COMPLETE STREETS Guidelines for Urban Street Design PRODUCED BY: Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia Queensland Division Inc (IPWEAQ) FUNDED BY: PREPARED FOR IPWEAQ BY: IPWEAQ Department of Infrastructure and Planning Department of Transport and Main Roads Department of Health Parsons Brinckerhoff Steven Burgess, Anna Purvis, Athol Moore, Les Chandra, Chris Netherway. Peter Richards from Deicke Richards. PROJECT STEERING COMMITTEE: Martin Crow, Chair IPWEAQ Board Member Patrick Murphy IPWEAQ Board Member David Wiskar IPWEAQ Board Member Tanya Menadue Department of Transport and Main Roads Jemina Dunn Department of Infrastructure and Planning Paul Nelson Department of Communities Greg Millwood Urban Development Institute of Australia Michael Tilse Queensland Health TECHNICAL COMMITTEE: Greg Penhaligon Jason Deller David Myers Mark Saunders Mike McKeown Tracey Carsburg Greg Millwood Sherryn Davies Steve Connors IPWEAQ (CQ) IPWEAQ (SEQ) Department of Transport and Main Roads Department of Infrastructure and Planning Department of Infrastructure and Planning Department of Communities Urban Development Institute of Australia Queensland Health Urban Land Development Authority DOCUMENT PUBLISHED: August 2010
DISCLAIMER Every effort and care has been taken by the authors and the Steering Committee to verify that the methods and recommendations contained in these Design Guidelines are appropriate for Queensland conditions. Notwithstanding these efforts, no warranty or guarantee, express, implied, or statutory is made as to the accuracy, reliability, suitability or results of the methods or recommendations. The authors and Steering Committee shall have no liability or responsibility to the user or any other person or entity with respect to any liability, loss oor damage caused or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly, by the adoption and use of the methods and recommendations of the Design Guidelines, anticipatory profits, or consequential damages resulting from the use of the Design Guidelines. Use of the Design Guidelines requires professional interpretation and judgement. Appropriate design procedures and assessment must be applied to suit the particular circumstances under consideration. COPYRIGHT Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia, Queensland Division Inc First published under the name of Queensland Streets June 1993, updated in 1998, reviewed, rewritten and re-released as Complete Streets in August 2010. This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without the written permission from the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia, Queensland Division Inc (IPWEAQ). Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to: The Chief Executive Officer IPWEAQ PO Box 2100 Fortitude Valley BC Q 4006 Published for the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia, Queensland Division Inc.by Bayfield Printing, Brisbane.
Welcome to Complete Streets a new era and the next generation in the IPWEAQ Queensland Streets document. On behalf of the Board of IPWEAQ it is my pleasure to introduce you to this exciting new publication from the Institute. Complete Streets is a technical guide for urban street design, but really it is so much more than that. In conjunction with its online presence, this Guide seeks to be a living, breathing, evolving, comprehensive how-to-kit for contemporary urban street design that will produce quality spaces that cut across a variety of contexts for a wide range of users to experience and enjoy. Technical, aesthetically oriented and even esoteric in parts; this Guide is about helping build and strengthen communities through highly effective means as it captures, inspires and guides you the engineer and designer, practitioners, stakeholders and decision makers at the design and planning stage to ensure real, significant impact and lasting positive change. The outcome is greatly improved social spaces better streets and quality neighbourhoods. Now more than ever social spaces streets and neighbourhoods play an integral role in sustainable contemporary life, affirming our identity and reflecting social and cultural shifts across all contexts of modern society. Historically, streets have