Perceived costs and benefits of reversible lanes in Phoenix, Arizona

The Phoenix City Council decided to embark on a public survey process to understand opinions about the reversible lanes and their perceived costs and benefits. Four stakeholder groups were identified as having relevant concerns with the reversible lane issues, pedestrians, residents, businesses, and drivers. The basic survey instrument included three sections. The first included questions on actual experience during use. The second section asked respondents to choose from about a dozen opinions for what to do about the lanes. The third section included demographic questions. From the focus groups, it seems that business owners and managers spend the longest time observing the streets, and were the most sensitive to the negative impacts of the reversible lanes. Participants in the pedestrian focus groups complained of a general lack of respect for pedestrians in Phoenix. Drivers are split as to whether the lanes improve travel times to places nearby.