NON MOTORIZED TRANSPORTATION/COMPLETE STREETS

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1 NON MOTORIZED TRANSPORTATION/COMPLETE STREETS New policy initiatives at all levels of government are addressing how to better integrate all modes of transportation when completing new transportation projects. Particular state efforts will be highlighted in this session. BARBARA MCCANN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL COMPLETE STREETS COALITION What are Complete Streets? Complete Streets are safe, comfortable, and convenient for travel for everyone, regardless of age or ability motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, and public transportation riders (as well as public transportation vehicles). 1 Some communities have added truck traffic or even horse traffic if there s a group like the Amish residing there. People want complete streets. Seventy three percent of those surveyed by Transportation for America said that they have no choice but to drive, and 57 percent said they wanted to spend less time in their car. This goes to show that people want more choice when it comes to how they get from point A to point B. Why are people still in their cars? One reason is that street design is inadequate for anything other than driving. One quarter of walking trips take place on roads that do not have shoulders or sidewalks, and bike lanes are only available on five percent of bicycle trips. The current design of streets is also unsafe; more than 40 percent of pedestrian deaths in 2007 and 2008 occurred where no crosswalk was available. Nonetheless, we know how to build beautiful roads, but oftentimes we end up building huge arterial roads that are unfriendly to people who do not want to use a car to get around. The USDOT has a new policy statement on walking and bicycling. The DOT policy is to incorporate safe and convenient walking and bicycling facilities into transportation projects. Transportation agencies are encouraged to go beyond minimum standards to provide safe and convenient facilities for these modes (emphasis not in original). Also, The DOT encourages states, local governments, professional associations, community organizations, public transportation agencies, and other government agencies, to adopt similar policy statements on bicycle and pedestrian accommodation as an indication of their commitment to accommodating bicyclists and pedestrians as an integral element of the transportation system. Source: streets fundamentals/complete streets faq/ 1

2 Other recommended actions include: Consider bicycle and pedestrian travel as equal with other transportation modes. Ensure choices for people of all ages and abilities. Integrate accommodation on bridges. Improve nonmotorized facilities during maintenance projects. What do complete street policies do? A complete streets policy ensures that the entire right of way is planned, designed, and operated to provide safe access for all users. All users include pedestrians, bicyclists, transit, motorists, and travelers of all ages and abilities. What are the benefits of complete streets? Complete streets can benefit communities through: Increased roadway capacity Improved safety Improved health Economic growth Lower emissions Reduced costs Smarter growth More transportation choices For more information on complete street benefits see the National Complete Streets Coalition website. Why have a complete streets policy? The most practical reason for having a complete street ordinance or law at the state level is to change the everyday practice so that all users are thought of from the beginning on every project. This is a way to gradually complete a network for every user. Complete streets policies do not mean that that all funding has to go toward retrofitting old facilities. It is more incremental, that is, focused on changing things over time, which can help save money in the long term. Most important at the state level is that a complete streets policy gives planners and engineers the political and community support to do things differently. 2

3 What elements should a complete streets policy contain? The ideal complete streets policy would contain the following elements: 1. Sets a vision Includes all modes.* 3. Emphasizes connectivity. 4. Applies to all phases of all applicable projects.* 5. Specifies and limits exceptions, with management approval required.* 6. Uses latest design standards is flexible. 7. Is context sensitive. 8. Sets performance standards. 9. Includes implementation steps. Four steps that must take place at a transportation agency once a complete streets policy is in place: 1. Restructure procedures, policies, and programs 2. Rewrite design manuals or standards 3. Offer training opportunities to planners and engineers 4. Create new performance measures so it s possible to know if you re being successful. See the coalition s model policy here. Also, see the American Planning Association s Complete Streets: Best Policy and Implementation Practices manual that provides case studies of Oregon, Florida, Virginia, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Examples of Complete Street Policies Connecticut: Accommodations for all users shall be a routine part of the planning, design, construction and operating activities of all highways, as defined in section 14 1 of the general statutes, in this state. Illinois: In or within one mile of an urban area, bicycle and pedestrian ways shall be established in conjunction with the construction, reconstruction, or other change of any State transportation facility North Carolina DOT Policy: This policy requires that NCDOT s planners and designers will consider and incorporate multimodal alternatives in the design and improvement of all appropriate transportation projects within a growth area of a town or city unless exceptional circumstances exist. 2 Most important at the state level. 3

4 ETHAN FAWLEY, FRESH ENERGY MINNESOTA What s going on in Minnesota in regards to complete streets In 2008 the Minnesota Legislature passed a study bill that would look at the benefits, barriers, feasibility and costs of a complete streets program. The DOT lead the effort to review the policy, which concluded a recommendation that they implement a complete streets policy. The study allowed the DOT to realize that a complete streets policy fits in nicely to what they are doing. Complete streets legislation was introduced this year. The health connection to complete streets Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota has been a champion of complete streets because they see it as a way to make everyone more physically active, thereby helping to reduce the obesity epidemic. Also the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends more walking and biking and endorses complete streets. Creating a complete streets policy Questions that need to be asked and answered when creating a complete streets policy include: 1. What are the current barriers and opportunities? a. In Minnesota too many of the state s streets aren t safe for all users and too many leave gaps due to inconsistent design. b. Some process barriers in Minnesota were (will be different for every state): i. The state design standards that localities were required to use were too rigid ii. The policies were solely focused on moving cars iii. Bicycle, pedestrian and ADA considerations came in at the end, when funding was usually low or nonexistent; and, iv. Land use is rarely considered when designing streets and roads. 2. Who are the key players that need to be swayed? a. Legislators; the governor; MnDOT; city and county engineers; MPOs; potential advocates and other allies; impacted state agencies (health, safety, housing and environment). 3. How do complete streets work in different contexts? a. E.g. Rural v. urban roads. 4. How does a state policy impact local government? 4

