You might have heard the term “road diet” which sounds like the dining habits of some asphalt-chomping ogre. And it kind of is! But what does it really mean? Here are four videos that explain exactly what transportation planners are doing when they turn space for cars into space for walkers and bikers—and why it’s good for your commute.

The videos are the work of urban designer Jeff Speck, who focuses on walkability in cities—we recently featured his campaign to get cities to move towards narrower 10-foot-wide lanes, which is safer and more efficient for everyone on the road. He collaborated with animator Spencer Boomhower to show how a road diet helps reallocate a street’s vehicular real estate, adding bike lanes, parking, and better pedestrian access.

You can watch as several different streets are transformed with only a swipe of paint, while Speck notes in the voiceover how these real world examples saw reduced crashes and no increase in travel times.

click below for more videos…

Source: What the Heck Is a Road Diet?