Originally Posted by
cramerro
First, if it's going to be a true parking lane 100% of the time, you don't need a full 11' - you can acutally go as narrow as 8', but 9' is a better compromise. Similarly, you can reduce your travel lanes to 10.5 or 10' to pick up precious extra inches - these numbers were given the OK by MDOT along Michigan/Grand River in Lansing area, which is an MDOT route. Usually you need 4' from the curb minimum for a bike lane, usually 7' if it's between the parking lane and traffic to allow for doors opening. These small differences can sometimes allow the little extra space needed for bike lanes or parking where none is now but lanes are wide. I'd bet the lanes on MI Ave at least in Detroit are more like 13' or 14' right now... remember when the street was built in the first place it was just made how wide it is, not measured out to be optimal for x number of lanes.
Second is the idea of changeable lanes. The downtown line in Minneapolis uses this - during peak times, the parking lane is added as a true through lane. Other cities with more traffic e.g. Washington DC use parking lanes for traffic on many major streets. My dad and I were in Washington back when I was in college visiting the Washington Monument at the end of the day, and we didn't read the sign that said no parking after 5 - it was a $100 ticket. This treatment could be used during the AM/PM peaks to restore an extra lane to Michigan through downtown, if the businesses could stomach it.