APPLETON, Wis. — The College Avenue “road diet” in downtown Appleton will become permanent.
The Appleton Common Council voted unanimously Wednesday to keep one lane of eastbound traffic, one lane of westbound traffic and bike lanes on both sides of the avenue.
The reconfiguration was initially adopted in 2023 as a pilot project to improve accessibility for bikers and pedestrians and reduce traffic noise and speed. A consultant’s survey found that the 18-month pilot project reduced reportable vehicle crashes by nearly 13% along with a 3% drop in average speeds.
Some downtown business owners still oppose the changes as detrimental to commerce. That includes Chris Nelis……..
Other business owners, however, believe the changes have helped bring more customers downtown because of safety improvements.
