Comment 25936

By ventrems (registered) | Posted July 14, 2008 at 18:30:06

Observation:

One-way streets, as they stand, are not conducive to pedestrian traffic and negatively affect the surrounding neighbourhoods. Main and King Streets are expressways that cut through the heart of the downtown.

Possible Solutions: 1) Introduce traffic calming measures, reduce the # of traffic lanes, etc. (As advocated by some Councillors).

2) Convert the one-way streets to two-way (as advocated by other Councillors, and most downtown residents).

Analysis: Let's say we convert both Main St and King St to one way, but narrowed with traffic calming measures. Perhaps three lanes total (like Rue St-Jean, the only major artery in Quebec City which is one-way). This leaves three lanes for eastbound vehicles, and three lanes for westbound vehicles. Traffic will be slowed indeed... to a standstill.

However, if both Main and King Streets are converted to two-way, there will be two lanes of traffic in each direction on each street, thus providing four lanes in total for eastbound and westbound traffic. This would also slow traffic, but not as significantly as a one-way road narrowing solution would.

Seems the logical choice, for both drivers and pedestrians, is a conversion to two-way streets.

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