1. Complete Street Design for Healthy Places
Sheila Brush . Director of Programs . Grow Smart Rhode Island
Wade Walker, PE . Director of Transportation Planning . Fuss & O’Neill
Jennifer Nelson, AICP . Transportation Planner . Fuss & O’Neill

2. Agenda
• Introduction
• Physical Elements of Complete Streets
• Case Studies
– 4:3 Road Diet in Urban / Suburban setting
– Corridor Plan for Small Town / Suburban / Rural setting
• Implementation
– Benefits
– Education and Advocacy Methods
– Policies, Plans, and Regulating Manuals
– Funding
– Phasing

3. Healthy Places by Design Online
• RI Department of Health
www.health.ri.gov/programs/healthyplacesbydesign/
• North Kingstown
http://northkingstown.org/healthy-places-design
• South Kingstown
http://skhealthyplacesbydesign.webs.com
• Pawtucket
www.horsleywitten.com/healthypawtucket
3

4. Complete Streets
Elements

5. Definition of Complete Streets
• Complete Streets are streets for everyone.
• Designed and operated to enable safe access for all
users -- pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit
riders of all ages and abilities
• Complete Streets make it easy to cross the street, walk
to shops, and bicycle to work. They allow buses to run
on time and make it safe for people to walk to and
from train stations.
National Complete Streets Coalition

6. Holistic Transportation Strategy
• Livability and balance –
“Complete Streets”
• Combine land use and
transportation improvements
• Full range of seamless multi-
modal opportunities – transit,
pedestrian, bicycle, and
roadway networks
• Context sensitive solutions – utilize
inherent flexibility in design
• Collaborative, interdisciplinary,
and community-led design

7. Complete Streets
• Context Sensitive
• Connected
– Seamless connections among
modes
– Street connectivity
• Zones
• Street components
– Beyond the travel lane

8. The Size and Character of Road Influences the Quality of
Urban Environment
ROW Width: ~100’
Vertical: 10 – 20’
Ratio: 1:10+ to 1:5
Photo courtesy of Rick Hall, Hall Planning & Engineering

9. Components of a Street
1: 2.5
1: 1.8
1:1
• Context & landscape provides vertical frame Outdoor Room
• Comfortable Ratio of Enclosure - 1:1 to 1:4
Image from ITE CSS Manual

10. Context Sensitivity: The Neighborhood / Block
Montgomery, AL
All images from Transect.org (DPZ & Company; Dover, Kohl, & Partners)

11. Context Sensitivity: General Street Typologies
• Place-Oriented Syntax
– Boulevard
– Avenue
– Main Street
– Local Street
– Alley
• Additional types and
cross-sections as
desired by jurisdiction
• Ideal and optional
elements vary by street
type

12. Streetside Zones
A: East Greenwich, RI B: Barrington, Rt 114
Residential: 12 – 18’ (min 9’)
Mixed / Commercial: 15 - 25’ (min 12’)
Observations?

13. Streetside: Distinct Zones Walkability

14. Bike Facilities
Shared Lanes: Bike Lanes:
Most appropriate for streets 25 mph 5-6’ wide
Typically installed in middle of street Between vehicle lanes & parking
Most appropriate for streets 25-35 mph
Raised Side Path:
Shared Trail adjacent to
roadway
Min. 10’ wide
Optimally 12-20’ wide
Optional landscape
buffer or barrier
Cycle Track: Buffered, 6-11’ wide On one side of road
Images from NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide

15. Vehicular Travel Lanes
Average through lane capacity by configuration
• Number of Lanes vs.
Capacity
– Not directly proportional
– Typical 4-3 Road diet
maintains capacity
• Lane width vs. Capacity
– Very little difference
between 10’, 11’ and 12’
• Lane width vs. Speed
Vehicular
– Significant reduction in
speed at <= 10’
• SAFETY
– Single biggest factor is
speed!
Images from New Jersey Mobility and Community Form presentation, originally Walter Kulash
Study: Relationship of Lane Width to Safety for Urban and Suburban Arterials, Potts, 2007

