National Guidance on Street Standards: From AASHTO to NACTO and Beyond APA National Planning Conference Los Angeles April 15, 2012
National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) Atlanta Baltimore Boston Chicago Detroit Houston Los Angeles Minneapolis New York Philadelphia Phoenix Portland San Francisco Seattle Washington D.C.
1. What is the NACTO Guide? 2. Evolution 3. Outreach and Dissemination 4. What s next?
What is the NACTO Guide?
21 Innovative Urban Bikeway Design Treatments BIKE LANES Conventional Left-side Contra-Flow Buffered CYCLE TRACKS One-way Two-way Raised SIGNING & MARKING Wayfinding Signage and Markings System Colored Bike Facilities Shared Lane Markings SIGNALS Bicycle Signal Heads Signal Acuation and Detection Active Warning Beacon for Bike Route at Unsignalized Intersection Hybrid Signal for Bike Route Crossing of Major Street INTERSECTIONS Bike Boxes Intersection Crossing Markings Two-stage Turn Queue Boxes Median Refuge Island Through Bike Lanes Combined Bike Lane/Turn Lane Cycle Track Intersection Approach
BIKE LANES
CYCLE TRACKS
INTERSECTIONS
SIGNALS
SIGNING & MARKING
Online Guide & Slideshows
Case Studies and Sample Drawings
Contextual Renderings
Evolution of the NACTO Guide
How do we get this?
Pre-2011 Bikeway Design Guidance
Accommodate all users
Four Types of Transportation Cyclists Based on surveys conducted in Portland, OR
The bicycle has become an important element for consideration in the highway design process. Fortunately, the existing street and highway system provides most of the mileage needed for bicycle travel. 900 pages of guidance Less than 1 page on bicycles
What we have. What we want. How do we get there?
List of Core Bikeway Design Treatments BIKE LANES Conventional Left-side Contra-Flow Buffered CYCLE TRACKS One-way Two-way Raised SIGNING & MARKING Wayfinding Signage and Markings System Colored Bike Facilities Shared Lane Markings SIGNALS Bicycle Signal Heads Signal Acuation and Detection Active Warning Beacon for Bike Route at Unsignalized Intersection Hybrid Signal for Bike Route Crossing of Major Street INTERSECTIONS Bike Boxes Intersection Crossing Markings Two-stage Turn Queue Boxes Median Refuge Island Through Bike Lanes Combined Bike Lane/Turn Lane Cycle Track Intersection Approach
FHWA Status of Existing Bikeway Treatments
From Standards to Guidelines Federal State Local MUTCD Green Book AASHTO MUTCD Supplement State Road Design Manual City Street Design Manual MUTCD State/Local Guidance Color Stencil Buffer Signage Signals Cycle Track Width Buffer Width Orientation Parking Context/ Application
Do people understand what this means? Are cyclists complying? Are drivers confused? FHWA Request to Experiment
The MUTCD Consistency is a good thing
MUTCD NACTO Shall Required Should Recommended May Optional
How we built our case for each treatment 1. It s been done List of US Cities currently using a given treatment 2. It works Contextual Rendering, Images, International Standards, Research 3. We can do it too Is it worth replicating?
Post-2011 Bikeway Design Guidance
Outreach and Dissemination
Professionals Federal State Local City Leaders Policymakers Advocates State Local Bloggers Direct Outreach Webinars Conferences Endorsement Campaign Direct Outreach
Using and adopting the NACTO Guide Level of Government Process Federal State Local - Changes to MUTCD (Green Color, Bike Box, Bike Signal) - Secretary LaHood endorsement - Federal Policy statement - Complete Streets Policy - Adoption through Reference - Legislative Action - Endorsement - Resolution - Ordinance - Administrative Action/Policy - Implementation - Complete streets
Further research is needed to determine how design guidelines achieve designation [as a prevailing standard]. If the term simply requires that many cities adopt a standard, it creates a dilemma where no city wants to expose itself to liability by being the first to do so. An agreement between many cities to adopt new design standards or a state policy encouraging the use of new guidelines could overcome the problem. Moving beyond Prevailing Street Design Standards: Assessing Legal and Liability Barriers to More Efficient Street Design and Function -Center for Resource Efficient Communities, UC-Berkeley, 2011
Summer 2011 Endorsement Campaign Over 40 Official City Endorsements Outreach to 50 States, including every State DOT Innovative Bikeway Projects all around the country
Official endorsements Alexandria, VA Ann Arbor, MI Arlington, VA Atlanta, GA Austin, TX Baltimore, MD Boston, MA Boulder, CO Cambridge, MA Charlotte, NC Charleston, SC Cheyenne, WY Chicago, IL Fargo, ND Fort Collins, CO Fort Wayne, IN Hoboken, NJ Indianapolis, IN Los Angeles, CA Manhattan, KS Memphis, TN Miami, FL Minneapolis, MN New York, NY Norfolk, VA Oakland, CA Orlando, FL Omaha, NE Philadelphia, PA Pittsburgh, PA Phoenix, AZ Portland, OR Rochester, NY Salt Lake City, UT San Francisco, CA Seattle, WA Sioux Falls, SD St. Petersburg, FL Tacoma, WA Trenton, NJ Washington, DC
Secretary LaHood calls the NACTO Guide an extraordinary piece of work that is long overdue!
What s next?
Module II: Bicycle Boulevards
Green Bike Facilities How to make it last?
