Several roundabouts and other improvements are planned along Range Line Road to make it safer and more pedestrian friendly. (Screenshot)

With more cars on the roads, some cities decide to create additional lanes on certain streets. The City of Carmel is planning to do the opposite. With more than 20,000 cars traveling on Range Line Road daily and more coming in the future as new office buildings are under construction Carmel is putting put Range Line on a diet by eliminating lanes and creating a center median.

Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard said the city will spend $13.4 million on the complete transformation of Range Line Road between Main Street and Executive Drive. It also includes new roundabouts, bike paths and more.

IMPROVING SAFETY

Brainard said traffic medians help slow traffic and reduce head-on collisions. He often refers to the center-turn lane on parts of Range Line Road as the suicide lane because cars in both directions can turn left there.

And while fewer lanes might mean slower speeds, Brainard said the city will remove traffic lights and install more roundabouts so cars spend less time waiting at red lights.

When you add more lanes, all were really doing in our opinion is building a larger parking lot, he said. Under this plan, cars will be going slower even though theyll be flowing just as fast if not faster because of the wait time at intersections.

Brainard said similar road diet projects throughout the country resulted in an 88 percent reduction in accidents with injury because of slower driving speeds, safer pedestrian paths and the increased safety of roundabouts.

Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard presents details about the Range Line Road diet during an April 17 press conference. (Photo by Adam Aasen)

BEAUTIFYING THE AREA

Brainard said Range Line Road is already an important corridor, so its important to beautify the street, which will help turn it into a hub of economic activity for local merchants. Brainard said there will be lots of trees planted, but they likely wont obstruct views of traffic. Public art also is part of the plan. The additions can be placed in landscaped medians to create a scenic drive. There will be wider pedestrian paths with trees and other planters as a buffer for cyclists.

In addition, Brainard said overhanging wires from traffic lights are unsightly, so its nice to replace them with new roundabouts at Executive Drive, City Center Drive and 4th Street. A new roundabout opened in late 2016 at Carmel Drive, and new roundabouts also will be added at Medical Drive and 116th Street, although that is south of the road diet project. The next planned roundabout is for City Center Drive, with construction starting after April 24 and lasting until July 1. Brainard said it will be complete before the citys annual Fourth of July parade.

All of the roundabouts will have two lanes.

PEDESTRIAN-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT

Not all of the sidewalks connect along Range Line Road, and in some places there is no bike lane or sidewalk, making it difficult for runners, cyclists and pedestrians to traverse the road. The city will add 8-foot-wide mixed used paths and cycle tracks on the east side with a physical barrier to protect cyclists, likely planters with flowers. The cycle tracks will be specially marked and made of special material for speedy yet safe commutes for cyclists.

With the elimination of traffic lights, pedestrians and cyclists can no longer wait until a red or green light to cross an intersection. As a result, the city will build mid-block pedestrian crosswalks to enhance the pedestrian experience. They will be similar to what is done at Clay Terrace with a raised surface and a motion-activated crossing light so motorists can either slow down or come to a stop to allow pedestrians to cross. Brainard also noted that medians provide an island of sorts for safe pedestrian crossing.

TURNING LEFT

Some local business owners along Range Line Road were in attendance during the announcement April 17 and had questions about customers or delivery trucks getting to their businesses. Brainard admitted that in some places the median will eliminate the easy left turn, but he said there will be curb cuts in some places and motorists can always travel up to the next roundabout and turn around to enter a business. He said the aesthetics, safer travels and smooth-flowing traffic will bring people to the area, which will be good for businesses.

The project will be funded through previously passed local improvement bonds.

A video that shows the project is available to view at youtu.be/fmvDiEtf3tQ.

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Carmel to put Range Line Road on a 'diet' with upgrades - Current in Carmel

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Mission control: Salty diet makes you hungry, not thirsty Science Daily For some reason, no one had ever carried out a long-term study to determine the relationship between the amount of salt in a person's diet and his drinking habits. Scientists have known that increasing a person's salt intake stimulates the production ... Salty diet makes you hungry, not thirstyThe Tribune Study Shows High-Salt Diet Decreases Thirst, Increases HungerNewswise (press release) Salty diet reduces thirst, increases hungerProthom Alo (English) Medical Daily all 36 news articles »

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Mission control: Salty diet makes you hungry, not thirsty - Science Daily

People cut meat from their diets for many reasons health, animal welfare, the environment, among others. There is a growing number of individuals who are reducing their intake of animal products to better themselves and the planet. According to a recent survey, 35% of Brits are eating less meat than they did a year ago. This holds true for Americans, too.

The term reducetarian celebrates this trend in people choosing to eat fewer animal products. It unites vegans and vegetarians (people who eat less meat, just to such a degree that they eat none at all) with everyone who eats less meat than a typical omnivore. And it replaces static and self-defeating identifiers like lazy vegan and cheating vegetarian with more positive ones. Reducetarians work to cut down their carnivorous consumption by gradually reducing their meat, egg, and dairy intakes. They play around with Meatless Monday, Vegan Before Six, and Weekday Vegetarianism to see what works best for them.

Here are 7 reasons this flexible and easy approach to eating will help you become a happier, healthier, and richer person:

1. You will lower your grocery bill.

A family of four may spend anywhere from $760 - $1160 a month for groceries. Vegetables, fruits and plant-based protein are some of the cheapest products on the market, not to mention the best return in nutrient value. The average retail price for beef is about $6/lb ($8/lb for sirloin) whereas $1.49 for a pound of black beans. With 15 g of protein and fiber per cup, your wallet and body will thank you. In fact, one study showed that the average vegetarian saves at least $750 per year on his or her grocery bill.

