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CompleteStreets: From

Concept toReality!

-

Los Angeles CountyMetropolitan

TransportationAuthority

August 2014

Many modes, one corridor.

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Five core topics:A. Whos here?

B. Perspective & the Triple Bottom Line

C. Sticky designs for health

D. Getting started

Complete or not?

E. Making thecase forCompleteStreets.

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A. Thats Me!

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B. Youthfulrecollections

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0

10

20

30

40

50

1969 2001

%o

fstu

den

tsag

e5-1

8

Car

Bus

W/B

Changes in Walking & Cycling to School,1969 to 2001

Ham et.al., Jour. of Physical Activity & Health, 2008, 5, 205-215

W/B = Walk/Bike

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CDC, National Center for Health Statistics.National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.

www.rwjf.org/files/publications/annual/2008/year-in-review/

Trends inChildhoodObesity &Overweight

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The realrisk . . .

30-Nov-2009

Lenore Skenazywww.freerangekids.com

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Complete Streets:

Tucson

Pedestrians

Bicyclists

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Glens Falls, NY

CompleteStreets:

Transit

Freight & Motor Vehicles

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HealthyEconomy

HealthyPeople

Prosperity

People

An essential element of healthy communities . . .

HealthyEnvironment

Planet

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The bad news in just three numbers:

30 minutes of daily physical activity (60for kids) recommended by guidelines.

% of Americans actually meet theserecommendations (thru LTPA).

,000 Estimated annual deaths inAmerica due to physical inactivity &poor nutrition. (2nd only to tobacco.)

20

365

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60

120

180

240

0 6 12 18

months

Ex

erc

ise

(min

/we

ek

)

LB

SB

SBT

Exercise ParticipationEffect of Short Bouts, Home Treadmills

(Jakicic et.al., J. Amer. Med. Assoc., 282, 16)

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Fine for a few,but clearly

not enough . . .

. . . we must buildcommunities

where people areintrinsically more

active.

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C. Can we?If we build it will

they come?

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1. Varied destinations withinwalk, bike, & transitdistance.

2. Network: sidewalks, trails,bike lanes, transit.

3. Functional & invitingdesigns for pedestrians,bicyclists, & transit users.

4. Safe & accessible for allages, incomes, abilities

YES! Four elements:

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Compact neighborhoods

1. Land use. Live, work, shop, play, learn, pray.

Housingabove,

retailbelow.

& shared open space.

E.g. schools, shopping, transit.

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2. Network encourages active travel with:

Presence of sidewalks, pathways,bike lanes, sharrows.

Shorter blocks, connected grid.

Reliable, affordable, accessibletransit.

NYC

Wash DC

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3. Site designResearch &practice suggest:

Buildings near the sidewalk,not set back; parking onstreet or behind.

Trees, benches, lighting,awnings, human scale.

Details: bike parking, openspace, plants, art, materials.

Portland OR

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Possible incentives:

Decrease, share parking(include bike racks).

Build-to, not set-backrequirements.

2nd story residential.

Expedite permits.

Appleton WI

Neenah WI

Elected, appointedofficials, staff, &developers mustbe supported ifexpected to actcourageously!

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4. Safety & access. Engineering can markedlyimprove safety.

Increasing pedestrian andbike trips decreases overallaccident & fatality rates.

Curb extensions

Allusers

Roundabouts

(Jacobsen P, Injury Prevention, 2003; 9:205-209.)

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Four Elements of Healthy Community Design:

www.activelivingresearch.org

Site design

Pedestrian bike, & transit network

Mixed land use

Safety & access for all.

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D. Typical phases of CS implementation.

i. Pass a resolution or executive order.(Whereas . . . be it resolved . . .)

ii. Adopt a DPW/engineering policy &detailed design guidelines.

iii. Execute first steps, demo projects.

iv. Routine: All partners (electeds, staff,consultants,) consider peds, bicycles,transit, & freight in absolutely everyproject (including routine maintenance).

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i. Policy Establishes intent, & specificsteps forward. Best on a regional scale!

^ Rosemead Blvd.Temple City

< Not yet complete

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E.g. Metro CS Policy includes . . .

Corridor planning support

Project funding in completestreets communities

Transit planning& operations

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ii. Design Guidance:Dont reinvent the

wheel!E.g. National Assoc. of

City TransportationOfficials.

NewYork

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E.g. NACTOUrban BikewayDesign Guide

Ocean Park Blvd.Santa Monica

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Guidelines have to say its okay.

Create new preferred roadway cross-sections& profiles. (E.g. allow 9.5-10 travel lanes onlow speed neighborhood streets.)

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iii. Get started . . .

1. Convene work group;interdisciplinary.

2. Lead walk audits.3. Take a CS inventory.4. Move or add lines

during painting.5. Use paint: high

visibility crosswalks;sharrows, bike lanes

6. Paint safer parking.7. Add curb extensions.

8. Build a parklet.

9. Bike parking stall.

10. Install a roundabout.

11. Add median islands.

12. Do a road diet!

Minneapolis

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1. CS work group:

Health

DPW

Fire

AHA

ADA

ACS

Enviroadvocates

Rec.

Trails

Elected

Neighbor-hoods

PTOs

HospitalInsurer

Bike/PedAdvocate

Banks

NAHB

Churches

Employers

Developer

NARVision

ServiceOrgs.

Transit

Parks

Econ.Devlpmt

Chamber

Planning

Found.

Freight Main St.

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2. Lead walk audits oncandidate CompleteStreets in the community.

