We are a group of neighbors, business owners & residents who want our Phoenix city leaders to care about our neighborhoods and local businesses as much as we do.
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The Rush Hour Reverse Lanes Hurt Local Businesses
Currently, on Monday through Friday from 6am to 9am, the reversible lane is used in the southbound direction and from 4pm to 6pm, it is used in the northbound direction. This means that left turns are legally prohibited during these hours on many (but not all) intersections. Even where left turn lanes are not legally prohibited, they are practically impossible because drivers are using the middle lane as a driving lane during these hours, which makes any left turn risky and infuriating to those drivers who may believe that a left turn is not allowed. As a result, it is functionally impossible (if not illegal) for a driver to access businesses during key hours of the day. For example, many businesses on the east side of 7th Street and 7th Avenue suffer during the morning hours or can’t even open at all because their businesses are functionally inaccessible by car unless you’re traveling in that direction.
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The Rush Hour Reverse Lanes Divide Communities
The rush hour reverse lanes were implemented in the late 70’s/early 80’s when the Phoenix Streets Department was focused on moving as many cars as possible, as fast as possible, from north Phoenix in and out of Downtown, without thought to the businesses and neighborhoods along the way. In many ways the 7’s act as a small, but confusing highway, and like a highway, this design and rules have made it difficult and unsafe to cross the street. It is challenging for communities and neighbors across the 7’s to connect, especially due to traffic regularly traveling 10-20 MPH above the posted speed limit (due to the street design) and the lack of safe mid-block pedestrian/cyclist crossing infrastructure. Phoenix Streets has also placed most bus stops along the 7’s mid-block, meaning that many people have to walk a half mile or more out of their way in many instances in extreme temperatures with no shade, just to safely cross the street. Many people call crossing the 7’s being similar to the game Frogger, and our high pedestrian and cyclist injuries and deaths seem to unfortunately corroborate this.
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The Rush Hour Reverse Lanes Cause Cut-through Traffic through our Neighborhoods
Because these lanes prohibit turns at almost all major intersections during the day, drivers are not only encouraged to cut through neighborhoods at fast speeds, they are forced to do it. This means that traffic in our neighborhoods is increased and it isn’t safe for our kids or families to walk, bike or play in our neighborhoods. Ending the rush hour reverse lanes will keep more of the fast-moving traffic on major streets and out of our neighborhoods. Furthermore, AI-driven cars and AI-navigated ride shares do not understand the difficult rules of these lanes and therefore divert more cars to cut through our neighborhoods.
Businesses Who Support Ending Rush Hour Reverse Lanes