Road Diet Workshops
By Airton G. Kohls
The Tennessee Transportation Assistance Program (TTAP) in collaboration with the Federal Highway Administration Resource Center and the FHWA Tennessee Division Office presented two free Road Diet workshops in Knoxville and Memphis. Participants discussed how agencies can use Road Diet countermeasures to improve safety, operations, and livability in their communities. A total of 92 people from 24 different agencies and 8 different consulting firms attended the workshops.
Attendees worked on real world scenario projects, evaluating their current operational conditions, documenting findings and making recommendations to improve roadway safety. Participants were introduced to the FHWA Road Diet Informational Guide and guided through a decision-making process to determine when a Road Diet may be a good solution. A copy of this document can be found at: https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/road_diets/case_studies/roaddiet_cs.pdf
One of the case studies illustrated in this informational guide describes how the Virginia Department of Transportation implemented a Road Diet in Reston, Virginia on a 2-mile section of roadway. The main objective was to reduce crashes and speeding and improve safety and connectivity for bicyclists. A before/after analysis of speeds confirmed that operating speeds were reduced after Road Diet implementation. In response, VDOT lowered the speed limit on the 2-mile section from 45mph to 40mph. Five years after the Road Diet conversion, a safety study revealed a 70 percent reduction in crashes on the subject roadway section.
Finally, we would like to recognize Jessica Rich from FHWA Tennessee Division Office and Mr. Keith Harrison from FHWA Resource Center for their collaboration on the success of these workshops.
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