The City of Cambridge converted Harvard Square’s Winthrop Street into a shared street in 2007, and Palmer Street shortly after. Previously, each travel mode had a designated space, and the street was cramped and poorly maintained. Conversion to a shared street allowed for more efficient use of space on a small street, accommodating pedestrians, bicyclists,…
Unveiled in 2010 as part of a series of major reconfigurations along Manhattan’s Broadway corridor, Union Square embodies the key principles used by NYC DOT in redesigning complex intersections. As part of the redesign, multi-phase traffic signals were simplified, pedestrians plazas created at undefined or underused locations, and bikeways and turn lanes added to better…
In 2012, Chicago’s Department of Transportation redesigned Dearborn Street, a high-profile, one-way downtown street in Chicago’s central business district, the Loop. Formerly a busy north-south thoroughfare with three vehicle travel lanes, Dearborn Street now has two vehicle travel lanes and a barrier-protected two-way cycle track. Prioritizing Complete Streets Upon his election as Mayor in 2011,…
New York City’s Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, a historic street in Harlem that suffered from rampant speeding and frequent vehicle crashes, spans 2.2 miles between 110th and 153rd Streets. Prior to its redesign, this downtown thoroughfare posed a significant danger to public safety, with more serious injuries and fatalities than 88 percent of Manhattan…