MAIN STREET HANDBOOK i

ContentsChapter 1: Main Street as Highway .... 1

At the Heart .................................................. 2

Then and Now .............................................. 3

Reclaiming Main Street ................................. 4

Chapter 2: Working Together ............. 5Measuring Success ........................................ 6

Process.......................................................... 7Right Now ........................................................................ 8Create a Downtown Vision ............................................... 8Transportation System Plans and Corridor Plans .............. 9Special Transportation Areas ............................................ 9Codes and Standards ...................................................... 11Participate in the STIP .................................................... 11Follow-Through .............................................................. 12

Chapter 3: Recipe for Success.......... 13The Structure of the Street ......................... 14

Human Scale .................................................................. 14Street Zones ................................................................... 14

Identify the Real Problem ........................... 19Safety ............................................................................. 20Security .......................................................................... 21Comfort .......................................................................... 22Speed ............................................................................. 23Crossing ......................................................................... 27Access ............................................................................ 29Congestion ..................................................................... 31

Chapter 4: Ingredients ..................... 33Street System .............................................. 34

Local Street Network ...................................................... 35Secondary Route for Through Traffic .............................. 36Couplet (2 one-way streets) ............................................ 36Bypass ............................................................................ 37

Roadway Area Design ................................. 38Bikeways ......................................................................... 39Channelization ............................................................... 40Corner Radius Reduction ................................................ 41Crosswalk ....................................................................... 42Median ........................................................................... 43On-Street Parking ........................................................... 44Pavement Markings ........................................................ 45Refuge Island .................................................................. 46Signing ........................................................................... 47Textured Crosswalk and Pavement .................................. 49Traffic Controls ............................................................... 50Transitions ...................................................................... 52Travel Lane Removal ....................................................... 55Travel Lane Width ........................................................... 56

Sidewalk Area Design ................................. 57Curb Extension ............................................................... 58Driveways ....................................................................... 60Maintenance ................................................................... 61Sidewalks ........................................................................ 62Street Furniture .............................................................. 63Trees & Landscaping ....................................................... 65Utilities .......................................................................... 67

Building Area: Design and Land Use ........... 68Building Setbacks and Orientation ................................. 68Building Façade—Avoiding Blank Walls .......................... 68Building Height .............................................................. 69Off-Street Parking .......................................................... 69Mix of Uses .................................................................... 70Public Spaces, Plazas, and Activity Centers .................... 70

Other Ingredients ....................................... 72Enforcement ................................................................... 72Non-Highway Designs to Support Main Street ............... 72

Chapter 5: Paying for It ................... 73Local Revenue Sources ................................ 74

Property Taxes ................................................................ 74Gas Tax Revenues ........................................................... 74System Development Charges ........................................ 74Local Improvement Districts ........................................... 74

Grants & Loans ........................................... 76Transportation/Growth Management Program ............... 76State Bicycle and Pedestrian Grants ............................... 77Special Transportation Fund ........................................... 77Special Small City Allotment Program ............................ 77Immediate Opportunity Grant Program ......................... 78Oregon Special Public Works Fund ................................ 78Oregon Transportation Infrastructure Bank .................... 78The Oregon Livability Initiative: The

21st Century Community Fund ............................... 79Urban Forestry Grants .................................................... 79Transportation Equity Act for the

21st Century (TEA-21) ............................................ 80

Chapter 6: Examples ........................ 81Case Study 1: Heppner, Oregon .................. 82Case Study 2: Newberg, Oregon ................. 84Case Study 3: Sisters, Oregon ..................... 87Scenario 1: Traditional Downtown.............. 89Scenario 2: Couplet .................................... 91Scenario 3: 5-Lane Highway ....................... 93

Chapter 7: Appendix ........................ 95Glossary ...................................................... 95Resources .................................................. 100Index ......................................................... 101

2 Chapter 1: MAIN STREET AS HIGHWAY

“Main Street is

where you have

parades.”

–Focus Group

Participant,

April 1999

Main street

caters to

pedestrians.

At the Heart

Main street is more than just thebuildings which line it. The street

records human endeavors through time:the progression of architectural styles,types of businesses, social changes, andthe evolution of street design. As plannerAllan Jacobs notes, streets are made for“symbolic, ceremonial, social and politi-cal roles, not just those of movement andaccess.”

As many people told us during thecreation of this handbook, main street isthe heart of the community. It has historyand character. Main street provides thefocus of civic life and is recognized by thecommunity as the town center. It often hashistorical value as the oldest part of atown and is frequently the central businessdistrict. It is an interesting and invitingplace to walk. It is economically impor-tant to the area. More and more, the mainstreet is what attracts people and busi-nesses to a town.

Main streets are usually several blocksin length and width, with compact,mixed-use development, and buildingsspaced close together and close to thestreet. Main streets have short blocks, areinterconnected with local street networks,boast sidewalks wide enough for pedestri-ans to walk side by side, and usuallyinclude on-street parking. Main streets, bytradition and design, are pedestrianfriendly.

When a community has what is oftencalled a sense of place, that sense of placeis found on main street. Many communi-ties are realizing that they have lost theirsense of place. Whatever the causes—economic recession, changes in land usepatterns (particularly strip development

and large indoor shopping malls), andsometimes, inappropriate highway modifi-cations—these communities are workinghard to recapture their sense of place.

