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Title:
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Consideration of Citizen Petition Related to 7th Avenue and 7th Street Reverse Lanes - Districts 3, 4 & 6
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District:
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District 3, District 4, District 6
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Title
Consideration of Citizen Petition Related to 7th Avenue and 7th Street Reverse Lanes - Districts 3, 4 & 6
Description
This report provides the City Council with information in response to a citizen petition submitted by Stacey Champion at the May 7, 2025, Formal City Council meeting, requesting (1) the removal of the 7th Avenue and 7th Street reverse lanes, and (2) a plan to remove or cover the reverse lane signage and create a reeducation /public service announcement plan (Attachment A).
Report
Summary
The petitioner requests the City Council to:
Remove the 7th Avenue and 7th Street reverse lanes; and,
Direct the City Manager, or his designee, to develop a timely plan to remove or cover the reverse lane signage and create a reeducation/PSA plan and/or campaign for drivers and the public who use the 7th Avenue and 7th Street reverse lanes.
Reverse lanes have been in place on 7th Avenue and 7th Street since 1979 and 1982, respectively. They were created to address traffic concerns as Phoenix was growing its downtown core. In 1979, the Mayor and City Council challenged staff to come up with transportation system management solutions to the growing traffic congestion problems caused largely by the lack of a regional freeway system. Reverse lanes were proposed as a cost-effective solution to address the traffic issues, especially since widening 7th Street and 7th Avenue was not practical.
In 1979, the two-way left turn lane on 7th Avenue was converted into a reverse lane from approximately McDowell Road to Northern Avenue. Seventh Street was converted to reverse lanes in 1982 between approximately McDowell Road and Dunlap Avenue. In both cases, the reverse lanes added significant capacity while reducing cut-through traffic in the neighborhood resulting from the congestion.
How the reverse traffic lane works on 7th Avenue and 7th Street:
Monday through Friday during morning peak traffic hours, 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., the two-way left turn lane (i.e. reversible lane) is used in the southbound direction and in the afternoon peak hours, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., it is used in the northbound direction.
Left turns are typically prohibited at all arterial and most collector street intersections but left-turns are allowed at other non-signalized streets and at driveways for access.
Overhead and roadside signs are used to indicate the reverse lane hours of operation, direction of operation, and the prohibition of left-turns are posted frequently throughout the corridors.
In recent years the department has received concerns from residents about the reverse lanes. In response to concerns raised by residents, the Street Transportation Department contracted with a third-party engineering firm to conduct a traffic study. The results of the study were completed and released in December 2021 (Attachment B).
The study concluded that the reversible lanes provide additional peak hour capacity and serve as regionally significant routes. Eliminating the reversible lanes partially or completely will create operational delays and increase travel times by more than 40 percent. In addition, several signalized intersections will operate at an unacceptable level of service when reversible lanes are eliminated and can increase the potential for crashes associated with traffic congestion. The study findings indicated that operations along 7th Avenue and 7th Street did not differ significantly from other arterial streets in the central Phoenix area.
As part of the City's Road Safety Action Plan, the City's High Injury Network (HIN) was adopted. The HIN maps corridors where high numbers of people have been killed or severely injured in traffic crashes and is a tool for road safety initiatives. The reversible lanes did not meet data analysis qualifications to be included in the High Injury Network.
A new study for the Central City Corridor (McDowell Road to Dunlap Avenue, 19th Avenue to 16th Street) is expected to be procured in fiscal year 2025-26. This study will review traffic for all arterials and collectors within this area, including a review of the reversible lanes.
Staff recommends denying this petition to allow the Street Transportation Department to conduct a more comprehensive study that will evaluate all the traffic impacts from 19th Avenue to 16th Street and McDowell Road and Dunlap Avenue, including the reversible lanes. Staff will present the findings of the study to City Council for direction on how to proceed upon completion of the study.
Location
7th Avenue from approximately McDowell Road to Northern Avenue and 7th Street between approximately McDowell Road and Dunlap Avenue
Council Districts: 3, 4 and 6
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Inger Erickson and the Street Transportation Department.