Statewide Lane Elimination Guidance

PHASE 1: RESOURCE DOCUMENT

STATEWIDE LANE ELIMINATION GUIDANCE

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Transportation Statistics Office

FEBRUARY 2014

PHASE 1: RESOURCE DOCUMENT STATEWIDE LANE ELIMINATION GUIDANCE

February 2014

Prepared for: Florida Department of Transportation Transportation Statistics Office

FDOT Project Manager: John Taylor 605 Suwannee Street, MS-27 Tallahassee, FL 32399-0450 (850) 414-4930 [email protected]

Prepared by: Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Statewide Lane Elimination Guidance Phase 1: Resource Document

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 Introduction ...... 1 2.0 Lane Elimination Projects in Florida ...... 1 3.0 Impacts of Lane Elimination Projects...... 13 4.0 Lane Elimination Issues ...... 22 5.0 Existing Processes for Reviewing Lane Elimination Requests ...... 45 6.0 References ...... 61

Appendix A: FDOT District Four Draft Process Appendix B: FDOT District Seven Draft Process Appendix C: Michigan DOT Process Appendix D: City of Sunnyvale (CA) Process Appendix E: FDOT District Five Conceptual Process

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Bradenton Lane Elimination Project ...... 2 Figure 2. Lakeland Lane Elimination Projects ...... 2 Figure 3. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave (Lakeland) ...... 9 Figure 4. Ingraham Ave (Lakeland) ...... 9 Figure 5. Lake Wire Dr (Lakeland) ...... 9 Figure 6. E Parker St (Lakeland) ...... 9 Figure 7. Gainesville Lane Elimination Projects ...... 10 Figure 8. Tallahassee Lane Elimination Projects ...... 10 Figure 9. Franklin Blvd (Tallahassee) ...... 10 Figure 10. Boynton Beach Lane Elimination Project ...... 10 Figure 11. Delray Beach Lane Elimination Project ...... 10 Figure 12. Atlantic Avenue (Delray Beach) ...... 11 Figure 13. Vero Beach Lane Elimination Project ...... 11 Figure 14. Orlando Lane Elimination Project ...... 11 Figure 15. Edgewater Drive (Orlando) ...... 11 Figure 16. Tampa Lane Elimination Project ...... 12 Figure 17. Nebraska Ave in Tampa ...... 12 Figure 18. Clearwater Lane Elimination Project ...... 12 Figure 19. St. Petersburg Lane Elimination Project ...... 12 Figure 20. 1st Ave South and Pinellas Trail (St. Petersburg) ...... 12 Figure 21. Indian Rocks Beach Lane Elimination Project ...... 12 Figure 22. St. Petersburg Beach Lane Elimination Project...... 13

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Lane Elimination Projects on State Highways in Florida ...... 3 Table 2. Before-and-After Crash and Operations Data ...... 24 Table 3. Functional Classification and Federal System ...... 34 Table 4. Example Lane Elimination Project Costs ...... 43 Table 5. Summary of FDOT District Four Lane Elimination Review Process ...... 47 Table 6. Summary of FDOT District Seven Lane Elimination Review Process ...... 50 Table 7. Summary of Michigan DOT Lane Elimination Review Process ...... 53 Table 8. Summary of City of Sunnyvale Lane Elimination Review Process ...... 56 Table 9. Summary of FDOT District Five Conceptual Lane Elimination Review Process ...... 58

ii | Kittelson & Associates, Inc. Statewide Lane Elimination Guidance Phase 1: Resource Document

