San Jose Lincoln Avenue Road Diet Made Permanent

The City of San Jose Council voted on Tuesday night to make the Lincoln Avenue Road Diet permanent. The reconfigured roadway takes what was two lanes in each direction and converts the layout to one bike and one general travel lane in each direction, plus a two-way left turn lane.This was a contentious project, with a vocal contingency of neighbors rallying against what they perceived as a flawed process. Fortunately, the City Council empowered the Department of Transportation to keep the pilot project going through the winter and spring, allowing them to collect safety, traffic, and economic data and compare year-over-year changes.Given SVBC’s mission to “create a healthy community, environment, and economy through bicycling,” we are extremely enthusiastic about projects like this one, which benefits not only current and future bicyclists, but also local business and the community as a whole.The Lincoln Avenue reconfiguration does just that, as the DOT report shows. The new accommodations for bicyclists clearly had an impact, with an 83% boost in bicycling. But the changes have also made the Avenue a safer and more welcoming place to walk, and even a safer place to drive.SVBC is thankful for the patience and commitment of the City Council, the thorough work of DOT staff (this was the most studied roadway project in San Jose history), and the persistence of our members and other advocates who pushed for a safer Lincoln Avenue in the face of often irrational and angry resistance.The Mercury News editorial staff also published an insightful argument in favor of the road diet, acknowledging the stumbles in the process but ultimately taking the position supported by the City’s data. As they put it, "Reducing the four lanes of traffic to two didn't take something away. It gave something back."