16. Relationship between Speed and Safety
25-30 mph
Source: “On a Collision Course? Smart Growth & Traffic Safety (Charlier, Garrick, Dumbaugh – 2011)

17. Medians, Landscaping, Crossings
• Buffer
• Safety
• Accessibility
• Environmental
mitigation
• Low Impact Design
• Character & beauty
Sources: RIDOT, Portland OR, Fuss & O’Neill

18. Some Additional Considerations
• Transit Accommodations
• Freight Accommodations
• Emergency vehicles
• Utilities
• Street Transitions
• Access Management
• Maintenance
• Wayfinding
Above: Turning Radii Analysis
Images from Urban Design to Accommodate Trees (Gilman) and City of Oceanside

19. Put it all together
Images of Alexandria VA courtesy of Code Studio

20. History of Street Design

21. We know how to build great communities…

22. What
Happened???

23. AutoCentric Transportation Philosophy
• Emphasis
– Capacity
– Operational Efficiency
– Vehicular LOS
– Minimize Vehicular Delay
• Sometimes Prohibited
– Speeds Lower Than 45 mph
– Narrow Lanes
– Two Lane Roads
– On Street Parking
– Street Trees/Furniture
– Crosswalks/Sidewalks

24. Guidance Today
“This report has been
developed in response to
widespread interest for
improving both mobility
choices and community
character through a
commitment to creating
and enhancing walkable
communities.”
From Chapter 1 of the
Recommended Practice, 2010

25. CASE STUDIES

26. 4:3 Road Diet:
East Boulevard,
Charlotte, NC

27. East Boulevard Pedscape Plan, Charlotte
• In June of 2002, the Charlotte City Council approved the East
Boulevard Pedscape Plan which defined a vision and land use
policy for the corridor.
• Segment from Cleveland Avenue to Dilworth Rd remained
undefined from curb to curb, and was to be determined through
a subsequent public input process.
Cleveland Ave
Dilworth Rd
East Blvd

28. Land Use Context
• Professional Office
• Restaurants
• Retail
• Churches

29. Road Diet Implementation
• What do the residents want?
• More comfortable for all roadway
users - bikes, pedestrians, transit
patrons and motorists
• Enhance pedestrian activity on
sidewalks, improve pedestrian
crossings
• Be able to cross the street without
getting run over
• More sidewalk cafés/outdoor
seating
• Tree-lined avenue

30. Goals Developed at Citizen Charrette
Project Goals
• Safe Pedestrian Environment
• Pedestrian Oriented Activities
• Bicycle Facilities/Accommodations
• Aesthetic Improvements/Amenities
• Tree Lined Avenue
• Outdoor Commercial Activities
• On Street Parking

31. What would you do?
Street width (curb-to-curb): 70’
ADT: 12,000 – 15,000 vehicles / day

32. Design Issue
Road Diet Impacts
53’

33. Design Issue
Pedestrian Safety

34. Design Issue
Left turn accommodation
28’

35. Design Issue
Need for On-Street Parking

36. Parallel Parking
(angled parking near church on Sunday)
Proposed Concept B

37. Design Issue
Bicycle Facility Design

38. Design Issue
Streetscape Aesthetics

39. Design Compromises Through Public Process
• Eliminated roundabouts at Euclid and Dilworth West
• Eliminated back-in angled parking at Churches

40. As Enhanced

41. As Enhanced

42. Corridor Study: Small
Town & Rural Setting,
Simsbury, CT

43. Process Overview
preferred
M 7pm T 5pm plan W 5pm R 7pm
public public open
meeting meeting house public meeting
vision review review confirmation
alternative plan
concept development

44. Opening Night

45. Route 10 Corridor Master Plan

46. Weatogue
• Accentuate Greenway
Crossing
• TOD opportunity
• Center Median
• Expanded Commuter
Parking Lot

47. Weatogue -Today

48. Weatogue - Vision

49. Illustrative Master Plan for Form-Based Code
Rendering courtesy of Code Studio

50. Town Center

51. Hopmeadow Street - Present
UrbanAdvantage
Image courtesy of Code Studio

52. Hopmeadow Street - Vision
UrbanAdvantage
Image courtesy of Code Studio

53. IMPLEMENTATION

54. Complete Streets
Benefits

55. Community Health Benefit
• Increasing physical activity;
• Reducing injury;
• Improving air and water quality;
• Minimizing the effects of climate change;
• Decreasing mental health stresses;
• Strengthening the social fabric of a community

56. Energy & Environmental Benefits
• Transportation choice allows less energy-intensive and
GHG-emitting modes. Key mitigation strategy
according to IPCC
• Reduction in oil dependency national security
• Streetscaping w/ trees and plants mitigates air
pollution, stormwater runoff

57. Safety Benefits
Dangerous By Design 2011: report by Transportation 4 America (http://t4america.org)

58. Placemaking & Economic Benefits (1)
• Road Diet & Complete Streets increase property values, reduce
vacancies
– 6-lane street to 4 lanes in some portions and 2 lanes in other portions
– Wider sidewalks and on-street parking added
– The taxable value of nonexempt properties in the Community
Redevelopment Agency district went up $6.3 million, some 6.5
percent
– Retail vacancies are down to virtually zero
• Lake Avenue in Lake Worth Florida
• Speed reduction increases property values
– A 5 to 10 mph reduction in traffic speeds increased adjacent
residential property values by roughly 20%...
• Local Gov’t Commission, “Economic Benefits of Walkable Communities”

59. Placemaking & Economic Benefits (2)
• One-way to Two-Way conversion, on-street parking, plus
streetscaping increases property values, rents, and attracts
private investment
– One-way, four-lane street two-way traffic. On-street parking
installed, plus landscaped bulb-outs and street trees to slow traffic.
– Property values: $10-$40 per square foot $50-$100 per square foot
– Commercial rents: $6 per square foot $30 per square foot in
downtown areas that have been traffic calmed.
– Commercial buildings: 50% 0% vacancies.
– Downtown is a popular place to live
– The project has attracted some $350 million in private investment to
the area
• City of West Palm Beach (1998). "Traffic Calming Reference Materials." Ian
Lockwood and Timothy Stillings. October.

60. Transportation Choice and Housing Affordability Benefits
• Complete
Streets provide
sufficient
opportunities
for walking,
biking, and
transit…
and lowers the
cost of living,
which
contributes to
resiliency and
stability for
households &
communities.
Center for Neighborhood and Technology
http://htaindex.cnt.org/

61. Education & Advocacy

62. Complete Streets in Your Community
• Define the problem
– What kinds of issues can Complete Streets address?
• Gather Quantifiable Evidence
– Safety, Public Health, School Access, Pollution, Energy Use, etc
• Identify Stakeholders
– Common goals, mutual benefits & understanding
• Garner Support
– Politicians, Local Gov’t Staff, Public, Individual Champions,
Partnerships
– Crisis as catalyst, media advocacy, financial support
– Alignment with community values

63. Education & Advocacy – Public
• Events:
– General Community
Workshops
– Targeted meetings
(influential n’hood leaders,
civic organizations,
advocates, media, etc)
– Festivals & Benefits
• Activities:
– Factsheets & Research
• Commuter Toolkits
• How-to Manuals (Safe
Bicycling, etc)
– Street Audits
– Design Charrettes

64. Education – Professional
• Technical
– Modal Audits (Bike, Walk,
Wheelchair, Transit) & Needs
Assessment
– General Cross-Disciplinary Training
• Retreats, workshops, lunch &
learn
– Specific Items
• Bicycle Planning, ADA
Compliance, LID techniques, Etc
– Design Charrettes
• Procedural
– Checklists
– Staff Coordination
– Performance Measurements and
Reporting
• Indexes, Report Card, Impact
Assessment, Project Evaluation
• Must tie to planning goals