focused on motor vehicle access with no or little consideration beyond this point but streets are becoming multi-purpose, multi-use spaces that need to provide more than just motor vehicle access to fulfil their ever increasing role in our complex urban lives. Now and in the future, streets are required to serve as destinations which provide access and a place for people to experience: a paradigm where streets provide networks not just for connectivity with surrounding streets and land marks, but also for users of that space to connect with each other and their surroundings. Here at the Institute we recognise that there is a clear and pressing need for quality urban spaces and people places that serve a diverse range of users through innovative planning and design. IPWEAQ is experienced in this space through many initiatives, most notably through the success of our previous hard copy publication and this Guide s predecessor, Queensland Streets, the first edition of which was launched in 1993. Heightened further by the recent changes in planning policy, Complete Streets is now your total solution in professional urban design for the future. I would sincerely like to acknowledge and thank our stakeholders in the project of Department of Infrastructure and Planning, Queensland Health and the Department of Transport and Main Roads, and the many contributors to the process that allowed the document to be peer-reviewed across Queensland through extensive workshops. I would also like to acknowledge the hard work of IPWEAQ Board member Martin Crow who has led this process from concept to reality and the many members and public works professionals who have given freely of their time to ensure that this publication is practical and useful for communities throughout Australia. On behalf of all at the IPWEAQ we hope you enjoy and derive great benefit from using this document as we continue to work together engineering communities after all, it s what we do! David Wiskar IPWEAQ President July 2010
Contents Page Number PART 1 Complete Streets... 14 1. Introduction... 14 1.1 The History of Queensland Streets 14 1.2 Purpose of Complete Streets 14 1.3 Audience for Complete Streets 14 1.4 Using Complete Streets 14 1.5 Objectives 1.6 Strategies and innovations 2. Designing communities and neighbourhoods... 2.1 Communities and neighbourhoods 2.2 The benefits of quality neighbourhoods 2.3 Permeable street networks PART 2 Principles for good streets... 3. Pedestrian and people activity... 3.1 Background 3.2 Objectives for designing for pedestrian and people activity 3.3 Space for pedestrians 19 3.4 Pedestrians at intersections (and crossings) 3.5 People with disabilities 4. Cycle activity... 4.1 Objectives for designing for cycling activity 4.2 Types of cyclists 4.2.1 Commuter cyclists 4.2.2 Long distance cyclists 4.2.3 Local area cyclists 4.3 On-street cycling routes The following describes various methods of incorporating cycling traffic within the street. 20 4.3.1 On-street one-way cycle lane 20 4.3.2 On-street separated one-way cycle lane 4.3.3 Cyclists mixed with traffic 4.3.4 On-street separated two-way cycle lane 4.4 Off-street cycling routes 4.5 Interaction between cyclists and traffic control devices 4.5.1 Traffic signals 4.5.2 Roundabouts 4.5.3 Motor vehicle speed control devices and pedestrian refuges 4.5.4 Median strips 4.6 Cycle lane widths 4.6.1 Standard lane widths 4.6.2 Contra flow lanes 4.7 Cycle parking 4.8 Summary 5. Public transport activity... 5.1 Objectives for designing for public transport 5.2 Areas of influence of street design and layout 5.2.1 Service coverage and access 5.2.2 Directness and travel time 5.2.3 Comfort and safety