tion request that are not covered in this . Existing processes for reviewing lane 1.0 INTRODUCTION document. elimination requests 1.1 PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT 1.2 SCOPE OF THIS DOCUMENT The first section provides a snapshot of Flor- The purpose of this document is relating in- This document supports lane elimination ida experience with lane elimination pro- formation that Florida Department of Trans- projects proposed for the following purpos- jects. The second section documents select- portation (FDOT) Districts can use to develop es: ed studies of the impacts of lane elimination processes for reviewing requests for elimi- projects; it is intended to serve as reference . Creation of space for dedicated bicycle nating lanes on State roadways. Local gov- information for District staff. The third sec- facilities (e.g., bicycle lanes) ernments (including cities and counties) and tion presents "profiles" of issues and con- . Creation of space for new sidewalks or agencies such as metropolitan planning or- cerns associated with lane elimination pro- wider sidewalks ganizations (MPOs) and transportation plan- jects, explaining the importance of each is- . Addition of landscaping buffers or land- ning organizations (TPOs) typically request sue and offering potential solutions to ad- scaped medians the elimination of through lanes on State dress concerns. The fourth section provides . Creation of space for on-street parking roads so that the recovered right-of-way can descriptions of existing lane elimination re- . Traffic calming be converted to bicycle lanes, wider side- view processes as a means of illustrating walks, landscaping, on-street parking, or Lane elimination projects intended to create what such a process might include and how other purposes in order to promote use of space for dedicated transit facilities (e.g., it might be organized. non-automobile modes, contribute to more bus lanes) are not explicitly addressed in this 1.4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS livable environments (e.g., by reducing pe- document, but many of the considerations destrian crossing distances and traffic discussed in this document are applicable to This document relies on significant input speeds), and/or contribute to economic de- the creation of dedicated on-street transit from Central Office and District staff. Addi- velopment and vitality. facilities. tionally, Mr. Paul Hamilton of the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission in Lansing, Lane elimination projects go by several other MI, provided helpful information regarding This document is intended to assist FDOT names, including "road diets." For simplicity, District staff in developing processes for re- Michigan DOT lane elimination policy and this document classifies all such projects as the air quality impacts of lane elimination viewing State highway lane elimination re- "lane elimination" projects. quests. projects. 1.3 USE OF THIS DOCUMENT 2.0 LANE ELIMINATION PROJECTS This document applies to requests to elimi- This document is intended to assist District nate through lanes on State roadway facili- IN FLORIDA staff who are developing processes for re- ties in Florida. It is organized into the follow- 2.1 PROJECT INFORMATION viewing lane elimination requests. It is in- ing sections: This section identifies and describes existing tended to comprehensively identify issues . Lane elimination projects in Florida and proposed lane elimination projects in that may be of concern to District staff; . Impacts of lane elimination projects Florida for the purpose of providing a snap- however, there may arise site-specific con- . Issues for evaluation shot of statewide experience. The following cerns associated with a specific lane elimina-

February 2014 | 1 characteristics of each identified project are . Post-implementation studies of the ex- summarized in Table 1: isting Florida projects identify few short- . Status of the project comings. . . Location of the project FDOT has been directly involved in lane . Purpose of the project elimination projects on State roadways . Project features and extent through review of studies and designs, . Reported project successes and/or jurisdictional transfers, and funding. shortcomings . Many of the Florida projects on State roadways involved jurisdictional trans- . Level of District involvement in the pro- fers from the State to the local govern- ject Aerial source: Google Earth ment. Table 1 is not intended to be a complete in- . Some of the Florida projects on State Figure 1. Bradenton Lane Elimination Project ventory of lane elimination projects in Flori- roadways used FDOT resurfacing funds da. to implement the lane elimination pro- Figures 1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, jects. FDOT turned the funds over to the 21, and 22 depict the location of each pro- local government as part of a jurisdic- ject in Table 1 for which project endpoints tional transfer of the roadway. are known. Figures 3-6, 9, 12, 15, 17, and 20 . Some of the existing projects were first contain photographs of most of the existing implemented as pilot/temporary pro- projects included in Table 1. jects and later became permanent implementations. 2.2 THEMES AND TRENDS The information used to create Table 1 sug- The goals of most existing lane elimination gests the following themes and trends re- projects in Florida included improving pedes- garding lane elimination projects in Florida: trian and bicycle transportation. . Many Florida lane elimination projects are conversions of four-lane streets to two-lane streets with center turn lanes

and/or landscaped medians. Aerial source: Google Earth . Nearly all Florida lane elimination pro- Figure 2. Lakeland Lane Elimination Projects jects are intended to improve pedestrian and bicycle travel. Many projects also have placemaking, livability, and/or economic development goals.

