UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
SAFE TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER (SafeTREC) PS21022
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
Final Report:
Issues, Opportunities, and Suggested Strategies
ASSESSMENT TEAM
Kari McNickle
Fehr & Peers
100 Pringle Avenue, Suite 600
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
(925) 930-7100
[email protected]
Geoff Rubendall, PE TE RSP1
Fehr & Peers
345 California Street, Suite 450
San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 426-2522
[email protected]
Terence Zhao
Fehr & Peers
100 Pringle Avenue, Suite 600
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
(925) 930-7100
[email protected]
August 2022
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY ● SAFE TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER (SAFETREC) Disclaimer text. c. The Regents of the University of California. This report was produced in cooperation with the City of Fort Bragg. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Opinions, findings, and conclusions are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the University of California and/or the agencies supporting or contributing to this report. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. The agency that is subject of this report is hereby granted a nonexclusive right to copy and distribute this report for its own or its stakeholders’ non-commercial use. All other uses of this report require written permission from University of California, Berkeley- Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) Program.
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY ● SAFE TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER (SAFETREC) Table of Contents
Executive Summary.....................................................................................................................1 Benchmarking Analysis of Policies, Programs, and Practices ........................................................................1 Walking Audit Suggestions for Potential Improvement..................................................................................2
1. Introduction.............................................................................................................................3
1.1 Objective ............................................................................................................................................................ 3
1.2 Evaluation Approach........................................................................................................................................3
1.3 Organization of this Report............................................................................................................................3
1.4 Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................................................................3
1.5 Disclosures.........................................................................................................................................................4
2. Background and Crash History ................................................................................................5
2.1 Pedestrian And Bicyclist Crash Data.............................................................................................................5
2.2 Street Story .....................................................................................................................................................12
3. Benchmarking Analysis Results and Suggestions ................................................................... 13
3.1 Benchmarking Analysis of Policies, Programs, and Practices .................................................................13
4. Complete Streets Audit Results and Suggestions ................................................................. 46
4.1 Selection of Focus Areas .............................................................................................................................. 46
4.2 Location #1: Harold Street ...........................................................................................................................47
4.3 Location #2: Main Street (State Route 1)...................................................................................................56
4.4 Location #3: Dana Street ............................................................................................................................. 60 Appendix A: Glossary of Pedestrian Improvement Measures.....................................................65 Appendix B: Glossary of Bicycling Improvement Measures........................................................72 Appendix C: Resource List and References................................................................................80 Appendix D: Street Connectivity ...............................................................................................83 City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
1 Executive Summary
The City of Fort Bragg requested that the Safe Transportation Research and Education Center at University of California, Berkeley conduct a Complete Streets Safety Assessment (CSSA) study. A team of three complete streets safety experts conducted an on-site visit for the CSSA for Fort Bragg on May 31, 2022 and prepared this report. The objectives of the CSSA are to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and to enhance walkability and accessibility for all pedestrians and bicyclists in Fort Bragg.
Based on the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) 2019 statistics, Fort Bragg ranked 13 out of 74 California cities of comparable size in total fatal and injury collisions (with a ranking of “1” being the worst and “74” the best). It ranked 8 for pedestrian collisions and 24 for bicyclist collisions. This ranking is based on a number of weighted factors including population, daily vehicle miles traveled, collision records, and collision trends. For more information on OTS rankings, please refer to https://www.ots.ca.gov/media-and-research/crash-rankings-results/. Chapter 2 provides an overview of collision data for the county.
Benchmarking Analysis of Policies, Programs, and
Practices
To assess pedestrian and bicyclist safety conditions in Fort Bragg, the consultant team conducted a benchmarking analysis to understand how the county’s existing conditions compared to current best practices. Through a pedestrian and bicycle safety assessment interview conducted with City staff, the team identified the City’s pedestrian policies, programs, and practices and categorized these into three groups:
• Key strengths (areas where the City is exceeding national best practices) • Enhancement areas (areas where the City is meeting best practices) • Opportunity areas (areas where the City appears not to meet best practices) A discussion of the City’s current pedestrian safety policies, programs, and practices, and ideas for enhancement is presented in Chapter. While suggestions and ideas for enhancement are provided for each category, cities and counties have differing physical, demographic, and institutional characteristics that may make certain goals or policies more appropriate in some jurisdictions than others. Ultimately, County staff may determine where resources and efforts are best placed for meeting local development and infrastructure goals for bicyclists and pedestrians.
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
2 Walking Audit Suggestions for Potential Improvement
A walk audit was conducted at three locations, determined in coordination with City staff. Positive practices, as well as pedestrian safety and accessibility issues, were identified. The three focus areas were:
1. Harold Street from Fir Street in the north to Oak Street in the south, covering the proximity of Fort Bragg Middle School
2. Main Street / State Route (SR) 1 from Fir Street in the north to Oak Street in the south, covering the downtown area
3. Dana Street from Oak Street in the north to Chestnut Street in the south, covering the proximity of Fort Bragg High School and Dana Gray Elementary School Observations made during the walking audit were used to suggest policies and physical improvements intended to enhance accessibility and connectivity for pedestrians and bicyclists. Key observations from the Fort Bragg walking audit include the following:
• Citywide, there is a high proportion of taller vehicles, such as large pickup trucks and SUVs, among vehicles observed. These vehicles have blind spots that pose significant risks for individuals of shorter stature (e.g., children) crossing in front of such vehicles. • Citywide, the widths of the typical two-lane residential streets are excessive, resulting in design contexts conducive to speeding. While some residential streets have improvements such as striped bike lanes, and some intersections feature curb extensions, the presence of such improvements remain sporadic.
• School pick-ups and drop-offs often feature dangerous maneuvers from vehicles that pose safety risks for pedestrians, such as unpredictable lane merges and reverse maneuvers where children are present and/or crossing.
• Crosswalk facilities, while relatively widespread, can contain design flaws or inadequacies that make them less useful for pedestrians.
A narrative description of audit observations and potential improvements is provided in Chapter 4.
Detailed suggestions for potential improvements are also summarized graphically, corresponding to each walking audit location, and depicted in Figures 4-1 through 4-4.
Many of the strategies suggested in this report are appropriate for grant applications, including Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), Safe-Routes-to-School, Active Transportation Program (ATP), and Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funding. The strategies may also be incorporated into a bicycle or pedestrian master plan—documents that could set forth bicycle, pedestrian, and streetscape policies for the City and that could identify and prioritize capital improvement projects.
The suggestions presented in this report are based on field observations by the CSSA evaluators. These suggestions, which are based on general knowledge of best practices in bicyclist and pedestrian design and safety, are intended to guide City staff in making decisions for future safety improvement projects in the city, and they may not incorporate all factors which may be relevant to the pedestrian and bicyclist safety issues in the city.
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
3 1. Introduction
1.1 Objective
The City of Fort Bragg has requested that the Safe Transportation Research and Education Center at University of California, Berkeley conduct a Complete Streets Safety Assessment (CSSA) study. The objectives of the CSSA are to improve safety and accessibility for all people walking and biking in Fort Bragg.
1.2 Evaluation Approach
Prior to visiting the city, the CSSA team conducted a pre-visit telephone interview with City staff on March 28, 2022. The results from this interview provided input for the benchmarking analysis and aided in the selection of study sites. The team visited the county on May 31, 2022 to observe and document field conditions. Following this, a list of suggestions for potential site-specific improvements was drafted based on the results of the complete streets audit and best practices in designing for pedestrians and bicyclists.
1.3 Organization of this Report
Chapter 2 presents background information on bicyclist and pedestrian safety in the county, including safety rankings, locations of the highest number of bicyclist- and pedestrian-involved injuries, and locations where bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities occurred (from 2017 to 2021). Chapter 3 presents the findings and suggestions for potential improvement from the benchmarking analysis. Chapter 4 presents the findings and suggestions for potential improvements from the audit.
The report has four appendices: Appendix A and Appendix B present a glossary of pedestrian and bicyclist improvement options, respectively, Appendix C is a resource list, and Appendix D is a countywide connectivity resource.
1.4 Acknowledgements
Staff members from the City of Fort Bragg, Fort Bragg Unified School District, and Mendocino County contributed to the wide range of topics addressed in this report, including providing local important context that informed the site selection and recommendations. Participating staff included:
• Chantell O’Neal, Public Works Assistant Director of Engineering • John Smith, Public Works Director
• Captain Thomas O’Neal, Fort Bragg Police Department
• Officer Refugio Zavala, Fort Bragg Police Department
• Donna Schuler, Mendocino County Department of Public Health City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
4 1.5 Disclosures
The benchmarking analysis aims to provide the City with information on current best practices and how the city compares. Cities have differing physical, demographic, and institutional characteristics that may make certain goals or policies more appropriate in some jurisdictions than others. Ultimately, City staff will determine where resources and efforts are best placed for meeting local development and infrastructure goals for people walking and biking.
The suggestions presented in this report are based on limited field observations and limited time spent in the city of Fort Bragg by the CSSA evaluators. These suggestions, which are based on general knowledge of best practices in pedestrian and bicycle design and safety, are intended to guide City staff in making decisions for future safety improvement projects in the city, and they may not incorporate all factors which may be relevant to the pedestrian and bicycle safety issues in the city.
As this report is conceptual in nature, conditions may exist in the focus areas that were not observed and may not be compatible with suggestions in this report. Before finalizing and implementing any physical changes, City staff may conduct more detailed studies or further analysis to refine or discard the suggestions in this report, if they are found to be contextually inappropriate or appear not to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety or accessibility due to conditions including, but not limited to, high vehicular traffic volume or speeds, physical limitations on space or sight distance, or other potential safety concerns.
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
5 2. Background and Crash History
The City of Fort Bragg is located in Mendocino County. Per Office of Traffic Safety, as of 2019, with a population of approximately 7,451, it is categorized as one of the 74 cities in Group F, population of 2,501-10,000, as shown in Table 2-1.
TABLE 2-1: CITY OF FORT BRAGG SUMMARY STATISTICS
Year County Population Population Group Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled (DVMT)
2019 Mendocino 7,451 F 43,370
Source: California Office of Traffic Safety, https://www.ots.ca.gov/media-and-research/collision-rankings/
2.1 Pedestrian And Bicyclist Crash Data
The crash data for City of Fort Bragg from January 2017 to the end of 2021 was taken from the SafeTREC Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) database. During this five-year period, 101 crashes occurred in Fort Bragg, in which 3 people were killed. There were 18 crashes involving pedestrians and 9 involving bicyclists.
Pedestrian Crashes
Within the 5-year period analyzed from TIMS data, 18 crashes involved pedestrians, 2 of which were fatal. The following chart depicts this data.
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
6 Figure 2-1: City of Fort Bragg, January 2017 to December 2021, Number of Pedestrian Crashes by Crash Severity City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
7 The following chart depicts that most pedestrian involved crashes happened on Fridays.
Figure 2-2: City of Fort Bragg, January 2017 to December 2021, Number of Pedestrian Crashes per Day of Week, per Time City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
8 The following chart and table depict all the Primary Collision Factors (PCF).
Figure 2-3: City of Fort Bragg, January 2017 to December 2021, Number of Pedestrian Crashes by PCF Violation City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
9 Bicycle Crashes
Within the 5-year period analyzed from TIMS data, from January 2017 to the end of 2021, 9 crashes involved bicyclists, with no fatalities. The following chart depicts this data.
Figure 2-4: City of Fort Bragg, January 2017 to December 2021, Number of Bicycle Crashes by Crash Severity City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
10 According to the following chart, most of bicycle crashes happened on Mondays.
Figure 2-5: City of Fort Bragg, January 2017 to December 2021, Number of Bicycle Crashes per Day of Week, per Time City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
11 One crash occurred due to unsafe speed and two were due to bicycling on the wrong side of the street.
Three crashes were due to violation of motorist right of way. The following chart and table depict all the Primary Collision Factors (PCF).
Figure 2-6: City of Fort Bragg, January 2017 to December 2021, Number of Bicycle Crashes by PCF Violation City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
12 The type of information provided above was obtained from SafeTREC’s TIMS (https://tims.berkeley.edu/) can help the enforcement department in decision-making regarding their enforcement efforts.
2.2 Street Story
The Street Story program (https://streetstory.berkeley.edu/) is a relatively new tool developed by UC Berkeley’s Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) with OTS support. Street Story is a community engagement tool that allows residents, community groups and agencies to collect information about transportation crashes, near-misses, general hazards, and safe locations to travel. To promote access to the tool, SafeTREC conducts technical assistance sessions with communities and organizations on using Street Story. Street Story is free to use and publicly accessible.
Street Story features a survey where people can record travel experiences. Once a record has been entered, the information is publicly accessible on the website with maps and tables that can be downloaded.
It is suggested that City staff use this free tool to collect information from their residents for local needs assessments, transportation safety planning efforts, safety programs and project proposals.
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
13 3. Benchmarking Analysis
Results and Suggestions
3.1 Benchmarking Analysis of
Policies, Programs,
and Practices
To assess pedestrian and bicycle safety conditions in the City of Fort Bragg, the CSSA team conducted a
benchmarking survey to understand how the City’s
existing conditions compared to current national best
practices including consistency with the Safe System
approach as shown in here. Through a holistic view of first anticipating human mistakes and keeping impact energy
levels on the human body at tolerable levels, the Safe
System approach aims to eliminate fatal and serious
injuries for all road users.1
The City staff responses to the
survey questions were analyzed with a benchmarking
matrix, as shown in Table 3-1, which lists the benchmarking topics that fall under the following categories:
• Enhancing Safety through Accessibility
• Policies and Programs
• Safety Implementation Plans and Policies
• Safety Data Collection and Assessment
• Pedestrian and Bicycle Network Planning and Design
• Pedestrian and Bicycle Support Programs
The CSSA team also reviewed the local agency’s website and relevant documents. The CSSA team identified the local agency’s pedestrian and bicycle policies, programs, and practices and categorized these into three groups:
• Key strengths (areas where the City is exceeding national best practices) • Enhancement areas (areas where the City is meeting national best practices) • Opportunity areas (areas where the City appears not to meet national best practices) 1 https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/zerodeaths/docs/FHWA_SafeSystem_Brochure_V9_508_200717.pdf The Safe System Approach
Source: Fehr & Peers for FHWA
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
14 While suggestions are provided for each category, cities have differing physical, demographic, and institutional characteristics that may make certain goals or policies more appropriate in some jurisdictions than others. Ultimately City staff may determine where resources and efforts are best placed for meeting local development and infrastructure goals for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Based on the City staff’s responses to the questionnaire, each topic receives one of those three ratings.
This analysis shares information on current national best practices and how the City compares.
The items in Table 3-1 are further elaborated in the following sections, which provide a description for each benchmarking topic. The topics incorporate the Safe System elements (Safe Road Users, Safe Vehicles, Safe Speeds, Safe Roads, and Post-Crash Care) while also incorporating best practices related to access and comfort for people walking and biking. Suggestions for better aligning with best practice benchmarks are also noted; the Local Agency could consider implementing as they determine is appropriate.
TABLE 3-1: SUMMARY OF PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AND PRACTICES
BENCHMARKING ANALYSIS FOR THE CITY OF FORT BRAGG
Benchmark Topic Key Strength Enhancement Opportunity
Enhancing Safety through Accessibility
Safe Road Users, Safe Roads
Implementation of Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA)
Improvements
Uses state-of-the- practice
(PROWAG) ADA improvements
with consistent installation
practices
Has clear design guidelines but no
regular practices for ADA
compliance
Has minimal design guidelines
and practices related to ADA
requirements
ADA Transition Plan for Streets
and Sidewalks
Has ADA transition plan in place
and an ADA coordinator
Partial or outdated ADA transition
plan or an ADA coordinator
No transition plan or ADA
coordinator
Ensure Safety for All Users is
Prioritized, and Accessibility
Maintained, During Construction
and Road Maintenance Projects
Has a policy in place that details
how to maintain accessibility and
provide designated space for
people biking and walking
through a Construction
Management Plan (CMP)
Occasionally requires a CMP or
has outdated CMP guidelines No CMP guidelines
Policies and Programs
Safe Road Users, Safe Roads, Safe Vehicles
Roadway Safety Coordinator
Has a Roadway Safety
Coordinator on staff who manages
the agency’s pedestrian and
bicycle programs (e.g. Complete
Streets Program and/or Vision
Zero Program) and helps with
capacity building of staff
Occasionally uses a part-time
contract coordinator
Does not have a Roadway Safety
Coordinator
Formal Advisory Committee
Has a formal, active/on-going
Transportation Advisory
Committee guided by a charter or
mission that includes the safety of
vulnerable road users and whose
activities focus on improving
pedestrian and bicycle safety.
Has an ad-hoc Transportation
Advisory Committee or one not
guided by a charter or mission
that specifically includes safety of
vulnerable road users. Note: Local
Agency’s Planning Commission
may act as Transportation
Advisory Committee
Does not have a Transportation
Advisory Committee
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
15 TABLE 3-1: SUMMARY OF PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AND PRACTICES
BENCHMARKING ANALYSIS FOR THE CITY OF FORT BRAGG
Benchmark Topic Key Strength Enhancement Opportunity
Equitable Community
Engagement Strategy that
Includes Community Based
Organization (CBO) Involvement
Has an equity-focused public
engagement strategy and, along
with a local CBO, creates
opportunities for public
engagement on walking and
biking topics through a variety of
community-specific formats (e.g.
venues, times of day, languages).
Community engagement is an ongoing process and does not only happen during the duration of the
project, but also leading up to and
after the project is completed (e.g.
311 app).
Has an equitable public outreach
strategy, but formal community
engagement events happen on a
project-by project basis and/or
without CBO partnerships.
Does not have a formal public
involvement or feedback process
for bicycle/pedestrian planning or
safety
Traffic Calming or Speed
Management Program
Has a speed management
program that is reviewed annually
alongside the CIP project list.
