Has your city implemented comparable infrastructure measures for moving cycle or pedestrian traffic?
The "Métropole de Lyon" has invested a lot in reducing car lanes in dense urban areas. Many projects are finished or are in progress, but the most important are on major roads :
- cours Garibaldi : two tunnels has been shut down, the car lanes has been reduced from 6 to 4, the parkings were reduced too, a two-way bike lane and a bus lane has been added and the sidewalks were widened. https://www.grandlyon.com/projets/lyon-rue-garibaldi.html
- cours Lafayette (ongoing project) : car lanes will be reduced from 2/3 to 1, a two-way bus lane is implemented, bike lanes are implemented too and sidewalks are widened when possible. http://www.sytral.fr/300-c3.htm
- cours Emile Zola : the 2 cars lanes per direction has been reduced to 1 per direction, bike lanes were added and sidewalks widened. http://www.mairie-villeurbanne.fr/projet_cours_emile_zola.html
If so:
- What impact have the measure(s) had on congestion?
Most project didn't have much impact on congestion, because of modal shift or because drivers changed their routes. Some projects had an impact on nearby streets which saw their traffic increase quite a lot. Some areas where no other routes are available are more congested, but they are only a few.
- Was there a strong debate before and/or after implementation? If so, what were the arguments that were made?
There was debates before the implementations, but not that strong. Most inhabitants see those projects as an improvement for their everyday life. "Hardcore" drivers are angry of course but the mentalities are changing, the traffic reduction is more and more accepted, and the bike counts are increasing a lot each year.