Agenda - Public Works Committee - 09/15/2009

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PEDSAFE : recommended guidelines/priorities for sidewalks and walkways Page 3 of 12 1. Space for Future Sldewalks- Space for future sidewalks must always be secured and/or reserved when a new rightMofMway is being created or an existing one Is being developed. If roadways are to be widened, additional right-of-way must be acquired; existing sidewalks should not be narrowed to accommodate a wider roadway. 2. "Triggers" for Future Sidewalks-In rural settings, if sidewalks are not Installed at the time of development, guidelines are needed to determine when sidewalks will be required and how they will be funded. For. example, sidewalks might be r~qulred on residential streets once an area has a density of more than four dwelling units per acre and on arterial streets once they are within a school walking zone or have transit service. 3. Funding for Future Sidewalks-If sidewalks are not installed at the time of development, there need to be clear regulations as to who (developer, property owners, or governmental agency) will pay for the sidewalks. . Whoever is paying for the road must pay for the sidewalk. If there is money for a road, there Is money for a sidewalk. Developer contributions to sidewalks must be set aside In an account at the time of development. C. Retaining Rural Character There is a desire in some residential developments to retain a rural atmosphere. Very often this occurs in places that are not truly rural, but rather suburban or exurban (they may have been rural before being developed). Frequently, It is In such places that pedestrian crashes occur that are directly attributable to pedestrians not having places to walk. To address both the goal of having safe places to walk and that of the community to retain a certain atmosphere, path systems can be developed that do not look like traditional sidewalks, but do meet walking needs. Even In rural areas, people do want to walk and such facilities should be provided. Developers In outlying areas may argue that the land use will never fully develop Into a pedestrian area. Given that people walk despite not having facilities-for exercise, going to friends' houses, accessing transit, etc.-it is neither rational nor acceptable to build places that do not have places for people to walk. Residential developments that were added in suburban areas, until recently, typically had sidewalks and functioned very well. Sidewalks may not be needed on short residential cul-de-sacs (61 m [200 ft] or less), if there Is a system of trails behind the houses and driveway aprons are properly constructed for pedestrians with disabilities. However, it Is not a good practice to have an entire neighborhood without sidewalks. O. Sidewalk Continuity Sidewalks should be continuous; interruptions may require pedestrians to cross a busy arterial street midblock or at an unslgnalized location to continue walking. Sidewalks should also be fully accessible to side streets and adjacent sidewalks and buildings. Table 1. Recommended Guidelines for New SldewalklWalkway Installation" Roadway ClassificatIon and SldewalkIWalkway Future Phasing Requirements Land Use Rural Highways Shoulders preferred, with minimum Secure/preserve rlght-af-way (ROW) for (< 400 ADT) of 0.9 m (3 ft). future sid~walks. Rural Highways 1. B-m (5-ft) shoulders preferred, Secure/preserve ROW for future sidewalks. (400 to 2,000 ADT) minimum of 1.2 m (4 ft) required. Rural/Suburban Highway Sidewalks or side paths preferred. Secure/preserve ROW for future sidewalks. (ADT > 2,000 and less than 1 Minimum of 1.8-m (6-ft) shoulders dwelling unit (d.u.) 1.4 hectares required. (ha) {1 d.u. 1 acre]) Suburban Highway Sidewalks on both sides required. (1 to 4' d.u. f.4 he [1 to 4 d.u. / acre]) Major Arterial (residential) Sidewalks on both sides required. http://www. walkinginfo. org/pedsafe/moreinfo _sidewalks. cfm . 8/19/2009