Major arterials and neighborhood
corridors include proactive speed
management strategies and
countermeasures are
implemented to reach safe target
speeds
Has a traffic calming program but
funding and implementation of
countermeasures are ad-hoc and
reactive
Does not have a traffic calming
program funding and
implementation of
countermeasures are ad-hoc and
reactive
Speed Limit Setting
Regularly surveys speed and
identifies locations with high
deviation from target speeds.
Agency uses best practices for
speed management in
combination with allowances from
AB 43 to lower speed limits.
Implementing lower speed limits
is done using a consistent
approach that prioritizes areas
with historic under investment.
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_i
d=202120220AB43
Seeks to include 15 mph speed
limits in school zones or
commercial corridors.
Prima facie speed limit for all City
maintained roads
Safe Routes to Schools
Has an ongoing Safe Routes to
Schools program that is included
as part of the agency’s safety
monitoring and is integrated with
other policies and programs
Has obtained funding for recent
projects, but has no communitywide Safe Routes to Schools program
Does not have a Safe Routes to
Schools program and has not
obtained recent funding. Funding
last received in 2015
Systemic Signalized Intersection
Enhancements
Has a systemic signalized
intersection enhancement
program that follows a Safe
System-based framework and
proactively implements FHWA’s
Proven Safety Countermeasures
to manage speed and crash
angles, and consider risk
exposure.
Reactively implements Proven
Safety Countermeasures at
signalized intersections
Does not routinely implement
proven safety countermeasures
(LPIs, protected left turns,
roundabouts, medians,
countdown signals, etc.) at
signalized intersections. City
maintains no signalized
intersections, All on Caltrans
ROW.
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
16 TABLE 3-1: SUMMARY OF PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AND PRACTICES
BENCHMARKING ANALYSIS FOR THE CITY OF FORT BRAGG
Benchmark Topic Key Strength Enhancement Opportunity
Systemic Enhancements for
Uncontrolled Crossings
Has a crosswalk enhancement
program that proactively
implements a Safe Transportation
for Every Pedestrian (STEP)-
consistent countermeasure at
uncontrolled crossings.
Has a crosswalk policy that is
STEP-consistent but is only
reactively to implementing Proven
Safety Countermeasures City’s
Traffic Committee reviews and
considers installation of
crosswalks on a case-by case
base in accordance with the
Traffic Committee Handbook.
Does not have a policy or set
practices for addressing
crosswalk installation or
enhancements using Proven
Safety Countermeasures
Safety-focused Curbside
Management
Has curbside management policy
in place that prioritizes pedestrian
and bicyclist safety, and provides
driver education programs for
fleet drivers
Has a curbside management
program in place, but without a
focus on safety
No curbside management
program or policies in place
Policies Supporting Micromobility
Has micromobility policy in place
that prioritizes low stress facilities
in areas with micromobility use
(e.g. downtown areas) and speed
regulators in geofenced locations.
Micromobility is built into network
planning and design for all
projects with retail or in urban
space
Requirements for micromobility
are noted on a project-by-project
basis
No micromobility policies are in
place
Connected and Automated
Vehicle (CAV) Readiness
Has policy that strategizes
preparation to meet and address
oncoming challenges posed by
CAV technology. As CAV
technology is deployed, it is
imperative to have strategies in
place that discuss the interface
between technology and human
road users, the role of smart
infrastructure, and the need for
physical separation of AVs and
vulnerable road users
Has EV charging policy and
curbside management guidance,
but not a full CAV readiness plan
No policy around CAV readiness
Heavy Vehicle Fleets and Truck
Routing
Has policy that identifies various
future fleet incorporation and
funding (e.g. research on what
type of fleet (Hydrogen Fuel Cell
vs. Electric) best fits the agency)
as well as identification of routes
within City boundaries dedicated
to buses, trucks, and other heavy
vehicles. Identifying specific truck
routes allows for parallel routes
that can be identified as
pedestrian and bicycle corridors
Has future fleet incorporation
identified, but does not have a
robust Heavy Vehicle and Truck
Routing plan
No policy around future fleets and
truck routing
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
17 TABLE 3-1: SUMMARY OF PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AND PRACTICES
BENCHMARKING ANALYSIS FOR THE CITY OF FORT BRAGG
Benchmark Topic Key Strength Enhancement Opportunity
Public Advertisements Supporting
Safety Culture
Regularly runs culturally relevant
and accessible education
campaigns and outreach through
various communication tools (e.g.
bus and bus shelter ads, radio,
social media)
Culturally relevant and accessible
education campaigns occur on a
project-by-project basis
Does not implement culturally
relevant and accessible education
campaigns
Safety Implementation Plans and Policies
Safe Road Users, Safe Roads, Safe Vehicles
Adopted Safety Plan
Has an approved Local Road
Safety Plan (LRSP) or other
Caltrans-approved safety report
that identifies funding sources
and prioritization of projects
within underserved communities.
Safety upgrades are noted on the
agency’s High-Injury Network
(HIN) and tied into repaving
projects, CIP updates, etc.
Has received funding for a Safety
Plan, which is underway and not
yet adopted. Receives grant
funding and/or developer fees,
but projects are not tied to the
High Injury Network or
underserved communities
Does not have an LRSP or other
Caltrans-approved Safety Plan.
Moderately successful in
obtaining grant funding or has
trouble spending funds when
given grants. Or unable to secure
grants
Safe System Policy
Has a Safe System policy with
redundancy built in for
transportation projects with a
checklist for the full set of
incorporation of the Safe System
elements. The policy includes all
users and modes, affects new
construction and maintenance,
considers local context, and
provides guidance for
implementation
Has a Safe System policy, but
does not identify how redundancy
can be incorporated through the
Safe System elements
Does not have a Safe System
policy
Safety Data Collection and Assessment
Safe Road Users
Collection of Pedestrian and
Bicyclist Volumes
Collects pedestrian and bicyclist
volumes routinely with
intersection counts and has a GIS
database of counts. Database
identifies key origin and
destination locations that
identifies patterns and needs in
agencies policies and programs,
especially in underserved
communities
Collects pedestrian and bicyclist
volumes on a project-by-project
basis, but not routinely. Key
origins and destinations are
identified in a Bike, Pedestrian, or
Active Transportation Plan, but
need to be updated
Does not collect pedestrian and
bicycle volumes
Inventory of Bikeways, Parking,
Informal Pathways, and Key
Bicycle Opportunity Areas
Maintains and routinely updates
an AI-based inventory of missing
and existing bikeways in GIS and
includes bikeway projects in the
CIP
Has a partial, static inventory of
missing facilities and opportunity
areas through Bike, Pedestrian, or
Active Transportation Plans
Does not have an inventory of
missing/existing bikeways,
parking, informal pathways, or key
bicycle areas
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
18 TABLE 3-1: SUMMARY OF PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AND PRACTICES
BENCHMARKING ANALYSIS FOR THE CITY OF FORT BRAGG
Benchmark Topic Key Strength Enhancement Opportunity
Inventory of Sidewalks, Informal
Pathways, and Key Pedestrian
Opportunity Areas
Maintains and routinely updates
an AI-based inventory of missing
and existing sidewalks and
crosswalks in GIS and includes
sidewalk and crosswalk projects
in the CIP
Maintains an inventory of missing
sidewalks, crosswalks, informal
pathways, or pedestrian
opportunity areas
Does not have an inventory of
missing sidewalks, crosswalks,
informal pathways, or pedestrian
opportunity areas
Traffic Control Audit (Signs,
Markings, and Signals)
Maintains and updates an
inventory of signs, markings, other
countermeasures, and signals
(including phasing) in GIS
Has some GIS-based inventories
of signs, markings, other
countermeasures, and signals
Does not have a GIS-based
inventory of signs, markings,
countermeasures, and signals
Crash History and Crash Reporting
Practices
Employs a data-driven systemic
safety or Vision Zero approach to
regularly analyze crash data.
Crash reporting is shared to key
stakeholders in real time and
reporting details are consistent
through the agency
Reviews data only following
fatalities or other high-profile
incidents
Does not have set practices for
data review
Surrogate Safety Measures for
Proactive Monitoring
To inform safety projects, agency
uses community feedback tools
such as Street Story and
innovative data collection
techniques such as hard breaking,
speed, and near miss data
Uses surrogate safety measures
on a project-by-project basis
Does not use surrogate safety
measures as part of data
collection and assessment
process
Updated Safety Action Plan
Has an LRSP that identifies
routine data collection and
assessment. Prioritized project list
is updated based on crash data
assessment
Completes crash data assessment
on a project-by-project basis.
Does not have an action plan that
identifies regularity of assessment
Crash data assessment is ad-hoc
and dependent on grant funded
projects
Pedestrian and Bicycle Network Planning and Design
Safe Road Users, Safe Roads
Complete Streets Policy
Has a Complete Streets policy
that includes all users and modes,
affects new construction and
maintenance, considers local
context, and provides guidance for
implementation
Has a Complete Streets policy
that is narrow in scope or applies
only to public works projects
Does not have a Complete Streets
policy
Active Transportation Plans
Has a recently-updated Active
Transportation Plan (or similar)
with strategic prioritized list of
projects that reflects current best
practices (e.g. Level of Traffic
Stress analysis, inclusion of Class
IV protected bicycle facilities)
Has a Pedestrian or Bicycle
Master Plan but it may be
outdated and/or no recent
projects from the Plan have been
completed
Does not have a Pedestrian or
Bicycle Master Plan
Existing bike network
Existing bike network includes
best practice low stress facilities
such as protected bikeways, bike
boulevards, and protected
intersections citywide or
countywide
Bike network primarily includes
Class I, II, and III facilities. There
are gaps within the bike network
and facilities do not
accommodate all users
Bike network is not regularly
maintained, or routes are unclear
to users
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
19 TABLE 3-1: SUMMARY OF PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AND PRACTICES
BENCHMARKING ANALYSIS FOR THE CITY OF FORT BRAGG
Benchmark Topic Key Strength Enhancement Opportunity
Existing pedestrian facilities
Existing pedestrian facilities
includes low stress facilities,
frequent crosswalks, and
roadways are primarily two-to-four
lane roads
Narrow sidewalks or sidewalk
gaps, crosswalks with few or no
safety enhancements, crosswalks
are minimal, and roadways are
primarily arterials
Missing key marked crosswalks
and sidewalks, with few ADA
improvements and no safety
enhancements, and no pedestrian
countdown signals
Bike Network Implementation
Practices
Age 8 to 80 bicyclist
considerations are included in the
agency’s policies and level of
traffic stress is considered. A Bike
or Other Safety Plan identifies low
stress networks and funding
mechanisms to implement a low
stress network city/countywide
Spot locations have been
identified through safety plan(s)
for a low stress network. Plan also
identifies additional proven
countermeasures to be
implemented as part of the
project
Treatments are implemented
where they fit within the right-ofway and vehicle LOS is not affected
Pedestrian Network
Implementation Practices
Pedestrian priority areas (PPA) are
identified in a safety plan and the
agency has policies prioritizing
PPAs, crosswalk spacing, and
design enhancements.
Spot PPA locations have been
identified through safety plan(s).
Plan also identifies additional
proven countermeasures to be
implemented as part of the
project
Treatments are implemented on a
project-by-project basis
Design guidelines and standards
Uses national best practices
focused on bicycle and pedestrian
safety for roadway and facility
design guidelines and standards
Local standards reference
national best practices, but are
static or out of date, with minimal
customized design policies for
pedestrian and bicycle
accommodations
Does not have comprehensive
design guidelines or standards for
pedestrian or bicyclist treatments
Roadway Surfaces for Bicycle
Facilities
Roadway resurfacing projects and
debris removal are prioritized for
bicycle routes.
Roadway surface is acceptable on
bicycle routes and routine
maintenance, including debris
removal, occurs.
Roadway surface conditions are
poor on some bicycle facilities
and maintenance is not prioritized
for bicycle facilities
Attention to Bicycle Crossing
Barriers
Separated bikeways and other
innovative treatments, including
geometric enhancements, are
provided at intersections and
interchanges
Higher-stress bike treatments are
installed at some intersections
and interchanges
Bike treatments are not installed
at intersections or through
interchanges
Attention to Pedestrian Crossing
Barriers
Has a recently updated policy and
comprehensive inventory of
barriers. Has design guidelines
and funding in place for
addressing barriers
Has no policy, but has identified
some barriers and taken steps to
improve pedestrian access
Does not have a policy or
practices for addressing barriers
to walking
Intersection Control Evaluations
Uses intersection control
evaluations to assess alternative
traffic control (e.g., roundabout,
signal, stop signs) performance
(safety, ped/bike, etc.) and select
appropriate control based on
desired performance.
Uses relaxed warrants for traffic
signals and/or all-way stops. If
asked to by community or
stakeholder may consider a
roundabout or neighborhood
traffic circle.
Uses MUTCD Warrants and/or
does not have a practice of using
Intersection Control Evaluations
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
20 TABLE 3-1: SUMMARY OF PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AND PRACTICES
BENCHMARKING ANALYSIS FOR THE CITY OF FORT BRAGG
Benchmark Topic Key Strength Enhancement Opportunity
Sidewalk furniture or other
sidewalk zone policies
Design standards require
implementation of the sidewalk
zone system. Does not allow
apron parking or attached
(unbuffered) sidewalks anywhere.
Design standards require
implementation of the sidewalk
zone system in some districts
(e.g., CBD, neighborhood
commercial, etc.).
There are no design standards
requiring implementation of the
sidewalk zone system.
Pedestrian and Bicycle Support Program
Safe Road Users, Safe Speeds, Safe Roads, Post-Crash Care Street Tree Requirements
Has a street tree ordinance that
improves pedestrian safety and
access. The ordinance includes
details on debris maintenance
and actions to take when sidewalk
buckling occurs
Has a street tree ordinance, but it
does not improve pedestrian
safety or access
Does not have a street tree
ordinance
Bicycling Supportive Amenities
and Wayfinding
Bicycle supportive amenities
(parking, routing/wayfinding,
water fountains, repair stations)
are found community-wide
Some bicycle supportive
amenities are found in key areas
Bicyclist supportive amenities are
not provided in the community
Bicycle Parking Requirements
A bicycle parking ordinance is
enforced for all development and
a program is in place to install
and maintain public bike parking
in existing development
A bicycle ordinance for off-street
parking is in place but no
requirement exists to install
parking for existing development
No bike parking ordinance or
program in place
Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety
Education Program
Pedestrian and bicycle education
programs are data-driven and
focused on local safety context;
education programs are
customized for diverse groups.
The program includes education
for drivers/motorists.
Has some traffic safety education
programs that address
pedestrians and bicyclists
Does not have pedestrian and
bicycle safety education programs
Enforcement
Police Department applies for
annual OTS funding, and conducts
sustained and data-driven
enforcement efforts focused on
education, behavior, and
locations related to most severe
bicycle and pedestrian crashes;
enforcement is effective is KSI
crashes decrease and there is
lower racial disproportionality in
traffic citations
Police Department conducts some
data-driven enforcement activities
related to bicyclist and pedestrian
safety
Enforcement is not data-driven, or
Police Department does not have
Traffic Safety Officer(s)
Pedestrian Walking Audit Program
Has significant and ongoing
programs that include regular
walking audits
Has no safety program, but has
conducted walking audits
sporadically
Does not have a pedestrian safety
program and has not conducted a
walking audit
Bicycling Safety Audit Program
Has significant and ongoing
programs which include bicycling
audits
Has some programs and may have
conducted a bicycling audit
Does not have bicycling safety
audit programs
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
21 TABLE 3-1: SUMMARY OF PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AND PRACTICES
BENCHMARKING ANALYSIS FOR THE CITY OF FORT BRAGG
Benchmark Topic Key Strength Enhancement Opportunity
General Plan: Provision for
Pedestrian and Bicycle Nodes
Pedestrian and bicycle nodes are
identified and pedestrian-oriented
policies are in place for these
nodes
Pedestrian and bicycle nodes are
identified, but pedestrian and
bicycle accommodations are not
Pedestrian and bicycle nodes are
not identified
General Plan: Safety Element
On safety evacuation routes,
agencies should identify creative
solutions on how to evacuate
residents safely and efficiently
while maintaining and
implementing low stress
pedestrian and bicycle facilities
Safety Element does not identify
the need to maintain low stress
facilities and produce creative
solutions that does not prohibit
the implementation of low-stress
facilities on evacuation routes
Safety Element does not mention
pedestrian and bicycle facilities
on evacuation routes
Bike Ordinances (Sidewalk
Riding)
Local ordinances allow for
context-specific flexibility in
sidewalk riding policies and
enforcement (e.g. is there an
adjacent bike facility?)
