Broaden Regional Mobility Choices and Improve Safety and Access for
Alternative Modes

Improving mobility options in the Washington region, including driving, transit, bicycling, and walking, will help move residents, workers, and goods to their destination more quickly and efficiently. In designing streets and networks that serve pedestrians, bicycles, transit, and cars it is important not only to broaden options, but also to address safety and access for all to encourage use of all forms of transportation. A multimodal planning approach requires coordination and forethought, but often pays dividends in reduced congestion and improved safety when implemented at the scale of a single street, a corridor, or a whole city.

Projects that expand mobility choices include site-specific efforts such as street construction or pedestrian improvements at transit stations, but also include broader planning efforts, such as transit plans, design standards, or efforts that look broadly at the coordination of the transportation network. Successful projects consider the context, consider all modes of transportation, and involve a broad range of stakeholders when making planning and infrastructure decisions.

 

National Best Practice Examples

Castro Street, Mountain View, CA Since completing a redesign of their town center, the historic main street of Mountain View has seen a major resurgence in business. The main street was reconfigured from a 4-lane arterial to a 3-lane pedestrian-oriented street with special “flexible zones.” These zones, which can be used either as patio space for outdoor cafés or as curbside parking, give a distinct identity to the district. Aside from these flexible zones, curbside parking was preserved to buffer pedestrians from street traffic. Public parking is located behind the buildings in lots to keep Castro Street safe and popular with pedestrians.   More info

Café seating in the flexible parking area along Castro Street. [Source: FTB Urban Design]

Charlotte, NC Urban Street Design Guidelines The City of Charlotte, North Carolina recently updated its urban street design guidelines to focus on all users of the public infrastructure realm – motorists, pedestrians, transit and bicyclists. Characterized as ''Complete Streets,'' Charlotte’s urban street design guidelines focus on incorporating sidewalks, bike lanes and curbs, tree canopy, and travel lanes. The guidelines define streets as a major component of public space and a framework for development. Safety, convenience and comfort of cyclists, pedestrians, transit users, and members of the surrounding community will be considered when planning and designing Charlotte’s streets. More info

Charlotte's Urban Street Design Guidelines recommend how Charlotte's streets should be planned and designed to provide viable transportation choices.

 

 

Additional Resources and Examples

Link	Source	What it is
How Far Have We Come? Pedestrian Safety, 1994-2003	Michelle Ernst	A 2004 report on declining street safety for pedestrians.
Are We There Yet? Assessing the Performance of State Departments of Transportation on Accommodating Bicycles and Pedestrians	The National Association of Biking and Walking	A report on the progress made by state DOTs to improve bike and ped access.
Making Streets that Work	City of Seattle	A workbook for community members to become a part of the planning process for streetscape planning and design.
Community Building Sourcebook	TriMet	Documenting Portland, OR’s successful policies and projects.
Context Sensitive Solutions in Designing Major Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities	Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)	Principles for context-sensitive solutions for pedestrian, bike and road design.
Transit-Oriented Development Guidebook	City of Austin, TX	A guide to understanding what makes TOD work and strategies for analyzing specific plans for TOD.
Pedestrian- and Transit-Friendly Design: A Primer for Smart Growth	US Environmental Protection Agency	A design-focused companion to the EPA’s Best Development Practices: A Primer for Smart Growth.

 

Local/Regional Examples

MWCOG has several resources related to this subject, including the Long-Range Transportation Plan and Priorities 2000: Metropolitan Washington Circulation Systems.

In addition, there are a number of good local examples that highlight the benefits of multi-modal planning for access and mobility in the Washington region database. Replicating and expanding these models is of great importance to expanding mobility choices in the region.