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Table 1. Lane Elimination Projects on State Highways in Florida

Dis- Owner/ Reported Successes and Level of District Data Location Roadway Extents Status Purpose Description trict Applicant Shortcomings Involvement Source

Braden- 1 Manatee Ave 15th St W to City of Ongoing Improve pedes- Convert 3-lane streets Westbound lane elimi- District is a partner A ton and 6th Ave 9th St W Bradenton trian accessibility in couplet to 2-lane nation has been imple- in Downtown Mo- (SR 64 cou- and remove bar- streets with on-street mented; forthcoming bility Study plet) rier between parking, curb exten- monitoring study to downtown and sions, and wide side- include turning move- adjacent neigh- walks; add multi-use ment counts and assess borhoods path delay, travel time, queuing, pedestrian volumes, transit ridership, rides- haring activity, and land development activity Lakeland 1 Martin Lu- W Memorial City of Lake- Existing Promote walking, Convert 4-lane undi- Crashes reduced from Coordinated with B,C ther King, Jr. Blvd to W land and bicycling, and use vided street to 2-lane 19 in 2004-2005 to 4 in FDOT maintenance Ave 10th St Polk TPO of transit street with center turn 2006-2007 and 2 in project; project (SR 563) lane, landscaped medi- 2011; daily volume re- used FDOT resur- an, pedestrian refuges, duced from 11,900 to facing funds; juris- enhanced crosswalks, 10,278 in 2006-2007 dictional transfer and bike lanes and 7,100 in 2012; 85th percentile speed increased from 41 mph to 45 mph in same period Lakeland 1 E Parker St Massachu- City of Lake- Existing Promote walking, Convert 4-lane undi- Crashes reduced from 8 District staff expe- B,C setts Ave to land bicycling, and use vided street to 2-lane in 2009 to 5 in 2011; dited program- Lake Parker of transit street with center turn average speeds reduced ming in Work Pro- Ave lane, landscaped medi- from 39-42 mph in 2009 gram; project used an and bike lanes; add to 35-37 mph in 2011 FDOT TE funds transit shelters Lakeland 1 Lake Wire Dr W Oak St to City of Lake- Existing Promote walking, Convert 4-lane street No crashes reported None B,C Sikes Blvd land bicycling, and use to 2-lane street with between project com- of transit bike lanes and on- pletion in 2009 and July street parking; add 30, 2012 multi-use path

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Dis- Owner/ Reported Successes and Level of District Data Location Roadway Extents Status Purpose Description trict Applicant Shortcomings Involvement Source

Lakeland 1 Ingraham E Memorial City of Lake- Existing Promote walking, Convert 4-lane undi- Crashes reduced from None B,C Ave Blvd to land bicycling, and use vided street to 2-lane 29 in 2003 to 28 in 2010 Bartow Rd of transit street with bike lanes to 13 in 2011 (2005); add landscaped medians (2011)

Lakeland 1 Parkview Pl Martin Lu- City of Lake- Existing Promote walking, Convert 4-lane undi- N/A None C ther King, Jr. land bicycling, and use vided street to 2 lanes Ave to Flor- of transit with bike lanes and an ida Ave enhanced pedestrian crossing Lakeland 1 E Main St Ingraham City of Lake- To be Promote walking, Convert 4-lane undi- N/A Jurisdictional B,C (SR 600) Ave to Lake land deter- bicycling, and use vided street to 2-lane transfer Bonny Dr W mined of transit street with bike lanes, refuge islands, and ADA improvements; add multi-use path; remove traffic signal

Gaines- 2 N Main St (SR NW 8th Ave City of Existing Improve multi- Convert 4-lane undi- Average travel time in- Jurisdictional A,D,E,F ville 331) to Depot Gainesville modal travel and vided street to 2-lane creased 29 seconds; transfer Ave livability street with bike lanes, average travel speed center turn lane, on- decrease of 2.1 mph; street parking, and rush hour delay in- pedestrian refuges creased 105 seconds in the northbound direction at midday; crashes reduced from 59 (Janu- ary 2008 to June 2009) to 18 (January 2012 to June 2013) Gaines- 2 NW 8th Ave NW 23rd St City of Pro- Provide better Convert 4-lane undi- N/A None G ville to NW 31st Gainesville posed facilities for pe- vided street to 2-lane Dr destrians and street with bike lanes bicyclists

continued

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Dis- Owner/ Reported Successes and Level of District Data Location Roadway Extents Status Purpose Description trict Applicant Shortcomings Involvement Source

Tallahas- 3 Franklin Blvd E Tennessee City of Tal- Existing Creation of multi- Convert 4-lane divided N/A None H,I,J see St to lahassee use stormwater street to 2-lane street Apalachee and recreation with bike lanes and Pkwy facility east-side sidewalk as part of stormwater project; add west-side multi-use path

