J.L. Atyeo

jatyeo@argusleader.com

Sioux Falls city councilors want to keep Main Avenue on a diet through the holidays and beyond.

The pilot project that has reduced Main from three lanes to two downtown was set to end Friday.

But now, councilors have asked city staff members to consider keeping the road diet and making a permanent change sooner than planned.

"We're getting such a good response to it," Councilor Rex Rolfing said.

In mid-July, one traffic lane on Main Avenue was transformed into angled parking and seating areas. Bumpouts at the crosswalks were meant to make pedestrians more visible and give them a buffer from traffic.

Survey response showed walkers felt safer, and business owners reported a positive affect.

The plan was to then tear down the road diet for the winter and set it up again in the spring. Rolfing worried that would be too expensive and confusing to drivers. But the paint and angled parking spaces aren't designed to withstand snowplowing.

Plus, the city wanted the changes to be reversible if the project wasn't successful, said Heath Hoftiezr, principal traffic engineer.

Some parts of the project will be tweaked, based on feedback. That includes changing the angle of the parking spaces to make it easier for drivers to see while backing out and looking for a way to incorporate a bike lane, Hoftiezer said. For the pilot project, the shared bike lane was moved from the eastern-most lane to the west side of the street.

One issue that already was addressed was visibility when leaving the parking ramp on Main Avenue and 10th Street.

As many as 5,000 vehicles travel the southbound one-way in a day — about 700 during the evening rush hour.

The narrowing of Main Avenue didn't significantly slow traffic downtown, and there were no crashes attributed to the changes, city staff members said.

Councilor Michelle Erpenbach said people did complain about congestion during rush hour, but they then found alternate routes. She also doesn't support removing the road diet and bringing it back.

"I don't think it's fair to drivers," she said.

Council President Dean Karsky encouraged staff members to find a way to make the road diet permanent now.

"Keep it on a holiday diet through the end of November," Councilor Christine Erickson said.

Main Avenue Road Diet

A pilot project that reduced Main Avenue from three to two lanes will end Monday. Here's how it changed things:

• Average speed reduced by 8 percent

• 120 fewer vehicles per day exceeded 30 mph (The speed limit is 20 mph)

Survey found:

• Drivers felt it took the same amount of time to travel the stretch as before the road diet

• Pedestrians felt safter

• Drivers more quickly found parking

• Positive affect on businesses