5.3 Network planning considerations 5.3.1 Street network design 5.3.2 Bus stop placement 5.3.3 Walkable catchment analysis 5.4 Street design considerations 5.4.1 General requirements 5.5 Providing public transport priority 5.5.1 Intersection treatment 5.5.2 Stop treatments 5.5.3 Bus lanes 22 5.5.4 Bus only streets and transit malls 22 6. Motor vehicle activity... 6.1 Objectives for designing for motor vehicle activity 6.2 Principles for motor vehicle design 6.3 Speed control 6.3.1 Intersections with sharp corner angles and/or smaller radii 6.3.2 Short straights and short distances between intersections 6.3.3 Raised intersections 6.3.4 Narrow lanes 6.3.5 Mixed activity precincts 6.3.6 Landscaping/streetscaping 6.3.7 On-street parking 24 6.3.8 Selecting a design speed 24 6.4 Access 6.5 Sight distance (refer Section 5, Part 3 Austroads 2009) 6.6 Horizontal alignment (refer Section 7 Part 3, Austroads 2009) 6.7 Vertical alignment (refer Section 8 Part 3, Austroads 2009) 6.8 Crossfall (refer Section 4.2.2, Part 3 Austroads 2009) 6.9 Longitudinal grades (refer Section 8.5.3 Part 3 Austroads 2009) 6.10 Carriageway width 7. Parking... 7.1 Objectives for designing for parking 7.2 On-street parking 7.2.1 Commercial loading/delivery 7.2.2 Waste collection 7.2.3 Taxis 7.3 Standards for on-street parking 7.4 Angle parking 7.5 Motorcycles and motor scooters 7.6 Off-street parking 7.6.1 Parking for urban mixed-use areas 7.7 Parking summary 8. Urban public utilities... 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Water supply and sewerage services 8.3 Stormwater drainage and water-sensitive urban design 8.3.1 Space 8.3.2 Regional variation 8.4 Reticulated gas 8.5 Electricity and telecommunications
9. Other street infrastructure... 9.1 Street furniture 9.2 Landscaping 9.2.1 Street trees 9.2.2 Siting 9.2.3 Plant stock 9.2.4 Planter beds 9.2.5 Planting Areas 9.2.6 Soils 9.2.7 Turf 9.2.8 Irrigation 9.2.9 Tree Selection 9.3 Signage 9.4 Lighting 9.5 Public art 9.6 On-street utility infrastructure 10. Redeveloped streets... 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Issues with redeveloped streets 10.2.1 Incompatible width of existing road reserves and or carriageways 10.2.2 Established parking behaviour 10.2.3 Existing street networks 10.3 Solutions and examples 10.4 Street networks 10.5 Reserve width 11. Shared streets... 12. Motor vehicle-free streets... 13. Intersections... 13.1 Un-signalised intersections 13.2 Signalised intersections 13.3 Roundabouts PART 3 Specific street types... 14. Main streets... 14.1 Introduction 14.2 Pedestrian and people activity in main streets 14.3 Cycling activity in main streets 14.4 Public transport activity in main streets 14.4.1 Stops and shelters 14.4.2 Lanes and stopping bays for vehicles 14.5 Motor vehicle activity in main streets 14.5.1 Access 14.5.2 Parking 14.5.3 Specific short term users 14.5.4 Street cross-sections 14.5.5 Typologies
15. Mixed-use streets... 15.1 Introduction 15.2 Pedestrian and people activity in mixed-use streets 15.3 Cycling activity in mixed-use streets 15.4 Public transport activity in mixed-use streets 15.4.1 Stops and shelters 15.4.2 Public transport routes 15.4.3 Lanes and stopping bays for vehicles 15.5 Motor vehicle activity in mixed-use streets 15.5.1 Access 15.5.2 Parking 15.5.3 Specific short term users 15.5.4 Typologies 16. Streets for living... 16.1 Introduction 16.2 Pedestrian and people activity in streets for living 16.3 Cycle activity in streets for living 16.3.1 Types of cyclists 16.3.2 Cycling paths 16.3.3 Cycle parking 16.3.4 Space for cycling 16.4 Public transport activity in streets for living 16.4.1 Passenger access 16.4.2 Stops and shelters 16.4.3 Public transport routes 16.4.4 Lanes and stopping bays 16.5 Motor vehicle activity in streets for living 16.5.1 Access 16.5.2 Parking 16.5.3 Speed 16.5.4 Street cross-sections 16.5.5 Laneways 16.6 Typologies 17. Industrial streets... 17.1 Introduction 17.2 Pedestrian activity in industrial streets 17.3 Bicycle activity in industrial streets 17.4 Public transport activity in industrial streets 17.5 Motor vehicle activity in industrial streets 17.5.1 Access 17.5.2 Speed 17.5.3 Intersections 17.5.4 Parking 17.5.5 Typologies 18. Roads with street frontages... 18.1 Introduction 18.2 Pedestrian activity on-streets used as roads 18.3 Cycling activity on-streets used as roads 18.4 Public transport activity in streets used as roads 18.5 Motor vehicle activity in streets used as roads 18.5.1 Access 18.5.2 Parking 18.5.3 Commercial loading/delivery 18.5.4 Intersections
