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RE:Fire/EMS Input on "Road Diet" Projects

From: Dwight Kingsbury To: All Member Forum Posted:01-04-2013 04:19 PM Message:If, apart from the EMS response question, a 3-lane roadway conversion is deemed practical in other respects, then such a conversion may well improve EMS response. This point is made in ITE's Recommended Practice on Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares ("Three-lane roadways can improve emergency response by allowing emergency vehicles to bypass congestion by using the two-way left-turn lane", chapter 9, "Traveled Way Design Guidelines", http://www.ite.org/css/online/DWUT09.html). Scores of such roadways are already operating. Four-lane roadways can be rather awkward for EMS response. Drivers who hear an emergency vehicle siren are supposed to pull over to the right edge, and drivers in the curb lane can usually do so without much difficulty (on any given block, more than a couple cyclists are unlikely to be present under typical conditions, so plenty of curbside room remains for motorists). Drivers in inside lanes, though, often seem uncertain about where to go. If the curb lane has traffic, inside-lane drivers cannot pull over until they see where space remains for them. Sometimes inside-lane drivers move over only slightly and stop. EMS vehicle drivers then thread a path somewhere along the center of the roadway. With a 3-lane cross-section, all through traffic should already be in the two outside travel lanes (which would no longer be "curb lanes" if bike lanes are included in the reconfiguration). Even if bike lanes are marked, more than a few cyclists are unlikely to be present on any given block under typical conditions, so plenty of curbside space should be open for motorists to pull over (this assumes, obviously, that curbside space has not been designated for on-street parking). The only vehicles in the center lane should be those of drivers who were planning to turn left. On the approach to an intersection, these drivers can often do something to clear the way, e.g,, proceed to make their left turns after other drivers have stopped (if EMS is approaching to overtake them), or move somewhere to the right (if EMS vehicle is oncoming). With a 48 ft. curb-to-curb width and a 12 ft center LT lane, the width between the LT lane and the curb is 18 ft. After drivers in the travel lane have pulled to the curb, a corridor of 10+ ft should be clear in the travel lane, and the opening will be augmented by space on the near side of the adjacent LT lane, which is likely to be unoccupied for at least a width of a few feet even if befuddled LT lane drivers are present and don't move more than a couple feet out of the way. Consequently, a more predictable and practical path is likely to be open for the EMS driver with this configuraion.

------------------------------------------Dwight Kingsbury FDOT Safety Office Tallahassee FL 850-245-1520

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------------------------------------------Original Message: Sent: 01-03-2013 12:25 PM From: Christopher Comeau Subject: Fire/EMS Input on "Road Diet" Projects Thanks to all for input about Fire/EMS involvement in "Road Diet" projects. I would still like to hear from any one else who has worked to educate Fire/EMS officials on the overall safety benefits of "Road Diets" to lessen their resistance and overcome the common perceptions of increased traffic congestion, access restrictions, delay of emergency response, etc. Our Fire Dept is somewhat resistant to this effort. For those who brought up bicycle safety issues, I'd like to clarify that this project is primarily about decreasing collisions while also improving mobility for all users groups. From 2006 to 2011 the overall collision rate was double the average rate for similar roads in Northwest Washington and over four times higher than the countywide collision rate. Locally, the Alabama corridor was second only to Guide-Meridian (SR539) in both total and injury collisions. Project http://www.cob.org/services/planning/transportation/alabama-corridor-study.aspx ------------------------------------------Christopher Comeau AICP Transportation Planner City of Bellingham Public Works Bellingham WA ccomeau@cob.org -------------------------------------------

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