WisDOT should rethink using Madison highway shoulders as peak-traffic lanes

Madison-area growth without adequate regional transit continues to add congestion to the city's Beltline, but I'd like to throw in a cautionary note about a proposal to use narrow Beltline median shoulders at peak-driving times for moving traffic.

Road shoulders are safety zones for drivers with medical problems or vehicles with mechanical breakdowns.

You need look no farther than the multiple wrecks in the I-94 North-South project - - another one hours ago - - between Milwaukee County and the Illinois line - - to see what can happen when traffic that wants to move is squeezed in unfamiliar ways.

WisDOT says the shoulder repurposing it has in mind for the Madison Beltline is called "Dynamic Part-Time Shoulder Use."

Beware of road modifications which need pitching through dynamic modifiers.

Jumbo shrimp, or new and improved soaps, should sell themselves on merit, not marketing.

Granted the Madison Beltline is not undergoing I-94-style major reconstruction. But road shoulders are there for good reasons; think twice before letting them route you to dire straits.

WisDOT photo accompanying Beltline web history