PETITION TO THE CITY COUNCIL OF URBANDALE, IOWA
PETITION TITLE: Petition to Restore Douglas Avenue and the 70th Street Intersection to the Original Four-Lane Design
PETITION PURPOSE:
We, the undersigned residents, business owners, and commuters of Urbandale, formally petition the Urbandale City Council and the Department of Engineering and Public Works to immediately halt the recent lane reduction project and restore Douglas Avenue, specifically at and surrounding the intersection of 70th Street, to the 4-lane traffic configuration existing on May 1, 2026.
REASONS FOR THIS PETITION:
 
Severe Traffic Congestion: The reduction from four lanes down to three lanes (one travel lane in each direction and a center turn lane) has caused immediate, severe bottlenecks. Commuters face extensive delays during peak morning and evening travel hours.
Safety Concerns and Road Rage: Eliminating critical through-lanes forces heavy traffic into a single lane. This design increases driver frustration, sudden lane shifts, and dangerous delays—particularly during school dismissal, rush hour, and local business peak times.
Impact on Local Businesses: While the revitalization plan intends to foster a downtown district, the current traffic backups actively discourage patrons from visiting existing storefronts due to the difficulty of navigating and turning along the corridor.
Inadequate Infrastructure for Current Volume: Douglas Avenue remains a critical east-west arterial corridor connecting Urbandale to major thoroughfares. The current three-lane design is functionally unable to efficiently handle the established daily vehicle volume.
 
CLOSING DEMAND:
By signing below, we urge city leadership to prioritize immediate traffic safety and local accessibility by reverting the pavement restriping at 70th Street and Douglas Avenue back to the proven four-lane layout that was successfully utilized prior to the October 2026 changes.