In an effort to make downtown safer and more attractive, Louisville, KY, is replacing downtown stop lights with stop signs.
The move is part of a larger plan that includes returning one-way streets to two-way, removing excess lanes, and adding parking and bike lanes.
The plan was presented at the Downtown Louisville Partnership’s State of Downtown meeting in July.
Former Tyler Park Neighborhood Association President Shawn Reilly discussed the rationale for removing the signals, “You’re encouraging speeding by a row of green lights. With the stop signs at the intersections, you’re stopping, you’re waiting, and then you’re going, and that’s just another way to slow down the traffic and make it safer.”
A similar plan was implemented in Albuquerque, NM. At first drivers complained about the change from stoplights to stop signs. But then they realized that driving more slowly and stopping more frequently also meant they didn’t have to idle at red lights.
Pedestrian safety is covered regularly in Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter.
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