Road Diet Candidates Map
Another analysis done as part of the Regional Transportation Safety Action Plan looked at roadways that may be candidates for potential road diets (or roadway reconfigurations) based on their capacity and traffic volume. The roadways with potential to be reconfigured for greater safety are shown in the Road Diet Candidates Map. A road diet is essentially a reallocation of roadway space that aims to reduce dangerous speeding and provide infrastructure for vulnerable road users. The most common type of road diet takes an undivided four lane roadway and reconfigures it into a three-lane roadway, with one travel lane in each direction and a two-way left turn lane in the center. This reconfiguration decreases conflict points and opens up space for bicycle lanes and/or parking spaces in each direction of travel. The bike and/or parking lane also provides pedestrians with a traffic buffer increasing their comfort on the road.
The MRMPO Road Diet Candidates map shows an initial screening of potential candidates based on number of lanes and the annual daily traffic on these roadway segments. This map is not a final determination and additional engineering analysis is required before implementing a Road Diet.
The Federal Highway Administration identified road diets as a proven safety countermeasure with a 19 to 47 percent reduction in total crashes for a four-lane conversion to three lanes (FHWA 2017).
FHWA Proven Safety Countermeasures
In 2014, the Federal Highway Administration released its Road Diet Informational Guide, followed by the New Mexico Department of Transportation’s Road Diet Guide in 2016.