18.6 Typologies 19. Rural residential streets... 19.1 Introduction 19.2 Pedestrian activity in rural residential streets 19.3 Cycle activity in rural residential streets 19.4 Public transport activity in rural residential streets 19.5 Motor vehicle activity in rural residential streets 19.5.1 Access and parking 19.5.2 Speed 19.5.3 Intersections 19.5.4 Typologies PART 4 Explanatory material... 20. Glossary of terms... 21. Acronyms... 22. References and further reading... Appendix A A method for designing a street network...a- Appendix B A method for retrofitting a street network...b- List of tables Table 3-1: Pedestrian space width guidelines (Austroads, Part 6A: Pedestrians and Cyclist Paths) Table 5-1: Standard targets Table 6-1: Street leg lengths Table 6-2: Summary of carriageway widths Table 7-1: Off-street parking rates List of figures Figure 16-1: Example of connected pedestrian network in the absence of vehicle connectivityerror! Bookmark not def Figure 1-1: Relationships between planning documents in Queensland 17 Figure 3-1: Pedestrian space advice Figure 3-2: Footpath space guidelines Figure 4-1: Guide to determining separation of cycle facilities Figure 5-1: Inefficient bus connection Figure 5-2: Efficient bus connection Figure 5-3: Walkable catchment analysis Figure 5-4: Qconnect Regular Bus Stop Figure 5-5: Qconnect Intermediate Bus Stop Figure 5-6: Qconnect premium bus stop 22 Figure 8-1: IPWEAQ Standard Drawings SEQ R-100 Figure 8-2: IPWEAQ Standard Drawings SEQ R-101 Figure 10-1: Hampstead Road proposed redesign Figure 14-1: Main street typologies Figure 15-1: Main street typologies Figure 16-2: Example walkable catchment from nominal public transport stop Figure 16-3: Living street typologies Figure 17-1: Industrial street typologies Figure 18-1: Suitable section for road through suburban centre (reproduced from Liveable Neighbourhoods ) Figure 18-2: Suitable section for road through town centre (reproduced from Liveable Neighbourhoods )
Figure 19-1: Rural street typologies Figure A-1: Street network underpinning walkable neighbourhoods Figure A-2: Neighbourhood connectors central to communities, not enclosing them Figure A-3: Intersections as neighbourhood anchors Figure A-4: Higher density activity creating centres Figure A-5: Organically developed permeable neighbourhood Figure B-1: Typical low density disconnected neighbourhood design Figure B-2: Pedestrian access difficulties Figure B-3: Reconnecting streets to create permeability Figure B-4: Block sizes promoting housing variety and connectivity Figure B-5: Permeable connected network Figure B-6: Reintroducing and designing for 4-way intersections Figure B-7: Contemporary redeveloped mixed-use neighbourhood List of photos Photo 3-1: Salamanca Place (Hobart) Photo 3-2: Hastings Street (Noosa) Photo 3-3: Height and width combine to make a complete pedestrian space 19 Photo 3-4: Height and width combine to make a complete pedestrian space Photo 4-1: Painted cycle lanes are a more prominent way of defining cycle lanes on-street 20 Photo 4-2: Dedicated cycle lanes in Copenhagen Denmark protect cyclists from moving traffic and parked cars Photo 4-3: Example of a new cycle lane in Swanston Street Melbourne where cycle lane is located on the passenger side of the parked car and outside the motor vehicle door zone Photo 4-4: Bicycle symbols painted in the centre of the lanes to accommodate cyclists over narrow bridges in Noosa Photo 4-5: Two-way cycle path in carriageway in St Kilda, Melbourne Photo 4-6: Stand up lane in Brisbane Photo 4-7: Cyclists in Copenhagen Denmark have priority over motorists at signalised intersections Photo 4-8: Single lane roundabout in Rosalie Brisbane that is suitable for use by most cyclistserror! Bookmark not d Photo 4-9: Kerb indentations used to assist pedestrians at crossings can endanger cyclists by pushing them into the main traffic flow these ones have been modified so that they do not impede cyclists Photo 4-10: Contra-flow bicycle lane, Perth Western Australia Photo 4-11: On-street cycle parking in Esjberg Denmark Photo 4-12: On-street cycle parking in Grey Street, South Bank Photo 4-13: Street raised to footpath level providing freedom for cyclists to move from footpath to street
