1. Radical Road Diets

It takes guts to tell retailers you’re putting the street in front of their establishments on a road diet that reduces that number of on-street parking spaces and decreases the number of travel lanes from five to three. But, that’s exactly what planners did for 300 South street in Salt Lake City in 2014.

This road diet used the extra space for a protected bike lane. It also added public art, planters, improved crosswalks, and new medians.

The result? A street that still works for cars but is also inviting for people traveling by foot or by bike. A year later, bicycle use in the corridor is up 30%. Sales are also up along the street, with 79% of businesses reporting that business is “good” and 16% reporting that business is “up” or “setting records.” Similar road diets have been completed or are in progress in other Utah cities, including Ogden and Provo.

Figuring out what to do with wide roads requires vision and the gumption to face skeptical business owners. But, these widths are an ideal canvas for adding protected bicycle lanes, installing BRT systems with walk-on median stations, and many other options that make the streets feel less like freeways and more like places for people.