Local ordinance does not include
section on sidewalk riding
Ordinances mandate that bikes
are not allowed on sidewalks
under any circumstances
Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)
Mitigation Strategies
Not Formally adopted, but written
with MCOG-Has a VMT Mitigation
Strategy that uses the most recent
guidance from CAPCOA to
measure potential impacts of
pedestrian and bicycle facilities
Mitigation measures identified in
CAPCOA are used independently
on a project-by-project basis
Does not use CAPCOA mitigation
strategies
General Plan: Densities and
Mixed-Use Zones
Has moderate to high densities in
the CBD and mixed-use zones and
progressive parking policies, and
transportation impact analysis for
new development prioritizes
safety
Has moderate densities with
separate uses; transportation
impact analysis considers safety
Has low densities with separate
uses; transportation impact
analysis relies on LOS
Specific Plans, Overlay Zones, and
Other Area Plans
Bicyclist and pedestrian-oriented
design, walkability, or
placemaking is stressed in the
plans
Plans require bicycle and
pedestrian accommodations, and
placemaking
Plans do not address bicyclist or
pedestrian needs or do not exist
Historic Sites
Cultural and historic preservation
plans include a wayfinding,
bicycle, and walkability focus
Historic areas have been
identified, and pedestrian and
bicycle access are addressed
No plan is in place, and little
consideration is given for
pedestrian and bicycle access in
historic areas
Economic Vitality
Has several business
improvement districts, an
established façade improvement
program, and progressive
downtown parking policies
Has a business improvement
district, façade improvement
program, or downtown parking
policies
Does not have business
improvement districts, a façade
improvement program, or
downtown parking policies
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
22 TABLE 3-1: SUMMARY OF PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AND PRACTICES
BENCHMARKING ANALYSIS FOR THE CITY OF FORT BRAGG
Benchmark Topic Key Strength Enhancement Opportunity
Post-Crash Care
Agency has an adopted LRSP or
Caltrans-approved Safety Plan
that identifies the importance of
post-crash care and how the
agency will implement identified
countermeasures; this includes
resources for medical
rehabilitation, on-going advocacy
group engagement (i.e. Mothers
Against Drunk Driving, Families for
Safe Streets), and resources for
the adjudication process to
ensure offenders receive proper
sentencing and treatment
The adopted LRSP or Caltransapproved Safety Plan is vague or does not include an Action Plan
that identifies countermeasure
implementation
The adopted LRSP or Caltransapproved Safety Plan does not include action items and
implementation strategies
surrounding post-crash care
Proactive Approach to
Institutional Coordination
Has identified obstacles and
proactive coordination with
advocacy groups and public
health services where multiple
facility owners (such as Caltrans
or school districts) are involved,
and has implemented efforts to
overcome barriers
Has reactive coordination with
advocacy groups and public
health services with facility owners
Projects requiring crossjurisdictional coordination are rarely coordinated and
implemented
Coordination with Emergency
Response
Emergency response engages in
all aspects of bicycle/pedestrian
facility planning and design
(including pilot testing), and they
balance response times with
bicyclist/pedestrian safety.
Agency also works with emergency
response to implement policies
providing information on traffic
incident management
Emergency response engages in
some aspects of
bicycle/pedestrian facility
planning and design
Emergency response is not
involved in bicycle/pedestrian
facility planning and design
Coordination with Health
Agencies
Coordinates regularly with health
agencies in the planning of bicycle
and pedestrian facilities and/or
programs and collection of crash
data
Health agencies have programs to
promote healthy lifestyles through
active transportation
Health agencies are not involved
in bicycle/pedestrian safety or
active transportation
Coordination with Transit
Agencies
Bicycles are accommodated on all
transit vehicles with overflow
capacity available. The agency
partners with transit providers to
ensure safe and comfortable
routes for biking and walking to
transit stops and stations,
including on roadways with both
frequent bus service and bicycle
facilities
Bicycles are accommodated on
buses only, with accommodation
limited to rack capacity. Some
transit stops and stations safe
and comfortable routes for biking
and walking access
Bicycles are not accommodated
on transit. There are few bicycle
and pedestrian accommodations
for accessing transit stops and
stations
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
23 Implementation of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Improvements (Enhancement)
Implementation of ADA improvements is key to making walking accessible and safe for everyone, regardless of ability or age.
The City of Fort Bragg has clear design guidelines but no regular practices for ADA compliance.
Suggestions for Potential Improvement
• Continue adding ADA ramps at intersections that currently lack them and upgrade non-complaint ramps
• Develop an ADA improvement program for items such as dual curb ramps, truncated domes, and audible pedestrian signals that applies consistent treatments. The program may provide an inventory, prioritization plan, and funding source for such improvements.
ADA Transition Plan for Streets and Sidewalks (Enhancement) ADA Transition Plans identify gaps and issues in the City’s current ADA infrastructure, prioritize projects for implementation, and set forth the process for bringing public facilities into compliance with ADA regulations. Transition Plans typically a range of locations, such as public buildings, sidewalks, ramps, and other pedestrian facilities. Some cities also have ADA Coordinators, who are responsible for administering the Plan and reviewing projects for accessibility considerations.
The City has a partial or outdated ADA transition plan or an ADA coordinator.
Suggestions for Potential Improvement
• Consider prioritizing sub-areas within the City that exhibit greatest pedestrian activity. • Expand the ADA Transition Plan to include the public right-of-way, particularly the downtown area, other priority development areas, bus stops, and schools. • Consider having a part-time, trained ADA coordinator to review projects for accessibility and implement the ADA Transition Plan.
• Provide ADA standards and best practice training for engineering staff at all levels.
Ensure Safety for All Users is Prioritized, and Accessibility Maintained, During Construction and Road Maintenance Projects (Key Strength) It is vital to ensure that dedicated space is maintained for vulnerable users during construction and road maintenance projects.
The City has a policy in place that details how to maintain accessibility and provide designated space for people biking and walking through a Construction Management Plan (CMP) and has practices related to the installation of ADA improvements such as directional curb ramps and high-contrast truncated domes.
Suggestions for Potential Improvement
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
24 • Create a policy that details how to maintain accessibility and provide designated space for pedestrians and bicyclists through a Construction Management Plan (CMP) • Cities that have created a CMP include:
• http://www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca1/groups/pwa/documents/memorandum/oak062315.pdf Roadway Safety Coordinator (Opportunity)
A roadway safety coordinator provides guidance for pedestrian/bicycle planning efforts and oversees implementation of programs and helps with capacity building of staff. In a sampling of pedestrianoriented California cities, a common denominator among cities (with a population over 100,000) is a full-time pedestrian/bicycle coordinator.
The City does not have a Roadway Safety Coordinator.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Include dedicated time for the pedestrian and bicycle staff person to write grants for both capital projects and ongoing funding for walking and biking related programs and optics as well as to liaison with local non-profit, advocacy groups, and schools.
Formal Advisory Committee (Key Strength)
Advisory committees serve as important sounding boards for new policies, programs, and practices.
Responding to public concerns through public feedback mechanisms represents a more proactive and inclusive approach to bicycle and pedestrian safety compared to a conventional approach of reacting to crashes.
The City has a formal, active/on-going Transportation Advisory Committee guided by a charter or mission that includes the safety of vulnerable road users and whose activities focus on improving pedestrian and bicycle safety. The City also has staff TAC member of the Mendocino Council of Governments (MCOG) who focuses mainly on transportation planning throughout the County and other committees may be formed as needed.
Equitable Community Engagement Strategy that Includes Community Based Organization (CBO) Involvement (Enhancement)
Having multiple touch points with the community creates transparency and open lines of communication between the Local Agency staff, residents, and businesses. Various kinds of formats and venues for public involvement and feedback allows for broader participation from the community.
Consideration of local demographics (e.g. languages spoken) and the easiest formats for people to participate (e.g. online, in person but in the course of their daily activities, or at Local Agency-organized meetings) are important for meaningful and productive community dialogue.
Community engagement is an on-going process and does not only happen during the duration of the project, but also leading up to and after the project is completed.
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
25 The City has an equitable public outreach strategy, but formal community engagement events happen on a project-by project basis and/or without CBO partnerships.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Add “safety” or bicycle and pedestrian specific issues as the “work type” when people place a pin in 311 for easy coding and understanding of issues.
• Provide quarterly or annual updates to the community on the “state of walking and biking,” including recently completed projects, anticipated timeline for upcoming projects, and what the Local Agency plans to fund.
• Provide notices and interpretation in the most commonly spoken languages. • Agencies that have an equitable community engagement strategy:
• LA DOT Livable Streets: https://ladotlivablestreets.org/content-detail/Dignity-InfusedCommunity-EngagementStrategy#:~:text=The%20Vision%20Zero%20Dignity%2DInfused,into%20the%20technical%20p lanning%20process
Traffic Calming or Speed Management Program (Opportunity) Traffic calming programs and policies set forth a consensus threshold on neighborhood requests and approvals, as well as standard treatments and criteria.
The City does not have a traffic calming program funding and implementation of countermeasures are ad-hoc and reactive.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Increase the amount of dedicated funding available for traffic calming each year. • Expand the Local Agency’s traffic calming toolbox to include other tools, such as raised crosswalks, raised intersections, chicanes, and traffic diverters. The Local Agency should review their speed management program annually alongside the CIP project list to identify major arterials and neighborhood corridors to include proactive speed management. • Expand the Local Agency’s practices to include proactive traffic calming measures instead of only responding to community requests. The Local Agency could consider allocating a portion of funding to proactive traffic calming, such as on bicycle boulevard streets or safe routes to schools, and then allocate the remaining funding to react to specific community requests. • Refer to the following resources for traffic calming best practices:
• www.trafficcalming.org
• Traffic Calming Guidelines from the City of Danville
(https://www.danville.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/139/NTMP-Guidelines-Booklet-PDF) • Neighborhood Traffic Management Program from the City of Anaheim (https://www.anaheim.net/2841/NTMP3)
• ITE Technical Resources – Traffic Calming Measures: (https://www.ite.org/technicalresources/traffic-calming/traffic-calming-measures/) City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
26 Speed Limit Settings (Opportunity)
Agencies should regularly survey speeds and identify locations with high deviation from target speeds.
Local municipalities use best practices for speed management from AB 43 to lower speed limits.
Implementing lower speed limits is done using a consistent approach that prioritizes areas with historic under investment.
The City uses prima facie speed limit for all City maintained roads.
Figure 3-1: Relationship between Vehicle Speed, Victim Age, and Fatalities Suggestions for Potential Improvement
• Install traffic calming measures, signal coordination, and similar tools to maintain slower speeds appropriate for an urban community, particularly on streets that will be reviewed in the next speed survey.
• After complete streets improvement and other safety improvements are installed, conduct off-cycle speed surveys to review the speed limit and see if it needs to be reduced based on the improvements.
• Consider pedestrian volumes and known complete streets safety issues when setting speed limits and employ traffic calming strategies in locations where speed surveys suggest traffic speeds are too high for pedestrian and bicyclist safety.
• Ensure complete streets design standards have appropriate target design speeds for urban areas and do not contribute to a routine need for traffic calming. • Consider the use of 15 MPH school zones.
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
27 • Additional information on AB 43 can be found here:
• https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB43 • San Francisco’s Speed Limit Setting in Business Districts: https://sfmayor.org/article/sanfrancisco-lowers-speed-limits-targeted-business-districts-under-new-state-law Safe Routes to Schools (Opportunity)
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs encourage children to safely walk or bicycle to school. The Marin County Bicycle Coalition was an early champion of the concept, which has spread nationally (refer to best practices at www.saferoutestoschools.org). SRTS programs are important both for increasing physical activity (and reducing childhood obesity) and for reducing morning traffic associated with school drop-off (as much as 30% of morning peak hour traffic).
The City does not have a Safe Routes to Schools program and has not obtained recent funding. Funding was last received in 2015.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Form an ongoing steering committee for the program (or each school) comprised of Local Agency staff, school district staff, PTA leaders, and other stakeholders that meets regularly to monitor efforts and identify new opportunities.
• Consider a safe route to school plan for all schools that is integrated with other policies and programs to conduct walk audits, identify recommended safety improvements, and secure funding for those improvements.
Systemic Signalized and Unsignalized Intersection
Enhancements (Opportunity)
Has a formal policy for systemic signalized intersection enhancements that follows a Safe System-based framework and proactively implements FHWA’s Proven Safety Countermeasures to manage speed and crash angles and considers risk exposure.
The City maintains no signalized intersections, all are on Caltrans ROW. The City’s Traffic Committee reviews and considers installation of crosswalks on a case-by-case base in accordance with the Traffic Committee Handbook.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Develop a City or County-wide crosswalk policy for the installation, removal, and enhancement of crosswalks at controlled and uncontrolled location. Ensure that it is consistent with best practices and recent research. This includes removing crosswalks only as a last resort and providing midblock crossings where they serve pedestrian desire lines.
• Consider developing a treatment selection “tool” to assist staff with the identification of applicable treatments in a given context.
• When crosswalk enhancements are identified, add them to a prioritized list that will be upgraded over time as funding is available.
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
28 FHWA resources include:
• Federal Highway Administration Safe System-Based Framework and Analytical Methodology for Assessing Intersections:
https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/ssi/fhwasa21008.pdf • Federal Highway Administration Proven Safety Countermeasures https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/provencountermeasures/
• Federal Highway Administration STEP Guide for Improving Pedestrian Safety at Uncontrolled Crossing Locations:
https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/step/docs/STEP_Guide_for_Improving_Ped_Safety_at_Unsig_ Loc_3-2018_07_17-508compliant.pdf
• National Cooperative Highway Research Program Application of Pedestrian Crossing Treatments for Streets and Highways: http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/175419.aspx Safety-focused Curbside Management Opportunity)
Shared mobility services are transportation services – typically offered by private companies – that offer ride-hail services (e.g. Lyft or Uber) for both solo and pooled trips, bike share, and scooter share.
Policies for shared mobility services can allow agencies to encourage, prohibit, or direct how they want shared mobility to work in their agency. They can allow for curb space management, clear organization of sidewalk space, and encourage (or discourage) private vendors to come to the City/County. Curb space management is a practice that requires curb access to be planned, designed, operated, and maintained to enable curb utilization with safe, convenient, and multimodal access for all transportation users and provides driver education programs for fleet drivers.
The City has no curbside management program or policies in place.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Adopt a curb management plan to designate how the Local Agency will prioritize and proactive plan for curb uses (e.g. parking, passenger loading, commercial loading, ADA loading and parking, bicycle parking, bus-only lanes) and to make sure that the curb has the highest and best use of space. • Consider micro-mobility policies (e.g. permitting, enforcement) in place to prioritize pedestrian and bicyclist safety and keep the sidewalk organized and usable for people of all abilities. • Curbside management policy and education resources:
• NYC Vision Zero Education:
https://www1.nyc.gov/content/visionzero/pages/education • NYC Vision Zero Outreach:
https://www1.nyc.gov/site/tlc/about/tlc-vision-zero-outreach.page • NYC Vision Zero Safety Toolkit for Trucks:
https://www1.nyc.gov/content/visionzero/pages/trucks
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
29 Policies Supporting Micromobility (Opportunity)
Micromobility should prioritize low-stress facilities in areas with high micromobility use and built into network planning and design for all projects with retail or in urban space.
The City has no shared micromobility policies in place.
Suggestions for Potential Improvement
• Create a micromobility policy and implement speed regulators in geofenced locations • NACTO Resources include: https://nacto.org/wpcontent/uploads/2019/09/NACTO_Shared_Micromobility_Guidelines_Web.pdf Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) Readiness (Opportunity) As CAV technology is deployed, strategies and readiness to discuss the interface between technology and human road users, the role of smart infrastructure, and the need for physical separation of AVs and vulnerable road users.
The City has no policy around C/AV readiness.
Suggestions for Potential Improvement
• Create a policy that strategizes the oncoming challenges posed by CAV technology • FHWA Resources include: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/otps/policyanalysis.cfm Heavy Vehicle Fleets and Truck Routing (Opportunity)
As the conversation around heavy vehicle fleets and truck routings are changing, local jurisdictions must be prepared to identify incorporation of these fleets along with funding. Identifying dedicated routes or boundaries within City/County boundaries allows for parallel routes of pedestrian and bicycle corridors.
The City has no policy around future fleets and truck routing.
Suggestions for Potential Improvement
• Create a policy that identifies future fleet incorporating, funding, and dedicated routes for daily use Public Advertisements Supporting Safety Culture (Enhancement) Culturally relevant and accessible education campaigns and outreach should occur regularly and on various platforms.
In Fort Braggs, culturally relevant and accessible education campaigns occur on a project-byproject basis.
Additional resources on successful safety culture campaigns can be found below:
• Stick to the Limits San Francisco: https://www.sticktothelimitsf.org/ City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
30 Adopted Safety Plan (Key Strength)
A Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) or Caltrans-approved safety report identifies dedicated, annual funding stream for bicycle and pedestrian projects within underserved communities. Bicycle and pedestrian projects can also be integrated in the other work that the Local Agency does, including repaving and other routine maintenance of the roadway network.
The City has an approved LRSP or other Caltrans-approved safety report that identifies funding sources and prioritization of projects within underserved communities. Safety upgrades are noted on the agency’s High-Injury Network (HIN) and tied into repaving projects, CIP updates, etc.
Dedicated Annual Funding Stream:
• General City Funds
• Local and regional impact fees
• Local tax measure funds
Apply for Grants:
• Surface Transportation Program Funding
• Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP)
• Active Transportation Program (ATP)
• Safe Routes to School Grant (SRTS)
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Partner with other agencies and continue applying for grant funding for both infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects.
• Integrate bicycle and pedestrian projects into the site plan review process for new development. • Secure additional funding for repaving projects to allow for “quick build” projects and other bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements to be integrated into those projects. • Establish a dedicated funding source for pedestrian and bicycle projects.
Safe System Policy
A Safe System policy with redundancy built in for transportation projects includes all users and modes, affects new construction and maintenance, considers local context, and provides guidance for implementation.
The City does not have a safe system policy.
Collection of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Volumes (Enhancement) Pedestrian and bicyclist volume data, along with a GIS database, is important for understand where people walk and bike. This establishes baseline data prior to project implementation and can help prioritize projects, develop crash rates, and determine appropriate bicycle and pedestrian City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
31 infrastructure. The database helps to identify patterns and needs of underserved communities in local jurisdictions policies and programs.
The City collects pedestrian and bicyclist volumes on a project-by-project basis, but not routinely. Key origins and destinations are identified in a Bike, Pedestrian, or Active Transportation Plan, but need to be updated.
Suggestions for Potential Improvement
• Routinely collect pedestrian and bicycle volumes by requiring them to be counted in conjunction with manual intersection turning movement counts.
https://mtc.ca.gov/sites/default/files/4_AOC_Tech_Transfer_Seminar_Banner_06032013.pdf • Geocode pedestrian volume data with GIS software along with other data such as pedestrian control devices and crashes to analyze data for trends or hotspots related to pedestrian safety.
