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street, riding on buses, pedaling bicycles,
<br />rolling in wheelchairs, and so on. These
<br />people consist of children, men, and women
<br />of all ages and abilities carrying out daily ac-
<br />tivities of all types. A complete street is one
<br />that accommodates each of these unique
<br />users safely and comfortably. There is no
<br />one - size - fits -all approach to developing the
<br />ideal complete street, as every place has
<br />its own specific context and unique set of
<br />needs; however, all complete streets share
<br />the common goal of creating a safe environ-
<br />ment for all users of the road, regardless of
<br />age, ability, or mode of travel.
<br />COMPLETE STREETS: POLICY TO DESIGN
<br />The first step to achieving complete streets
<br />in a community is to develop a policy. Com-
<br />plete streets (CS) policies establish a set of
<br />principles emphasizing safe access for all
<br />users that guide the planning and develop-
<br />ment of the public right -of -way. A typical CS
<br />policy should
<br />• establish a vision for the community;
<br />• address all modes and users;
<br />• consider context;
<br />• set standards of performance;
<br />• create flexible design standards;
<br />• detail how CS is integrated into projects;
<br />and
<br />• set up a process for measurement.
<br />CS policies can range from brief
<br />statements to lengthy reports, but they all
<br />should, at a minimum, prompt a change in
<br />how municipalities approach the planning
<br />and design of their. streets. This can include
<br />revising their design manuals, developing
<br />design guidelines based on best practices,
<br />using performance metrics that address all
<br />modes, training staff to think about context
<br />during planning and design, and establish-
<br />ing a process for public input. The National
<br />Complete Streets Coalition is a good re-
<br />source for a list of communities with com-
<br />plete streets policies.
<br />In New Haven, Connecticut, a CS policy
<br />was developed as a result of two tragic pe-
<br />destrian fatalities that claimed the lives of a
<br />Yale medical student and an it -year old girl.
<br />These incidents occurred within two months
<br />of each other, and a coalition of residents,
<br />civic leaders, city officials, community
<br />organizations, and Yale University repre-
<br />sentatives formed to coordinate community
<br />activity and accelerate the pace of change
<br />with regard to improved traffic safety. In
<br />2008, the New Haven Board of Aldermen
<br />unanimously passed an order creating a
<br />nine member Complete Streets Steering
<br />Committee to guide the development of a CS
<br />policy document and a design manual. The
<br />order also included the creation of a public
<br />process, an educational campaign, and in-
<br />creased traffic enforcement in the city.
<br />The New Haven policy was guided by
<br />the following mission: "To develop and pro-
<br />mote a safe, context - sensitive transportation
<br />network that serves all users and integrates
<br />the planning and design of complete streets
<br />that foster a livable, sustainable and eco-
<br />nomically vibrant community." One might
<br />ask how policy leads to practice. In the case
<br />of New Haven, a city ordinance mandated
<br />1. Project Initiation
<br />CITY- INITIATED PROJECTS
<br />• Identify project location,
<br />scope, and goals. Goals
<br />should be consistent
<br />with the Complete Streets
<br />Policy and Guiding
<br />Principles.
<br />community
<br />role
<br />COMMUNITY- INITIATED
<br />PROJECTS
<br />• Identify projectgoals.
<br />Goals should be consistent
<br />with the Complete Streets
<br />Policy and Guiding
<br />Principles (see chapters
<br />and q of this manual).
<br />• Submit Complete Streets
<br />Project Request Form
<br />(see Appendix) to city
<br />engineer.
<br />2 Plan Development
<br />• Review Project Request
<br />Form for community-
<br />initiated projects.
<br />• Collect analyze data as
<br />necessary.
<br />• Conduct initial screening
<br />of street design tools.
<br />(Decision matrices
<br />are included in the
<br />appendices.)
<br />• Meet with community
<br />members and stakeholders
<br />to review design options.
<br />• Work with citystaff to form
<br />consensus around design
<br />plan.
<br />the application of the policy, through adher-
<br />ence to principles of the Complete Streets
<br />Design Manual, to any new or improvement
<br />project affecting the public streets and side-
<br />walks (including resurfacing, restoring, and
<br />rehabilitation projects).
<br />Once a municipality has a clear policy
<br />on complete streets, and an approved pro-
<br />cess for delivering these projects, it then
<br />has an opportunity to engage the private
<br />development community on the value of
<br />site design that supports and enhances the
<br />improvements to the public ROW. Creating a
<br />strong set of design guidelines can be an ef-
<br />fective mechanism for engaging a developer
<br />early in the project development cycle to
<br />establish a set of expectations for how the
<br />project will interface with the public realm.
<br />WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLETING
<br />THE STREETS?
<br />Under the status quo, state, regional, and lo-
<br />cal governments are fundamentally respon-
<br />sible for public ways. Street construction
<br />and maintenance are considered part of the
<br />suite of services a municipality provides for
<br />its residents. Nonetheless, state enabling
<br />acts for zoning generally authorize local gov-
<br />ernments to require streets, sidewalks, and
<br />bicycle facilities along with other essential
<br />services to occupants within or internal to
<br />a proposed development. As many as 26
<br />states also authorize local governments to
<br />employ exactions or impact fees to pay for
<br />traffic impacts to existing, abutting public
<br />roadways. In addition, many states autho-
<br />rize zoning commissions to accept a fee in
<br />3. Funding and Design
<br />• Rank and prioritize
<br />project.
<br />• Identify and secure
<br />project funding.
<br />• Develop final design.
<br />• Secure appropriate
<br />approvals.
<br />• Meet with community
<br />members and stakeholders
<br />to review design.
<br />• Identify and secure outside
<br />funding sources and
<br />possible maintenance
<br />partners.
<br />•
<br />•
<br />•
<br />•
<br />® Steps in the complete street design process.
<br />4. Installation
<br />• Construct project.
<br />• Perform postconstruction
<br />evaluation of
<br />effectiveness.
<br />• If temporary measure
<br />installed, collect data to
<br />monitor effectiveness
<br />and hold public meeting
<br />to elicit feedback and
<br />discuss permanent
<br />options.
<br />community
<br />role ..; , ..
<br />• Work with city to evaluate
<br />effectiveness of project.
<br />• Perform maintenance if
<br />applicable.
<br />lieu of parking, which monies can be used
<br />to enhance transit services. At a minimum,
<br />through zoning, property owners can be
<br />held responsible for safe ingress and egress
<br />to a site. This has been interpreted to in-
<br />clude improvements to abutting streets with
<br />requirements for traffic impact mitigation
<br />in the form of turning lanes, signals, and
<br />medians, but only when the development is
<br />expected to generate significant traffic.
<br />Zoning requirements can also include
<br />street elements, such as lighting, stretches
<br />of sidewalk, and crosswalks at property
<br />line to serve public -safety objectives for pe-
<br />destrians and bicyclists. At the same time, in
<br />the absence of measurable adverse effects to
<br />traffic on the adjacent roadway system, there
<br />are limited options for requiring a developer
<br />ZONINGPRACTICE 2.13
<br />AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION Ipage 4
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