1

unityTOPinprogressJewel_01Royal Oak to Consider “Road royal_servicesDiet” for Main Street
(Guest View by Tom Regan, July 30, 2015)
At Monday’s Royal Oak city commission meeting two commissioners (Kyle Debuc and Mike Fournier) will propose that staff study the feasibility of a road diet on Main Street.  If you are able please attend this meeting and during public comment speak in favor of a road diet on Main Street.  You do not need to speak long or eloquently, the simple statement “I support a steele lindbloom adroad diet on Main Street, please do it” will suffice:
Monday, August 3rd
Royal Oak City Hall, 211 Williams St, Royal Oak, MI 48067
7:30pm
If you are unable to attend but would like to submit your opinion to city commissioners, use their web site at
http://www.ci.royal-oak.mi.us/departments/city-commission
For several years biking advocates have been urging Royal Oak to pursue a road diet on Main Street.711adAPP
A “road diet” shrinks a four-lane road to a three-lane road, with a middle turning lane and dedicated bike lanes on both sides.  Road diets both reduce car accidents and increase the number of cyclists.  A local example of a road diet is Hilton Road in Ferndale (Hilton becomes Campbell in Royal Oak).
Main Street in Clawson has already undergone a road diet, but instead of bike lanes on both sides Clawson installed on-street parking for their downtown.  If Royal Oak does a road diet it would simply extend the Clawson road diet south with bike lanes instead of on-street parking.
Several years ago, at our urging, the City of Royal Oak conducted a traffic study which showed candlewickshoppeADbluethat Main Street traffic counts are well within the parameters where a road diet can be done without increasing automobile traffic congestion.
Royal Oak lacks a good north-south bike route.  The combination of the railroad tracks,  the Red Run golf course, and the angular route of Crooks and Rochester makes biking north-side on side streets difficult and time-consuming.  A road diet on Main would give our town the north-south biking artery that it needs.
It’s time for a road diet on Main Street, please speak up now!
unityBOTTOMinprogressJewel_01