The long-debated discussion surrounding whether to convert two downtown streets to two-way may soon come to a head in Madison’s City Council.
The City Council may decide as soon as May whether to convert Gorham and West Johnson Streets to two-way during reconstruction set to occur in 2014, according to Strand Associates Project Manager Jeff Held.
Talks have been ongoing since last summer, but general discussions surrounding the potential conversions have taken place for the last decade.
Ald. Bridget Maniaci, District 2, predicted City Council will vote to keep the streets one-way.
“The neighborhood understands it’s reconstructed as a one-way street,” Maniaci said. The support at a citywide level is one-way.”
Maniaci has proposed a resolution that would provide the option of converting the streets to two-way in 15 or 20 years, leaving May’s City Council decision more open-ended.
Still, the Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association has formally expressed its support of the conversion.
“What’s clear is that this is not a new idea,” TLNA Secretary Joe Schumow said. “The neighborhood has been supportive of the idea since before I moved into the neighborhood.”
Schumow said the conversion would benefit the city by slowing driving speeds on the busy streets, which would be advantageous to families living in the area.
Chair of the TLNA Transportation Committee Timothy Olsen said the two-way street conversion would also improve positive congestion on Johnson and Gorham, as well as reduce traffic.
However, according to Maniaci, the safety benefits of converting West Johnson and Gorham Streets do not currently outweigh the costs.
“The only advantage would be that car speeds would be slower, but I don’t know if that on its own is a beneficial thing,” Maniaci said. “There would be less cars on Johnson and Gorham, and where do they go”?
Although TLNA has expressed concern about traffic on the busy streets, a survey indicated that a significant majority of the residents would like to see the street stay as a one-way, Maniaci said.
She added that both West Johnson and Gorham Streets currently function well, and traffic and speed issues typically only occur during rush hour.
Held said city officials will most likely still look for other ways during the streets’ reconstruction to affect change in traffic speeds.
Olsen said businesses can particularly benefit from a two-way conversion of West Johnson and Gorham Streets, because congestion resulting from the conversion would bring more customers into neighborhood shops.
He added businesses often have less value if they are located on one-ways.
“Enforcing high traffic volumes reduces quality of life,” Olsen said. “Congestion is highly desirable for businesses and often for neighborhood quality, particularly congestion in terms of pedestrians.”
According to Maniaci, Mayor Paul Soglin feels strongly about maintaining the streets’ one-way status and does not feel City Council should re-evaluate that status in the near future.
Soglin’s office did not return calls as of press time.
