In recent years, several U.S. cities have begun reversing the trend of converting two-way streets into one-way designs, citing safety concerns and community feedback. Indianapolis, Chicago, and Louisville are among the cities taking notable steps to restore their original street configurations, aiming to improve safety for both motorists and pedestrians.
Residents in Indianapolis have called the parallel, one-way streets around a gigantic new electronics plant a “racetrack.” This colorful, new moniker captures the extreme speeding that is rampant along these corridors. These local leaders have gone to great lengths to make their city streets safe. Mark St. John, chief engineer for the city’s Department of Public Works, is at the helm of the redesign push.
As of September, the city has finalized the redesigns for both Michigan and New York streets. Stay tuned—exciting plans are underway for ten more conversions in the near future! The combined estimated cost for these projects is $60 million. Economic inclusion Indianapolis resident James Taylor, who operates a community center close to the former RCA plant site, told The Indianapolis Star that the changes make him hopeful.
“The opening and conversion of those streets has just been transformative for how people think about that corridor.” – James Taylor
Chicago’s West Loop restaurant district, before and after. As kind of a short term measure to improve traffic flow, they took some two way streets and made them one way. In practice, cities like Louisville are rebuilding one-way streets back into their original two-way configurations. As a consequence, more folks are asking whether one-way designs truly improve safety.
Wade Walker, an engineer with Kittelson & Associates, described the most common misconception. There’s a widespread belief that one-way streets are safer for pedestrians because they only have to worry about looking in one direction when crossing the street. He emphasized an important aspect of street safety:
“It’s not the number of conflicts, it’s the way those conflicts occur.” – Wade Walker
In fact, this movement toward restoring two-way streets runs the country from north to south and east to west. Today in Louisville, officials are in the process of undoing one-way conversions as part of a larger restoration of a walkable, human-scaled downtown. Every day, cities are taking steps to turn this narrative around and to create more welcoming, safer places. This amendment is part of an encouraging shift nationally to value people over cars.
Adam Greenfield of Austin, Texas is executive director of Safe Streets Austin. In fact, he is personally going to war to remove every one-way street from his city as you can imagine. He claims that these street designs make it significantly more difficult for pedestrians and cyclists to navigate these dangerous urban environments.
Greenfield’s advocacy highlights a growing movement within the field of urban planning and community leadership. They understand that creating safer streets requires rethinking how we use road space. Pedestrian safety worries are a chorus sung by people like him. Alderman Bill Conway raised questions about the decision-making process behind street conversions, stating:
“Even if this was the right move to make these streets one-way, it certainly doesn’t make sense to not ask the opinion of the neighbors.” – Alderman Bill Conway
This feeling is becoming more popular among concerned city planners around the country, who know well that engaged community stakeholders are key driving forces behind livable, walkable urban environments. Mark St. John noted that Indianapolis is committed to listening to residents as it moves forward with its street redesigns.
The push for reverting one-way streets aligns with a broader understanding of urban mobility and safety. Transportation planner Dave Amos once said that one-way streets are designed to move cars as quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively as possible. That design frequently conflicts with the community’s needs.
Cities are serious about taking on their traffic safety crisis and responding to communities’ desires for safer streets. In the coming years, the trend of converting one-way streets back to two-way designs will only grow. The conversations surrounding these changes reflect a willingness among urban planners and officials to adapt and evolve based on the needs of their communities.
