Road Diet Promotes Small Town Feel in Morgan Hill

This post is courtesy of Nathan Winchell, a resident of downtown Morgan HillThe 6th month pilot lane reduction in downtown Morgan Hill has already begun to restore the small town feel that had been overshadowed by the busy commute traffic of recent years.By many, Morgan Hill is still thought of as an agricultural community. The kind of small town where families can choose to live a slower paced lifestyle, while still having a choice to work in Silicon Valley or in the many local industries. Unfortunately, as the town has continued to grow, traffic congestion and the accompanying added noise greatly affected the enjoyment and relaxing feel of our lovely downtown.Morgan Hill’s downtown is along Monterey Road, and although other arterial roads were created to encourage commuters to use other routes, Monterey Road continued to feel much like an expressway, and less like a downtown street. Cars and trucks rushing through the four lanes of traffic rattled the silverware of the outdoor dining tables. The close proximity of vehicle fumes negatively colored the flavor of food and drink, as well as destroyed the small town atmosphere. Pedestrians felt crossing the four lane street often became a risky game of Frogger, and without a bike lane, people on bikes were bullied by cars and often choose to ride on the sidewalk or not at all.But then our city council and downtown merchants collaborated on a new experiment; a six-month lane reduction with the goal to place more importance on the safety of pedestrians, bikes, and the vitality of the downtown businesses. Living in the downtown for nine years, I can honestly tell you I have never felt better in my own community. Daily I am encouraged when I see families and friends riding bikes together, enjoying outdoor dining, and enjoying the beautiful downtown Morgan Hill has come to offer.Editors Note: The Morgan Hill Times has an online survey asking for resident's thoughts on the the city's six-month "complete streets" lane reduction trial on Monterey Road.