Inventory of Bikeways, Parking, Informal Pathways, and Key Bicycle Opportunity Areas (Enhancement)
The City has a partial, static inventory of missing facilities and opportunity areas through Bike, Pedestrian, or Active Transportation Plans.
Suggestions for Potential Improvement
• Migrate the inventory of bikeways, bike parking, and future bike improvements into a GIS format for quick mapping and sharing.
• Identify a staff person responsible for maintaining the GIS data set.
Inventory of Sidewalks, Informal Pathways, and Key Pedestrian Opportunity Areas (Opportunity)
A GIS-based sidewalk inventory enables project identification and prioritization, as well as project coordination with new development, roadway resurfacing, and so on. This data set can be available on the Local Agency’s website for knowledge sharing with the public as well as agencies.
The City does not have an inventory of missing sidewalks, crosswalks, informal pathways, or pedestrian opportunity areas.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Create a City-wide inventory of existing and missing sidewalks, informal pathways, and key pedestrian opportunity areas in GIS.
• Consider establishing a program to work with property owners to repair damaged sidewalks outside their property. This can be a condition for the sale of the property.
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32 Traffic Control Audit (Signs, Markings, and Signals) (Enhancement) Cities have a wide variety of traffic control devices that regulate how bicyclist and pedestrians should use the street and interact safely with drivers. However, some cities do not have inventories how, when, and where this is installed. Creating a database of this information allows the City’s staff to know where infrastructure may be out of date or in needed of updates. For example, countdown signals are important pedestrian safety countermeasure. The 2012 California Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) requires the installation of countdown pedestrian signals for all new signals.
Likewise, the CA MUTCD also requires installation of bike detection at all actuated signals. Bike detection is a basic building block of the bike network to make sure that bikes can trigger the traffic signal. Inventorying bike detection and countdown signals allows the Local Agency’s staff to approach safety from a systems perspective and develop projects to close gaps in biking and walking infrastructure over time.
The City has some GIS-based inventories of signs, markings, other countermeasures, and signals.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Develop a City wide crosswalk inventory in GIS and maintain it over time. This would allow for a systemic safety approach to enhancing crosswalks, and allow the Local Agency to prioritize all crosswalk enhancement projects City or County wide for implementation over time and as money is available.
• Ensure that locations with pedestrian desire lines have safe crosswalks. An updated crosswalk policy can help determine the appropriate crossing treatment at uncontrolled locations without marked crosswalks.
• Include maintenance records within the GIS database inventory of signs, markings, and signals. • Develop a proactive monitoring program for ensuring the quality and proper functioning of traffic control devices.
Crash History and Crash Reporting Practices (Opportunity) Safety is typically approach through both proactive and reactive measures. Identifying and responding to crash patterns on a regular basis and in real time is an important reactive approach to bicycle and pedestrian safety, which may be combined with other proactive measures. This is the traditional way most cities have approached safety. However, many are now looking to proactive safety to address safety issues on a system wide basis. This is often paired with a policy goal of getting to zero fatality or severe injury crash (commonly referred to as “Vision Zero”).
The City does not have set practices for data review.
The City also has an LRSP that identifies routine data collection and assessment. Prioritized project list is updated based on crash data assessment.
The City uses crossroads crash data, local data from Police Services or similar (not TIMS/SWITRS), and require crash data be included in Transportation Impact Assessments.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
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33 • Adopt a data driven systemic safety approach, which would include a systems approach to identifying, prioritizing, and ultimately implementing safety countermeasure and/or a formal commitment to Vision Zero.
• Work with elected officials and department heads to adopt a Vision Zero policy formally stating the Local Agency’s commitment to reducing the number of traffic-related fatalities and severe injuries to zero.
• Additionally, with sufficient pedestrian volume data, the Local Agency could prioritize crash locations based on crash rates (i.e., crashes/daily pedestrian volume), a practice that results in a more complete safety needs assessment. Treatments could then be identified for each location and programmatic funding allocated in the Local Agency’s Capital Improvements Program (CIP). • The City of Sacramento’s Pedestrian Master Plan includes a section on how to prioritize locations based on crash rates:
http://www.cityofsacramento.org/transportation/engineering/publications.html Surrogate Safety Measures for Proactive Monitoring (Opportunity) Innovative data collection techniques such as hard breaking, speed, and near miss data can provide additional insights into crashes. Community feedback tools such as Street Story can assist local jurisdictions to collect data.
The City does not use surrogate safety measures as part of data collection and assessment process. • https://safetrec.berkeley.edu/tools/street-story-platform-community-engagement Complete Streets Policy (Opportunity)
Complete Streets Policies are formal statements showing a local agency’s commitment to planning and designing for all modes of travel and travelers of all ages and abilities.
The City does not have a Complete Streets policy.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• The following jurisdictions have established practices for complete streets, including implementation of these policies through multimodal level of service thresholds, and may serve as models:
• Boston, Massachusetts, Boston’s Complete Streets:
http://bostoncompletestreets.org/about/
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philly Free Streets:
http://www.phillyfreestreets.com/
• Baltimore, Maryland, Complete Streets Ordinance:
https://transportation.baltimorecity.gov/completestreets • South Bend, Indiana, Complete Streets Policy:
https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/app/legacy/documents/cs/policy/cs-in-south-bendresolution.pdf City of Fort Bragg
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34 • Town of Ashland, Massachusetts, Complete Streets Policy:
https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/app/legacy/documents/cs/policy/cs-ma-ashland-policy.pdf Active Transportation Plan (Opportunity)
This type of plan includes a large menu of policy, program, and practice suggestions, as well as sitespecific (and prototypical) engineering treatment suggestions. Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan(s) documents a jurisdiction’s vision for improving walkability, bikeability, and bicycle and pedestrian safety; establish policies, programs, and practices; and outline the prioritization and budgeting process for project implementation.
The City has a Pedestrian and/or Bicycle Master Plan but it may be outdated and/or no recent projects from the Plan have been completed.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement:
• Implement the low-hanging projects in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and seek grant funding for major projects
• Pursue additional funding opportunities for programs identified by the Plan. • Provide regular updates to the Plan, including bicycle and pedestrian facilities and design guidelines that address the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities • Develop high injury networks for walking and biking to identify routes with the highest incidences of fatal and severe injuries for pedestrians and bicyclists. This will create a systematic safety analysis that can help in prioritizing limited resources. • Consider identifying existing and missing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure for improvement.
Existing Bike Network (Enhancement)
Innovative features such as protected bikeways, bike boulevards, and protected intersections citywide or countywide can decrease the level of traffic stress experienced by bicyclists, make biking more comfortable, and – in so doing - appeal to a wide range of bicyclists. Level of traffic stress refers to the level of comfort or discomfort a bicyclist might experience. Research conducted by the Mineta Institute in San Jose establishes levels of traffic stress on a scale for 1 to 4 with LTS 1 at the level that most children can tolerate and LTS 4 at the level characterized by “strong and fearless” cyclists (see:
http://transweb.sjsu.edu/project/1005.html). A bicycle network that is attractive to the majority of the population would have low stress and high connectivity.
The City’s existing bike network primarily includes Class I, II, and III facilities. There are gaps within the bike network and facilities do not accommodate all users.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement:
• Continue to identify funding sources and implement the proposed projects identified in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.
• Develop design standards for bike boulevards, trails, paths, and landscaping for bicycle network. • Create a GIS data for existing bike network to identify gaps and opportunities for improvements.
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35 Existing Pedestrian Facilities (Enhancement)
The City’s existing pedestrian facilities includes low stress facilities and frequent crosswalks, and roadways are primarily two-to-four lane roads. The City has the following pedestrian components:
reduced corner radii, corner bulbs, directional curb ramps with truncated dome, raised crosswalks, speed tables, pedestrian refuge islands, advanced yield lines, advanced stop bar, and restricted parking at corners to increase visibility of crossing.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement:
• Continue to identify funding sources and implement the proposed projects identified in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.
• Create a GIS database for existing pedestrian infrastructure to identify gaps, inventory assets, and create opportunities for systemic safety analysis of all crosswalks.
Bike and Pedestrian Network Implementation Practices (Enhancement) Considering the safety and comfort of people walking and biking leads to better projects that can encourage new walking and biking trips and enhance safety for active transportation users today and in the future.
Bicycle Level of Traffic Stress (LTS) was originally developed by researchers at the Mineta Transportation Institute. LTS assesses the comfort and connectivity of bicycle networks.
In Fort Bragg, spot locations have been identified through a safety plan for a low stress network for bicycles. The plan identifies additional proven countermeasures to be implemented as part of the projects. For pedestrian network implementation practices, treatments are implemented on a projectby-project basis.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement:
• Prioritize bicycle projects to align with roadway resurfacing and projects that are near school sites. • Identify pedestrian priority areas and have a policy in place around crosswalk spacing and design enhancements
• Secure enough funding for repaving and other complete streets projects to allow for installation of protected bike and pedestrian facilities and intersection improvements. • Prioritize use of LTS to strategically implement bikeways and traffic calming treatments that would improve LTS of existing bikeways.
Design Guidelines and Standards (Opportunity)
Design guidelines and development standards create a clear set of documents that guide how all transportation improvements should be installed City or County wide. As a result, they can create a consistent, high-quality biking and walking experience.
The City’s local standards reference national best practices, but are static or out of date, with minimal customized design policies for pedestrian and bicycle accommodations. The City uses NACTO Urban City of Fort Bragg
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36 Bikeway Design Guide, NACTO Urban Street Design Guide, FHWA Separated Bike Lane Planning and Design Guide, Caltrans DIB 89 Class IV Bikeway Guidance and CA MUTCD and the Highway Design Manual when making design decisions.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Continue adopting national bicycle and pedestrian safety best practices for roadway and facility design guidelines and standards:
• NACTO Urban Street Design Guide:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/2012-nacto-urban-street-design-guide.pdf • CROW Design Manual for Bicycle Traffic
• FHWA Separated Bike Lane Planning and Design Guide
https://nacto.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/2-4_FHWA-Separated-Bike-Lane-Guide-ch5_2014.pdf • MassDOT Separated Bike Lane Planning & Design Guide
https://www.mass.gov/lists/separated-bike-lane-planning-design-guide • ITE Recommended Practice for Accommodating Pedestrians and Bicyclists at Interchanges • AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities https://nacto.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/AASHTO_Bicycle-Facilities-Guide_2012-toc.pdf • AASHTO Guide for the Planning, Design, and Operation of Pedestrian Facilities:
https://transops.s3.amazonaws.com/uploaded_files/Update%20of%20the%20AASHTO%20Guid e%20for%20the%20Planning%2C%20Design%2C%20and%20Operation%20of%20Pedestrian% 20Facilities.pdf
Roadway Surfaces for Bicycle Facilities (Enhancement)
The quality of a roadway surface along bikeways is an important consideration when choosing to bike.
Rough surface in a bike lane creates an uncomfortable bicycling experience and may also pose safety hazards.
The City’s roadways’ surface is acceptable on bicycle routes and routine maintenance, including debris removal, occurs.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement:
• Prioritize maintenance of roadways where bicycle facilities are present, particularly for closing gaps in the bikeway network or where improved pavement quality is needed on popular bicycle routes. • Prioritize debris removal on roadways where bicycle facilities are present. • Assess the needs for new and enhanced crosswalks and curb ramps with each repaving project.
Include consideration of lane reductions and quick build projects such as paint and plastic median refuges and bulb outs; high-visibility crosswalks; and advanced yield markings.
Attention to Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossing Barriers (Opportunity) Crossing barriers - such as railroads, freeways, and major arterials - may discourage or even prohibit bicycle access and are often associated with vehicle-bicycle crashes. Large intersections and City of Fort Bragg
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37 interchanges and uncontrolled crossings can often deter bicyclists due to high speeds, high number of conflict points with vehicles, and elevated level of exposure. Identifying and removing barriers and preventing new barriers is essential for improving bicyclist safety and access. Crossing barriers also discourage or even prohibit pedestrian access and can create safety challenges for pedestrians. These can be similar to the biking barriers or present additional challenges.
The bike treatments are not installed at intersections or through interchanges. The City has no policy, but has identified some barriers and taken steps to improve pedestrian access.
The City uses the following crossing treatments at uncontrolled crossings: high visibility crosswalk striping and restricting parking at crosswalk to increase visibility of crossing.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement:
• Use green routinely to highlight conflict zones at large intersection and interchanges. See Oakland’s bicycle lane striping guidance for more information:
http://www2.oaklandnet.com/government/o/PWA/o/EC/s/BicycleandPedestrianProgram/OAK02465 3 • To slow speeds at critical intersections, use smaller corner radii using small design vehicles appropriate for urban areas and updated standard plans to reflect this. • Review design of slip/trap-right lanes at intersections and implement improvements. • Implement best practice guidance on bicycle accommodation through interchanges and expressways, as appropriate, using the ITE’s Recommended Practice: Guidelines to Accommodate Bicyclist and Pedestrians at Interchanges plus consideration of protected bike lane design. • Identify and create an inventory of pedestrian barriers with targeted recommendations for phased improvements.
• Consider pedestrian barriers and needs in doing bicycle barriers assessment.
Intersection Control Evaluation (Opportunity)
Providing alternative traffic controls such as roundabouts, signals, and stop signs may improve pedestrian and bicycle safety by reducing speeds and controlling vehicle conflicts. Installing bicycling signals and limiting stop signs on bicycle routes may enhance bicycle mobility and safety. The CA MUTCD defines warrants for installing signals and stop signs.
The City uses MUTCD Warrants and/or does not have a practice of using Intersection Control Evaluations. All signalized intersections are within Caltrans ROW, and are not maintained by City.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Develop specific signal and stop sign warrants that are pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly.
Sidewalk Furniture or Other Sidewalk Zone Policies (Opportunity) Street furniture encourages walking by accommodating pedestrians with benches to rest along the route or wait for transit; trash receptacles to maintain a clean environment; street trees for shade, and City of Fort Bragg
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38 so on. Uniform street furniture requirements also enhance the design of the pedestrian realm and may improve economic vitality.
In the City, there are no design standards requiring implementation of the sidewalk zone system.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Adopt a Street Furniture Ordinance to include locations and furniture amenities other than those associated with transit stops, as appropriate.
Street Tree Requirements (Opportunity)
Street trees enhance the pedestrian environment by providing shade and a buffer from vehicles, which increase pedestrian safety. Street trees may also enhance property values, especially in residential neighborhoods. However, street trees, when improperly selected, planted, or maintained, may cause damage to adjacent public utilities.
Currently, the City does not have a street tree ordinance, but by request of the Council, one is in progress.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Develop a Street Tree Ordinance to provide guidance on permissible tree types and permitting requirements, also specifying a requirement for new trees plantings associated with development projects.
Bicycling Supportive Amenities and Wayfinding (Key Strength) In addition to designating roadway or paths in a bicycle network, supportive amenities (including parking, water fountains, and maintenance stations) can encourage bicycling. Wayfinding can both encourage bicycling and enhance safety by navigating cyclists to facilities that have been enhanced for bicyclist use or to local retail opportunities for economic growth.
Bicycle supportive amenities (parking, routing/wayfinding, water fountains, repair stations) are found community-wide.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement:
• Create and deploy a bicycle wayfinding strategy City/County wide as recommended in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, as well as a Biking Guide.
• Develop a Biking Guide that includes a bike map and bicycle locker and rack locations.
Bicycle Parking Requirements
Safe and convenient bicycle parking is essential for encouraging bicycle travel (especially in-lieu of vehicle travel). Bicycle parking can also facilitate last-mile connections between two modes, such as bicycle parking at a transit station. To be effective, bicycle parking needs to be visible and secure and have enough capacity to accommodate bicycle demand, both long-term and short-term. Long-term and City of Fort Bragg
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39 short-term parking can be implemented through a bicycle parking ordinance as in the City of Oakland (see details at
http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/PWA/o/EC/s/BicycleandPedestrianProgram/OAK024596).
In the City, a bicycle parking ordinance is enforced for all development and a program is in place to install and maintain public bike parking in existing development.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement:
• Implement short-term and long-term, secured bicycle parking at all new development, consistent with the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and the APBP Bicycle Parking Guidelines, 2nd edition. • Site bicycle racks to be convenient for bicyclists, out of the way of pedestrians, and with good visibility for security, consistent with the APBP Bicycle Parking Guidelines, 2nd edition. • Consider implementation of “branded” racks for the City/County (with a unique design or City/County’s symbol).
Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Education Program (Opportunity) Engineering treatments are often not enough on their own to realize full safety benefits associated with the treatment. Safety education programs complement engineering treatments and increase compliance. Education campaigns target drivers and people of all ages, especially school-age children where safe walking and biking habits may be instilled as lifelong lessons.
The City does not have pedestrian and bicycle safety education programs.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Conduct a formal education campaign targeting people driving, walking, and biking about street safety. This includes advertisements on buses and bus shelters, an in-school curriculum, community school courses, public service announcements, and many other strategies. Consider a focus on speed and safe driving.
Enforcement (Enhancement)
Enforcement of pedestrian and bicycle right-of-way laws and speed limits is an important complement to engineering treatments and education programs.
