Madison Reporter

The City of Madison Traffic Engineering Division will start a test project on Tuesday, September 9, removing peak-hour travel lanes on Williamson Street. This initiative comes after resident requests and aims to evaluate potential safety benefits, such as improved pedestrian crossings and reduced speeding.

City staff developed the test and data collection plan following extensive public input and discussions at the City’s Transportation Commission. Updated signage is being installed, with all changes expected to be in place by midday Tuesday when the test begins.

During the test period, Williamson Street will have one lane of traffic in each direction at all times. On-street parking will remain available on both sides of the street. A new Thursday parking restriction will be introduced to accommodate trash and recycling collection, as well as other maintenance activities like brush and leaf collection and street sweeping, which were previously performed during peak hour parking restrictions. Parking near intersections will also be restricted further back to allow through traffic to bypass vehicles waiting to turn left during peak hours.

The goal of this trial is to assess whether peak-hour travel lanes are still necessary along this corridor and address safety concerns during busy periods, such as difficult pedestrian crossings. The test is scheduled to last about two months. Throughout this time, Traffic Engineering staff will collect traffic and safety data—including any changes in traffic volume or travel times on nearby corridors—conduct field observations, and gather public feedback.

Residents are encouraged to participate by providing their preferences and feedback through the Williamson Street Safety Trial survey. According to city officials: "The City of Madison needs your help to determine the overall preference for this section of Williamson Street.  Please add your preferences and feedback to the Williamson Street Safety Trial survey.  This important feedback will be used to make final determinations on the next steps for safety and lane configurations along this corridor."

More information about the project and access to the public survey can be found on the Williamson Street Safety Study website.