Tallahas- 3 Gaines St Monroe St City of Tal- Existing Creation of pe- Convert 4-lane undi- N/A Coordinated with K see to Wood- lahassee destrian-friendly vided street to 2-lane District mainte- ward Ave "destination dis- street with landscaped nance project; trict" with mixed median and limited jurisdictional uses on-street parking transfer Boynton 4 Boynton US 1 to City of Pro- Creation of pe- Convert 4-lane street N/A District reviewed L Beach Beach Blvd Seacrest Boynton posed destrian-friendly with center turn lane initial study, re- Blvd Beach downtown core to 2-lane street with vised study, and center turn lane, bike conceptual design lanes, and wider sidewalks Delray 4 Atlantic Ave Swinton Ave City of Existing Create pedestri- Convert 4-lane street N/A Jurisdictional M,N Beach (SR 806) to US 1 Delray an-scale avenue to 2-lane undivided transfer; District Beach and beautify the street with on-street accepted widening corridor parking, wider side- of two parallel walks, and landscaping streets to maintain hurricane evacuation capacity Vero 4 SR 60 20th Ave to Indian River Pro- Improve pedes- Convert 3- and 4-lane N/A District reviewed O Beach FEC railroad MPO and posed trian environ- streets with bike lanes initial study and City of Vero ment and pro- in couplet to 2-lane conceptual design Beach mote downtown streets with bike lanes Vero Beach as a and on-street parking destination

continued

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Dis- Owner/ Reported Successes and Level of District Data Location Roadway Extents Status Purpose Description trict Applicant Shortcomings Involvement Source

Orlando 5 Edgewater Dr Par St to City of Or- Existing Creation of pe- Convert 4-lane undi- Crash rate reduced by District required P (SR 424) Lakeview Dr lando destrian-friendly vided street to 2-lane 34%; injury rate reduced jurisdictional commercial area street with center turn by 68%; speeds reduced transfer, commu- lane, bike lanes, and up to 10%; daily volume nity approval, and wider sidewalks decreased initially before-and-after (20,500 to 18,100) but study; coordinated returned to 21,000 over with District time; 23% overall in- maintenance pro- crease in pedestrian ject traffic; 30% overall increase in bicycle traffic

Clearwa- 7 Fort Harrison Belleview City of Existing Improve safety Convert 4-lane street Reduction in number of Jurisdictional Q ter Ave (US 19A) Blvd to Bel- Clearwater to 2-lane street with crashes; increase in transfer; Alt US 19 leair Rd center turn lane congestion designation transferred to other roads; coordinated with maintenance project

Indian 7 Gulf Blvd 1st St N/1st City of Indi- Pro- Promote growth Create a one-way cou- N/A Preliminary discus- R Rocks (SR 699) Ave to SR an Rocks posed and development plet on Gulf Blvd sions Beach 688/Wal- Beach in city’s down- (southbound traffic) singham town area and and 1st St N (north- Rd/5th Ave increase safety bound traffic) in the N for pedestrians long term; modify Gulf crossing to get to Blvd/Walsingham Rd the beaches intersection in short term St. Pe- 7 1st Avenue S Dr. Martin Pinellas Existing Extend Pinellas Convert vehicle lane to N/A Party to LAP S,T tersburg Luther King County and Trail to down- two-way bicycle path agreements to Jr., St S to City of St. town St. Peters- fund design, land- Demens Petersburg burg scaping, mainte- Landing nance, traffic control, etc. over several years

continued

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Dis- Owner/ Reported Successes and Level of District Data Location Roadway Extents Status Purpose Description trict Applicant Shortcomings Involvement Source

St. Pe- 7 Gulf Blvd 73rd Ave to City of St. Pro- Promote quality Create one-way cou- Mixed response from Review prelimi- R tersburg (SR 699) Blind Pass Petersburg posed economic devel- plet on 75th Ave from citizens/businesses to nary traffic analy- Beach Road Beach opment, enhance Blind Pass Rd to Gulf date sis; observe town alternative trans- Blvd (westbound traf- hall meeting portation modes fic) and Gulf Blvd from and pedestrian 75th Ave to 73rd Ave safety, improve (southbound traffic); traffic flow and northbound traffic will function, and turn right on 73rd Ave beautify the and left on to Blind downtown area Pass Rd

