Four lanes became two, with a centre turn lane and bike lanes (representative image). Image Credits: ChatGPT
The 2015 National Roadway Safety Awards guide from the US federal Highway Administration (FHWA) says the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) changed four lanes to two, put in a centre turn lane and made the extra width into bike lanes. VDOT announced the goal of reducing crashes by 20%. After the project, they fell from 16 a year to five, a drop of 69%. VDOT also ran an enormous outreach effort, and it was during this effort that engineers publicly shared the 20% forecast.
FHWA’s write-up said that meant the cost to the state was minimal. Sometimes the smartest way to fix a dangerous road might just be to take away space. That’s what happened on Lawyers Road in Reston, Virginia. There was also space for bike lanes. The work was little more than pavement markings, so VDOT added it to a resurfacing project already planned.
Iowa sites saw a 47% dip in total crashes. In California and Washington, it dropped 19%. Together, the drop was 29%.
A 2010 FHWA study, ‘ Evaluation of Lane Reduction “Road Diet” Measures on Crashes ,’ examined 45 sites in California, Iowa, and Washington. The same summary says that sites with smaller gains tended to have heavier traffic. Not exactly, although Reston’s result was good. Lawyers Road beat all of these figures. This means that the benefits may dwindle as roads get busier. So, a road diet is not a magic fix, and one road cannot speak for all cities. However, it’s a useful reminder: before widening a road, ask if a calmer layout could do the job.
A VDOT survey showed a 74% approval rating after the project. Lawyers Road won the Infrastructure and Operational Improvement category of the 2015 awards, which FHWA and the Roadway Safety Foundation had jointly sponsored since 1998. Not everyone was sold at first. The idea was initially met with mixed support, which is to be expected when a road that people use every day suddenly changes. The early concerns were resolved with the success of Lawyers Road. When nearby Soapstone Drive came up for resurfacing, many Reston residents supported a similar road diet. That project also gave positive results, the guide notes.