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No vote planned on Phoenix road diet Saturday Jul 22, 2017 at 12:01 AM Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune PHOENIX — Residents won’t vote Nov. 7 on whether to keep the current Main Street one-lane configuration or go back to a two-lane setup after the Phoenix City Council rejected the idea at its July 17 meeting. Criticism of the one-lane and bike-lane arrangement, known as a road diet, has continued since the street, which is also Highway 99, was converted to the current alignment in the fall of 2015. City officials at that time said the project would be reviewed at a later date to determine whether it would continue. Having just a single traffic lane has led to backups on the southbound, one-way street, critics say. It has also confused motorists, who sometimes drive in the bike lane. “The ballot measure gives you two options, yes or no. ... There’s a lot of nuance and a lot of dialogue that needs to happen, and people need to be able to see tangible documents ... and ask questions and voice concerns,” said Councilor Sarah Westover, who voted against putting the question on the ballot. She urged that city money be spent on surveys rather than a vote. Councilors Stuart Warren and Michael Shunk also voted against the measure. Jim Snyder and Terry Baker voted yes. “The citizens of Phoenix were promised we could revisit the issue and let them go back to two lanes,” said Mayor Chris Luz before the vote. “I can think of no better way than to put a ballot in each person’s mail box.” Luz said a vote wouldn’t mean an end to exploring options for the road’s setup. Traffic could be slowed, and there could be a shared or dedicated bike path, he noted. “I believe this (ballot measure) is premature because you have not heard back from the professionals,” said Paul Kay, during public testimony. He urged against spending money for a vote or staff time on the configuration. Councilors debated the issue for more than 40 minutes Monday before voting. A Planning Commission decision would be needed to revert to two lanes even if the council voted for that setup. Zoning now in place for the downtown would not allow two lanes without a conditional-use permit from the commission. Most speakers during a June 5 public input session that lasted an hour urged that the city go back to the two-lane arrangement. The council directed city staff to prepare options for a two-lane setup that would satisfy safety goals and maintain the speed reduction brought about by the current configuration. Consultation with other jurisdictions about a change would need to be undertaken before a switch, said Public Works Director Ray DiPasquale, who is preparing options for two-lane setups. Traffic accidents have decreased in the section since the one-lane setup was adopted. Bear Creek Drive, which takes Highway 99 traffic north through town, was also converted to one lane with a bike path. That arrangement has not been criticized. — Tony Boom is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected].