Rightsizing Streets - Gary Toth

Rightsizing Streets aka Road Diets

Gary Toth

Project for Public Spaces

NJ Complete Streets Summit

October 21, 2013

2

34 years at the New Jersey Department of Transportation

6 Years Director of Transportation Initiatives at PPS

Invested Career working at the community/agency interface

We shape our streets, thereafter our streets shape us. –adapted from Winston

Churchill

Contrasting 1

We have been Building Transportation Through Communities, not communities through transportation

Slide courtesy of Dan Burden

PROJECT FOR PUBLIC SPACES

Pre-Automobile EraStreet design HAD to accommodate all users

Pre-Automobile EraCity streets served as public places for economic and

social interaction


Graphic courtesy of Andy SingerPROJECT FOR PUBLIC SPACES

We stopped viewing Streets as Places


Proximity

Speed

Accessibility

Focus on high speed mobility

Slide Courtesy of Chris Sinclair, Renaissance Planning Group

A 21st Century Main StreetIs it a successful street?

So what do we do?



Rightsizing

PROJECT FOR PUBLIC SPACESCharlotte Observer, June 2004




This 5-lane Main Street was converted to…This 5-lane Main Street was converted to…

Pottstown PAPottstown PA

This:This: One less travel lane; bike lanes; parallel to back-in One less travel lane; bike lanes; parallel to back-in diagonal parking on one side; new pavementdiagonal parking on one side; new pavement



East Boulevard

Charlotte



Reinvented Edgewater DriveOrlando, Florida

Crash Rate

12.6

8.4

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

Cra

sh R

ate

(per

MV

M)

Before After

1 crash every 1 crash every 2.5 days2.5 days

34% Reduction

(146 per yr)(146 per yr)

1 crash every 1 crash every 4.2 days4.2 days


Injury Rate

3.6

1.2

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

Inju

ry R

ate

(per

MV

M)

Before After

68% Reduction

1 injury every 1 injury every 9 days9 days

(41 per yr)(41 per yr) 1 injury every 1 injury every 30 days30 days


15.7%

7.5%9.8% 8.9%

29.5%

19.6%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

Pe

rce

nt

of

Ve

hic

les

Tra

ve

lin

g o

ve

r 3

6 M

PH

Before AfterBefore BeforeAfter

North End Middle South End

After

Speeding Analysis

On-Street Parking Utilization

29%

41%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

Par

kin

g U

tiliz

atio

n P

erce

nta

ge

Before After

Pedestrian Volumes

2,136

2,632

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Nu

mb

er o

f P

edes

tria

ns

Before After

23% Increase

Bicycle Volumes

375

486

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Nu

mb

er o

f B

icyc

les

Before After

30% Increase


Prospect Park WestNew York City


Prospect Park West New York City







PROJECT FOR PUBLIC

SPACES

Pine and Spruce StreetsPhiladelphia

PROJECT FOR PUBLIC

SPACES

Pine and Spruce StreetsPhiladelphia

• 44% decline in reportable crashes• 34% decline in crashes resulting in a trip

to the hospital• 58% decline in pedestrian crashes• No change in number of car trips

• Bike trips doubled• Mean car speed stayed the same

• Top range of speeds dropped


PPS Rightsizing Web Resourcehttp://www.pps.org/reference/right

sizing/

http://www.pps.org/reference/rightsizing/

http://www.pps.org/reference/rightsizing/

What Are We Learning fromRightsizing Streets Case Studies


Some Roads May Be More Safe with Less Space for Cars?


PROJECT FOR PUBLIC

SPACES

Rightsized Streets Will Often Carry More People

Rightsized Streets May Slow You Down But Often Get You There Faster

PROJECT FOR PUBLIC

SPACES

PROJECT FOR PUBLIC

SPACES

PROJECT FOR PUBLIC

SPACES

Rightsized Streets Make Better Use Space for Cars That is Very

Often Not Fully Used


Streets as Places Finishes the Job of Rightsizing

Reallocate Street Space (aka Complete Streets)

Streets as Places!


Complete Streets An Approach for Accomodating All

Users

Cars

Alignment + Cross-Section + Intersection + Roadside

Bikes

Pedestrians

Buses

Trucks/freight

Traditional Highway Design Approach

Traffic Volume + Area Type (urban, rural) + Role in Network

Functional Classification

Design Speed + Design Vehicle

Alignment + Cross-Section + Intersection + Roadside

Placed Based Approach

Corridor/CommunityCorridor/Community

PlacePlace

RoadwayRoadway

Traveled WayTraveled Way IntersectionsIntersections RoadsideRoadside

PROJECT FOR PUBLIC SPACESMade possible by funding from the Department of Health and Human Services through the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

“Lowly, unpurposeful and random as they may

appear, sidewalk contacts are the small change from which a

city’s wealth of public life may grow”. ─ Jane

Jacobs

Gary Toth

Director of Transportation Initiatives

Project for Public Spaces

609-397-3885

[email protected]

http://www.pps.org/pdf/bookstore/How_to_Engage_Your_Transportation_Agency_AARP.pdf

mailto:[email protected]

Technology

Rightsizing Streets - Gary Toth