2. You will cut down on your carbon footprint.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, animal agriculture accounts for approximately 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions thats more than the entire transportation sector combined. But plant-based foods have a much lower carbon footprint than animal-based foods. Thats why the average vegetarian has half the carbon footprint of a meat eater; and for a vegan, its even lower. Cutting down on meat is an easy way to help mitigate climate change.

Medical costs related to obesity are estimated at $147 billion per year. But according to recent research, the answer to the obesity epidemic might in fact have more to do with our brains than with our bodies.

3. You will help fight world hunger.

In 2015, world population reached a staggering 7.3 billion and is expected to hit 8.5 billion by 2030. This increase in mouths to feed creates a rising demand for food. The inefficiencies of feeding plants to raise animals for food instead of feeding these plants directly to people contributes to world hunger. For example, it requires 9 calories of feed for chickens to create 1 calorie from poultry. A decrease in livestock production, as well as a decrease in land to grow crops to feed these animals, will help combat this critical issue.

4. You will help conserve water.

Just one pound of meat requires roughly 2,500 gallons of water - thats 10 times the amount of water required to grow one pound of grain protein. This would mean that the water used to make one burger is equivalent to the amount of water used when showering for two whole months (assuming a four minute daily shower). Its no surprise that animal agriculture accounts for 80% to 90% of U.S. water consumption. With drought-stricken areas on the rise, reducing your consumption of meat can help conserve our precious water.

5. You will be saving farm animals from cruelty.

Factory farmed livestock live in inhumane and cruel conditions. From extremely crowded cages to harming of animals through practices like de-beaking, over 95% of the meat that we find in our grocery store comes from these horrible places. Reducing your consumption of animal products will help lessen the demand for them.

6. You will save money on medical bills.

The American Dietetic Association declared that appropriately planned reducetarian diets, including vegetarian and vegan diets, will provide you with the nutrition you need to stay healthy as well as aid in prevention of certain diseases. Evidence suggests that following a plant-based diet will lower your risk of heart disease, a leading cause of death in the U.S.d States. Furthermore, reducing your meat consumption may help lower your cholesterol levels and blood pressure as well as your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Given how expensive it is to treat these non-communicable diseases, eating less meat could save you thousands of dollars in health care bills. On a global scale, changing your diet could contribute to saving around $700 million in health care, unpaid informal care and lost working days.

7. You will fuel a growing revolution of start-ups and investment in good food companies.

As the plant-based industry continues to grow, so does its economic value. The Plant-Based Foods Association estimates the industrys annual revenue is roughly $4.9 billion dollars and is expected to keep growing. More than 2,000 jobs (that pay better than many other jobs) are added to this sector every year. Supporting plant-based companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat will not only benefit your taste buds, but also the economy.

Brian Kateman is editor of The Reducetarian Solution: How The Surprisingly Simple Act of Reducing The Amount of Meat in Your Diet Can Transform Your Health and The Planet, co-founder and president of the Reducetarian Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing meat consumption to create a healthy, sustainable, and compassionate world. He is a TEDx speaker and leading expert on food systems and behavioral change.

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7 ways dropping meat from your diet can help save the planet, the ... - MarketWatch

This 'cleansing' diet, involving juices of fruit and vegetables, has become a favourite of celebrities

THEYare known as juice detoxes, and cleanses and have taken over the dieting world in recent years.

Juice diets focus on peopleconsuming liquid mixes of fruit and vegetables with the aim of promoting healthy, radiant skin, weight loss and clarity of mind but do they work?

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The cleansing process involves the person taking inonly fruit and vegetable juices for nutrition, while abstaining from other food consumption.

The detox diets can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks.

Some plans can involve the user consumingjust liquids, while others can include solid foods as a snack or meal.

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Juicing presents a quick way to easily inject some quality nutrition into your diet.

Many of the detoxes involve restricting calories consumed and limiting the amount of unhealthy foods taken into the body.

In many cases, participants will blend fruit and vegetables to drink, or buy ready-made juice drinks for this time.

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Many nutritionists do not recommend the diet thanks to the high sugar contentfound in fruit-based juices.

As the sudden rush of sugar hits the blood stream, the body reacts by releasing insulin to encourage cells to take up the sugar.

A dip in energy can occur, as the body quickly reacts to utilise the sugar, leavingyou feeling flat or tired and causing some people to reach for more sugary foods.

The Director of Sports Nutrition at the University of California, Liz Applegate, confirmed that the body doesnt need any help in getting rid of toxins.

She also said that the diet is often low in protein, which is needed to build healthy immune cells.

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Juice detoxes are have a reduced fibre content, which is an important as it helps to remove waste products from the body, such as excess hormones.

Hunger pangs, stomach pains, moodiness, headaches and changes in bowel functions are just a few of the side effects of the diet.

Here are nine more reasons why the juice detox may have negative impacts on your health.

The juice diet has become a popular health trend among Hollywood celebrities, who view the detox as a way to rapidly lose weight and to flush toxins out the body.

Blake Lively and Nikki Reed are said to be fans of consuming juices such as Blueprint Cleanse products, which are made from 100 per cent raw fresh fruits and veggies.

Juices are also said to be a favourite among celebrities such as Jessica Alba and Miranda Kerr.

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Last year,Peter Andre turned back time as he revealed an incredible six-pack after going on a strict juice diet.

Another fan of the diet is Vicky Pattison, who revealed her incredible new size 8 body after embarking on a juice diet retreat.

Earlier this year, the Geordie Shore lass returned to the Portugal haven to shape-up and detox after Christmas.

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What is the juice diet, how does it work, is it dangerous and are there any success stories? - The Sun