The Police Department conducts some data-driven enforcement activities related to bicyclist and pedestrian safety.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Implement sustained pedestrian safety enforcement efforts and involve the media. Use enforcement as an opportunity for education by distributing pedestrian safety pamphlets inlieu of, or in addition to, citations. The Miami-Dade Pedestrian Safety Demonstration Project provides a model for the role of media in the sustained effectiveness of The 3-E’s of Pedestrian Safety:
Engineering
Education
Enforcement
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40 enforcement. Information is available at:
http://www.miamidade.gov/MPO/docs/MPO_ped_safety_demo_eval_report_200806.pdf. • Train officers in pedestrian safety enforcement principles. The Madison, Wisconsin Department of Transportation has developed a DVD in collaboration with the Madison Police Department to train traffic officers in pedestrian and bicycle issues (for more information see http://www.walkinginfo.org/library/details.cfm?id=2865). The Bicycle Transportation Alliance in Portland, Oregon offers Pedestrian Safety Enforcement Training (for more information on this fivehour course see: http://www.bta4bikes.org/at_work/pedestriangrants.php). • Establish a radar gun check-out program for trained community volunteers to record speeding vehicles’ license plate numbers and send letters and/or document occurrences. Radar gun check-out programs are available in Albany, Pleasanton, and Thousand Oaks, California, among other cities.
Pedestrian Walking Audit Program (Opportunity)
Walking audits provide an interactive opportunity to receive feedback from key stakeholders about the study area and to discuss the feasibility of potential solutions. They can be led by Local Agency staff, advocacy groups, neighborhood groups, or consultants.
The City has no safety program, but has conducted walking audits sporadically.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Include regular walking audits in City/County wide pedestrian safety program, based on the suggestions of this CSSA. This effort may complement other “green” or health-oriented programs within the Local Agency.
Bicycling Safety Audit Program (Opportunity)
When Local Agency staff and key stakeholders ride along study corridors and experience key route and crossing challenges and best practices, consensus is more readily reached on a vision and action plan for safety enhancements.
The City does not have bicycling safety audit programs.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Include regular bicycling audits in the City/County wide bicycle safety programs. Encourage interdepartmental participation.
• Routinely conduct bicycle safety audits of key corridors throughout the City/County, including those with recent improvements, those with heavy bicycle demand, and those with high crash rates. • Collaborate with schools on projects beyond the school district boundaries.
General Plan: Provision for Pedestrian and Bicycle Nodes (Key Strength) Planning principles contained in a local agency’s General Plan can provide an important policy context for developing pedestrian-oriented, walkable areas. Transit-oriented development, higher densities, and City of Fort Bragg
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41 mixed uses are important planning tools for pedestrian-oriented areas. The General Plan identifies pedestrian priority areas, which are zones in which high volumes of pedestrian traffic are encouraged and accommodated along the sidewalk.
In the City, pedestrian and bicycle nodes are identified and pedestrian-oriented policies are in place for these nodes.
Suggestion for Potential Enhancement
• Create an overlay district for pedestrian priority areas with special pedestrian-oriented guidelines, such as relaxing auto Level of Service standards and prioritizing pedestrian improvements.
Prioritize sidewalk improvement and completion projects in these nodes. • Utilize vehicle miles traveled (VMT) for future transportation impact analysis.
General Plan: Safety Element (Opportunity)
SB 99 and AB 747 are legislation around safety evacuation during natural disasters. Local jurisdictions should identify creative solutions on how to evacuate residents safely and efficiently while maintaining and implementing low stress pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
The City’s Safety Element of the General plan does not mention pedestrian and bicycle facilities on evacuation routes.
Bike Ordinances (Sidewalk Riding) (Opportunity)
The City’s ordinances mandate that bikes are not allowed on sidewalks in certain districts and/or when signage exists indicating such.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement:
• Consider an optional helmet ordinance for adults.
• Consider allowing for context-specific flexibility in sidewalk riding policies and enforcement Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Mitigation Strategies (Opportunity) A VMT Mitigation Strategy should use the most recent guidance from California Air Pollution Control Officers Association (CAPCOA) to measure potential impacts of pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
Not Formally adopted, but written with MCOG, the City has a VMT Mitigation Strategy that uses the most recent guidance from California Air Pollution Control Officers Association (CAPCOA) to measure potential impacts of pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• CAPCOA Handbook for Analyzing Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions, Assessing Climate Vulnerabilities, and Advancing Health and Equity:
https://www.caleemod.com/documents/handbook/full_handbook.pdf City of Fort Bragg
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42 General Plan: Densities and Mixed-Use Zones
Planning principles contained in a local agency’s General Plan can provide an important policy context for developing bicycle-oriented and walkable areas. Transit-oriented development, higher densities, and mixed uses are important planning tools for pedestrian-oriented areas.
The City has low densities with separate uses; transportation impact analysis relies on LOS Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Utilize vehicle miles traveled (VMT) for future transportation impact analysis. • Consider allowing moderate to high densities in the downtown and mixed-use zones as well progressive parking policies, such as shared parking and demand-based pricing. • Consider multi-modal trade-offs in the transportation impact analysis for new development, so that the safety and needs of people walking and biking is weighed heavily, and vehicular delay is not the primary performance measure.
• Ensure that wide sidewalks, high quality, protected bike lanes, and intersection safety improvements are included with all new development projects, particularly where densities are higher
• Strongly weigh walking and biking performance measures as well as safety metrics in determining appropriate intersection improvements and street design.
Specific Plans, Overlay Zones, and Other Area Plans (Key Strength) Bicyclist and pedestrian-oriented design, walkability, or placemaking is stressed in the City’s plans.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Emphasize bicyclist and pedestrian-oriented design, walkability, and/or placemaking in all new specific plans, overlay zones, and other area plans.
Historic Sites (Enhancement)
Historic walking routes or bike trails, such as the famous Freedom Trail in Boston, encourage active transportation and enhance economic vitality.
In the City, historic areas have been identified, and pedestrian and bicycle access are addressed.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Continue to implement the goals, policies and programs that support walking trips included in the Historic Preservation and Community Design Element of the General Plan to showcase natural or local sites of interest, and link key features of the Local Agency. Maps of the tour route and historic documentation materials could be made available online or as a mobile app in addition to wayfinding signs, maps, and plaques could also be provided throughout the Local Agency. Consider other areas of the City/County for walking tours and historic signs. • Consider upgrading History Walk signs with larger text to improve legibility and wayfinding.
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43 Economic Vitality (Enhancement and Opportunity)
Improving bicycle and pedestrian safety and
walkability can enhance economic vitality.
Similarly, enhancing economic vitality through
innovative funding options such as Business
Improvement Districts (BIDs), parking
management, and facade improvement
programs can lead to more active areas and
encourage walking and bicycling.
The City does not have business improvement
districts, a façade improvement program, or
downtown parking policies. Recent work to
create one was completed last year and code enforcement actively engaged to work on façade improvement program. City has applied for grant funds for parking policy updates this year.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
• Activate the built environment in business areas through BIDs and façade improvement programs. • Use wayfinding, walking routes, and events to direct pedestrians to commercial areas throughout the area.
• Install bicycle parking in commercial areas and provide safe, comfortable bike facilities in commercial areas to make it convenient and fun to get to local businesses.
Post-Crash Care (Opportunity)
An agency’s adopted LRSP or Caltrans-approved Safety Plan should include resources for the agency to implement identified countermeasure for medical rehabilitation, on-going advocacy group engagement, and resources for the adjudication process to ensure offenders receive proper sentencing and treatment.
The City has an adopted LRSP or Caltrans-approved Safety Plan, but does not include action items and implementation strategies surrounding post-crash care.
Proactive Approach to Institutional Coordination (Enhancement and Opportunity)
Institutional coordination associated with multiple agencies and advocacy groups is a critical part of the work of any municipality. Non-local control of right-of-way and differing policies regarding pedestrian and bicyclist accommodation can make the work complex.
The City has reactive coordination with advocacy groups and public health services with facility owners.
Projects requiring cross-jurisdictional coordination are rarely coordinated and implemented.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement
Sample store facades
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44 • Work with the local school districts to establish a policy on neighborhood-sized and oriented schools as part of a Safe Routes to School policy.
• Work with the school districts to establish suggested walking routes and address potential barriers to pedestrian or bicycle access.
Coordination with Emergency Response (Enhancement)
Emergency response requires special roadway design considerations that sometimes conflict with bicycle and pedestrian treatments. One example is the design of turning radii at intersections. Bicyclists and pedestrians benefit from the reduced vehicle speeds of smaller radii, but larger vehicles, such as fire trucks, have more difficulty performing the turn within the smaller space. These conflicts require consensus building between the Local Agency and the respective departments. Consensus building could include pilot testing of alternative treatments, such as a model traffic circle in an open field.
In the City, emergency response engages in some aspects of bicycle/pedestrian facility planning and design.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement:
• Include the Fire Department early in the process as a stakeholder in the Williams Street and Bancroft Street separated bikeway projects to ensure access needs are accommodated. • Balance the trade-off between traffic calming safety treatments such as roundabouts or partial street closures and longer emergency response times.
• Encourage emergency and transit responders to participate in test runs of roadway designs that are aimed to reduce speed and improve bicycling access.
• Implement policies providing information on tragic incident management Coordination with Health Agencies (Opportunity)
Involving non-traditional partners such as public health agencies, pediatricians, etc., in the planning or design of pedestrian and bicycle facilities may create opportunities to be more proactive with pedestrian and bicycle safety, identify pedestrian and bicycle safety challenges and education venues, and secure funding. Additionally, under-reporting of pedestrian-vehicle and bicycle-vehicle crashes could be a problem that may be partially mitigated by involving the medical community in pedestrian and bicycle safety planning.2
The health agencies in Fort Bragg are not involved in bicycle/pedestrian safety or active transportation. 2 Sciortino, S., Vassar, M., Radetsky, M. and M. Knudson,“San Francisco Pedestrian Injury Surveillance: Mapping, Underreporting, and Injury Severity in Police and Hospital Records,” Accident Analysis and Prevention, Volume 37, Issue 6, November 2005, Pages 1102-1113
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45 Coordination with Transit Agencies (Enhancement)
Providing safe and comfortable biking and walking routes to transit stops and stations, and the ability to take bicycles on-board transit vehicles increases the likelihood of multi-modal trips.
In the City, bicycles are accommodated on buses only, with accommodation limited to rack capacity.
Some transit stops and stations safe and comfortable routes for biking and walking access.
Suggestion for Potential Improvement:
• Work with transit agencies, Caltrans, and other relevant partners to improve access and safety to stations and bus stops.
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46 4. Complete Streets Audit
Results and Suggestions
Overview
This chapter presents the observations and recommendations from the City of Fort Bragg staff, the Fort Bragg Police Department, school officials, and staff from the County of Mendocino made during the walking audit on May 31, 2022. The recommendations are based on best practices and discussions with the participant group regarding local needs and feasibility. A glossary of the candidate treatment options is presented in Appendices A and B.
Walking audits are typically conducted to understand the needs, issues, and opportunities associated with walking and biking in the study area. During a walking audit, positive practices are observed, and issues and opportunity areas are noted. Observations are based on how motorists are behaving around pedestrians and bicyclists and how pedestrians and bicyclists are behaving, especially at intersections (e.g., if pedestrians are crossing at unmarked locations to avoid certain intersections, why might they feel the need to do so?).
The suggestions in this report are based on limited field observations and general knowledge of best practices in complete streets design and safety. As this report is conceptual in nature, the City may conduct more detailed studies before finalizing and implementing any physical changes. Conditions may exist in the focus areas that were not observed and are not compatible with recommendations in this report. City staff may conduct further analysis to refine or discard the recommendations in this report if they are contextually inappropriate or do not improve pedestrian safety or accessibility due to conditions including, but not limited to, high vehicular traffic volume or speeds, physical limitations on space or sight distance, or other unsafe conditions.
4.1 Selection of Focus Areas
Three broad focus areas were chosen based on collision data and City interest in evaluation. Locations were selected that are not part of City projects currently underway or planned for in the forthcoming year. Two of the chosen locations were near schools the third is centered around downtown and the SR 1 corridor, home to the city’s largest collision hotspots.
The three focus areas selected for the audit are:
1. Harold Street from Fir Street in the north to Oak Street in the south, generally consisting of the major route to and from Fort Bragg Middle School
2. Main Street / SR 1 from Fir Street in the north to Oak Street in the south, spanning the west edge of the downtown area
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47 3. Dana Street from Oak Street in the north to Chestnut Street in the south, covering the main roadways between Fort Bragg High School and Dana Gray Elementary School The audit, conducted on May 31, 2022, occurred on a Tuesday following the Memorial Day long weekend. While school officials and City staff noted that conditions and phenomena observed were typical, it should be noted that school attendance on that day was lower than usual.
The following sections present the key issues identified during the walking audits, along with suggested projects responding to the issues at each site.
4.2 Location #1: Harold Street
Harold Street is a north-south roadway in the central part of Fort Bragg. For most of its length, it is a two-lane street with a speed limit of 25 miles per hour. It has unprotected Class II bike facilities (“bike lanes”) and on-street parking in both directions. It is wide, at approximately 50 feet from curb to curb— wide enough to accommodate two lanes of travel in each direction. It has continuous sidewalks on both sides of the street throughout. Crosswalks are striped at most legs of intersections, and some crosswalk legs across Harold Street are equipped with splitter islands (although without accompanying median refuges). With the exception of the all-way stop controlled intersections with Oak and Madrone Streets, the intersections along Harold Street are side-street stop-controlled with Harold Street being the major street. The surrounding land use is mostly single-family residential, but there is a cluster of neighborhood-serving commercial uses at the intersection with Oak Street. It also serves Fort Bragg Middle School at its northern end, for which it acts as the primary access route.
In some ways, Harold Street can be viewed as a prototypical street in Fort Bragg, as its typology and context are prevalent across much of the city: two-lane roadway with a 25 mile per hour speed limit, but with a width much more typical of a larger, faster-moving roadway.
The walk audit proceeded north from the intersection of Harold Street and Oak Street to the main entrance of Fort Bragg Middle School at the intersection of Harold Street and Fir Street. The walk audit began at 7:45 AM at Oak Street to coincide with the morning commute to Fort Bragg Middle School, whose first bell is at 8:25 AM.
Observations
The following observations were noted during the site visit:
• There was a steady stream of traffic towards the Middle School that began around the time our audit began and continued until the first bell time, consisting of vehicles, a high number of pedestrians (schoolchildren walking alone or with a guardian), and a moderate number of bicyclists.
• There was a high proportion of taller vehicles, such as large pickup trucks and SUVs, among vehicles observed, which have blind spots that pose significant risks for middle-school age children crossing in front of such vehicles.
City of Fort Bragg
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48 • Sunlight comes in at a relatively low angle, even during the summer when the audit took place, and it is understood that the sun is even lower during the winter months, which substantially impacts visibility.
• The streets, which are comparatively wide given their context, lead to long crossing distances and times for pedestrians, and encourage speeding.
• There were numerous observed instances of vehicles failing to yield to pedestrians and bicyclists, who must wait longer at intersections for an opportunity to cross. • The splitter islands feature visual evidence of frequent impacts by vehicles. • At the intersection with Oak Street, the westbound approach of Oak Street has a right-turn lane that is well-used but creates a situation that periodically blocks the line of sight between crossing pedestrians and motorists in the other two lanes of traffic on that approach. However, while only this particular approach is striped this way, many intersection approaches throughout this corridor and the city have identical widths, and vehicles were observed illegally using the bike lane or parking lane as a turning lane in many instances, with similar negative effects for visibility for pedestrians and bicyclists crossing. • At Fort Bragg Middle School, the mid-block crosswalk at 545 North Harold Street was well-used, while the one further south and the one at Fir Street were not well-used. The former saw several occasions of vehicles failing to yield to crossing pedestrians. • Vehicles dropping off students used the right lane of Harold Street but did not attempt to form a single line or pull forward to the main entrance of the school; instead, they merged into and out of the lane at random points, including at crosswalks, causing points of conflict with other vehicles and pedestrians. Many vehicles then used the intersection with Fir Street to make Uturns (a notably unsafe maneuver).
Suggested Improvements
To improve pedestrian, bicycle, and motor vehicle access and circulation at this location, the following improvements are suggested:
HAROLD STREET
Suggested improvements to the Harold Street corridor are documented in Figure 4-1. • At the intersection of Oak and Harold Streets, eliminate the right-turn lane on the westbound approach of Oak Street. Implement curb extensions to reduce crossing distances. o While the most high-trafficked of the intersections along the corridor, the contextual and design attributes of the intersection of Harold and Oak Streets is not significantly different from that of other intersections along the corridor. o Consider implementing curb extensions at other intersections along the corridor. If not feasible, daylighting (i.e., designating a section of curb immediately adjacent to the intersection as no-parking red zones) can be implemented as a low-cost intermediate step that will also offer improved visibility.
• At locations along the corridor already equipped with splitter islands at intersections (Alder Street, Laurel Street, and Redwood Avenue), convert those islands to full median refuges. The FHWA recommends a minimum width of 4 feet for the pedestrian space portion of the island.
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49 FORT BRAGG MIDDLE SCHOOL
The following improvements to the transportation infrastructure of the two schools are also recommended, to be undertaken in partnership with Fort Bragg Unified School District:
• Two options are presented for modifying the pick-up / drop-off situation at Fort Bragg Middle School:
o Option 1 involves formalizing the right lane of northbound Harold Street into a pick-up / drop-off lane. The lane would begin with the end of the bulb-out for the crosswalk at 525 North Harold Street and merge back into the through lane just south of the accessible parking spaces. All vehicles making a pick-up or drop-off at the front of the school would need to merge into the lane when it begins and be instructed to pull forward as far as possible, and then continue in the lane and not merge back into the through lane until the lane ends. A surface mounted channelizing system (“delineators”) can be deployed to physically separate the lane from the through lane to enforce this traffic pattern. Delineators should also be deployed on the centerline of Harold Street throughout its westward turn as it approaches the intersection with Fir Street, to prevent vehicles from making the U-turn at the intersection. There are many potential options for delineators that can be used for such a purpose, such as the FG 300 Interstate Grade Curb System. Option 1 is documented in Figure 4-2. o Option 2 would involve dead-ending both Fir Street and Harold Street at Fort Bragg Middle School. Two cul-de-sacs would be created, one at each terminus, to be used as drop-off / pick-up zones. School bus drop-off and pick-up would occur curbside along the east side of Harold Street between the two crosswalks. The space between the two cul-de-sacs will serve as an extension of the plaza in front of the auditorium and can be used for community events. There will be a one-lane-wide section of pavement preserved as a passage between the two cul-de-sacs for use by bicycles, school buses, and emergency vehicles. Option 2 is documented in Figure 4-3. • Regardless of which option is selected, the crosswalk near 545 North Harold Street should be upgraded to a raised crosswalk.
