Although the effectiveness of the Lincoln Avenue road diet trial has been hotly debated, a recently released preliminary summary of car count data shows that overall traffic essentially remained the same except during evening commutes, when travel time increased slightly.

San Jose Department of Transportation officials are still tabulating data and caution that the summary is subject to change during the “verification and validation process.”

Car counters were placed at 45 locations for three days in early February before the Willow Glen business district’s main road was reconfigured between Minnesota and Coe avenues from four lanes to two with a middle turn lane. Then April 7-9–halfway through the 90-day trial–the DOT put down markers in the same locations for another three days.

Cars were counted at 22 locations on arterial roads such as Meridian Avenue and Race Street and 23 locations on neighborhood streets.

The transportation department’s raw data from the two test periods revealed:

• There were minimal changes in volume and speed at most of the 45 traffic count locations.

• Changes in speeds ranged from an increase of 2.0 mph to a decrease of 4.8 mph.

• The cumulative daily traffic on neighborhood streets decreased by an average of 5.75 percent after the lanes were restriped.

• The cumulative daily traffic count at 16 locations on the arterial roads other than Lincoln Avenue decreased an average of 2.2 percent after the restriping.

• Average daily traffic counts at six locations on Lincoln Avenue decreased by 3 percent to 12 percent.

In addition, the DOT found that travel times down Lincoln Avenue between Curtner Avenue and San Carlos Street were “virtually unchanged” during morning commutes and midday periods.

But motorists traveling northbound on Lincoln Avenue during the afternoon commute spent an extra two minutes after the restriping and southbound travelers an extra three minutes.

Those caught behind traffic lights at Willow Street and Lincoln Avenue had to wait roughly the same amount of time to get through before and after the lanes were reconfigured.

The Lincoln and Minnesota intersection saw longer delays during the trial but not enough to warrant a significant impact, according to the DOT.

A community meeting on the road diet trial has been scheduled for 6:30 p.m. June 11 at Willow Glen Middle School, 2105 Cottle Ave.

Business owners on the Avenue are to be surveyed this month.

The boards of the Willow Glen Business Association and Willow Glen Neighborhood Association are expected to weigh in by June 30 on whether the road diet should become permanent.

If either group says no, Lincoln Avenue will revert to four lanes.

If both say yes, the transportation department will complete and forward a final report and recommendation to the city council.