Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Converting roads from four lanes to three has been found to reduce collisions anywhere from 20 to 50 percent. That's huge! Image: Streets.mn
Converting roads from four lanes to three has been found to reduce collisions anywhere from 20 to 50 percent. Image: Streets.mn
false

Bill Lindeke at Streets.mn calls them "death roads." Four-lane roads in urban areas can indeed be perilous.

An 11-year-old boy was struck by a motorist on one of these roads recently in St. Paul. The media and others responded in typical fashion, deeming the crash an unavoidable "accident." But the truth is these types of collisions are easy to prevent, Lindeke says.

Converting four-lane roads to three lanes, a change commonly known as a "road diet," makes them substantially safer, with little downside. Lindeke cites the data.

#1) 3-lane roads are much safer for car drivers. According to a Federal Highway Administration study, changing a 4-lane Death Road™ into a three-lane road reduces automobile traffic accidents from 20% to 50% depending on the context. (Note: this makes intuitive sense if you’ve ever driven on a street like this.) There are dozens of similar studies out there.

#2) 3-lane roads have marginal impact on traffic flow. I’m not going to suggest that a 4-to-3 conversion of a Death Road™ has no impact on traffic flow (though sometimes that turns out to be the case). Rather, fixing a Death Road™ usually sees a reduction in car throughput in the 5% to 10% range. As another Federal Highway Administration report puts it, “under most average daily traffic (ADT) conditions tested, road diets have minimal effects on vehicle capacity.”

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Wednesday’s Headlines: To Repeat, This is Not an ‘Accident’ Edition

The mayor can't stop calling preventable crashes "accidents." Plus other news.

April 2, 2025

Simcha Felder, Longtime Orthodox Brooklyn Pol and Street Safety Foe, is M.I.A. After Speeding Driver Kills Three

Council Member Simcha Felder, who has represented Orthodox South Brooklyn for more than 20 years, has been silent since a speeding driver killed a mother and her two children on Ocean Parkway.

April 1, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Another Rally For Action Edition

Maybe this time, the slaughter of the innocent will lead to change. Plus other news.

April 1, 2025

EXCLUSIVE: Citi Bike to Add E-Tandems to Fleet on April 1

The Lyft-owned rentable bike company confirmed the news after a Streetsblog reporter happened upon two Citi Bike employees testing out the new wheels in a remote corner of Forest Park in Queens

April 1, 2025

State Lawmaker Wants To Override City’s ‘Stupid’ Winter Curbside Dining Ban

New legislation would force the city to allow curbside outdoor dining year-round after the city's arbitrary winter ban decimated the popular program.

April 1, 2025
See all posts