Converting One-way to Two-way Streets: Assessing the Public Safety of a Popular Trend in American Cities

• In Event: Preventing Crime by Design

Abstract

After World War 2, urban sprawl led to more vehicles commuting to the inner city. Traffic problems quickly frustrated drivers. Eventually, cities converted many two-way streets into one-way streets. This response helped ease traffic congestion, and helped suburban commuters enter and exit the city quickly. But recently, people have moved back to live and work in cities. Subsequently, some believe traffic volume has decreased, and there is no longer a need for one-way streets networks. However, there are conflicting reports by engineers. They claim that two-way streets cause more public health concerns, including increased traffic accidents and congestion. Further, one-way street proponents suggest that the change to a two-way system is also a step backward in the technological evolution of traffic engineering and urban design. This study will compare one-way and two-way streets using a number of measures. It will examine data from New Haven, Connecticut—a city in the planning stages of a two-way conversion in its downtown. This study will compare the streets—proposed for conversion—to comparable two-way streets. It is expected that the results will identify any differences in public safety, disorder and crime for each of the street types.

Author

• Brian T. Smith, University of New Haven