Des Moines considers traffic changes downtown to cut down on speeders
The city of Des Moines is considering changing the one-way lanes on Grand Avenue from 5th Street to 15th Street to two-way lanes.
The city hopes it will reduce the number of speeders and make pedestrian crosswalks safer.
"Two-way traffic tends to let things go smoother. It's better for out-of-town people. I think it's worth looking at," Randy Minear, who works downtown, told KCCI.
A year-long, $330,000 study will measure traffic counts, speed data, and crash history on those blocks of Grand Avenue and Locust Street to determine if the change is needed.
Shannon Toohey lives in the east village. She said if it will make the streets safer, it's worth it.
"That wouldn't bother me at all," Toohey said. "I bike a lot on Grand and I would like it to be a little bit slower. That'd be great."
Des Moines City Engineer Steven Naber says they're also considering adding more bump stops like the ones at 5th Street and Grand Avenue.
Naber claims they are safer crosswalks, make pedestrians more visible and protect cars parked on the street.
"The ultimate goal of that plan is to make streets, our streets, safer," Naber said.
Those in the downtown workforce say the change would probably take some getting used to but are all for some changes to make the area safer.
"It would take time to get used to the change I'm sure," Erica Place, who works downtown, told KCCI. "I personally haven't seen a lot of issues on this particular stretch of Grand, but in other areas, I could agree with that."