turn not d an example of a service road to not Photo 5-1: Cairns Transit Mall 23 Photo 6-1: Tight radius intersection treatment reducing speed environment Photo 6-2: Raised uncontrolled 4-way intersection Photo 6-3: Narrow streets contributing to low speed environment Photo 6-4: How an active mixed-use precinct can provide a lower speed environment Photo 6-5: Landscaping/street trees influencing speed environment Photo 6-6: On-street parking influencing speed environment 24 Photo 7-1: Parking limited to one side of the street Photo 7-2: Central median parking, Cotton Tree, Queensland Photo 7-3: Motorcycle parking accommodated in undersized bay on-street Photo 8-1: Water sensitive urban design Photo 9-1: Seating area in a street Photo 9-2: Decorative lighting used to give a street a distinctive identity in Woolloongabba Brisbane Photo 10-1: James Street, Newstead (Brisbane) Photo 10-2: Hope Street, Cooktown Photo 11-1: A shared main street Photo 11-2: A shared street for living Photo 11-3: A shared mixed-use street Photo 12-1: Elizabeth Street mall, Hobart Photo 13-1: Un-signalised 4 way intersection in Tewantin, Sunshine Coast Photo 13-2: Kerb return radius<3.0m Photo 13-3: Signalised mixed-use street/road intersection with left Photo 13-4: Signalised Main Street intersection in Port Macquarie any time with care laneerror! Bookmark Photo 14-1: Pedestrian activity in a main street Photo 14-2: Cycling activity in a main street Photo 14-3: On-street parking in a main street at Oxford Street Bulimba with controlled short-term parking for difference users and indented bays to expand pedestrian space Photo 15-1: Quality pedestrian space in a mixed-use street Photo 15-2: Cycling activity in a mixed-use street Photo 16-1: A street for living Photo 16-2: A street for living Photo 16-3: Quality space for people in a street for living Photo 16-4: Mixing landscaping with on-street parking to reduce visual impacts in a street for living Photo 16-5: Laneway used for rear and side access Photo 16-6: Rear laneway used for both rear access and primary access Photo 18-1: Photo 3-1: St Kilda Road, Melbourne Salamanca Place (Hobart) a road used as a streeterror! Bookmark Photo 3-2: Hastings Street (Noosa) Photo 3-3: Height and width combine to make a complete pedestrian space 19 Photo 3-4: Height and width combine to make a complete pedestrian space Photo 4-1: Painted cycle lanes are a more prominent way of defining cycle lanes on-street 20 Photo 4-2: Dedicated cycle lanes in Copenhagen Denmark protect cyclists from moving traffic and parked cars Photo 4-3: Example of a new cycle lane in Swanston Street Melbourne where cycle lane is located on the passenger side of the parked car and outside the motor vehicle door zone Photo 4-4: Bicycle symbols painted in the centre of the lanes to accommodate cyclists over narrow bridges in Noosa Photo 4-5: Two-way cycle path in carriageway in St Kilda, Melbourne Photo 4-6: Stand up lane in Brisbane Photo 4-7: Cyclists in Copenhagen Denmark have priority over motorists at signalised intersections Photo 4-8: Single lane roundabout in Rosalie Brisbane that is suitable for use by most cyclistserror! Bookmark not d Photo 4-9: Kerb indentations used to assist pedestrians at crossings can endanger cyclists by pushing them into the main traffic flow these ones have been modified so that they do not impede cyclists Photo 4-10: Contra-flow bicycle lane, Perth Western Australia
Photo 4-11: On-street cycle parking in Esjberg Denmark Photo 4-12: On-street cycle parking in Grey Street, South Bank Photo 4-13: Street raised to footpath level providing freedom for cyclists to move from footpath to street
turn not d Photo 18-1: St Kilda Road, Melbourne an example of a service road to a road used as a streeterror! Bookmark not Photo 5-1: Cairns Transit Mall 23 Photo 6-1: Tight radius intersection treatment reducing speed environment Photo 6-2: Raised uncontrolled 4-way intersection Photo 6-3: Narrow streets contributing to low speed environment Photo 6-4: How an active mixed-use precinct can provide a lower speed environment Photo 6-5: Landscaping/street trees influencing speed environment Photo 6-6: On-street parking influencing speed environment 24 Photo 7-1: Parking limited to one side of the street Photo 7-2: Central median parking, Cotton Tree, Queensland Photo 7-3: Motorcycle parking accommodated in undersized bay on-street Photo 8-1: Water sensitive urban design Photo 9-1: Seating area in a street Photo 9-2: Decorative