A Common Council committee this week recommended that Wells and State streets between N. 11th Street and N. 27th Street be repainted to accommodate one traffic lane and one parking lane in each direction.
The off-center lane marking configuration “has created a safety hazard for motorists and pedestrians, especially in winter driving conditions,” according to the resolution endorsed by the Public Works Committee.
State Street from N. Prospect Avenue to N. North Van Buren Street also will be repainted to accommodate one lane of traffic and parking in each direction. Existing lane markings there “also have created confusion and safety hazards during winter driving conditions,” according to the resolution by Ald. Robert Bauman.
I travel those streets around there occasionally, but I cannot remember what the current configuration is. Is that going to make for a wider or narrower lane? Wider is better when it comes to letting the motorists pass the cyclists while staying away from the parked cars.
If memory serves, the streets are two lanes going one way and one lane going the other. Then suddenly they are one lane in each direction.
Wells was 2 lanes east, 1 lane west; State was 2 lanes west and 1 lane east. While it may cause more congestion in the AM (Wells) and PM (State), the change will be overall to the good. It will also make the routes more bike friendly.