Agenda - Council - 10/13/2009 - Laserfiche WebLink

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PEDSAFE ; recommended guidelines /priorities for sidewalks and walkways analysis, or if there is a large amount of capital available for sidewalk construction. If there are a lot of competing projects, a more sophisticated point system can be used to explain to the public why certain projects were funded and others were not, Page 6 of 12 of arterial streets that were within school walking zones, a pedestrian generator area, and a neighborhood commercial area that did not have sidewalks on either side of the street, There were nearly 4.8 km (3 mi) of arterial streets that A point system can be developed in many ways; the system were within school walking areas, but outside of should be simple and produce desired outcomes. Any and neighborhood commercial areas and pedestrian all of the criteria listed above can be assigned a range of generators that did not have sidewalks on either side of numbers and then be used to analyze the need for the street, Thls was compared to a citywide deficiency of more than 32 km (20 mi) of arterial streets that lacked improvement at given locations. For example, a corridor sidewalks on both sides of the street. could be assigned points based on the number of "walking along roadway" crashes over a 5 -year period, the number of By developing these and other numbers, the pedestrian buses that travel the corridor during peak times, and the program was able to put together packages of information proximity to elementary schools. This method is time- that demonstrated what could be accomplished with consuming because it will be necessary to analyze multiple additional funding. What everyone thought to be an locations with sidewalk needs to create a list of priority unsolvable multi - million dollar problem was reduced to a projects. series of smaller, fundable projects that decisionmakers could endorse..The result was Increased funding and a priorities new optimism that meaningful progress could be made on 3. Prioritized List -- Both the overlapping in riorities and the solving Seattle's sidewalk deficiencies, points methods will produce an initial list of prioritized projects. The next step Is to refine the list so that It works, using common sense. One important consideration is that when roadways are resurfaced, rehabilitated, or replaced, curb ramps must be added if there are pedestrian walkways., In addition, the U.S. Department of Justice considers bus stops to be pedestrian walkways requiring access for people with disabilities, so areas near transit should be given priority accordingly. Improving pedestrian crossings, particularly on arterial streets, may also be an important part of some projects. Other important questions include: Are priority locations ones that might be expected? Are there many surprises? Are priority locations in line with community priorities and expectations? Are some priorities at locations with very low pedestrian use? If the answer to these questions is "yes," then the criteria or the methodology should be evaluated and possibly revised to create outcomes that better reflect expectations and desires. The methodologies should be used to prioritize known needs, not to create a new set of priorities that don't make sense. The final step is to create packages of fundable projects. The prioritization process should result in reasonable packages that decision - makers can embrace and support. For example, it may be possible to install sidewalks on both sides of every arterial within a half -mile of every elementary school for $5 million over a period of 5 years. Or, it may be possible to replace sidewalks in neighborhood commercial areas for $2 million over a period of 3 years. The objective is to take what may appear to be an unsolvable problem (endless need for more funds) and to package it in such a way that it begins to address some of the most critical pedestrian needs in a community, Sidewalk Design Guidelines Sidewalk Placement in Large and Small Cities Continuous sidewalks should be placed along both sides of all fully improved arterial, collector, and local streets in urban and suburban areas. Sidewalks should connect to side streets and adjacent buildings. Accessible crossings should be provided across median islands, frontage road medians, and other raised islands. Sidewalks, Walkways, and Shoulders in Rural Areas A safe walking area must be provided outside the motor vehicle traffic travelway. Sidewalks along rural roads should be well separated from the travelway. Isolated residential areas should have a pedestrian connection to the rest of the rural http:// www. walkingirifo .org/pedsafe /noreinfo sidewalks.cfm 8/19/2009