lighting used to give a street a distinctive identity in Woolloongabba Brisbane Photo 10-1: James Street, Newstead (Brisbane) Photo 10-2: Hope Street, Cooktown Photo 11-1: A shared main street Photo 11-2: A shared street for living Photo 11-3: A shared mixed-use street Photo 12-1: Elizabeth Street mall, Hobart Photo 13-1: Un-signalised 4 way intersection in Tewantin, Sunshine Coast Photo 13-2: Kerb return radius<3.0m Photo 13-3: Signalised mixed-use street/road intersection with left Photo 13-4: Signalised Main Street intersection in Port Macquarie any time with care laneerror! Bookmark Photo 14-1: Pedestrian activity in a main street Photo 14-2: Cycling activity in a main street Photo 14-3: On-street parking in a main street at Oxford Street Bulimba with controlled short-term parking for difference users and indented bays to expand pedestrian space Photo 15-1: Quality pedestrian space in a mixed-use street Photo 15-2: Cycling activity in a mixed-use street Photo 16-1: A street for living Photo 16-2: A street for living Photo 16-3: Quality space for people in a street for living Photo 16-4: Mixing landscaping with on-street parking to reduce visual impacts in a street for living Photo 16-5: Laneway used for rear and side access Photo 16-6: Rear laneway used for both rear access and primary access List of appendices Appendix A A method for designing a street network Appendix B A method for retrofitting a street network Appendix C Traffic analysis
PART 1 Complete Streets 1. Introduction 1.1 The History of Queensland Streets Queensland Streets was released in 1989 and re-released in 1993 by the Institute of Municipal Engineering, Australia, Queensland Division. Its major focus was on providing the technical basis for a uniform standard of design for residential streets for use throughout Queensland and to provide technical support for the principles outlined in the Australian Model Code for Residential Development (AMCORD). Since its last release in 1993 there have been many changes in urban development and local government such that a new version of Queensland Streets was needed to address these changes and be a more useful tool in assisting in the delivery of quality urban development in Queensland. 1.2 Purpose of Complete Streets Streets should be important places in our lives. Streets need to provide more than just motor vehicle access to fulfil their ever increasing role in quality neighbourhoods. Complete Streets provides a uniform approach to designing streets for modern communities. It includes principles appropriate to the desired outcomes derived from Federal responses to climate change and peak oil; Queensland Government responses to regional planning and growth management; and Local Government issues of mixed modes and sustainable communities identified within the consultation process (refer Queensland Streets Report 1, Consultation Report). 1.3 Audience for Complete Streets Given the many changes in urban development practices and in Local Government since Queensland Streets was last published in 1993, the audience for Queensland Streets has become more diverse. It is anticipated this document will be used by various disciplines in the design of streets, street layouts of streets, layouts and communities. Note that this document has no statutory role, but is available as a guide to both designers and design assessors. It has been noted that more local authorities now have their own detailed street design manuals. However it is not considered this will diminish the role of Complete Streets. Rather it offers guidance on how to develop sustainable communities and provides opportunities for more diverse solutions where current street designs might not be appropriate. In these instances it assists designers and assessors in determining the merit of innovations to achieve better outcomes for specific development or place types. 1.4 Using Complete Streets It is important to acknowledge that these guidelines are for streets, not for roads. Roads provide a transport function, they are not destinations in their own right and they have a different place function when compared with streets. Streets are destinations, they provide access and they are places for people to experience.
