Ayres Knowledge Center Implement Intersection and Bike Lane Game Changers
“If we can develop and design
streets so that they are wonderful,
fulfilling places to be – community-
building places, attractive for
all people – then we will have
successfully designed about one-
third of the city directly and will
have had an immense impact on
the rest.”
– Allan B. Jacobs, “Great Streets”
INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS, BIKE LANES
ARE URBAN GAME CHANGERS
By Tristan Hickman, PE – Traffic Engineer | Ayres Associates
Heavy traffic is one of the downsides of living in an urban area. But cities and their
residents do not have to sit idly by as their arterial streets become unnecessarily clogged
by outdated technology – or begin to feel like dangerous canyons that pedestrians and
bicyclists fear to even attempt crossing. Traffic engineers hold the key to streets where
shared use by motorists, trucks, pedestrians, bicyclists, and mass transit leads to more
orderly traffic flow that gives everyone their turn to use streets that act as connections,
not great divides slashing neighborhoods in half.
Communities looking to preserve a high quality of life and a strong urban fabric of
commercial and residential development are well-advised to commit to creating a
walkable, bicycle-friendly community that serves the mobility needs of its residents. The
challenge is to develop a consensus design that meets community stakeholder concerns
while creating a safe street for all users.
The calculus of street and traffic design – along with the subtleties of calming landscape
architecture – can deliver a dramatic change in the way users experience a street and
ultimately how humans function, interact, and move through intersections. Let’s look
at how modern intersection design, signal systems, and bike lanes help everyone move
along more efficiently.
AyresAssociates.com