Letter received regarding the narrowing of  Main Street  

Dear Mayor and Supervisors,

 

I am writing as a resident of Carson City to oppose the proposed "road diet" for Carson Street.  As a licensed civil engineer and 40 year resident of Nevada, I am well aware of the benefits of road diets and the numerous success stories around the nation for these projects.  They can work – but the timing is wrong for our City.

 

The current traffic volumes on Carson Street are perilously close to the documentedthreshold for these projects to be effective.    That fact makes this project risky.  To be effective at the current traffic volumes, additional measures are recommended such as roundabouts and other signalization improvements which are well beyond the capabilities of the City to invest in this effort – or to feasibly implement.   I respectfully suggest re-evaluating this project following completion of the Carson freeway.   

 

If this project does move forward despite the opposition of residents, I would suggest establishing performance measures that would be evaluated periodically – and also sharing these measures with the community.  In this manner, City leaders can defend this decision – or have the proof needed to support the investment to restore Carson street to 4 lanes in the event results do not meet expectations.

 

Respectfully,

 

Ken Lambert, PE