Wider is not safer. Wider encourages drivers to go faster, which causes more accidents. On a highway, where the point is to go faster, wider is a good idea. In a neighborhood such as Quarterman Road with small children catching the schoolbus, teenagers visiting among themselves, bicyclists, farm equipment, dogs, and horses, faster is less safe, and wider is less safe.

“Over approximately the last 60 years, the design of streets has gone from those designed to accommodate a mix of transportation options, to that designed to carry the maximum number of automobiles as fast as possible. However, not all street types serve the same purposes. Highways, freeways and the Interstate Highway System are designed for the sole purpose of maximizing the speed of travel and convenience of automobile use. Residential design must be different to accommodate the character of the street. Unfortunately, streets in residential neighborhoods are now being designed using similar standards, yielding a situation that is not only inconvenient and inefficient, but also very dangerous. Streets must be designed to maximize overall safety.

“Municipal decision makers need to take responsibility for the overall safety of the streets in their community. According to the House Committee on Public Works (U.S. Congress) (as found in A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets: 2001 by AASHTO):”

—The Relationship between Street Width and Safety Essay

Now quoting from that last cited source: Continue reading →