Streets for Buses, Transit, Bikes, and Pedestrians Sidewalk Bicycle Path Buffer & Pedestrian Island Parking/ Loading Travel Lanes Dedicated Bus Lane
Woonerven
David Vega-Barachowitz Sustainable Initiatives Program Manager NACTO david@nacto.org (212) 839-6421 Suggested updates, comments, or questions? Affiliate Membership?
Multi-Modal Design Guidance in the U.S. Jennifer L. Toole, ASLA, AICP
1. Federal Highway Administration (MUTCD) blesses a sign, signal or pavement marking. 2. AASHTO also covers geometric design. 3. AASHTO expands guidance in MUTCD. 4. State DOT s follow AASHTO and the MUTCD. 5. Other professional associations ITE, NACTO also publish guides, state of the practice manuals. 6. New information, ideas, and innovations are vetted, evolve, and are tested over time. 7. Back to number one.
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, FHWA Most dynamic areas of change are bike and ped guidance Updates and interim approvals Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines, U.S. Access Board Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines Shared Use Path Guidelines
AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities Due for publication in 2012 NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Manual Published in 2010, update due? Highway Capacity Manual, ITE Bicycle and Pedestrian LOS Measures Highway Safety Manual Countermeasures for bicycle and pedestrian crashes
Variety of signs and markings to increase motorist compliance with pedestrian laws. Accessible pedestrian signals, countdown signals, signals at uncontrolled locations. Bikeway signing and marking: Shared lane markings Use of green pavement (interim approval)
Do not use on paved shoulders or bike lanes Should not use if the speed limit exceeds 35 mph Place marking immediately after an intersection and at intervals not greater than 250 feet
Markings required, signs optional Both symbols still allowed
How to design contra-flow bike lanes How to design left-side bike lanes Use of green pavement in bike lanes Buffers between bike lanes and travel lanes and/or parking lanes Bike lanes adjacent to reverse-angled parking Allowance for narrower bike lanes in urban low speed environments
Washington DC
Seattle, WA
New York City Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC Portland, OR
Boston, MA
Washington, DC
Min 7 parking lanes allowed Provides options to address safety in locations with high parking turnover: Widen parking lane Widen bike lane Buffer Extend parking Ts Arlington, VA
Retains some previous Dotted bike lane lines through intersections allowed to guide through undefined areas 4 wide bike lane allowed through intersection (5 preferred)
Narrowing travel lanes to 10 wide is an acceptable way to gain width for bike lanes. Travel lanes can be removed if excess capacity exists
Deemphasizes bike routes, they are not a facility type Guidance on all sign types Signs are not a substitute for good geometric design D-Series are below
On long bridges where traffic speeds are higher, consideration should be given to providing a bikeway separated from traffic, preferably on both sides.
Addresses considerations if bicycles are allowed to operate on the freeway Addresses freeway interchange design Design junctions as right-angle intersections if possible
New stand-alone chapter Reflects several significant studies: Characteristics of Emerging Trail and Roadway Users Shared Use Path Level of Service Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Guidelines for Outdoor Developed Areas Safety Effects of Marked Versus Unmarked Crosswalks at Uncontrolled Locations Fills missing gaps in the old Guide
Significantly expanded guidance Explains the complexities of path-roadway intersections Three crossing types: Midblock Sidepath Grade-separated
Bike boxes Advisory Bike Lanes Floating Bike Lanes Cycle tracks Raised bike lanes Bicycle signal heads Washington, DC
Contact information: Jennifer Toole, ASLA, AICP Toole Design Group jtoole@tooledesign.com
What Current Manuals Give Us
What Street Manuals Could Give Us
Who Prepared The Manual
Organizations AARP Public Policy Institute American Society of Landscape Architects Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals California Department of Health Services California Strategic Growth Council City of Long Beach City of Los Angeles Planning Department Council for Watershed Health Congress for the New Urbanism Federal Highway Administration Green Los Angeles Coalition Institute of Transportation Engineers Local Government Commission Los Angeles Chapter of the American Institute of Architects Los Angeles County Department of Public Health National Complete Streets Coalition Project for Public Spaces Safe Routes to School National Partnership Smart Growth America UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation Walkable and Livable Communities Institute
Legal Standing of Street Manuals AASHTO Green Book The California Highway Design Manual Local manuals or street design standards MUTCD The California Fire Code CA Streets and Highways Code and California Vehicle Code
Living Streets Vision Equity For people of all ages and physical abilities whether they walk, bicycle, ride transit, or drive Integrate connectivity and traffic calming with pedestrian-oriented site and building design Connect people Local people design their streets Are inviting places Foster healthy commerce Strengthen and enhance neighborhoods Encourage active and healthy lifestyles Integrate environmental stewardship Vary in character by neighborhood, density, and function
Street Networks and Classification
Street Typologies
Traveled Way Design
Access Management
Intersection Design
Universal Access
Need 4-Zone Sidewalk Design Guidelines for Different Streets and Land Uses
Pedestrian Crossings
Bikeway Design
Transit Accommodation
Traffic Calming
Streetscape Ecosystem
Re-Placing Streets
Designing Land Use Along Living Streets
Retrofitting Suburbia
Existing Remade Neighborhood
Community Engagement
Adoption Download www.modelstreetdesignmanual.com Manual as a template Customize Formalize adoption YOUR CITY S NAME Date
What s New? Expanded transit chapter Baldwin Park adoption Other regions looking to adopt
Ryan Snyder Ryan Snyder Associates ryan@rsa.cc 310-475-3895