Willy Street's rush-hour lane removal made permanent

MADISON, Wis. (WKOW) — Madison's experiment to remove rush-hour traffic lanes on Willy Street did not lead to the expected gridlock. City staff reported that traffic slowed slightly, which may have made the corridor safer.

The test allowed cars to park along Willy Street during morning and afternoon rush hours, eliminating extra driving lanes typically available during peak times.

The city aimed to see if removing rush-hour traffic lanes would slow drivers down and enhance safety on the corridor. However, the city admitted that they never collected the full data due to malfunctioning speed collectors.

During the Madison Transportation Commission meeting on Wednesday, traffic engineer Tom Mohr said data from Google Maps may have been more useful than the data they collected. The test cos