Making 4th and 5th two-way streets won't work the way city intends

The City of Grand Junction needs to understand that a two-way 5th Street will naturally become the most direct route through Downtown Grand Junction between US 50 and North Avenue (US 6). It's a matter of human motivation, plain and simple. A straight shot with no turns will always be the preferred route, especially for traffic heading north from Orchard Mesa. If the city and downtown authority are dead set determined to go through with this plan then 5th Street needs to be three lanes. One lane each way plus a center turning lane. Period. This will require the elimination of all street parking on 5th Street, but a center lane is a must. If they are creative they might be able to squeeze in a bike lane. 3rd, 4th, and 6th however should be just fine with two lanes and street parking. Remove the traffic signals on 4th and 5th streets and install all-way stops at the intersections with Colorado Avenue, Main Street, Rood Avenue, and White Avenue. This will help slow traffic by forcing drivers to stop every block. No more speeding through downtown trying to beat the lights. Encourage 7th Street as a viable alternative route by converting street parking to a parallel configuration and widening the roadway to accommodate bike lanes. Next, remove the roundabout at Main Street and put in an all-way stop, with another all-way stop at Colorado Avenue. Extend 12th Street south across the train tracks and connect to Riverside Parkway at Los Colonias Park's Riverfront Drive. This too will help to divert a lot of through-traffic away from the downtown core. Construct two pay-to-park parking structures on the two public parking lots on Colorado Avenue to help replace the lost street parking, and make all remaining street parking free 2-hour time limited. And for the love, please stop paving roads with concrete slabs! They make for a horrible driving surface in Colorado's high altitude freeze and thaw environment. What CDOT has done with I-70B is built to a completely different standard than what the city has done with say 7th Street, which is a horrible noisy uneven nightmare to drive on.