Creating Complete Streets to Accommodate All Users Peter Lagerwey, Toole Design Group plagerwey@tooledesign.com Brian Dougherty, Seattle DOT brian.dougherty@seattle.gov International Conference on Urban Traffic Safety
Macro Trends - Examples 40% (28%) Single Households 60% Non-Traditional 48% 25 to 35 Urban Future 31% of 16 year olds have drivers license International Conference on Urban Traffic Safety
50% Major Maintenance 3% to 10% New Capacity 11% Fatalities; 1.6% of Federal Funding in USA 2% Annual Transit Growth Economic Development (example of Dallas, Tx) International Conference on Urban Traffic Safety
55% of Americans would rather drive less & walk more Transit is growing faster than population or driving About one-third of Americans don t drive: 21% of Americans over 65 Children under 16 Low income Americans can t afford to drive 4
In 2009, they took 24% more bike trips than they took in 2001. In 2009, they walked to destinations 16% more frequently than they did in 2001. From 2001 to 2009, they increased their travel on public transit by 40%. National Household Transportation Survey, Federal Highway Administration
Historical Monthly VMT Report, Federal Highway Administration, May 3, 2011
International Conference on Urban Traffic Safety
Safety: How to reduce crashes Use: How to increase walking and bicycling Aesthetics: How to create great people places International Conference on Urban Traffic Safety
Countermeasures Pedestrian Crash Reduction Factor (Percentage) Mini-Traffic Circles 90 medium Sidewalks 88* high Rectangular Rapid Flash (all roadway users) 80 to 88 medium Protected Left Turn Phase 70 to 80 medium Illumination at Pedestrian Crossings 42 to 78 medium Right In Right Out Driveways 72 low Medians (un-signalized) 60 high Crossing Island 56 medium Marked Crosswalk Alignment 54 high Medians (with marked xwalk) 46 high Medians (with unmarked xwalk) 39 high Parking Restrictions at Intersections 30 low Road Diet 29 high Pedestrian Countdown Signal and Timing 25 medium High Visibility Crosswalk 20 to 29 low Illumination Along Corridors 25 high Pedestrian Crossing Warning Signs 15 low Right Turn on Red Restrictions 10 low Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) 5 medium Cost International Conference on Urban Traffic Safety
PBIC: www.walkinginfo.org FHWA: safety.fhwa.dot.gov NHTSA: nhtsa.dot.gov ITE: www.ite.org AASHTO/NCHRP: safety.transportation.org International Conference on Urban Traffic Safety
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A Complete Street is safe, comfortable & convenient for travel via automobile, foot, bicycle, & transit 12
A complete streets policy ensures that the entire right of way is planned, designed & operated to provide safe access for all users. 13
A complete streets policy ensures that the entire right of way is planned, designed & operated to provide safe access for all users. 14
Pedestrians Bicyclists Transit Motorists Travelers of all ages and abilities US Access Board 15
A design prescription A mandate for immediate retrofit A silver bullet; other initiatives must be addressed: Land use Environmental concerns VMT reduction (but complete streets will help!) 16
There is no magic formula 17
Safe Routes to School 18
Shoulder bikeways on rural roads 19
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Transit routes 21
Suburban thoroughfares 22
Residential skinny streets 23
Low traffic streets 24
Historic Main Street 25
Are sensitive to the community Serve adjacent land uses Serve all who potentially will use the street 26
To change practice, integrating the needs of all road users into everyday transportation planning practices 28
To gradually create a complete network of roads that serve all users 29
To shift transportation investments so they create better streets now 30
To save money: In the long run, retrofit projects always cost more than getting it right the first time 31
1. Legislation/ordinance 2. Internal department policies 3. Resolution 4. Ballot & funding measures 5. Comprehensive plans 6. Design manuals Complete Streets Implementation workshop 32
1. Sets a vision 2. Includes all modes 3. Emphasizes connectivity 4. Applies to all transportation projects & phases 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 33
21% of Americans over 65 do not drive Over 50% of non-drivers stay at home on a given day because they lack transportation options 54% of older Americans living in inhospitable neighborhoods say they d walk and ride more often if things improved 34
Americans move without moving 60% of adults are at risk for diseases associated with inactivity: Obesity Diabetes High blood pressure Other chronic diseases 35
Residents are more likely to walk in a neighborhood w/sidewalks Cities with more bike lanes have higher levels of bicycling 1/3 of regular transit users meet minimum daily physical activity requirement during their commute 36
Sidewalks reduce pedestrian crash risk by 88% Intersections designed for pedestrians can reduce crash risk by 28% 37
Improved mobility for disabled people and reduced need for expensive paratransit service 38
A year of paratransit service for a daily commuter: $38,500 Making a transit stop accessible: $7,000-$58,000 Source: Maryland Transit Administration 39
Multi-modal streets: Increase home values Revitalize retail People can leave their car at home 40