Explainer: What Is a Road Diet—And Why Should Cities Embrace It?

Momentum Mag By Ron Johnson April 15, 2025

In an era where city streets are expected to do more than just move cars, urban planners are increasingly turning to a deceptively simple concept with transformative potential: the road diet. But despite decades of success stories and an impressive body of data supporting their benefits, the term still raises eyebrows—and tempers—among skeptics worried about traffic congestion and parking.

So, what exactly is a road diet? And why has this traffic-calming strategy become such a cornerstone of modern urban design?

What’s a Road Diet?

At its core, a road diet is a reconfiguration of a roadway that reduces the number of lanes dedicated to cars. Typically, this means transforming a four-lane road into three lanes—two for through traffic and one center lane for shared left turns. The space gained from this downsizing is then repurposed for other uses, such as bike lanes, wider sidewalks, bus-only lanes, pedestrian islands, or green space.

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