• Regardless of which option is selected, the stretch of Harold Street between Pine and Fir Streets should have a speed limit of no more than 15 miles per hour on school days. • Regardless of which option is selected, there should be additional communication with family and community members about pick-up and drop-off procedures to clarify the operations of whichever alternative is selected and traffic rules surrounding the school in general. This can happen, ideally, through a combination of in-person contact opportunities such as parentteacher conferences and back-to-school events, flyers sent home, and proactive outreach by school staff and volunteers during pick-up and drop-off.
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50 City of Fort Bragg
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51 City of Fort Bragg
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52 City of Fort Bragg
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53 The intersection of Harold Street and Oak Street, looking east City of Fort Bragg
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54 The intersection of Harold Street and Alder Street, looking north City of Fort Bragg
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55 Morning drop-off traffic at Fort Bragg Middle School, along Harold Street looking south City of Fort Bragg
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56 4.3 Location #2: Main Street (State Route 1)
Main Street, which also carries the designation of SR 1, is the principal north-south arterial in the city and its main external road connection. Being a state highway, it is owned and maintained by Caltrans, and serves the dual role of being both the city’s principle commercial corridor as well as a key highway corridor with large volumes of through traffic. The corridor is mostly commercial in its surrounding land use, ranging from dense, pedestrian-oriented commercial development in downtown to strip malls in the southern end of the city. Main Street varies in size and width through the city, ranging from a five-lane roadway (two through lanes in each direction with a center left-turn lane) in the south to two lanes (one through lane in each direction without a center turn lane) in parts of downtown; generally, it has two travel lanes in each direction south of Redwood Avenue, and narrows to one travel lane in each direction north of it. It has a speed limit of 35 miles per hour, except in the crosstown section between Redwood Avenue and Elm Street, where the speed limit is 25 miles per hour. Crosswalks are marked at most legs of intersections, although they vary in legibility and width. There are signalized intersections at Elm Street, Laurel Street, Redwood Avenue, Oak Street, Chestnut Street, Cypress Street, Boatyard Drive, and the State Route 20 junction, with all remaining intersections being side-street stopcontrolled. Main Street has, by far, the highest concentration of collisions in Fort Bragg.
The walk audit proceeded north from the intersection of Main and Oak Streets to the intersection of Main and Fir Streets. Chief Celeri Drive from Oak Street to Redwood Avenue was also audited. The walk audit occurred following morning peak hours, at approximately 10 AM.
Observations
The following observations were noted during the site visit:
• Many intersections feature single diagonal curb ramps (as opposed to directional curb ramps for each crosswalk leg) and many are in deteriorated condition. • The crosswalk legs across Main Street at Alder Street are unusually narrow. • The placement of traffic signal and wooden utility poles directly at the edge of the intersection is common across much of the city, including at the intersections with Alder and Fir Streets.
Such placement affects pedestrian visibility at crossings, as they may be obscured by the poles.
They also pose physical obstacles for the implementation of certain countermeasures. • Even with non-peak period traffic, traffic speed and volumes were high enough to create an uncomfortable condition for pedestrians crossing Main Street. Vehicles often did not yield for pedestrians.
• Conflicts at signalized intersections between pedestrians crossing Main Street and vehicles turning left from side streets onto Main Street (i.e., side street permissive left-turn maneuvers conflicting with pedestrians crossing) were observed.
• Streetlights were observed to be of a design and spacing that would provide insufficient continuous light for pedestrians during the nighttime period.
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57 Suggested Improvements
Since the corridor is owned and maintained by Caltrans, the City lacks the ability to implement design changes to the Main Street corridor without additional review and approval from Caltrans. However, based on observations during the site visit, the following improvements to pedestrian, bicycle, and motor vehicle activity are suggested for the City to propose to and consider in partnership with Caltrans. These improvements are also illustrated in Figure 4-3. • At the intersection with Alder Street, close the more northern of the pair of the narrow uncontrolled crosswalk legs across Main Street, widen the southern crosswalk, and install a pedestrian hybrid beacon (PHB) system for improved pedestrian crossing. • Signalize the intersection with Pine Street.
• Implement protected left-turn phasing on side streets at all signalized intersections. This may require the installation of new poles and mast arms.
• Install curb extensions, and either install directional curb ramps or other ramp improvements consistent with ADA requirements and best practices for pedestrian access and circulation at all intersections, corridor wide, that do not have ADA accessible, directional curb ramps. Locations with strong pedestrian demand, such as those with coast/beach access, should be prioritized if prioritization is necessary.
• At all intersections where right-of-way is available, add median islands for pedestrian refuge.
Space for median refuge islands can be created by shifting the through traffic lane rightward into a portion of the parking lane and the left-turn lane rightward onto the original location of the through traffic lane at intersection approaches, as illustrated in Figure 4-4. • Improve lighting, including introduction of pedestrian-scale lighting in the core downtown area.
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58 The intersection of Main Street and Laurel Street, looking east City of Fort Bragg
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59 The intersection of Main Street and Alder Street, showing the narrow crosswalk on the south side of the intersection City of Fort Bragg
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60 4.4 Location #3: Dana Street
Dana Street is a short roadway stretching for just over one block in the eastern part of Fort Bragg, beginning at a T-intersection with Chestnut Street in the south and dead-ending in a driveway and trail just north of Oak Street. It is two lanes with a parking lane on either side throughout its length and has a posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour. The roadway primarily serves two schools – Dana Gray Elementary School and Fort Bragg High School, which front the roadway for most of its length, although there is some single-family residential land use at the northern end of the roadway. The roadway has three intersections: an all-way stop-controlled intersection with Oak Street at the north; a minor side-street stop-controlled intersection with dead-end Taubold Court; and its terminus at Chestnut Street, where there is a unique stop-control pattern where eastbound Chestnut Street is freeflow, but southbound Dana Street and westbound Chestnut Street are stop-controlled.
The walk audit proceeded south from the intersection of Dana and Oak Streets to the intersection of Dana and Chestnut Streets, with subsequent audits of the two campuses. The walk audit began at 2:45 PM at Oak Street to coincide with school dismissal at 3:15 PM for the elementary school and 3:20 PM for the high school.
Observations
The following observations were noted during the site visit:
• School buses, which must pick up at both the elementary school and the high school, made a series of complicated and tight turns, but appeared to have managed with little difficulty or delay.
• Because school buses were parked in the pick-up / drop-off loop at Dana Gray Elementary School, the loop could not accommodate any other vehicles. Almost all pick-up / drop-off occurred in the parking lot along Chestnut Street in front of the school, where schoolchildren crossing the parking lot had to dodge vehicles pulling in and out of parking spaces, often by reversing, creating many risky points of conflict.
• On-street parking along Dana Street was almost completely occupied, and most vehicles appear to belong to Fort Bragg High School students who do not park in one of the school lots. • There was a substantial amount of queuing on southbound Dana Street at the intersection with Chestnut Street due to drivers waiting for pedestrians in the crosswalk. • There was a substantial amount of traffic heading westbound on Chestnut Street after each of the two dismissal times. While the peak of traffic flow was in the three to five minutes immediately following the dismissal time, there was still an overlap between elementary and high school traffic.
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61 Suggested Improvements
To improve pedestrian, bicycle, and motor vehicle activity at this location, the following improvements are suggested:
• Closing the midblock crosswalk across Chestnut Street that lies between the one at the east side of the Woodland Drive intersection and the one at the east side of the Dana Street intersection, and paving a path along the most direct desire line between the curb ramp leading to that crosswalk to the curb ramp leading to the crosswalk across Dana Street at the intersection of Dana and Chestnut Streets. This improvement is shown in Figure 4-4.
The following improvements to the transportation infrastructure of the two schools are also recommended, to be undertaken in partnership with Fort Bragg Unified School District:
• Dana Gray Elementary School should consider parking lot reconfiguration that allows for improved pick-up and drop-off operations while prioritizing pedestrian safety and school bus access and circulation. One potential reconfiguration could include the use of at least part of the parking area in the front of the school adjoining Chestnut Street to create a one-way pickup/drop-off loop for use by non-school bus vehicles. The concrete island on the south side of the existing pick-up loop could be repurposed, for example, by converting the parking spaces to its south into a pick-up/drop-off lane.
• School traffic peaked and then dissipated rather rapidly (within a matter of minutes), as is typical of school traffic patterns. School traffic, therefore, can be further alleviated by staggering the dismissal times at the two schools even more – to ten minutes apart as opposed to five currently – to avoid overlapping traffic peaks.
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62 City of Fort Bragg
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63 The intersection of Chestnut Street and Dana Street, looking east City of Fort Bragg
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64 Fort Bragg High School
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65 Appendix A:
Glossary of Pedestrian
Improvement Measures
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66 PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENT MEASURES
Measure Description Benefits Application
Traffic Control Countermeasures
Traffic Signal or
All-Way Stop
Conventional traffic control devices with
warrants for use based on the Manual on
Uniform Control Devices (MUTCD).
Reduces pedestrianvehicle conflicts and slows
traffic speeds.
Must meet warrants based on
traffic and pedestrian
volumes; however,
exceptions are possible
based on demonstrated
pedestrian safety concerns
(collision history).
HAWK Beacon
Signal
HAWK (High Intensity Activated
Crosswalks) are pedestrian-actuated
signals that are a combination of a
beacon flasher and a traffic control
signal. When actuated, HAWK displays
a yellow (warning) indication followed by
a solid red light. During pedestrian
clearance, the driver sees a flashing red
“wig-wag” pattern until the clearance
interval has ended and the signal goes
dark.
Reduces pedestrianvehicle conflicts and slows
traffic speeds.
Useful in areas where it is
difficult for pedestrians to
find gaps in automobile
traffic to cross safely, but
where normal signal warrants
are not satisfied.
Appropriate for multi-lane
roadways.
Overhead
Flashing Beacons
Flashing amber lights are installed on
overhead signs, in advance of the
crosswalk or at the entrance to the
crosswalk.
The blinking lights during
pedestrian crossing times
increase the number of
drivers yielding for
pedestrians and reduce
pedestrian-vehicle
conflicts. This measure
can also improve
conditions on multi-lane
roadways.
Best used in places where
motorists cannot see a
traditionalsign due to
topography or other barriers.
Stutter Flash
The Overhead Flashing Beacon is
enhanced by replacing the traditional
slow flashing incandescent lamps with
rapid flashing LED lamps. The beacons
may be push-button activated or
activated with pedestrian detection.
Initial studies suggest the
stutter flash is very
effective as measured by
increased driver yielding
behavior. Solar panels
reduce energy costs
associated with the
device.
Appropriate for multi-lane
roadways.
In-Roadway
Warning Lights
Both sides of a crosswalk are lined with
pavement markers, often containing an
amber LED strobe light. The lights may
be push-button activated or activated
with pedestrian detection.
This measure provides a
dynamic visual cue and is
increasingly effective in
severe weather.
Best in locations with low
bicycle ridership, as the
raised markers present a
hazard to bicyclists. May not
be appropriate in areas with
heavy winter weather due to
high maintenance costs.
May not be appropriate for
locations with bright sunlight.
The lights may cause
confusion when pedestrians
fail to activate them and/or
when they falsely activate.
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67 PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENT MEASURES
Measure Description Benefits Application
High-Visibility
Signs and
Markings
High-visibility markings include a family
of crosswalk striping styles including the
“ladder” and the “triple four.” One style,
the zebra-style crosswalk pavement
markings, were once popular in Europe,
but have been phased out because the
signal-controlled puffin is more effective
(see notes). High-visibility fluorescent
yellow green signs are made of the
approved fluorescent yellow-green color
and posted at crossings to increase the
visibility of a pedestrian crossing ahead.
FHWA recently ended its
approval process for the
experimental use of
fluorescent yellow
crosswalk markings and
found that they had no
discernible benefit over
white markings.
Beneficial in areas with high
pedestrian activity, as near
schools, and in areas where
travel speeds are high and/or
motorist visibility is low.
In-Street
Pedestrian
Crossing Signs
This measure involves posting regulatory
pedestrian signage on lane edge lines
and road centerlines. The In-Street
Pedestrian Crossing sign may be used to
remind road users of laws regarding
right of way at an unsignalized
pedestrian crossing. The legend STATE
LAW may be shown at the top of the sign
if applicable. The legends STOP FOR or
YIELD TO may be used in conjunction
with the appropriate symbol.
This measure is highly
visible to motorists and
has a positive impact on
pedestrian safety at
crosswalks.
Mid-block crosswalks,
unsignalized intersections,
low-speed areas, and twolane roadways are ideal for
this pedestrian treatment.
The STOP FOR legend shall
only be used in states where
the state law specifically
requires that a driver must
stop for a pedestrian in a
crosswalk.
Pedestrian
Crossing Flags
Square flags of assorted colors, which
are mounted on a stick and stored in
sign-mounted holders on both side of
the street at crossing locations; they are
carried by pedestrians while crossing a
roadway.
This measure makes
pedestrians more visible
to motorists.
Appropriate for mid-block
and uncontrolled crosswalks
with low visibility or poor
sight distance.
Advanced Yield
Lines
Standard white stop or yield limit lines
are placed in advance of marked,
uncontrolled crosswalks.
This measure increases
the pedestrian’s visibility
to motorists, reduces the
number of vehicles
encroaching on the
crosswalk, and improves
general pedestrian
conditions on multi-lane
roadways. It is also an
affordable option.
Useful in areas where
pedestrian visibility is low
and in areas with aggressive
drivers, as advance limit lines
will help prevent drivers from
encroaching on the
crosswalk. Addresses the
multiple-threat collision on
multi-lane roads.
Geometric Treatments
Pedestrian
Overpass/
Underpass
This measure consists of a pedestrianonly overpass or underpass over a roadway. It provides complete
separation of pedestrians from motor
vehicle traffic, normally where no other
pedestrian facility is available, and
connects off-road trails and paths
across major barriers.
Pedestrian overpasses and
underpasses allow for the
uninterrupted flow of
pedestrian movement
separate from the vehicle
traffic.
Grade separation via this
measure is most feasible and
appropriate in extreme cases
where pedestrians must cross
roadways such as freeways
and high-speed, high-volume
arterials. This measure
should be considered a last
resort, as it is expensive and
visually intrusive.
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68 PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENT MEASURES
Measure Description Benefits Application
Road Diet (aka
Lane Reduction)
The number of lanes of travel is reduced
by widening sidewalks, adding bicycle
and parking lanes, and converting
parallel parking to angled or
perpendicular parking.
This is a good traffic
calming and pedestrian
safety tool, particularly in
areas that would benefit
from curb extensions but
have infrastructure in the
way. This measure also
improves pedestrian
conditions on multi-lane
roadways.
Roadways with surplus
roadway capacity (typically
multi-lane roadways with less
than 15,000 to 17,000 ADT)
and high bicycle volumes,
and roadways that would
benefit from traffic calming
measures.
Median Refuge
Island
Raised islands are placed in the center
of a roadway, separating opposing lanes
of traffic with cutouts for accessibility
along the pedestrian path.
This measure allows
pedestrians to focus on
each direction of traffic
separately, and the refuge
provides pedestrians with
a better view of oncoming
traffic as well as allowing
drivers to see pedestrians
more easily. It can also
split up a multi-lane road
and act as a supplement
to additional pedestrian
tools.
Recommended for multi-lane
roads wide enough to
accommodate an ADAaccessible median.
Staggered Median
Refuge Island
This measure is similar to traditional
median refuge islands; the only
difference is that the crosswalks in the
roadway are staggered such that a
pedestrian crosses half the street and
then must walk towards traffic to reach
the second half of the crosswalk. This
measure must be designed for
accessibility by including rails and
truncated domes to direct sightimpaired pedestrians along the path of travel.
Benefits of this tool
include an increase in the
concentration of
pedestrians at a crossing
and the provision of better
traffic views for
pedestrians. Additionally,
motorists are better able
to see pedestrians as they
walk through the
staggered refuge.
Best used on multi-lane
roads with obstructed
pedestrian visibility or with
off-set intersections.
Curb Extension
Also known as a pedestrian bulb-out,
this traffic-calming measure is meant to
slow traffic and increase driver
awareness. It consists of an extension of
the curb into the street, making the
pedestrian space (sidewalk) wider.
Curb extensions narrow
the distance that a
pedestrian has to cross
and increases the
sidewalk space on the
corners. They also improve
emergency vehicle access
and make it difficult for
drivers to turn illegally.
Due to the high cost of
installation, this tool would
only be suitable on streets
with high pedestrian activity,
on-street parking, and
infrequent (or no) curb-edge
transit service. It is often
used in combination with
crosswalks or other markings.
Reduced Curb
Radii
The radius of a curb can be reduced to
require motorists to make a tighter turn.
Shorter radii narrow the
distance that pedestrians
have to cross; they also
reduce traffic speeds and
increase driver awareness
(like curb extensions), but
are less difficult and
expensive to implement.
This measure would be
beneficial on streets with
high pedestrian activity, onstreet parking, and no curbedge transit service. It is more suitable for wider
roadways and roadways with
low volumes of heavy truck
traffic.
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69 PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENT MEASURES
Measure Description Benefits Application
Curb Ramps
Curb ramps are sloped ramps that are
constructed at the edge of a curb
(normally at intersections) as a
transition between the sidewalk and a
crosswalk.
