Phoenix installed reverse lanes in the 1970s to ease traffic. Now, residents and business owners say the fast traffic is unsafe for the Melrose District.
The City of Phoenix held a virtual meeting on the night of May 7 to discuss how transportation should evolve as the city's midtown area continues to grow, and the discussion also involved the future of the controversial reverse lanes on 7th Street and 7th Avenue.
According to a map provided by the City of Phoenix, there are reverse lanes on 7th Street and 7th Avenue. City officials said the reverse traffic lanes "add capacity to a road and decrease congestion by borrowing capacity from the other direction.
""Reverse lanes have been in place on 7th Avenue and 7th Street since 1979 and 1982, respectively. They were created to address traffic concerns as Phoenix was growing its downtown core," read a portion of the city's website. A 2021 city study found that removing Phoenix’s reverse lanes would sharply worsen traffic and delays — in some areas by more than 40% — and instead recommended keeping the lanes while upgrading safety features, signals and corridor infrastructure.
In May 2025, the Phoenix City Council unanimously approved yet another study of the reverse lanes — and overall traffic patterns in Midtown — after a petition pushed for their removal. Business owners in the city's Melrose District, which is situated along a stretch of 7th Avenue, say honking, screeching tires and crashes is the daily soundtrack in the area.
"All kinds of things, and people just want you to stay away from these streets, which means they're not coming to the businesses that are here. 7th Avenue and 7th Street are highways," said Mark Howard, who owns The Royale. "I've been around a long time. People don't read signs. It ain't going to make a difference.
You've got to put other things in place, like medians and trees, visual things that will get the traffic slowed and removed. The reverse lights. That's what's going to make the difference," Howard said. During the virtual town hall, business owners say Midtown offers the perfect mix of homes, shops and restaurants.
They just wish more people felt safe enough to slow down and enjoy it.
"I would love to see traffic calming measures to make it a lot more walkable, bikeable for people to enjoy the local businesses around the Melrose area," said Mischa O’Reilly, co-owner of Be Nice Bike Shop. "It's just not enjoyable to walk on the sidewalks with the cars going 60 miles an hour. "
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