Connectivity committee presents downtown Main Street pilot study; no vote taken

Martin Smith of EDG Incorporated presented a pilot design study to a Jonesboro City Council committee proposing striping‑based changes for the 200–400 blocks of Main Street to improve pedestrian safety and make downtown a destination. The presentation was funded by the Jonesboro A&P (Advertising & Promotion) Commission; the committee noted no vote would be taken at the meeting and sought public input.

Key elements of the pilot

Smith said the pilot seeks to preserve existing curb‑to‑curb infrastructure and parking while reassigning lane widths through striping and signage only. The concept keeps parallel parking on both sides, adds a 2‑foot buffer next to parking, provides a single 10‑foot one‑way motor vehicle travel lane, and a 6‑foot “bike/service” lane plus a 2‑foot buffer on the other side. Smith emphasized a required 20‑foot clear lane to maintain fire/ emergency access.

Smith described the street cross‑section as approximately 35 feet curb to curb (two 7.5‑foot parallel parking lanes, 10‑foot travel lane, 6‑foot bike/service lane and buffers) and said the plan would retain all parking. He said the goal is to encourage visitors to park and patronize downtown businesses rather than pass through. The pilot would rely on striping, signage and possible pavement overlay work rather than changes to sidewalks or streetscape. Smith said traffic controls at Washington would indicate the right lane ends and that some motorists would need time to adjust to the merge.

Questions and concerns raised

Committee members asked whether reducing travel to one lane would create bottlenecks at signalized intersections, increase stacking between lights, or impede emergency vehicles. Smith said his team did not present detailed traffic modeling at the meeting but noted the earlier Main Street closure experiment (six months with very low through traffic) suggested drivers would divert to bypass routes such as Church Street or Bridge Street when Main Street became less convenient. He said he expected the corridor to become more of a destination, with more visitors parking instead of passing through.

Delivery and enforcement

Committee members and staff discussed delivery behavior. Smith and staff said the design included a service/bike lane where delivery vehicles could temporarily stop while still allowing a moving lane; they also noted an existing delivery ordinance and that one designated Monroe/Main delivery spot has been removed near the Forum and may need ordinance updates. The committee discussed reviewing the delivery ordinance to align with any pilot.

Costs and implementation

Staff said the pilot could likely be implemented by the city engineering department using a seal‑coat overlay, striping, signage and minor signage changes. Committee members said this approach could be relatively low‑cost compared with larger streetscape projects. No committee vote or formal direction was taken; the item was presented for comment and public input.

Provenance

- topicintro: block_56 (s=1083.015–e=1114.075) evidence_excerpt:"communication 25 0 3 4, a special presentation by Martin Smith of EDG Incorporated regarding a potential downtown special traffic pattern pilot program study funded by the Jonesboro AMP Commission..." - topfinish: block_86 (s=1941.2001–e=1943.62) evidence_excerpt:"Any other questions from anybody on the committee? Any from the public in attendance on this item? Any questions or comments? Okay. Good deal. Thank you, Mr. Smith."