Department of Transportation Street Classification September 20, 2010

Department of Transportation

Street Classification

September 20, 2010


Mobility Goals

• Promote a livable community

• Encourage non-auto travel

• Protect neighborhoods

• Manage multimodal corridors


• UN Urban Accords> Sustainability> Green City Action Plan

• State Mandates> Complete Streets> Community Sustainability> Reduce Greenhouse Gas

Changing Expectations


Functional Classification

•CA Roadway System> Principal Arterial> Minor Arterial> Collector> Local


How It’s Used

• Basis for previous funding of streets

• Warrants for traffic control devices• Limits where speed limits can be

enforced electronically• City policies for traffic calming

devices> Speed Hump Policy > Neighborhood Traffic Management

Program


What’s the Issue?•The Functional Classification system:

> Focuses on vehicle volumes and congestion> Makes pedestrians, bikes, and transit a lesser

priority> Inconsistently connects land use and street function> Lacks the flexibility needed to most effectively

provide for today’s and future demands on streets in Pasadena


Current System

•1994 and 2004 Mobility Elements recognized the issues

•Introduced an alternate system of street types

> Multimodal Corridors> De-emphasized Streets


Why Change?

• The Current System:> Addresses portions of the street

system Issues of equity

> Has largely achieved the goals established at its creation Investment has been directed to

Multimodal Corridors Traffic growth has slowed on De-

emphasized streets> Is limited in its ability to address

Complete Streets and sustainability


What is the Goal?

• Expand the concepts from the 2004 Mobility Element> More equitable allocation of street

classifications citywide• Address the need to incorporate

Complete Streets and sustainability• Provide a uniform basis for traffic

calming and neighborhood traffic management

• Establish a decision-making framework for future street design and development review decisions


How to Change

• Look to national Best Practices and Peer Cities> Institute of Transportation Engineers

Recommended Practice for Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares

> San Francisco – Better Streets Plan> Charlotte – Urban Street Design Guide> Minneapolis – Design Guidelines for

Streets and Sidewalks> New York – Street Design Manual> San Diego, Santa Monica, Sacramento

General Plans


Proposed System

•Context> Urban form and

land use

•Function> Multi-modal &

primary trip type

•Overlays> Special

considerations that likely affect but do not predominate design

Department of TransportationContext

•Developed from General Plan Land Use Categories•Mapped based on existing designations


Context Types

• Freeway Frontage> dominated by road

function• Downtown

> high intensity uses require balancing of modes with emphasis on pedestrians

• Main Street> defined by storefronts,

pedestrian activity, and on-street parking

• City Mix> horizontal mixing of uses,

some storefronts, mix of auto & pedestrian emphasis

Downtown

Main Street

City Mix


Context Types

• Commercial/Industrial> Defined by orientation of

buildings and emphasis on truck & vehicle access

• Park> Opportunity to emphasize

landscape> Need for pedestrian & bike

safety• Civic

> Schools, libraries, & civic center

> Pedestrian safety & ceremonial functions

Civic

Park

Commercial/Industrial


Context Types

• Residentialvary by building height, massing, frontage, etc.

> City Multifamily Mid-rise building with

minimal setbacks> Garden Multifamily

Multistory with landscaped yards

> Single-family Landscaped front and

side yards with medium to deep setbacks

City

Garden

Single-family

Department of TransportationFunction


Function Types

• Freeway> Primarily serve regional

trips passing through or to Pasadena

> Only type with no bicycle or pedestrian access

> Only type in one context – Freeway Frontage

• Throughway> Primarily used by vehicles

moving between Pasadena & the region

> Context determines need to balance access & other modes

Arroyo Parkway

Sierra Madre

Fair Oaks


Function Types

• Connectors> Focused on travel between

parts of Pasadena> Provide access to major

destinations> Context determines need to

balance access & other modes

> City Connectors Focused on “crosstown”

trips> Neighborhood Connectors

Focused on trips between adjacent neighborhoods & districts

Washington – City Connector

Glenarm – Neighborhood Connector

Department of TransportationConnector Types

•Connector Streets


Function Types

• Access –focus on access to context(mapped as one type)

> Street Majority of streets in Pasadena Typically 18 foot min. width for

two travel lanes> Yield

Narrower street where vehicles yield

> Alley Primarily access to rear of lots

> Shared Designed to mix bikes,

pedestrians, & vehicles across the right-of-way

> Private

Access - Alley

Access - Shared

Access - Street


Overlays

• One Way• Truck Routes• Transit – 3 levels• Bicycle• Emergency Routes

• Pedestrian Emphasis

• Hillside• Landscape• Historic

Designations• Special Events

Hillside Landscape


Transit Overlay


Bike and Ped Emphasis


What it Means for Streets• Building to Building Guidance• Visible criteria for all modes• Framework for deciding trade-

offs


Pedestrian Realm

• Link between context & roadway

Landscape with no sidewalk

Sidewalk with continuous landscape

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Parking

• Buffer between pedestrians & roadway

Parking No Parking Curb extension into parking lane


Downtown Streets

Downtown Throughway


City Multifamily Streets

City Multifamily Residential Connector - Neighborhood


Single Family Streets

Single Family Residential Access


Process to Date

• Staff/Consultant developed Draft Street Classification System

• Concept presented to TAC and GPAUC

• Focus groups held with Residents and Businesses


Next Steps

• Refine Street Types> Return to TAC with feedback from

Focus Groups> Further development through

General Plan – Mobility Element & Land Use Element process Fit with refined goals and

objectives Fit with refined land use &

transportation vision for Pasadena


Next Steps

• Update Policies based on Street Types —> Neighborhood Traffic Management

Program> Traffic Calming Device Policies> Reshape design guidelines for

streets Rebalancing modal priorities Prioritizing improvements


Questions

Full text of the Street Types System DRAFT Report is available online at

> the Transportation Advisory Committee page of the City website, as item 4a of the January 20, 2010 agenda

> or at:http://ww2.cityofpasadena.net/trans/TAC%20REPORTS/010810/ITEM_4A_010810_TAC.pdf

Documents

Department of Transportation Street Classification September 20, 2010