection to the Trail. What are bicyclists going to do on
those last two blocks before the floodplain, on those streets most choked by traffic? Connecting to that fantastic Schuylkill Valley Trail could
be difficult, if not dangerous.
Bicycle lanes are but a small
component of the plan. The proposal was
only an introductory one, and many details need to be filled in. And that’s just in Conshohocken itself. As Fayette Street beyond 12th Street becomes Butler Pike, separating the two townships of Plymouth and Whitemarsh, PennDOT’s proposal
would involve—and require the approval of—both these municipalities.
All too often, planning decisions come down to which gets priority, the
community or the drivers, and community rarely wins. What will happen in this case? Can Fayette Street after a Road Diet increase
both traffic flow and pedestrian safety? The initial confusion over just what a “Road Diet” is going to
accomplish in Conshohocken, Pa. is likely the result of relying on Wikipedia to
analyze a specific situation, which is why I am sharing this post with groups
of people who actually understand the subject.
I want to understand better, but the residents of Conshohocken, Pa. are
the ones who need the guidance more.
Thus I close with an appeal to those of
you who read this and who actually do understand how roads, traffic and “road
diets” work, to help inform the residents of Conshohocken more fully than I
can. You can communicate to me on this
blog site and I will share your thoughts, or do so directly to residents on the
following Facebook pages:
Thanks!
