COMPLETE STREET DESIGN: CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS John Pulliam PE and Frederik Venter PE APWA Monterey Bay Chapter November 13, 2013
ASSHTO Transportation engineers know that the entire system works more efficiently when we build streets, bridges, and highways that can accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians in the safest way possible, AASHTO Director John Horsley said in a statement.
NACTO Urban Street Design Guide The Street Design Guide goes much further, giving engineering guidance on everything from crosswalks (zebra-striped, please, for greater visibility) to parklets (go ahead, usurp a few parking spots!) and from contra-flow bus lanes (bicycles optional) to slow zones (speed humps, tables, and cushions The NACTO guides are a kind of permission slip for people to innovate
A Complete Street
Challenge: documenting design exceptions
With apologies I may or may not be able to attend today s call (sick kid duty). A couple of thoughts though: 1. To pull off a context sensitive solution, I think we should advance our thinking far enough that we can identify the contexts that exist in San Jose (or at least introduce a couple of examples so they get how this works). We can use a map or photos (or combination) to show that we have thought about this. Otherwise they might wrongly think we are suggesting that a cycle track is a universal recommendation (losing sight that it is specific to a particular context). This also allows us to emphasize our local knowledge. A single slide or board can accomplish this as an introduction to our Figure 7 discussion. 2. While we seem to be going the context sensitive route we should discuss how a layered network approach might fit in (our competitors might suggest this route). Not that this is a bad thing just something to consider. 3. In order to emphasize our design capabilities, we could slightly change the discussion to sustainable streets (make the pitch an up-sell) which are both complete and green then we introduce some of the cool green design work Colvin and others have done. We need to take every opportunity to emphasize that this is not an academic exercise that we plan, design, and construct (oversee) Complete (or Sustainable) Streets. 4. We might want to consider framing our discussion with the following questions. We can use these as both universal discussion questions and to frame up the benefits of our Figure 7 (so we would specifically discuss how our Figure 7 for a specific context accomplishes these things). a. Is this Complete (functions and users)? b. Is this Context Sensitive? c. Does this work (operations, safety, etc.) d. Is this Constructible and Cost Effective? (retrofit) e. Is this Green? (storm water, etc.) f. Does this reflect community values (local residents, business owners, political realities, consistent with other plans, etc.)?
A Complete Street Must Be: Context Sensitive Functional and Safe Sustainable (LID) Constructible Maintainable and Operable Reflect Community Values
Designing and Constructing Complete Streets
Challenge: no big street trees in median without crash barrier
From Curb Extensions to Bus-bulbs Challenge: no standard for curb extensions
Transit - BRT Stations
Bus bulbs and bike lanes
Alternative Bicycle Parking Locations
Sidewalk Zones and Lighting
Parker Avenue (Rodeo, CA)
Parker Avenue Old Highway 40 run through downtown Rodeo Constructed in 1920 s, linked SF to Delaware I-80 opens and bypasses town, leaving a highspeed, 4-lane road through the middle of town
Parker Avenue
Parker Avenue
Existing conditions Parker Avenue Wide roadway / excessive cross slope Dangerous for pedestrians to cross / high speeds No bike facilities Not walkable Lack of community
Parker Avenue Reconstruction project included: New roadway with landscaped medians, bike lanes, and parking New sidewalks with pedestrian bulb-outs, including colored concrete, landscaping, trees, and street furniture Decorative pedestrian lights between 1 st and 4 th Streets New signalized pedestrian crossing at post office/lefty Gomez field. New signal at 7 th Street Safety street lights along entire project Improved street drainage ADA-compliant access through-out project New signals at 2 nd and 4 th Street intersections
Parker Avenue Challenges faced in design: Conforming to existing frontage improvements Meeting ADA Lowering the roadway Construction in a downtown environment
Conforming to existing frontage improvements, positive drainage, ADA
Parker Avenue
Dougherty Road Improvements
It is Fun to Walk!
ALLISON AVENUE - A COMPLETE/GREEN STREET
ALLISON AVENUE - A COMPLETE/GREEN STREET
Permeable Concrete Pour, Curing & Test
Parkway Landscaping & Irrigation
ALLISON AVENUE - A COMPLETE/GREEN STREET
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Mission Avenue - Oceanside