Curb ramps provide easy
access between the
sidewalk and roadway for
people using wheelchairs,
strollers, walkers,
crutches, handcarts,
bicycles, and also for
pedestrians with mobility
impairments who have
trouble stepping up and
down high curbs.
Curb ramps must be installed
at all intersections and midblock locations where
pedestrian crossings exist, as
mandated by federal
legislation (1973
Rehabilitation Act and 1990
Americans with Disabilities
Act). Where feasible,
separate curb ramps for each
crosswalk at an intersection
should be provided rather
than having a single ramp at
a corner for both crosswalks.
Raised Crosswalk A crosswalk whose surface is elevated
above the travel lanes.
Attracts drivers' attention;
encourages lower travel
speeds by providing visual
and tactile feedback when
approaching the
crosswalk.
Appropriate for multi-lane
roadways, roadways with
lower speed limits that are
not emergency routes, and
roadways with high levels of
pedestrian activity, such as
near schools, shopping
malls, etc.
Improved RightTurn Slip-Lane
Design
Right-turn slip lanes (aka channelized
right-turn lanes) are separated from the
rest of the travel lanes by a pork chopshaped striped area. This measure separates right-turning traffic and
streamlines right-turning movements.
Improved right-turn slip lanes would
provide pedestrian crossing islands
within the intersection and be designed
to optimize the right-turning motorist’s
view of the pedestrian and of vehicles to
his or her left.
This measure reduces the
pedestrian's crossing
distance and turning
vehicle speeds.
Appropriate for intersections
with high volumes of rightturning vehicles.
Chicanes
A chicane is a sequence of tight
serpentine curves (usually an S-shape
curve) in a roadway, used on city streets
to slow cars.
This is a traffic-calming
measure that can improve
the pedestrian
environment and
pedestrian safety.
Chicanes can be created on
streets with higher volumes,
given that the number of
through lanes is maintained;
they can also be created on
higher-volume residential
streets to slow traffic.
Chicanes may be constructed
by alternating parallel or
angled parking in
combination with curb
extensions.
Pedestrian Access and Amenities
City of Fort Bragg
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70 PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENT MEASURES
Measure Description Benefits Application
Marked
Crosswalk
Marked crosswalks should be installed
to provide designated pedestrian
crossings at major pedestrian
generators, crossings with significant
pedestrian volumes (at least 15 per
hour), crossings with high vehiclepedestrian collisions, and other areas based on engineering judgment.
Marked crosswalks
provide a designated
crossing, which may
improve walkability and
reduce jaywalking.
Marked crosswalks alone
should not be installed on
multi-lane roads with more
than about 10,000 vehicles/
day. Enhanced crosswalk
treatments (as presented in
this table) should
supplement the marked
crosswalk.
Textured Pavers
Textured pavers come in a variety of
materials (for example, concrete, brick,
and stone) and can be constructed to
create a textured pedestrian surface
such as a crosswalk or sidewalk.
Crosswalks are constructed with the
pavers, or can be made of stamped
concrete or asphalt.
Highly visible to motorists,
this measure provides a
visual and tactile cue to
motorists and delineates a
separate space for
pedestrians, as it provides
a different texture to the
street for pedestrians and
motorists. It also
aesthetically enhances the
streetscape.
Appropriate for areas with
high volumes of pedestrian
traffic and roadways with low
visibility and/or narrow travel
ways, as in the downtown
area of towns and small
cities.
Anti-Skid
Surfacing
Surface treatment is applied to streets
to improve skid resistance during wet
weather. This is a supplementary tool
that can be used to reduce skidding in
wet conditions.
Improves driver and
pedestrian safety.
Appropriate for multi-lane
roadways and roadways with
higher posted speed limit
and/or high vehicle volumes
or collision rates.
Accessibility
Upgrades
Treatments such as audible pedestrian
signals, accessible push buttons, and
truncated domes should be installed at
crossings to accommodate disabled
pedestrians.
Improves accessibility of
pedestrian facilities for all
users.
Accessibility upgrades
should be provided for all
pedestrian facilities following
a citywide ADA Transition
Plan.
Pedestrian
Countdown
Signal
Displays a “countdown” of the number
of seconds remaining for the pedestrian
crossing interval. In some jurisdictions
the countdown includes the walk phase.
In other jurisdictions, the countdown is
only displayed during the flashing don’t
walk phase.
Increases pedestrian
awareness and allows
them the flexibility to know
when to speed up if the
pedestrian phase is about
to expire.
The forthcoming 2009
MUTCD is expected to require
all pedestrian signals to
incorporated countdown
signals within ten years. The
signals should be prioritized
for areas with pedestrian
activity, roadways with high
volumes of vehicular traffic,
multi-lane roadways, and
areas with elderly or disabled
persons (who may walk
slower than others may).
Transit
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
71 PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENT MEASURES
Measure Description Benefits Application
High-Visibility
Bus Stop
Locations
This measure should include siting bus
stops on the far side of intersections,
with paved connections to sidewalks
where landscape buffers exist.
Provides safe, convenient,
and inviting access for
transit users; can improve
roadway efficiency and
driver sight distance.
Appropriate for all bus stops
subject to sight distance and
right-of-way constraints.
Transit Bulb
Transit bulbs or bus bulbs, also known
as nubs, curb extensions, or bus bulges
are a section of sidewalk that extends
from the curb of a parking lane to the
edge of the through lane.
Creates additional space
at a bus stop for shelters,
benches, and other
passenger amenities.
Appropriate at sites with high
patron volumes, crowded city
sidewalks, and curbside
parking.
Enhanced Bus
Stop Amenities
Adequate bus stop signing, lighting, a
bus shelter with seating, trash
receptacles, and bicycle parking are
desirable features at bus stops.
Increase pedestrian
visibility at bus stops and
encourage transit
ridership.
Appropriate at sites with high
patron volumes.
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
72 Appendix B:
Glossary of Bicycling
Improvement Measures
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
73 BICYCLING IMPROVEMENT MEASURES
Measure Description Benefits Application
LINKS /ROADWAY SEGMENTS
A. Road Design and Operations to Slow Traffic
Traffic Calming
There are a variety of measures too
numerous to list here. See ITE
Institute of Transportation
Engineers, "Traffic Calming: State
of the Practice".
Reduces motor vehicle speeds,
which improves safety for all
modes and increases bicyclist’s
comfort.
Urban and suburban settings;
suggested for urban major
streets with prevailing speeds
of 35 mph and higher and for
suburban major streets with
prevailing speeds 45 mph or
higher; and for all local
streets with speeds of 30+
mph.
Bicycle Boulevard
A minor street on which traffic
control devices are designed and
placed to encourage cycling; these
include unwarranted stop signs
along bike route are removed;
crossing assistance at major
arterials is provided (see examples
in Nodes-Section E below).
Allows cyclists to maintain their
travel speeds, significantly
reducing their travel time;
provides cyclists with a low
volume, low speed street where
motorists are aware that it is a
bicycle-priority street.
On minor streets with less
than 3000 vehicles per day
especially useful when Bike
Blvd is parallel to and within
¼ mile of a major arterial
with many desirable
destinations.
Signal
Coordination at 15
-25 mph
The signal timing along a corridor
is set so that traffic which receives
a green light at the first
intersection will subsequently
receive a green light at all
downstream intersections if they
travel at the design speed; aka a
“green wave.”
Encourages motorists to travel
at slower speeds, provides a
more comfortable experience
for cyclists and increases
overall traffic safety; also allows
cyclists to hit the green lights,
so that they can maintain their
travel speeds, significantly
reducing their travel time.
Urban settings, typically
downtown and other areas
with relatively short blocks
and with traffic signals at
every intersection.
Woonerf/Shared
Space
A shared space concept where the
entire public right of way is
available for all modes, often with
no sidewalks, and with no lane
striping, and little if any signage.
Access for motor vehicles is
maintained, unlike a pedestrian
zone, but motor vehicle speeds
are constrained to 5 mph by
design and the presence of
other modes. Safety for all
modes isimproved.
Low volume residential
streets where families can
gather, and children are
encouraged to play; also
commercial areas with high
pedestrian volumes,
bicyclists, and transit.
B. Road Design to Provide Bicycle Infrastructure
Bike Lanes
A painted lane for the exclusive use
of bicyclists; it is one-way and is 5
feet minimum in width. They can be
retrofitted onto an existing street
by either a) narrowing existing wide
travel lanes; b) removing a parking
lane; c) removing a travel lane, or
d) widening the roadway. A
common method to retrofit bike
lanes is described below.
Provides cyclists with their own
travel lane so that they can
safely pass and be passed by
motor vehicles.
Roadways with over 4000
vehicles per day (if less than
4000 vehicles per day see
Bicycle Boulevards above).
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
74 BICYCLING IMPROVEMENT MEASURES
Measure Description Benefits Application
Road Diet (aka
Lane Reduction)
One to two travel lanes are
replaced with a bike lane in each
direction, and in most cases by
also adding left-turn lanes at
intersections or a center two-way
left-turn lane; variations include
widening sidewalks, and replacing
parallel parking with angled or
perpendicular parking.
Improves traffic safety for all
modes by a) eliminating the
double-threat to pedestrians
posed by the two or more travel
lanes in each direction; b)
providing bike lanes for cyclists;
c) providing a left-turn pocket
for motorists, reducing rear-end
collisions and improving
visibility to oncoming traffic.
Classic application is a fourlane undivided roadway with less than 15,000 to 17,000
ADT though conversions of
four-lane streets may work up
to 23,000 ADT. Also applies
to three-lane roadways and
to 5 or 6-lane undivided
roadways
Buffer adjacent to
bike lanes
A three to five-foot buffer area is
provided on one or both sides of
the bike lane.
Right-side buffer (between bike
lane and on-street parking):
Removes cyclists from the door
zone; Left-side (between bike
lane and adjacent travel lane):
provides greater separation
from passing motor vehicle
traffic.
This measure is particularly
beneficial in the following
conditions: Right-side: on
streets with parallel on-street
parking particularly in cities
with a collision history of
dooring; Left-side: on streets
with traffic with prevailing
speeds of 40 mph and
higher.
Cycle Tracks
A bikeway within the roadway right
of way that is separated from both
traffic lanes and the sidewalks by
either a parking lane, street
furniture, curbs, or other physical
means.
Reduces sidewalk riding,
provides greater separation
between motorists and cyclists.
Urban settings with parallel
sidewalks and heavy traffic.
C Other Traffic Control Devices
Except Bicycles
placard
A Regulatory sign placard for use
with other regulatory signs.
Increases or maintains the
access and circulation
capabilities of bicyclists.
Used at locations where the
restriction in question does
not apply to bicyclists, such
as No Left Turn or Do Not
Enter.
Sharrows
A pavement legend that indicates
the location within the travel lane
where bicyclists are expected to
occupy.
The sharrow encourages
cyclists to ride outside of the
door zone and studies have
shown that sharrows reduce the
incidence of cyclists riding on
the sidewalk and wrong-way
riding.
Two or more lane city streets
where the right-most lane is
too narrow for a motor
vehicle to safely pass a
cyclist within the travel lane.
Bike Lanes May
Use Full Lane sign
(MUTCD R4-11)
Regulatory Sign
Informs motorists and cyclists
that cyclists may be travelling in
the center of a narrow lane.
Two or more lane city streets
where the right-most lane is
too narrow for a motor
vehicle to safely pass a
cyclist within the travel lane.
Share the Road
sign (MUTCD W11/ W16-1p)
Warning sign and placard Informs motorists to expect
cyclists on the roadway.
Two-lane roads particularly in
rural areas where shoulders
are less than four feet.
Bike Directional
Signs
(MUTCD D1 series
or similar)
Informational signs indicating
place names and arrows, with
distances as a recommended
option (D1-2C)
Informs bicyclists of the most
common destination served by
the bike route in question.
Particularly useful to direct
cyclists to a facility such as a
bike bridge or to use a street
to access a major destination
that might not otherwise be
readily apparent.
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
75 BICYCLING IMPROVEMENT MEASURES
Measure Description Benefits Application
D. New infrastructure to improve bicycle connectivity
Bike Path
A paved pathway for the exclusive
use of non-motorized traffic within
its own right of way;
Provides additional connectivity
and route options that
otherwise would not be
available to bicyclists.
Wherever a continuous right
of way exists, typically found
along active or abandoned
railroad ROW, shorelines,
creeks, and river levees.
Pathway
connections
Short pathway segments for nonmotorized traffic, for example, which join the ends of two cul-desacs or provide other connectivity not provided by road network.
Provides short-cuts for
bicyclists that reduce their
travel distance and travel time.
Varies by community;
suggested at the end of every
newly constructed cul-desac.
Bicycle Overpass/
Underpass
A bicycle overpass or underpass is
a bridge or tunnel built for the
exclusive use of non-motorized
traffic and is typically built where
at-grade crossings cannot be
provided such as to cross freeways,
rivers, creeks, and railroad tracks.
They can also be built to cross
major arterials where, for example,
a bike path must cross a major
roadway.
A bike bridge / tunnel
complements a local roadway
system that is discontinuous
due to man-made or natural
barriers. They reduce the
distance traveled by cyclists,
and provide a safer conflict-free
crossing, particularly if it is an
alternative to a freeway
interchange.
Grade separation via this
measure is most feasible and
appropriate when it would
provide direct access to
major bicyclist destinations
such as a school or college,
employment site, major
transit station or would
reduce the travel distance by
one mile or more.
NODES / INTERSECTIONS
E. Intersection Design for Motor Vehicles
Reduced Curb
Radii
The radius of a curb is reduced to
require motorists to make the turn
at slower speeds and to make a
tighter turn.
Shorter curb radii reduce the
speed of turning traffic thereby
enabling a more comfortable
weave between through cyclists
and right-turning motorists.
This measure is suitable for
downtown settings, at all
cross streets with minor
streets, all residential streets
and all roadways that are not
designated truck routes.
Remove/Control
Free Right-Turn
Lanes
Where a separate right-turn lane
continues as its own lane after the
turn, it may be redesigned to
eliminate the free turn. A shortterm solution is to control the turning movement with a stop sign
or signal control and to redesign
the island as discussed below.
Improves bicyclist safety since
this design forces through
cyclists on the cross street to
end up in between two lanes of
through motor vehicle traffic.
All locations where there are
free right-turn lanes except
those leading onto freeway
on-ramps.
Remove/Redesign
Right-Turn SlipLane Design
Right-turn slip lanes (aka
channelized right-turn lanes) are
separated from the rest of the
travel lanes by a pork chop-shaped
raised island which typically is
designed to facilitate fast right
turns, and right-turning vehicles
are often not subject to the traffic
signal or stop sign.
Improves bicyclist safety by
slowing right-turning motorists
and facilitates the weave
between through bicyclists and
right-turning motorists.
All locations with a
channelized right-turn.
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
76 BICYCLING IMPROVEMENT MEASURES
Measure Description Benefits Application
Remove Optional
Right-Turn Lane in
Combination with
a Right-Turn Only
Lane
At locations where there is an
optional right-turn lane in
combination with a right-turn only
lane, convert the optional rightturn lane to a through-only lane.
Improves bicyclist safety since
cyclists have no way of knowing
how to correctly position
themselves in the optional
(through /right turn) lane.
All locations where there is
an optional right-turn lane in
combination with a right-turn
only lane per HDM 403.6(1)
(except on freeways).
Redesign Ramp
Termini
Redesign high speed free flow
freeway ramps to intersection local
streets as standard intersections
with signal control.
Improves bicyclist and
pedestrian safety on
intersections of local streets
with freeway ramps.
All freeway interchanges with
high speed ramps
F. Intersection Design Treatments - Bicycle-Specific
Bicycle Signal
Detection and
Pavement Marking
Provide signal detectors that also
detect bicyclists in the rightmost
through lane and in left-turn lanes
with left-turn phasing. Provide
pavement marking to indicate to
cyclists where to position
themselves in order to activate the
detector.
Enables cyclists to be detected
when motor vehicles are not
present to trigger the needed
signal phase. Improves
bicyclists’ safety.
Per CA MUTCD 4D.105 and
CVC 21450.5, all new and
modified traffic detection
installations must detect
bicyclists; All other trafficactuated signals may be
retrofitted to detect bicyclists
as soon as feasible.
Bicycle Signal
Timing
Provides signal timing to account
for the speed of cyclists to cross an
intersection.
Improves bicyclists’ safety by
reducing the probability of a
bicyclist being in an
intersection when the phase
terminates and being hit by
traffic that receives the next
green phase.
Signal timing that accounts
for cyclists is particularly
important for cyclists on a
minor street approach to a
major arterial which crosses
a greater distance due to the
width of the arterial, hence
requiring a longer time
interval.
Bicycle Signal
Heads
A traffic signal indication in the
shape of a bicycle, with full red,
yellow green capability.
Improves bicyclist safety by
providing a bicycle -only phase,
where appropriate, given the
geometry and phasing of the
particular intersection.
Where intersection geometry
is such that a bicycle-only
phase is provided and/or
bicycle signal heads would
improve safety at the
intersection. See also CA
MUTCD for warrants for
bicycle signal heads.
Widen Bike Lane
at Intersection
Approach
Within the last 200 feet of an
intersection, widen the bike lane
and narrow the travel; for example
from 5 foot bike lane and 12 feet
travel lane would become a 7 foot
bike lane and 10 foot travel lane.
Improves cyclist safety by
encouraging right-turning
motorists to enter the bike lane
to turn right, (as required by the
CVC), which reduces the chance
of a right-turn hook collision in
which a through cyclist remains
to the right of a right-turning
motorist.
On roads with bike lanes
approaching an intersection
without a right-turn only lane
and there is noncompliance
with right-turning vehicles
merging into the bike lane as
required by the CVC and UVC.