3. Create aninventory of streetcompleteness.

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Inventory toinclude (y/n?)existence ofsidewalk,shoulder,bike lane,vehicle lanewidths . . . Sidewalk

Shared Use

Bike Lane

Guide line

www.markfenton.com4. Paint missing lines.

www.markfenton.com4. Or move them.

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5. Use paint, signs:E.g. some highvisibility crosswalks.

Ladder style

Boston

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Paint sharrows or abicycle lane (plus signswhere appropriate).

Sharrow(shared use

arrow)

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Portland, ORShared bike &transit lanes

Minneapolis

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^ Advanced bike box.

< Protected, two-way lane.

Washington DC

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6. Diagonalparking

increaseson-streetcapacity,but . . .

But reverse angle: Less severe &costly collisions. Pedestrians offthe roadway. Safer for bikes.Akron, OH

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7. Add curbextensions;paint, curbing,planters, . . .

Shorten crossings,improve sight lines,slow turning cars.

Tucson

Missoula

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Baltimore

SaskatchewanQueens NY

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8. Build a parklet(or a few of them).

Montpelier

Park City

New York

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9. Bicycle parking;stalls can be in curbextensions!

Salt LakeCity library

Boulder, CO

Columbia, MO

www.markfenton.comGlens Falls, NY

10. Roundabouts,mini-circles;often to replace4-way stop.

Seattle

Madison, WI

Longmont, CO

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11. Install medians . . .

Include pedcrossings whereappropriate;ideally offset.

San Diego

Honolulu

Boston

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SaltLakeCity

Washington DC

Innovativemedians

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12. Lane re-alignments

Often called road diets, 5or 4 lanes down to 3.

Reduce collisions &severity.

Improves conditionsfor peds & cyclists.

During routine paving?Urbana, IL; before & after.

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iv. Institutionalizeby changing routinepractices; even performance measures.

No longer maximizeLevel of Service (LOS).

Minimize Vehicle MilesTraveled (VMT).

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US Vehicle Miles Traveled (USDOT)

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On new development, redevelopment . . .

Multi-modal Transportation Analysis instead ofTraffic Impact Analysis (MMTA vs TIA).

Maximize active trip generation.

Bus pull-out, transit shelter. Bike lane, sharrows, parking. Sidewalk link, trees, benches.

Oak Park, IL

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E.g. Health Economic Assessment Tools;H.E.A.T. for Bicycling and Walking (WHO)

On-line tool: www.heatwalkingcycling.org

Avg. trip length

Estimate/meas.# ped/bike trips H.E.A.T. Statistical $

value of life-years saved.

Other defaults adjustable: average days walked % of round trips years to full impact . . .

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Invite engineers & planners to design . . .

Expand the hierarchy. Not just local, collector,arterial . . . Boulevard, parkway, lanes, alleys.

Re-purpose asphalt e.g. stage & beer garden!

Salt Lake City

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Institutionalize Complete Streets!E.g. Nashville, TN (MPO)

Transportation Improvement Program scoring(60%) considers impacts to pedestrian, bicycle,transit, goods & services; not just cars!

Higher fundingpriority for thosewith multi-modalbenefits.

LOS-only projectsdont get funded!

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In the end itsnot a questionof technicalknowledge.

Its not just aquestion of

funding.

Ocean Park Blvd.

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After all . . . We spend vast sums annually on

transportation projects.

Many of the first steps have eithervery low cost; or negligible marginal(incremental) cost over business as

usual; check % increase.

FIRST: Look at current paving,painting, & maintenance budgets.

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D. Its a question ofcommunity & political will.

So, how to generatesupport among hesitant

community leaders?

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Three words:

Economics

Economics

Grandchildren . . .

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Smart Growth & Economic Successwww.epa.gov/smartgrowth/economic_success.htm

Dec. 2012

Benefits to developers,realtors, investors,local governments.

Less infrastructure incompact development.

Walkability premiumon real estate sales.

Flexibility & choice.

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Smart Growth & Economic Successwww.epa.gov/smartgrowth/economic_success.htm

Nov. 2013

Beneficial to . . .

Creative economy,productivity, innovation.

Competitive for hiring &retaining employees.

Strong retail sales,offers customerstransport choices.

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Study of streetredesigns in NYC:

Pre- and post-projectretail revenue.

E.g. pedestrian plazas,bike paths, redesignedintersections, BRT . . .

Improved areasexceeded borough &control area averages.

www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/dot-economic-benefits-of-sustainable-streets.pdf

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On Common GroundNatl Assoc. of Realtors;Summer 2010; www.realtor.org

The Next Generation ofHome Buyers:

Taste for in-town living.

Appetite for publictransportation.

Strong green streak.

Plus, Americans aredriving less overall!

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Walkability.Why we care & whyyou should too!

Builder Magazine,Mar. 2014

Consumer desire

Flexibility in design

Lower developmentcosts . . .

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The challenge:

Build corridors that define morelivable, appealing communities.

Or more simply: Which contributesmore to economy in the long run?Where do employers want to locateto lower healthcare costs & increaseemployee retention?

New Towne Mall: Houstonl

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Olshansky et.al., APotential Decline in LifeExpectancy . . .New Eng. J. of Med.,March 17, 2005

Its aquestionof will!

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Your thoughts . . .

Overall reactions policy on target?

Two focal points Corridor planning, CS-oriented project funding. What else can/shouldMetro explicitly include?

How do we change transportation performancemeasures? Land use?

If youre implementing Complete Streets, whatsworking? Private sector supportive, involved?

Doing CS as part of routine practice?

The magic wand . . . ?