Major changes to the configuration of West Colorado Avenue are happening in what is billed as a demonstration for testing and feedback. It is now a month into the demonstration.West Colorado Avenue has gone from two lanes in eac h direction down to one lane in each direction. It makes way for more pedestrian friendly zones and parking. There are some who still have reservations about the updates and others who are liking what they see.The popular Sweetwater Flower Market is moving from its Old Colorado City location just as lanes and parking in front of the store have been altered. They are moving a half block away and across the street."We wanted to make sure that we were staying in Old Colorado City to make sure that we didn't change up the vibe of our store too much," said Anna Holloway with Sweetwater.From both the old and new location, they see every day the impact on traffic and pedestrians from the changes."We have full glass in the front so we see a lot of people driving by and we feel like traffic has slowed down and people just seem to be taking it a little bit more slow," said Holloway.The same observation is coming from the shop Eclectic just up the road."Traffic down here can be a little bit intense sometimes with people speeding. It's felt a little bit safer, so I think people are more willing to come walk around and enjoy," said Emma Hunter, a manager at Eclectic.Both shops praise the added parking, though they have spotted a learning curve with how customers use it."We've had a lot of people come in and ask how to use it or where they're allowed to park. But we're about a month in now and it's actually seemed like people have figured out," said Hunter."We get to evaluate a real world scenario prior to actually turning it all into final concrete and pavement and all that kind of stuff," said Ryan Phipps, who leads the project for Colorado Springs City Engineering.The new traffic and pedestrian patterns on West Colorado Avenue are intended to improve safety while also complementing the aesthetic of a very popular area on the city's westside."We're seeing that traffic is generally flowing the speed limit, and you definitely notice it as you travel from Old Colorado City into downtown as soon as the lane configuration opens back up, traffic speeds go back up. It's a very perceivable notice in speed increase," said Phipps.There are people who have spoken up but did not offer a name, telling News 5 they think the road is ruined by the changes. That is part of the feedback city engineers consider."Experience is felt immediately, and that's the feedback that we're gathering right now is how are people experiencing the change," said Phipps.Feedback from observation and experience will continue to be collected through the year. It will be added to data collected on traffic flow and traffic accidents to determine whether this is a positive or a negative for this part of the city.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy._______Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching. ...read more read less