Bike Lane inside
Right-Turn Only
Lane
(“Combined
Bicycle/Right-Turn
Lane”)
Provide a bike lane line inside and
on the left side of a right-turn only
lane.
Encourages cyclists to ride on
the left side of the right-turn
only lane thus reducing the
chance of a right hook collision,
where a cyclist remains to the
right of a right-turning motorist.
On roads with bike lanes
approaching an intersection
with a right-turn only lane
and there is not enough
roadway width to provide a
bike lane to the left of the
right-turn lane.
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
77 BICYCLING IMPROVEMENT MEASURES
Measure Description Benefits Application
Bike Boxes
Area between an Advance Stop
Line and a marked crosswalk which
is designates as the queue space
for cyclists to wait for a green light
ahead of queued motor vehicle
traffic; sometimes painted green.
Primary benefits are to reduce
conflicts between bicyclists and
right-turning traffic at the onset
of the green signal phase, and
to reduce vehicle and bicyclist
encroachment in a crosswalk
during a red signal phase.
Locations where there are at
least three cyclists at the
beginning of the green phase
and moderate to high
pedestrian volumes.
Marked Crosswalk
with Distinct
Marked Area for
Bicyclists separate
from Pedestrians
A marked crosswalk that has two
distinct areas, one for pedestrians
and one for bicyclists.
Reduces conflicts between
bicyclists and pedestrians by
indicating the part of the
crosswalk intended for the two
different modes.
At a typical intersection,
cyclists would not be riding
within the crosswalk, so this
measure is intended for
those few locations where the
intersection design is such
that bicyclists are tracked
into a crosswalk such as at a
midblock bike path crossing
or possibly a cycle track.
Pedestrian
Countdown Signal
Displays a “countdown” of the
number of seconds remaining for
the pedestrian crossing interval. In
some jurisdictions the countdown
includes the walk phase. In other
jurisdictions, the countdown is only
displayed during the flashing don’t
walk phase.
While designed for pedestrians,
this measure also assists
bicyclists in knowing how much
time they have to left to cross
the intersection.
The 2012 MUTCD requires all
pedestrian signals to
incorporated countdown
signals within ten years
G. Geometric Countermeasures to Assist crossing a Major Street Median Refuge
Island
A raised island placed in the center
of a roadway, separating opposing
lanes of traffic, with ramps for
cyclists and ADA accessibility
This measure allows bicyclists
to cross one direction of traffic
at a time; it allows drivers to
see bicyclists crossing from the
center more easily.
Suggested for multilane
roads at uncontrolled
crossings where an 8-foot
(min.) wide by 15-foot (min.)
long median can be provided.
Staggered Refuge
Pedestrian Island
This measure is similar to
traditional median refuge islands;
the only difference is that the
crosswalk is staggered such that a
pedestrian crosses one direction of
traffic street and then must turn to
their right facing oncoming to reach
the second part of the crosswalk.
This measure must be designed for
accessibility by including rails and
truncated domes to direct sightimpaired pedestrians along the path of travel.
Benefits of this measure
include forcing the bicyclists
and pedestrians to face the
oncoming motorists, increasing
their awareness of the
impending conflict.
Additionally, can improve
motorists’ visibility to those
persons in the crosswalk.
Best used on multilane roads
with obstructed pedestrian
visibility or with off-set
intersections
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
78 BICYCLING IMPROVEMENT MEASURES
Measure Description Benefits Application
Raised
Crosswalk/Speed
Table
A crosswalk whose surface is
elevated above the travel lanes at
the same level as the approaching
sidewalk. For bicyclists, a typical
location would be at a bike path
crossing, where the bike path
elevation would remain constant
while roadway cross traffic would
experience a speed-hump type
effect.
Attracts drivers' attention to the
fact there will be non-motorized
users crossing the roadway and
slows traffic by providing a
speed-hump effect for
motorists approaching the
crosswalk.
Appropriate for multi-lane
roadways, roadways with
lower speed limits that are
not emergency routes, and
roadways with high levels of
pedestrian activity, such as
near schools, shopping
malls, etc.
H. Traffic Control Countermeasures to Assist Crossing a Major Street
Traffic Signal or
All-Way Stop Sign
Conventional traffic control devices
with warrants for use based on the
Manual on Uniform Control Devices
(MUTCD)
Provides the gap needed in
traffic flow so that cyclists can
cross the street, reducing
bicycle-vehicle conflicts and
risk-taking by cyclists to
Must meet warrants based on
traffic/ pedestrian / bicycle
volumes, collision history,
and/ or other factors.
Modern
Roundabout
A traffic circle combined with
splitter island on all approaches
and entering traffic must YIELD to
traffic within the roundabout;
typically designed for traffic speed
within the roundabout of between
15 and 23 mph.
Slows traffic on cross street so
that cyclists can more easily
cross.
Roundabouts are a better
alternative than an All-Way
Stop signs when the side
street volume is
approximately 30 % of the
total intersection traffic
volume and total peak hour
volume is less than 2300
vehicles per day.
Hawk Beacon
Signal
HAWK (High Intensity Activated
Crosswalks) are pedestrianbicyclist actuated signals that are a combination of a beacon flasher
and a traffic control signal. When
actuated, HAWK displays a yellow
(warning) indication followed by a
solid red light. During the crossstreet phase, the driver sees a flashing red “wig-wag” pattern until
the clearance interval has ended
and the signal goes dark.
Provides the need gaps in
traffic so bicyclists can safely
cross the street, can be timed
separately for bicycles and
pedestrians. Reduces
pedestrian-vehicle conflicts
and slows traffic speeds
Useful in areas where it is
difficult for bicyclists
/pedestrians to find gaps in
automobile traffic to cross
safely, but where normal
signal warrants are not
satisfied. Appropriate for
multilane roadways.
Rectangular Rapid
Flashing Beacon
(RRFB/Stutter
Flash)
A warning sign that also contains
rapid flashing LED lamps. The
beacon may be push-button
activated or activated with
pedestrian detection.
Initial studies suggest the
stutter flash is very effective as
measured by increased driver
yielding behavior. Solar panels
reduce energy costs associated
with the device.
Locations not controlled by
any measures listed above.
Appropriate for multi-lane
roadways.
In-Roadway
Warning Lights
Both sides of a crosswalk are lined
with pavement markers, often
containing an amber LED strobe
light. The lights may be push-button
activated or activated with
pedestrian detection.
This measure provides a
dynamic visual cue of the
uncontrolled crosswalk and is
especially effective at night and
in severe weather.
Locations not controlled by
any measures listed above.
Best in locations with low
bicycle ridership on the cross
street, as the raised markers
may present difficulty to
bicyclists. May not be
appropriate in areas with
heavy winter weather due to
high maintenance costs. May
not be appropriate for
locations with bright sunlight.
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
79 BICYCLING IMPROVEMENT MEASURES
Measure Description Benefits Application
Bicycle Crossing
Sign (MUTCD
W11-1) or Trail
Crossing sign
(MUTCD W11-
15/W11-15p)
Warning Sign and placard.
Alerts motorists to a location
where bicyclists or bicyclists
and pedestrians will be
crossing the roadway at an
uncontrolled location.
Typical application is at bike
path crossing of a roadway.
(At a typical pedestrian
crosswalk at an intersection,
use the Pedestrian warning
sign W11-2)
In-Street
Pedestrian
Crossing Signs
(MUTCD R1-6)
This measure involves posting this
regulatory sign on road centerlines
that read, “YIELD for Pedestrians in
crosswalk.”(Depending on state
law, the word STOP may replace the
word YIELD).
This measure improves the
visibility of the crossing to
motorists and has a positive
impact on pedestrian safety at
crosswalks.
Mid-block crosswalks,
unsignalized intersections,
low-speed areas, and twolane roadways.
Advanced Yield
Lines
Standard white stop or yield limit
lines are placed 20-50 feet in
advance of marked, uncontrolled
crosswalks.
This measure increases the
pedestrian’s visibility to
motorists, reduces the number
of vehicles encroaching on the
crosswalk, and improves
general pedestrian conditions
on multi-lane roadways. It is
also an affordable option.
Useful in areas where
pedestrian visibility is low
and in areas with aggressive
drivers, as advance limit lines
will help prevent drivers from
encroaching on the
crosswalk. Addresses the
multiple-threat collision on
multi-lane roads.
Transit
Bike Racks on
Buses
A rack on the front of the bus that
typically holds two or three
bicycles.
Increases the trip length
distance that a person can
make.
Appropriate for all buses;
most urban transit agencies
have already implemented
this measure.
Bikes allowed
inside buses when
bike rack is full
A policy adopted by a transit
agency that allows passengers to
bring bicycles inside the bus when
the bike rack is full and there is
room inside.
Prevents cyclists from needless
being left behind to wait for the
next bus if the bike rack is full
yet there is room inside the bus.
Appropriate for all buses;
most urban transit agencies
have already implemented
this measure.
Folding bikes
allowed inside
buses
A policy adopted by a transit
agency that treats a folding bicycle
as luggage, thereby allowing it
inside the bus at all times.
Removes cyclists’ uncertainty
as to whether they will be able
to fit their bike either on the
bike rack or inside the bus;
thus, they can reliably plan on
being able to catch their
intended bus.
Appropriate for all buses;
most urban transit agencies
have already implemented
this measure.
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
80 Appendix C:
Resource List and References
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
81 Resource List
A Guide for Reducing Collisions Involving Pedestrians (NCHRP Report 500) http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_500v10.pdf Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center
http://www.walkinginfo.org/
National Center for Safe Routes to School
http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/
Safety Effects of Marked Versus Unmarked Crosswalks at Uncontrolled Locations (HRT-04-100) http://www.thrc.gov/safety/pubs/04100/index.htm
How to Develop a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (FHWA-SA-05-12) http://www.walkinginfo.org/pp/howtoguide2006.pdf
Improving Pedestrian Safety at Unsignalized Crossings (NCHRP Report 562) http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_562.pdf Road Safety Audits: Case Studies (FHWA-SA-06-17)
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/rsa/rsa_cstudies.htm
Pedestrian Road Safety Audit Guidelines and Prompt Lists http://drusilla.hsrc.unc.edu/cms/downloads/PedRSA.reduced.pdf PEDSAFE: The Pedestrian Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System (FHWA-SA-04-003) http://www.walkinginfo.org/pedsafe/
Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Analysis Tool (PBCAT)
http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/bc/pbcat.cfm
FHWA, A Resident's Guide for Creating Safe and Walkable Communities http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bicycle/ped/ped_walkguide/index.htm FHWA, Pedestrian Safety Guide for Transit Agencies (FHWA-SA-07-017) http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bicycle/ped/ped_transguide/ FHWA Pedestrian Safety Training Courses:
Developing a pedestrian safety action plan (two-day course) next California course: http://www.google.com/calendar/[email protected] Designing for pedestrian safety (two-day course)
next California course: http://www.google.com/calendar/[email protected] Planning and designing for pedestrian safety (three-day course) next California course: http://www.google.com/calendar/[email protected] Adapted from FHWA Pedestrian Road Safety Audit Guidelines and Prompt Lists
REFERENCES
Appleyard, Bruce. 2009. Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning. An ICMA Green Book Local Planning: Contemporary Principles and Practice. Editors:
Hack et al. ICMA
California Local Government Commission, Center for Livable Communities. “Economic Benefits of Walkable Communities.” http://www.lgc.org/freepub/PDF/Land_Use/focus/walk_to_money.pdf Dill, Jennifer. “Measuring Connectivity for Bicycling and Walking." Presented at Pro Walk/ Pro Bike, September 9, 2004. Accessed online at http://web.pdx.edu/~jdill/PWPB_Connectivity_slides.pdf
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
82 Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center. “El Cajon’s Road Diet Case Study.” http://www.walkinginfo.org/library/details.cfm?id=3967 Zegeer, Charles V., et al. Safety Effects of Marked Versus Unmarked Crosswalks at Uncontrolled Locations. Report HRT-04-100. http://www.thrc.gov/safety/pubs/04100/index.htm
CROW, Design Manual for Bicycle Traffic, The Netherlands http://www.crow.nl/nl/Publicaties/publicatiedetail?code=REC25 From the CROW English website, http://www.crow.nl/English CROW is The Netherlands technology platform for transport, infrastructure, and public space. It is a not-for-profit organization in which the government and businesses work together in pursuit of their common interests through the design, construction and management of roads and other traffic and transport facilities. Active in research and in issuing regulations, CROW focuses on distributing knowledge products to all target groups.
Transport for London, London Cycling Design Standards, UK http://www.tfl.gov.uk/businessandpartners/publications/2766.aspx Thompson, Laura and Julie Bondurant, Trail Planning in California, Solano Press, 2009 Fundamentals of Traffic Engineering, 16th Edition, Chapter 21: Bicycle Facilities; UC Berkeley Institute of Transportation Studies, 2007 DeRobertis, Michelle and Rhonda Rae, Buses and Bicycles: Design Options for Sharing The Road, ITE Journal, May 2001 Thomas, Beth and Michelle DeRobertis, Cycle Track Literature Review, Accident Analysis and Prevention, Volume 52, pp 219-227, March 28, 2013
Hillsman, Edward L. et al, A Summary of Design, Policies and Operational Characteristics for Shared Bicycle/Bus Lanes, Project No. BDK85 977-32, University of South Florida, July 2012
Mekuria, Maaza C., Peter G. Furth, and Hilary Nixon, Low-Stress Bicycling And Network Connectivity, Mineta Transportation Institute, May 2012
Thompson S.R. et al, Bicycle-Specific Traffic Signals: Results from a State-of-the-Practice Review, Transportation Research Board, January 2013, Paper # 13-0536
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
83 Appendix D:
Street Connectivity
City of Fort Bragg
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84 Importance of Street Connectivity
Providing direct paths for bicyclists and pedestrians via well-connected street networks is important for encouraging bicycling and walking by helping people overcome real and perceived senses of distance.
Street connectivity is also associated with public health benefits. The SMARTRAQ Project analysis in Atlanta, Georgia, found that doubling the current regional average intersection density, from 8.3 to 16.6 intersections per square kilometer was associated with a reduction in average per capita vehicle mileage of about 1.6 percent. Furthermore, the Frank et al. (2006) study of King County, Washington, found that perhousehold VMT declines with increased street connectivity, all else held constant.
Policies for Street Connectivity
A network of safe, direct, and comfortable routes and facilities: A 2004 PAS report recommends that pedestrian (and bicycle) path connections to be every 300 to 500 feet; for motor vehicles, they recommend 500 to 1,000 feet.3 4 For new development, such standards can be implemented through ordinances, like those of the regional government of Portland Oregon, Metro, which requires street connectivityin its Regional Transportation Plan and in the development codes and design standards of its constituent local governments.5 Measuring Connectivity
The following discussion of measuring street connectivity is provided as a resource and not officially a part of regular BSA processes. However, individuals are certainly encouraged to make such calculations. Jennifer Dill (2004) presents the following measures of street connectivity:
• Intersection density
• Street density
• Average block length
• Link/node ratio
• Connected node ratio = intersections/ (intersections + cul-de-sacs) • Alpha index = number of actual circuits/ maximum number of circuits o Where a circuit is a finite, closed path starting and ending at a single node • Gamma index = number of links in the network/ maximum possible number of links between nodes • Effective walking area = number of parcels within a one-quarter mile walking distance of a point/ total number of parcels within a one-quarter mile radius of that point
• Route directness = route distance/ straight-line distance for two selected points Dill suggests that route directness (RD) is perhaps the best connectivity measure to reflect minimizing trip distances, but may be difficult to use in research and policy. However, it may be applied in practice by randomly selecting origin-destination pairs and calculating a sample for the subject area.
3 Susan Handy, Robert G. Paterson, and Kent Butler, 2004, Planning for Street Connectivity: Getting from Here to There, PAS Report #515 (Chicago: APA Planners Press).
4 For more information on this topic, see American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), AASHTO Guide for the Design of Pedestrian Facilities(Washington, D.C., AASHTO, 2004); AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities(Washington, D.C., AASHTO, 1999; updated 2009); Institute of Traffic Engineers (ITE), Traffic Calming Guidelines and ITE Context-Sensitive Solutions in Designing Major Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities? (Washington, D.C.: ITE, 2006), http://www.ite.org/bookstore/RP036.pdf (accessed September 3, 2008).
5 The regional government of Portland Oregon, Metro, requires street connectivity in its Regional Transportation Plan and in the development codes and design standards of its constituent local governments as follows: local and arterial streets be spaced no more than 530 feet apart (except where barriers exist), bicycle and pedestrian connections must be made (via pathways or on road right of ways) every 330 feet, cul-desacs (or dead-end streets) are discouraged and can be no longer than 200 feet, and have no more than 25 dwelling units.
City of Fort Bragg
Complete Streets Safety Assessment
September 14, 2022
85 Susan Handy, Robert G. Paterson, and Kent Butler, 2004, Planning for Street Connectivity: Getting from Here to There, PAS Report #515 (Chicago: APA Planners Press).
For more information on this topic, see American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), AASHTO Guide for the Design of Pedestrian Facilities(Washington, D.C., AASHTO, 2004); AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities(Washington, D.C., AASHTO, 1999; updated 2009); Institute of Traffic Engineers (ITE), Traffic Calming Guidelines and ITE Context-Sensitive Solutions in Designing Major Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities? (Washington, D.C.: ITE, 2006), http://www.ite.org/bookstore/RP036.pdf (accessed September 3, 2008).
The regional government of Portland Oregon, Metro, requires street connectivity in its Regional Transportation Plan and in the development codes and design standards of its constituent local governments as follows: local and arterial streets be spaced no more than 530 feet apart (except where barriers exist), bicycle and pedestrian connections must be made (via pathways or on road right of ways) every 330 feet, cul-de-sacs (or dead-end streets) are discouraged and can be no longer than 200 feet, and have no more than 25 dwelling units.
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