Eric Alvarez, the owner of Popa Pizza, said he is in favor of any projects that would help generate more traffic to his business.

 

But that doesn’t mean Alvarez supports the city’s plans to cut a lane in each direction on Atlantic Avenue for a “road diet,” something that would generate the kind of traffic he doesn’t want at his business located at the busy intersection of South Pennsylvania and Atlantic avenues.

 

Business owners like Alvarez think the city should focus on synchronizing lights, repaving roads and mitigating traffic concerns without turning Atlantic Avenue into a two-lane road.

 

“There’s too much traffic. Getting rid of a lane is a bad idea,” said Alvarez. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

 

The road diet, another term for a roadway reconfiguration, will make Atlantic Avenue into a two-vehicle-lane road, down from its current four-vehicle-lane configuration. The idea is to improve safety by increasing mobility and access to different modes of transportation, such as bike lanes, roads and bus stops. Repaving roads, synchronizing lights, improving traffic flow and slowing down cars are just some ways a road diet can help improve Atlantic City’s quality of life. Read more from The Press of Atlantic City.