For the important role of streets to be fulfilled, guidelines on the way our streets are designed and the way that they interface with land use should be considered in the light of community s expectations from their streets. Recent changes to planning policy in Queensland encourage more diversity in housing, a mix of land uses in communities, and developments more suited to walking, cycling and public transport use. It is important that our street designs reflect this shift and ensure a quality, integrated approach to both green field and infill development. Complete Streets is a significant departure from previous editions in that it does not consider private vehicles to be the most significant travel mode. Instead these guidelines consider streets to be genuine community space where, through proper design, motor vehicles can be accommodated. The guidelines are intended to allow and encourage good design where pedestrians, cyclists and public transport patrons have equality of access in and around their communities and are not disadvantaged to motorists. Complete Streets encourages streets which: help build and strengthen the communities that they serve; meet the needs of all users; form part of a well-connected network; are attractive and have their own distinct identity; are cost effective to construct and maintain; are safe. And discourages streets which are: designed primarily for traffic; bland and/or unattractive; unsafe or unwelcoming for active transport modes; difficult to serve with public transport. In developing Complete Streets, current statutory instruments, current design standards and a number of similar street design manuals from around Australia and the world were referred to. A complete reference list is provided in Chapter Error! Reference source not found.. They form part of a suite of planning and design documents which control and guide development in Queensland. These documents work together to create communities of the future. Figure 1-1 shows how Complete Streets relates to these other statutory and non-statutory documents.
QUEENSLAND STREETS DOCUMENT HIERARCHY OTHER MATERIAL SPA/IDAS MATERIAL State Towards Q2 Regional Sub-regional Smart Growth Guidelines SEQ Climate Change Management Plan Smart Growth Charter State Planning Policies Queensland Planning Provisions Planning Schemes Regional Growth Areas Neighbourhoods Queensland Streets Masterplan Guidelines Australian Standards Aust Roads Guidelines QLD Urban Drainage Manual Koala Design Site Building Code of Australia/Queensland Development Code Development Assessment Source: Department of Infrastructure and Planning, South-east Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031; Sustainable Planning Act 2009 Figure 1-1: Relationships between planning documents in Queensland
1.5 Space for pedestrians Pedestrian movement is the most important mode of transport and must be provided for in every case. Successful streets provide a sense of being in a room for pedestrians. This room is created by the appropriate relationship of both vertical and horizontal space, as determined by street planting, street furniture and adjacent activity demand. On busy streets the room is a separate space where pedestrians feel safe and comfortable. On less busy streets the room can include the space used by other transport modes also, particularly where the space is shared. Whatever the room includes, it must be formed on a human scale and provide for people and their activities. Photo 1-1: Height and width combine to make a complete pedestrian space
1.5.1 The following describes various methods of incorporating cycling traffic within the street. 1.5.2 On-street one-way cycle lane On-street cycle lanes are a common response to provision for cycle activity. Cycle lanes should be developed to minimise risk from parked motor vehicles as well as moving motor vehicles. Where vehicles park, there should to be sufficient space for cyclists to ride away from the motor vehicle and outside of the motor vehicle door zone. Creating designated cycle lanes and painting these to highlight their importance can be an effective method for establishing a safe place on the road for cyclists. Painted cycle lanes are a good method for establishing waiting areas for cyclists at intersections (stand-up lanes). Photo 1-2: Painted cycle lanes are a more prominent way of defining cycle lanes on-street Photo 4-1 shows a common response to cycle provision on-street. It is not an ideal outcome because it places cyclists in the motor vehicle door zone. In this case, the bike lane is wide so the cyclist can take evasive action. For busy streets and where parking turnover is high. This solution might not be ideal, however sometimes space restrictions will limit design to this solution.
