From Better! Cities & Towns — A low-cost approach to walkability

Making downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico, more walkable doesn’t have to cost a bundle, according to consultant Jeff Speck. The author of Walkable City delivered a report to the city, which included the following recommendations:.

• Replace 19 low-volume traffic lights with stop signs.

• Narrow standard 12-foot travel lanes lanes to 10 feet. “This extra (lane) width does nothing except to encourage speeding,” he said. “It doesn’t improve the flow.”

• Convert two streets to two-way traffic from one-way.

• Provide more green space.

• Reduce the number of travel lanes on a few streets.

• Provide more on-street parking, which buffers pedestrians, and bicycle lanes. Reduction in lanes and lane widths will provide the space.

• Reduce the size of a major public space, Civic Plaza, which Speck says is too big to feel comfortable for pedestrians.

Read more: A low-cost approach to walkability | Better! Cities & Towns Online