What is a 'road diet'?
A road diet is a redistribution of the existing space on a roadway to better meet the needs of a community. Road Diets are part of the Federal Highway Safety Administration's (FHWA) Proven Safety Countermeasures because research has shown that a road diet can significantly reduce fatal and severe injury crashes. Road diets can be an appropriate solution to provide facilities for pedestrians, cyclists, and other non-motorized road users, without causing significant delay or requiring widening of the roadway footprint. Road diets have many names, and are also sometimes referred to as roadway reallocations, lane eliminations, and roadway redistributions.
City of Tampa's approach to Road Diets:
The Tampa Bay metropolitan area is one of the highest ranking areas in the United States for pedestrian and bicycle fatalities. Safety is our number one priority. The City of Tampa Mobility Department considers road diets as one of many tools to improve mobility and enhance safety when developing capital projects on city streets. Road diets may not be appropriate for every street. The City considers safety, mobility, community context and engineering judgement to determine if a road diet is appropriate. Please visit the Transportation Capital Projects page for more information about active projects we are currently working on.
More information on Road Diets can be found here:
FHWA Road Diet Informational Guide
FHWA Road Diet Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Road Diets: Fixing the Big Roads, by Dan Burden and Peter Lagerwey, 1999
Overview of Tampa's Nebraska Avenue Road Diet - Pedestrian & Bicycle Information Center
Presentation: A Look at Past, Present and Future Road Diets in the Tampa Bay Area
Past Road Diets in the City of Tampa:
Did you know that the first road diet on the Florida state highway system occurred in Tampa over 10 years ago? The City of Tampa Mobility Department has been utilizing road diets as a tool to enhance mobility and improve safety for over a decade. The City has designed and managed road diet projects and also worked in coordination with Hillsborough County and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to implement road diets on County and State roads within the City. Following is a list of some road diet projects that have been implemented in the City of Tampa:
- S. Himes Ave. from Gandy Blvd to Euclid Ave - 4-lane undivided to 3-lane divided with bike lanes - 2004
- USB 41/Nebraska Ave. from Kennedy Blvd to Hillsborough Ave - 4 lane undivided converted to 3 lane with bike lanes/bus bays - 2010
- North Boulevard from Main Street to W. Dr. MLK Jr Blvd. - 4 lane undivided converted to 3 lane with bike lanes/shared lanes - early 2011
- Bayshore Boulevard from Howard Ave to Platt Street - 6 lane divided converted to 4 lane divided with bike lanes - 2012
- Zack Street Promenade of the Arts - 3 lane one-way converted to 2-lane two-way from Ashley Drive to Jefferson Street - 2012
- W. Cleveland Street from Armenia Ave to Oregon Ave - 3-lane one-way to 2-lane one-way with buffered bike lanes and parking - 2015
- W. Platt Street from Armenia Ave to Bayshore Blvd - 3-lane one-way to 2-lane one-way with buffered bike lanes and parking - 2015
- Cass Street from Ashley Drive to Morgan St - 3 lane one-way converted to 2 lane two-way with cycle track - 2016
- Tyler Street from Gasparilla Plaza to Morgan Street - 3 lane one-way converted to 2 lane two-way - 2016
- Cass Street from Morgan St to Nebraska Ave - 4 lane undivided converted to 3 lane divided with cycle track - 2016
- US 41/N 40th Street from Melbourne Blvd to Hillsborough Ave - 6 lane divided converted to 4 lane divided with buffered bike lanes - 2016
- N 22nd Street from SR 60/Adamo Drive to I-4 - 3 lane one-way converted to 2 lane one-way with bike lane, wider sidewalks - 2016
- N 21st Street from SR 60/Adamo Drive to I-4 - 3 lane one-way converted to 2 lane one-way with bike lane, wider sidewalks - 2016
- Palm Ave from Tampa Street to Nebraska Avenue - 4 lane undivided converted to 3 lane divided with bike lanes - 2016
- W. Davis Blvd from Davis Blvd to Biscayne Ave - 4 lane undivided converted to 3 lane divided with bike lanes - 2017
- USB 41/SR 45/Jackson Street from Ashley Drive to Morgan Street - 3 lane one-way converted to 2 lane one-way with cycle track - 2017