Actually, those one-way streets, particularly First Street, remain — even though Interstate 35 has been the route of choice for time-strapped travelers for nearly 30 years.
Worse, outdated First Street has evolved into a confusing mess of one-way traffic, then two-way, trucks illegally stopped in driving lanes to unload, ill-placed and little-used loading zones, and cars that zip along dangerously faster than they should.
City officials have been talking about fixing all of this for more than 10 years. They’ve been studying it closely for about 14 months, including with $112,171 worth of assistance from a consultant, Minneapolis-based Alliant Engineering. A proposed solution is expected to be presented to the City Council as soon as Monday. The solution is a plan to convert First Street, all of it from Mesaba Avenue to 24th Avenue East, to uniform two-way traffic, with signals and stop signs at intersections that accurately reflect traffic volumes and patterns, and with truck-loading zones where they’re really needed.
The deeply researched and well-thought-out plan reflects the priorities and input of Duluthians, First Street business operators, and others with interest in the downtown and our community. It deserves serious consideration and adoption, even if a tweak or two are determined to still be needed.
“It’s obvious that it is such a fractured operating street right now, that there really are many benefits to be earned by making this change,” Duluth Senior Transportation Planner Kris Liljeblad said at a May 28 public meeting, held virtually. “While there are still opponents of the project, we think there are overriding benefits.”
Right now, First Street between Mesaba Avenue and 24th Avenue East switches between one-way traffic and two-way at four different points. “This can be very confusing for motorists and, in some cases, for pedestrians,” Liljeblad said. “The fear here, of course, is that when people are unsure about what to do, they sometimes do crazy things. That can be a hazard as well as an inconvenience.”
Numerous studies have all reached the same conclusion about two-way traffic: It moves more slowly than traffic on one-way streets, which is safer for pedestrians. The chances of a pedestrian dying after being struck are three times greater when the vehicle is moving at 30 mph instead of 20 mph. The chances of dying are eight times greater when the speed jumps from 20 mph to 40 mph, according to the data compiled by the city and its consultant. The full report is on the city’s website.
Converting First Street to all two-way traffic won’t cost much. A double yellow line will need to be painted in place of the white centerline. And a few signs, traffic signals, and other street markings will have to be added or readjusted. The work will be able to be done by city crews which already have converted several avenues downtown and elsewhere from one-way to two-way — with seamless results.
Yes, the encroachment of snowbanks in wintertime and how snow is plowed are legit concerns for First Street’s coming conversion. But the street right now is legally wide enough for two-way traffic and two parking lanes. The minimum curb-to-curb width requirement in state law is 34 feet in business and medical districts. First Street in these areas is presently 41 to 42 feet wide. In addition, the city is working to improve its snow-emergency practices.
“The snowplowing issue is a priority of administration,” said Adam Fulton, deputy director of planning and economic development for the city.
It needs to be if last winter’s poor plowing performance was any indication.
The availability of metered parking along converted First Street is also a concern being addressed. With input from business operators and others, only six parking spaces are to be lost under the current plan. There are about 180 to 200 metered spaces now. Six fewer is a loss of less than 3%, which isn’t a lot to give up for a less-confusing and and much-improved street.
“You don’t want to lose any on-street parking, I know that, … but I was actually pleased to see it was only six. That was surprisingly low to me,” Duluth Police Parking Manager Mark Bauer said. “Nothing is permanent. … (Parking) is probably the easiest thing to change down the road as we account (for) the needs in the future and readjust. …
“We’ll continue to talk through what (any changes) mean for businesses, and I can throw out there that we’re still hoping to make tweaks to the plan as we go through to get this right for everybody.”
Getting this right for everybody can be a shared goal. So can a smarter First Street that no longer has to pretend it’s I-35.
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June 18, 2020 at 11:00PM
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Our View: Two-way First Street a plan worth embracing - Duluth News Tribune
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