One-Way to Two Way Conversion Articles
South Bend, IN
Smart Streets
“It’s really hard to say if this [investment] would have happened anyway,” Bradley said. “Not as many (new investments), I can tell you that. Was it the single factor? Probably not. But was it a contributing factor? Yes. And does that contributing factor create momentum for the next decision that’s made? Yes.”
Oklahoma City, OK
Project 180
https://www.okc.gov/home/showdocument?id=11437
“Project 180 was born out of a desire to make downtown Oklahoma City more pedestrian-friendly and more appealing. From a practical standpoint, it involved converting most of the downtown’s one-way streets to two-way streets, but it also involved making changes that improved access for pedestrians and bicyclists as well as drivers. The city added enough on-street parking to equal a high-rise parking structure, for example. Bike lanes and destination markers that identify areas of historic interest are also included. “It has completely transformed our central business district,” Wenger says. “It has united our community.”
Charleston, SC
One-Way to Two-Way Street Conversions as a Preservation and Downtown Revitalization Tool: The Case Study of Upper King Street, Charleston, South Carolina
http://tigerprints.clemson.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1595&context=all_theses
“Beyond, an increase in property values, the one-way to two-way conversion of Upper King Street, generated a new interest in the commercial properties along the street, increased pedestrian activity of the area because of increased safety and general attractiveness, and has acted as catalyst in the further preservation of the storefronts lining Charleston’s most recognizable street.”
Cedar Rapids, IA
Two-ways the right way in Cedar Rapids
“We want our core districts to be interesting, vibrant, walkable neighborhoods,” Neumann said. “Two-way traffic patterns are friendly to newcomers and infrequent visitors, and they also prove to be far safer and more comfortable for pedestrians and bikers.”
Vancouver, WA
Conversion to two-way streets revs up Vancouver retailers
https://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/conversion_to_twoway_streets_r.html
“Converting three downtown streets from one-way to two-way appears to have done what a multimillion-dollar mixed-use makeover has not: breathe some life into the tired thoroughfares.”
Missoula, MT
Front Street/Main Street Two-Way Conversion Feasibility Study
http://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/DocumentCenter/View/29737
“The economic analysis determined that a short-term benefit in sales of approximately 10% to 13% for downtown retailers could be expected from the conversion.”
Are We Strangling Ourselves On One-Way Street Networks
“There are simply more (typically 30-40 percent) more vehicle/pedestrian conflicts within a one-way street network than in a comparable two-way system.”
Two-Way Street Networks: More Efficient Than Previously Thought?
https://www.accessmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2015/10/Two-Way-Street.pdf
“[E]ven though current research and conventional wisdom suggest that one-way street networks are more efficient than their two-way counterparts, we show that one-way networks are sometimes less efficient because they restrict the rate at which people reach their destinations.”
Two-Way Streets Can Fix Declining Downtown Neighborhoods
http://www.planetizen.com/node/69354
“The results were stunning. Two-way conversion improves the livability of a neighborhood by significantly reducing crime and collisions and by increasing property values, business revenue, taxes, and bike and pedestrian traffic. Outside consultants, with price tags of millions of dollars, never predicted this in places like Oslo, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Atlanta.”
The Many Benefits of Making One-Way Streets Two-Way
“What makes the finding even more impressive is that traffic safety improved on Brook and 1st even though traffic volume increased on these streets—13 and 40 percent, respectively. Over the same period, traffic volume on 2nd and 3rd dropped. In apparent real-world confirmation of theoretical traffic models, drivers seemed to accept the slower speeds in exchange for more direct access to their destination.”
Elements of Access: One-Way Streets
https://transportist.org/2015/05/11/
“Not only do one-way streets hinder accessibility and livability, but the traffic engineering benefits don’t necessarily seem to hold. While one-way streets are still needed when relatively narrow cross-sections prevent two-way traffic, in most other urban contexts, it is hard to imagine why so many cities continue to preserve one-way streets.”
Ten Principles for Rebuilding Neighborhood Retail
https://uli.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/TP_NeighborhoodRetail.ashx_1.pdf
“In most cases, one-way streets should be converted to two-way streets to eliminate the raceway effect of one-way arterials and give the streets more of a neighborhood character.”
Turning Around Downtown: Twelve Steps to Revitalization
https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/20050307_12steps.pdf
“Focus on essential issues such as water and sewer, intra-core transit, transit to the downtown, structured parking, conversion of one-way streets to two-way, tighter turning radiuses at intersections for a better pedestrian experience, and enhanced security and cleanliness, among others.”