Ames Visioning Project online survey

[Cyclones423]

A roundabout at state\mortenson? Horrible idea.

I hate that intersection. They need to take the stop signs off Mortenson and leave them on State.

[alarson]

I hate that intersection. They need to take the stop signs off Mortenson and leave them on State.

My main problem with mortenson is that its not 4 lanes all the way from S. Dakota to University. tons of traffic on that road. It and State should both be 4 lanes with how much more traffic there is with all the SW ames growth, much of which is using that mortenson-state route to get to campus now.

[psychlone99]

A roundabout at state\mortenson? Horrible idea.

Also, lane reductions for lincoln way between gilchrist (almost to grand) and duff to get 3 lanes (one a turning lane) and bike lanes? Even worse idea.

The traffic engineers and planners who have studied this infinitely more than you or I must be clueless.

Clearly, they're working from a network that is limited in many ways. It won't be fixed overnight.

[IcSyU]

Also, lane reductions for lincoln way between gilchrist (almost to grand) and duff to get 3 lanes (one a turning lane) and bike lanes? Even worse idea.

This is beyond stupid. It's a MESS with 4 lanes for traffic. Let's chop out a lane and shove everyone into one lane for both people who use a bike.

There are some random stop signs on 20th, 24th, Bloomington, and Duff that can all be taken out too. Just put in lights for God's sake.

[alarson]

The traffic engineers and planners who have studied this infinitely more than you or I must be clueless.

Clearly, they're working from a network that is limited in many ways. It won't be fixed overnight.

Detecting a bit of sarcasm here... That stretch is one of the most congested stretches in ames. You dont have to have a degree in that field to know that reducing lanes\capacity in an already congested area is an idiotic idea.

There are plenty of traffic engineers that have zero common sense.

[besserheimerphat]

Detecting a bit of sarcasm here... That stretch is one of the most congested stretches in ames. You dont have to have a degree in that field to know that reducing lanes\capacity in an already congested area is an idiotic idea.

There are plenty of traffic engineers that have zero common sense.

I think the trick is to make entering and exiting the roadway easier, not necessarily to just make every road a 12 lane super parkway. If you make it a 3 lane then you get rid of a bunch of the hassle of waiting for people turning left. Put right turn lanes for parking lots and such where necessary. Then you have a single lane that is constantly moving the same direction.

I also like the roundabout idea because it generally keeps people from stopping which means higher average speeds and less travel time. However there is a learning curve since not many people have driven through one. And the circle has to be big enough that people aren't slowing down to <10 mph to get through it. Then again, it seems like I see people 2-5 times a day who don't know how 4 way stops work either.

Regarding game day traffic, anytime you have 50k people and 20k cars trying to get within a couple blocks of the same place, it's going to suck.

[alarson]

I think the trick is to make entering and exiting the roadway easier, not necessarily to just make every road a 12 lane super parkway. If you make it a 3 lane then you get rid of a bunch of the hassle of waiting for people turning left. Put right turn lanes for parking lots and such where necessary. Then you have a single lane that is constantly moving the same direction.

Thatd make sense if the primary problem there was cars trying to turn on that portion. It isnt. Its the fact that there are a whole lot of cars trying to move through that area, and this would reduce capacity.

I also like the roundabout idea because it generally keeps people from stopping which means higher average speeds and less travel time. However there is a learning curve since not many people have driven through one. And the circle has to be big enough that people aren't slowing down to <10 mph to get through it.

I dont think that would apply in that intersection, and it would be particularly annoying since a huge portion of the traffic is turning left at that intersection, making most of it go all the way around the roundabout.

Regarding game day traffic, anytime you have 50k people and 20k cars trying to get within a couple blocks of the same place, it's going to suck.

No argument there, though there are certainly areas for improvement there.

[besserheimerphat]

Here is one example of how closing a road improved traffic flow in NYC. The article also gives an example of how opening a new road in Stuttgart in 1969 made traffic worse. Do a search for Braess' Paradox and you'll get more examples. It's not just about adding lanes. It has just as much to do with people being bad drivers. Again, I agree that Ames has traffic issues - no arguement there - but solving traffic problems is not easy.

What if They Closed 42d Street and Nobody Noticed? - NYTimes.com

On Earth Day this year [1990], New York City's Transportation Commissioner decided to close 42d Street, which as every New Yorker knows is always congested. "Many predicted it would be doomsday," said the Commissioner, Lucius J. Riccio. "You didn't need to be a rocket scientist or have a sophisticated computer queuing model to see that this could have been a major problem."
But to everyone's surprise, Earth Day generated no historic traffic jam. Traffic flow actually improved when 42d Street was closed.

[WalkingCY]

I definitely give Wallaby's a "thumbs up" for best decorations in Ames. Especially now that they have turned the Colorado and Nebraska football helmets upside down!!

I love Wallaby's! Definite ISU place! That is how you do it. Seriously though, no bar/restaurant in town should have any sqawk crap in it at all.

[drmwevr08]

Going from 4 lanes to 3 does not necessarily reduce capacity. It depends a lot on the exact patterns but besser is right that it can much improve a street if the patterns are right. Also, roundabouts are great solutions for a lot of 4 way stops, particularly when one of the problems is speeding and blowing through stop signs.

larson, I appreciate your opinion but I have my doubts as to whether a marketing major is really more qualified on these topics than people who study them for a living.

[jj-cyclones]

Have we seen any results for this survey yet? I know a lot of people that voiced their opinion so I would like to know what they found by conducting this survey...

[RayShimley]

Have we seen any results for this survey yet? I know a lot of people that voiced their opinion so I would like to know what they found by conducting this survey...

Maybe they didn't like what they found.

[jj-cyclones]

Maybe they didn't like what they found.

Thats a strong possibility...

[jdoggivjc]

Maybe they didn't like what they found.

Thats a strong possibility...

The results of the poll would probably force them to abandon their "anti-21st Century" policies on city and urban planning, so they ditched them in order to maintain status quo and will repoll in a few years...

[RayShimley]

Apparently it will be discussed at a Town Hall meeting on May 25th.

City of Ames : City News & Updates : Town Hall Meeting Set to Gather Input on Community Visioning

In other news, my wife won one of the gift cards they gave out for taking it. I didn't win **** though.