While the rush hour reverse lanes on 7th Avenue (pictured) and 7th Street are popular with some, there is a growing chorus of residents who feel that they are outdated and dangerous – and that they should be removed (photo by Kathryn M. Miller).
Obsolete, dangerous, distracting, confusing, misguided, wrong, chaotic, damaging and harmful to communities, hostile to pedestrians – these are all words that Phoenix residents used to describe the rush hour reverse lanes on 7th Avenue and 7th Street (the 7s) during a May 21 Phoenix City Council meeting. Under consideration: a citizen petition submitted by Stacey Champion to the council on May 7, which asks for the removal of the reverse lanes.
Champion has long been an advocate for safe streets and for removing the reverse lanes, most recently launching a Change.org petition in November 2023. To date, more than 4,900 people and nearly 50 businesses have signed the online petition. And dozens of residents showed up on May 21 in support of the citizen petition. They called on council members to take action, instead of doing more studies, referring in part to a 2021 study released by the city that many say is flawed and outdated.
The reverse lanes – called “suicide lanes” for decades by many residents – run on 7th Avenue from Northern Avenue to McDowell Road (about 6 miles) and on 7th Street from Dunlap Avenue to McDowell Road (about 7 miles). Monday through Friday, the center turn lane on these arterial roads changes flow depending on the time of day – the lane can be used for southbound travel from 6-9 a.m. and northbound from 4-6 p.m.
According to city staff, they were established in 1979 (7th Avenue) and 1982 (7th Street) to address traffic concerns as Phoenix was growing its downtown core. In 1979, the mayor and city council challenged staff to come up with transportation system management solutions to the growing traffic congestion problems caused largely by the lack of a regional freeway system. Reverse lanes were proposed as a cost-effective solution.
But a lot has changed since then – SR51 opened in 1990 and moves traffic to and from the northeast part of Phoenix and now connects to the Loop 101 in the north and the I-10 to the south, and the Valley Metro Light Rail, which opened in 2008, continues to expand across the Valley and runs downtown and near the 7s, along both 19th and Central avenues.
Added to that, residential options in downtown have boomed and the city has grown up around the 7s, with both businesses and multifamily housing adding to the revitalization of the neighborhoods. But many of the people just passing through the neighborhoods treat the six-lane roads like mini-highways. Speeding is a major factor, but it is the left turn lane restrictions during rush hour that neighbors and businesses alike cite as hazardous.
“Because these lanes prohibit turns at major intersections during the day, drivers are not only encouraged to cut through neighborhoods at fast speeds, they are forced to do it,” the online petition reads. “This means that traffic in our neighborhoods is increased, and it isn’t safe for our kids or families to walk, bike or play in our neighborhoods.”
Confusion about when to use the middle lane or those who just ignore the signs and do as they please add to the safety risks. Even a recently installed illuminated “no left turn” sign at 7th Avenue and Glendale is frequently ignored by drivers. Opponents also say that many people just avoid the 7s altogether, which hurts local businesses, and those who live in the area face their own challenges trying to safely navigate in and out of their neighborhood.
These concerns and more were presented to the council on May 21, but what the petitioners got was the promise of yet another study. Citing a current lack of votes to eliminate the reverse lanes, and a projected influx of some 3,000 housing units to be built in the area in the next five years, District 4 Councilmember Laura Pastor proposed instead a new study that would look at the impact of removing the reverse lanes from Missouri Avenue to McDowell Road (roads that are within District 4).
The reverse lanes also fall within District 3 and 6, and both councilmembers Debra Stark (D3) and Kevin Robinson (D6) expressed support for keeping the lanes.
Pastor added, “My colleagues could still have the reverse lanes within their district, but as soon as they hit Missouri, then we will move into a regular traffic pattern.”
The motion: Direct Street Transportation Department to conduct a comprehensive study that will evaluate all traffic impacts from 19th Avenue to 16th Street and McDowell Road and Dunlap Avenue, and particularly from Missouri Avenue to McDowell Road; direct staff to meet with the petitioner within the next 30 days to obtain specific input on the scope of work for this study; and direct the department to present the findings of this study to the council Transportation, Infrastructure, and Planning Subcommittee by December 2026 for direction on how to proceed with the recommendation.
Council unanimously approved the motion. Read more from the petitioners at www.endreverselanes.com and from the city at www.phoenix.gov/streets/projects/7th-street-and-7th-avenue-reverse-lanes.