5 What s needed for implementation? 1. A flexible manual: In regards to street building manuals, there was a lot of debate on whether or not the state should have a unified manual (like in Massachusetts) or flexible manual. For instance, TxDOT has adopted the ITE Context Sensitive Solutions in Designing Major Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities manual as their internal practice. 2. Multi modal evaluation criteria: There needs to be a way to evaluate how our roads move other forms of transportation besides automobiles. 3. Improved process: Right now Minnesota has a rigid structure in how it designs roads, which facilitates engineers defending their roadway designs even if they do not make sense for other modes of transportation. There needs to be a move to context sensitive solutions where you re considering all modes and land use from the beginning and then move through flexible design standards. After built, the roadways need to be evaluated. Different contexts The rural perspective is also very important, but complete streets in the rural context does not mean that there are going to be sidewalks in cornfields. For instance, a rural gravel road can be a complete street meaning, if it serves the needs of the community, then it works. However, the complete streets policy needs to take this into account. PAUL STEELY WHITE, TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES How complete streets policies are playing out in New York City Transportation Alternatives (TA) is non profit advocacy organization. The group s strengths are their numbers and their media savvy. They create the public opinion and political space to make it easier for our elected officials to pursue policies that make our streets more transit, bike and pedestrian friendly. There are 160 organizations like them throughout the country. TA recently helped the city draft the PlaNYC 2030, which focuses on five key elements of the city s environment land, air, water, energy and transportation. The plan claims that it will ensure a higher quality of life and 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. For transportation purposes, the plan lays out a vision on how streets should look and new ways of measuring performance. The NYCDOT has done a great job of getting the traffic engineers to an agreement. New York City s DOT commissioner, Janette Sadik Khan, has done an excellent job of getting the traffic engineers focused on solving new problems. She has also recruited the city s Department of Health, who has become the biggest supporter of complete streets in New York because the NYDOT has unassailable arguments about safety and improved quality of life for all New Yorkers. The city is finding that more people are turning to other forms of transportation when they have greater options, like complete streets. 5

6 TA s beliefs are: Public streets in the public interest. That means streets and sidewalks the public space that exists between buildings ought to be apportioned, designed and managed to serve the public interest. In 2009, TA worked on a multi faceted complete and healthy streets campaign in neighborhoods around the city. More physical activity, cleaner air and independence from foreign oil are a few of the health, environmental and economic benefits to reducing automobile use and reprioritizing streets according to the green transportation hierarchy. To this end, TA works locally on issues like parking reform, statewide on bus rapid transit (BRT) and congestion pricing, and federally on Transportation for America legislative projects. Traffic can be tamed: The systematic application of pedestrian, bicycle and transit oriented street design and traffic management strategies can reduce vehicular traffic by at least percent and drastically decrease the number of people killed and injured in automobile traffic crashes. In 2009, TA pushed for a Vision Zero policy in New York City. They want a city that aspires to and actively strives for streets without pedestrian or cyclist fatalities. If You Build It, They Will Come. When cities build streets for people, people fill them. When public transit, biking and walking are cheaper and more convenient than driving, more people will use them. There is a fierce and rapidly growing demand for safe and attractive places to bike and walk. And because there is safety and comfort in numbers, each improvement begets more users. In the next year TA will be pushing to grow bicycling. More than half of the world s population, and 80 percent of Americans, live in urban areas. Best practices and policies from other cities are relevant to New York City and vice versa. TA will continue to learn and teach at conferences, on group calls, in legislative offices and on the street with its growing membership. 8th Avenue example 8th Avenue in New York City today has a protected bike lane and now has a floating parking lane. Bicycling is way up and pedestrian accidents and fatalities are way down. To make room for the bike lane the width of the lanes were reduced, which in turn reduced car speeds on the street. Nonetheless, the amount of traffic the street sees each day has remained the same. The city also improved signal timing on the street for pedestrians and cars, which gave pedestrians more time to cross the street, while also moving traffic at a quicker pace. Has more bicycling ridership made it less safe? No. The bike boom is making cycling safer in New York City. As the number of regular cyclists has increased, the number crashes has gone down each year. In fact, cycling has doubled in the past ten years in the city and casualties have decreased by half. This is called the Safety in Numbers 6

7 phenomenon and has been seen in cities around the world. Also, when the streets are made for biking and more people choose to bicycle, drivers become more attuned to cyclists. Why promote bicycling? New York is a crowded city, and the real estate industry knows better than anyone else that space is at a premium. New York City is already squeezed in, and with more people moving there, we need to make more efficient use of our streets. Promoting bicycling will do that and the result will be improved public health, economics, land value, air quality, safety and quality of life. 7