This post is first in a series: 3-Plus Design, 100-Plus Benefits. In this series, we will focus on an individual aspect of the ’3-Plus for Russell Street’ Citizens’ Plan, and discuss why the plan is more effective than the agencies’ preferred alternative.
3-Plus for Russell Street Will Improve Public Health Along the Corridor
There’s a saying that building bigger roads to solve congestion is like trying to cure obesity by loosening the belt. Indeed there are some correlations between the health of a roadway and the health of its users. There are an awful lot of reasons why small streets are healthier streets, and the 3-Plus for Russell Street plan would be no different. We’ll just touch on physical human health today, not to mention the positive impacts to the health of communities, families, or the environment that 3-Plus for Russell Street would have.
- 3-Plus would cause cyclist and pedestrian activity to increase — This one is self explanatory. When you design a roadway with biking and walking in mind, not coincidentally, people walk and bike. Two great forms of exercise!
- 3-Plus would reduce air pollution in the valley — The 3-Plus plan includes roundabouts, and since traffic never completely stops at a roundabout, there is less congestion, and less idling. This will have the effect of greatly reducing vehicle emissions, keeping the air cleaner for everyone in the valley.
- 3-Plus would reduce noise pollution along the corridor — Stop and go traffic makes streets much more noisy. Erratic acceleration can cause a vehicle to be up to 7 decibels louder than a vehicle moving at a constant speed. Again, roundabouts in the Citizens’ Plan will moderate traffic flow and keep traffic moving at a consistently slower but more comfortable speed. Also, noise pollution from traffic has been directly tied to a number of physiological conditions like hearing loss as well as psychological conditions and high stress.
Please check back soon for more 3+/100+ topics.