The idea that narrower lanes make for safer driving is counterintuitive. But the proposal makes sense for Fourth Plain Boulevard as city of Vancouver officials work to improve the corridor.
Our first thought is that wider lanes give drivers some leeway, allowing for momentary lapses in judgment or awareness without causing a collision. But research indicates otherwise, showing that narrower lanes result in fewer crashes — both minor and serious.
As Bloomberg.com has explained: “The problem largely comes down to speed: when drivers have more room, cars go faster; when cars go faster, collisions do more harm. The evidence … on the safety hazards of wider lanes is powerful.”
That evidence includes a study in the past decade of intersections in Tokyo and Toronto, which linked lower crash rates to narrower lanes.
Civil engineer Dewan Masud Karim wrote: “Given the empirical evidence that favors ‘narrower is safer,’ the ‘wider is safer’ approach based on intuition should be discarded once and for all. Narrower lane width, combined with other livable streets elements in urban areas, result in less aggressive driving and the ability to slow or stop a vehicle over shorter distances to avoid a collision.”
Other studies have echoed those findings. One showed that cities with lanes ranging from 9.2 feet to 10.6 feet in width have lower per-capita fatality rates, compared with the 12-foot width often found in American urban areas. The World Resources Institute surmises that in urban areas with wider lanes, “cars may go faster, and, when cars go faster, the likelihood of crashes and injuries increases.”
Many drivers are going to travel at the speed they feel is safe, regardless of the posted speed limit. If narrower lanes lead to increased caution, that makes the roads safer for fellow motorists, pedestrian and cyclists.
The discussion of lane width along Fourth Plain Boulevard from F Street (just west of Interstate 5) to Andresen Road about three miles east, is part of ongoing efforts to rejuvenate the corridor.
The Vine, C-Tran’s first rapid bus transit line, opened along Fourth Plain in 2017. And a portion of the boulevard has been designated as the city’s International District, with Visit Vancouver Washington describing it as “a thriving multicultural neighborhood … filled with successful shops, restaurants, unique events, and activities.”
Kate Drennan, the city’s principal transportation planner, speaks of “a real desire for place-making investment in this corridor, things that really celebrate the culture and International District along Fourth Plain (to) make people realize they’re in a special place, as well as do things to help calm traffic.”
By serving as both an arterial to local businesses that line the boulevard and as an east-west thoroughfare across the city, Fourth Plain is ripe for traffic snafus. More than 300 crashes were reported from 2018 to 2020, making it one of Vancouver’s most collision-prone corridors.
As part of rethinking the road, city councilors are considering enhanced bicycle access and right-turn lanes — in addition to narrowing traffic lanes. The difficulty is in adjusting to modern transportation needs on a corridor initially created more than 150 years ago, when a road was carved out from the city to the Fourth Plain area of what is now Orchards and Sifton.
If improvements include options that have been shown to reduce vehicle collisions, the proposals make sense.