Intermediate stops are for higher volume routes in regional towns and suburban city routes. Figure 1-2: Qconnect premium bus stop Premium bus stops are for high passenger volume routes. They would be suitable for main streets and high activity, mixed-use streets in urban village type areas. 1.5.3 Bus lanes Mid-block treatment refers to the provision of street space for buses other than at intersections or stops. In most streets, buses will operate within normal traffic, without requiring dedicated bus lanes. In very busy streets, however, where intersection treatments have been provided, it may be advantageous to provide bus-only lanes to enable a continuous bus facility. This is a network wide, public transport planning decision and not an ad-hoc street design decision. These provide design challenges, particularly with regards to pedestrian amenity, shared use of road space by cyclists and access to parking. Individual transport agencies and service providers may have their own specific guidelines for when particular on-street facilities may be required 1, and these should be consulted at the planning stage. Additionally, Austroads, Part 3: Geometric Design should be referred to for appropriate lane widths, as well as Part 4 Section 6.3.1 for bus lane treatments at intersections. 1.5.4 Bus only streets and transit malls There are many examples where public transport plays a very significant role in streets and there are even 'transit malls' where a significant amount of space is dedicated to public transport at the particular expense of motor vehicle traffic (see photograph below of Cairns Transit Mall). It must be acknowledged transit malls are prone to many of the same risks as pedestrian malls in that significant numbers of people are required to activate them and provide an appropriate level of casual surveillance. 1 e.g. see TransLink Planning Policy and Evaluation Framework: Planning for Bus Priority Facilities
Photo 1-3: Cairns Transit Mall TransLink is a south east Queensland entity, however the passenger infrastructure that has been designed to meet TransLink s requirements is considered appropriate for use throughout Queensland. The impending release of Queensland Transport guidelines on public transport facilities will also provide options for street designers to include as part of their public transport infrastructure.
1.5.1 On-street parking On-street parking can influence speed in more than one way. In low volume living streets it can induce a weaving driving pattern thus impacting on speed. It can impact on perceived road width and reduce speed and in busy mixed-use or main streets the actions of pulling in and out of parking spaces can impact on traffic speed. Photo 6-6 shows an example of how on-street parking can impact on the speed environment of a living street. Photo 1-4: On-street parking influencing speed environment Other speed control devices, often known as local area traffic management (LATM), are also used to control speed. These treatments are unnecessary for appropriately designed new streets but are used to address speed and safety issues in existing streets. They include speed bumps and chicanes and other physical impediments to vehicle speeds. These tools are not always successful and often affect pedestrian and cycle environments. These tools should only be used where no other solution is viable. Part 13 from the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices gives adequate guidance on the use of traffic management devices. 1.5.2 Selecting a design speed Design speed for motor vehicles must be decided with equal consideration for all street users, pedestrians, cyclists, public transport and private motor vehicle traffic. The design speed used in these guidelines is the 85 percentile, maximum speed of traffic within the street and may therefore be determined according to amenity rather than
capacity. This is different to the highway or road design concept, where the design speed is the minimum safe speed at any point on the road.