Many places, seeing what has happenedto their neighbors, are working hard tokeep downtown vital. Other towns areactively developing new or expandedmain streets. This handbook providescommunities with guidance on whatmakes a good main street, particularlywhen it is also a highway.

MAIN STREET HANDBOOK 25

The driver’s focus at different speeds.

At 40 mph the

driver’s focus is

on the roadway

in the distance.

At 30 mph the

driver begins to

see things at the

road edges in

the background.

At 20 mph the

foreground

comes into

focus.

At 15 mph the

driver easily sees

that this is a

place where

pedestrians and

bicyclists are

present.

When a person is struck by a motor vehicle,they have the following chances of deathaccording to Killing Speed and Saving Lives,UK Department of Transportation:

40 mph

85%

30 mph

45%

20 mph

15%

A low speed allows drivers to be moreaware of their surroundings and to havetime to react to other highway users.

The photos show how a driver’s focuschanges as their speed increases. The set-ting is a typical downtown in a small Or-egon city. Shops and on-street parking lineboth sides of this 2-lane couplet. The high-way is built to “full standard” because ofthe ample right-of-way.

At the posted speed of 30 mph, many driv-ers have a difficult time seeing bicyclistsand pedestrians, and stopping distance isnearly twice that of 20 mph.

To safely accommodate all users, thishighway needs substantial design changesthat tell the driver that this is not the openhighway it was a few blocks before.

A good start would be wide planting stripswith trees to narrow the roadway. A bikelane could be striped. Intersections couldbe narrowed even further with curb ex-tensions.

MAIN STREET HANDBOOK 27

CrossingHighways are important transportationlinks, but they can also be significantbarriers, especially to pedestrians. Busyurban highways reduce pedestrian traveland disrupt access, which can have achilling effect on main street businesses.Antidotes are reducing traffic speed(discussed above), shifting trucks to moresuitable routes (discussed below), manag-ing vehicle access (discussed below), andincreasing pedestrian crossing opportuni-ties.

The priority in main street intersectiondesign is to make all users feel safe andcomfortable. Many urban intersections,including main streets, have complex traf-fic patterns and designs unsuitable to pe-destrians and bicyclists. The blind, in par-ticular, are often faced with long crossingsthat are hard to follow, have poorly placedramps, have signals and traffic phases thatcannot be heard, and that put obstacles intheir path. The combination has provenlethal, with a disproportionate rate ofblind, visually impaired, young, and oldpedestrians being killed or injured whencrossing streets.

Good signalized intersectiondesign include traffic phases thatare understandable to the dis-abled and ample pedestriancrossing time. Pedestrians want tobe in the street no longer thannecessary, so crossing distancesneed to be kept short by keepinglanes no wider than necessary,eliminating unnecessary lanes,aligning intersections at 90degrees, and using tight cornersand curb extensions. On mul-tiple-lane streets, medians andrefuge islands can also be used toshorten crossings.

Typical statement: “We need a stop sign(or signal) at this intersection.”

Possible problems: High speeds, difficultycrossing or turning on highway, and colli-sions.

Potential ingredients: Traffic controls ifwarranted, corner radius reduction, curbextensions, median, lane width reduction,travel lane removal, and other speed-reduc-tion measures.

H

Typical statement: “The agencies won’tmark the crosswalks; they say it’s too dan-gerous.”

Possible problems: Inadequate sight dis-tance, poor crosswalk visibility, and longcrossing distance.

Potential ingredients: Curb extensions,median, refuge islands, and high-visibilitycrosswalks.

We can’t put a signal at every corner, butwe can calm traffic, reduce conflicts, and

make the pedestrian more visible.

See also:

Speed and Access

in this Chapter,

and

Traffic Controls,

Enforcement,

Median, and Curb

Extension in

Chapter 4.

Chapter 3: RECIPE FOR SUCCESS28

Most intersections in the heart of down-town, with or without signals, need tohave marked crosswalks. Combined withcurb extensions, medians, illumination,and signage, marked crosswalks canimprove the visibility of pedestrian cross-ings. Crosswalks send the message tomotorists that they are encroaching on apedestrian area.

Over the years, some transportationplanners have expressed concern thatmarked crosswalks could create a falsesense of security for the pedestrian. Thisconcern may be valid where travel speedsare high and pedestrian numbers low,such as the highway transition areas intodowntown. However, this is not thesituation in a downtown, if travel speedsare appropriate and there are enoughvisual cues to tell the motorist to expectpedestrians. Where pedestrian safety andsecurity are lacking, strong design andenforcement may solve the problem. Well-designed crossings provide real security forpedestrians, especially children who haveincomplete traffic awareness and skills.

Some pedestrians will want to cross atmid-block locations. To increase pedes-trian crossing opportunities and safety,several approaches can be considered:

• Assist safe crossings between signalswith signal timing that creates gaps intraffic. This allows the pedestrian toidentify when it is safe to cross at anypoint on the street. It works bestwhere traffic is moderate, speeds arelow, the street is not too wide, andpeople tend to cross randomly.

• At mid-block locations with manypedestrians (apartment complexes,senior citizen centers, schools, parks,shopping areas, libraries, hospitalsand other public or institutional uses),use curb extensions, median refugeislands, and high-visibility cross-walks. This creates preferred crossingpoints that most pedestrians will useif they are convenient and close todestinations. This approach will alsoimprove safety by reducing conflictsand providing more crossing opportu-nities for the disabled.

A lack of good

crossings creates a

sense of insecurity.