65. Policies, Plans, and
Regulating Manuals

66. Supporting Guidance and Regulations
• Complete Streets Policy
• Includes a vision for how and why the community wants to complete its streets
• Specifies that ‘all users’ includes pedestrians, bicyclists and transit passengers of
all ages and abilities, as well as trucks, buses and automobiles.
• Applies to both new and retrofit projects, including design, planning,
maintenance, and operations, for the entire right of way.
• Makes any exceptions specific and sets a clear procedure that requires high-
level approval of exceptions.
• Encourages street connectivity and aims to create a comprehensive, integrated,
connected network for all modes.
• Is adoptable by all agencies to cover all roads.
• Directs the use of the latest and best design criteria and guidelines while
recognizing the need for flexibility in balancing user needs.
• Directs that complete streets solutions will complement the context of the
community.
• Establishes performance standards with measurable outcomes.
• Includes specific next steps for implementation of the policy
http://www.completestreets.org/changing-policy/policy-elements/

67. The State of Complete Streets Policies
• 283 Jurisdictions, including 25
states + PR + DC
• Adopted Complete Streets
policies or have made a
written commitment to do so
• BLUE: Laws & Ordinances
• RED: Resolutions
• YELLOW: Tax Ordinances
• PURPLE: Internal Policies or
Executive Orders
• MAGENTA: Plans
• GREEN: Design Manuals or
Guides

68. Plans to Support Policy
• Community Visioning and Goal
Setting
• Plan Making
– Comprehensive Plans
– Multimodal Transportation Plans
– Neighborhood and Corridor Plans

69. Legal & Regulatory Framework to Support Policy
• Rewrite Codes & Manuals
– Unified Development
Ordinance
– Engineering & Design
Manuals
– Development Process
• Performance Measures
– Checklists

70. Funding
aka “Show me the Money!”

71. Federal Funding
• Complete Streets Acts (federal and state)
• Upcoming Surface Transportation Authorization Act According to USDOT
– Performance based Secretary LaHood,
– Reduce congestion and
greenhouse gases
all parties agree that
– VMT reduction measures a reformation of
– Ties land use to transportation/options transportation policy
• HUD/EPA/USDOT Interagency Partnership for Sustainable is needed…
Communities
• Community Challenge Grants through HUD, EPA, and
USDOT TIGER Grant programs (potential TIGER 3?)
• National Endowment for the Arts
“Our Towns” Program
• Sustainable Communities Planning Grants
• CMAQ and Enhancement Grants

72. Funding Sources – Local, Public / Private
• Tax Increment Financing, Business Improvement
District, Targeted Sales Tax, SPLOST
• Voter Approved Bonds
• Foundations
– Kodak American Greenways Program, Bikes Belong Coalition,
Rhode Island Foundation
• Operations & Maintenance:
– Farebox Revenues
– Fees on parking & business licenses
– Property & sales tax
– Real estate lease & sales revenues

73. Funding: Key Points
• Municipalities can partner with other groups
• Leverage funding and completed work
• Diverse and complimentary fund sources
• Partnerships: NFP, NGO’s, Corporate, Private
• Phasing/staging/breakdown of projects
• Be innovative—Leverage/match earmarks,
brownfields grants, etc.
• Develop planning ahead of time to be on ball
when funding sources come available
• May receive less than requested—initially

74. Phasing & Process

75. Physical Implementation
• Pilot Projects
– Temporary measures
– Opportunity for study
• Phased Implementation
– Lane Diets, Stripe Medians
– Landscape, Streetscape
– Move curbs, build medians
• Get Organized
– Flag corridors during regular funding cycle (Capital
Improvement Program)
– Coincide with other improvements – Street resurfacing or
restriping, utility upgrades

76. Thank You!
“America . . . conceived many odd inventions for getting
somewhere, but could think of nothing to do when they
got there”
Will Rogers, 1936

77. For more information
Fuss & O’Neill GrowSmart Rhode Island
• www.fando.com • www.growsmartri.org/
• Wade Walker • Sheila Brush
– wwalker@fando.com – sbrush@growsmartri.org
– 860.646.2469 x5580 – 401.273.5711 x 3
• Jennifer Nelson
– jnelson@fando.com
– 860.646.2469 x5247