To the editor:

We disagree with the June 17 editorial “Kasold options” claim that, “Reducing the number of lanes on this busy street (Kasold between Seventh and 14th) doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

Lane reduction is an emerging practice in many communities nationwide, and makes good sense from a health and safety perspective. It sounds counterintuitive, but lane reduction can actually improve traffic flow while reducing speeding and dramatically reducing crashes. 

Making roads user-friendly for all users, those in cars and not, is a critical step in combating the growing epidemic of chronic disease in our community that has closely paralleled increasingly sedentary lifestyles among adults and kids. Consider this: most Lawrence Journal-World readers probably walked or biked to school when they were young. Now, less than one in five Lawrence schoolchildren do. It’s no wonder over half the premature deaths in Douglas County are due to conditions like heart disease and diabetes that are linked to inactive lifestyles.

Members of LiveWell Lawrence believe the time for change is now. We must stop overbuilding roads and invest in redesigned roads, bike lanes, sidewalks and trails to make it practical and safe to travel between priority destinations using transportation other than a car. Let’s avoid knee-jerk responses to new ways of thinking like lane reduction efforts and support a healthier tomorrow for our community.