NCDOT’s roadway resurfacing project on the downtown stretch of Greensboro Street in Carrboro is nearing completion, revealing an updated pavement marking plan (developed by town staff, approved by NCDOT) that brings some welcome safety improvements. On the 0.3-mile stretch between Poplar Avenue and Oak Avenue, the motor vehicle lanes in each direction have been narrowed to 10 feet, allowing for a new 2-foot buffer along the previously unbuffered bike lanes (cross-section diagram in this press release).
Photo by Brian Hsu
The downtown section of Greensboro Street has seen plenty of fast and unsafe driving over the years, as written about on the Blog Blog (here, here, and here). While it is not one of the deadliest roads in the area, it is identified in our regional Vision Zero plan as having a relatively high risk of crashes that can lead to injuries or deaths.
Photo by Brian Hsu
Contrary to the belief that wider vehicle lanes improve safety by giving drivers more “room for error,” any such effect is far outweighed by the faster speeds that they encourage, which result in deadlier crashes when they happen. As shown by a recent landmark study of crash data, narrow motor vehicle lanes (9 or 10 feet) produce fewer crashes than wider lanes. The safety gains are particularly robust on streets with speed limits between 30-35 mph and streets with a bicycle lane, exactly what we have on this part of Greensboro Street.
While it is no silver bullet for making our streets safe and accomodating for all modes of transportation, narrower lanes are a smart step in the right direction. Let’s thank Town of Carrboro staff for developing the plan, and keep pushing to make Greensboro Street safer (I’ve got physically buffered bike lanes and raised crosswalks on my wishlist).