Tampa 7 Nebraska Hills- FDOT Existing Address pedestri- Convert 4-lane mostly Pedestrian crashes re- Re-striped by Dis- U,V Ave (SR 45) borough an and bicycle undivided street to 2- duced from 21 in 2004- trict Ave to Ken- crash frequency lane street with center 2006 to 8 in 2009-2011; nedy Blvd turn lane, bike lanes, bicycle crashes reduced transit bays, and pe- from 15 in 2004-2006 to destrian refuges; main- 8 in 2009-2011; AADT tain 4-lane divided ap- before 2007 was 17,900 proaches at two traffic and in 2008-2009 was signals 14,600

Note: TPO = Transportation Planning Organization, MPO = metropolitan planning organization, CRA = Community Redevelopment Agency, TE = Transportation Enhancement, ADA = Americans with Disabilities Act, and LAP = Local Agency Program

Data sources: A - Renaissance Planning Group. Bradenton/Palmetto Downtown Mobility Study Final Report. Executive Summary. City of Bradenton and City of Palmetto, December 2009. B - "City of Lakeland Pathways and Road Diet Program." Presented at ProBike/ProWalk Florida 2010. City of Lakeland, May 13, 2010. C - Livable Polk Healthy Community Design Award application package. City of Lakeland, July 30, 2012. D - "Walk Friendly Communities: Gainesville, FL." www.walkfriendly.org, accessed October 23, 2013. E - Cunningham, Ron. "This crazy talk about road diets." The Gainesville Sun, www.gatorsports.com, July 14, 2013. F - Curry, Christopher. "Two years later, Main Street debate persists." The Gainesville Sun, www.gainesville.com, June 13, 2013. continued

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G - Curry, Christopher. "Test of lane reduction on Northwest Eighth Avenue slated to begin Sunday." The Gainesville Sun. www.gainesville.com, July 31, 2013. H - Communication with Mary Anne Koos, Special Projects Coordinator, FDOT Roadway Design Office. September 30, 2013. I - "OUR Franklin Blvd Makeover." wiki.tothevillagesquare.org, accessed October 23, 2013. J - Leon County and City of Tallahassee. Blueprint 2000. http://www.blueprint2000.org, accessed October 23, 2013. K - "Downtown Revitalization: Tallahassee." www.metrojacksonville.com, December 4, 2012. L - Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. Boynton Beach Boulevard Beautification Corridor Analysis. City of Boynton Beach, revised September 26, 2012. M - White, Otis. How Delray Beach Saved Itself and Found Great Leadership Along the Way. Civic Strategies, Inc., 2000. N - Federal Highway Administration. "Land Use Tools: Road Swaps and Transfers." www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/processes/land_use, accessed October 24, 2013. O -Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. SR 60 "Twin Pairs" Traffic Calming Feasibility Study: Working Draft. Indian RIver MPO and City of Vero Beach, December 2012. P - Tan, Carol. "Going on a Road Diet." Public Roads, Volume 75, Number 2, September/October 2011. Q - Cosdon, Christina. "Changes for safety give way to road congestion." St. Petersburg Times, February 23, 2004. R - Communication with FDOT District Seven staff. October 30, 2013. S -"Transforming City Streets Immediately, Affordably." www.metrojacksonville.com, October 15, 2013. T - Verhulst, Jim. "Experienced cyclist critiques Pinellas Trail." Tampa Bay Times, July 25, 2008. U - "Nebraska Avenue Road Diet." www.walkinginfo.org, accessed September 10, 2013. V - Bowman, W.T. Before and After Analysis: Nebraska Avenue Road Diet. Tindale-Oliver & Associates, Inc., January 15, 2013.

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2003

Before Source: maps.google.com Figure 5. Lake Wire Dr (Lakeland)

2006 Source: City of Lakeland Figure 3. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave (Lakeland)

After Source: maps.google.com Source: maps.google.com Figure 6. E Parker St (Lakeland) Figure 4. Ingraham Ave (Lakeland)

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Aerial source: Google Earth Before Figure 7. Gainesville Lane Elimination Projects Aerial source: Google Earth

Figure 10. Boynton Beach Lane Elimination Pro- ject

Aerial source: Google Earth Figure 8. Tallahassee Lane Elimination Projects After Source: maps.google.com

Figure 9. Franklin Blvd (Tallahassee)

Aerial source: Google Earth Figure 11. Delray Beach Lane Elimination Pro- ject

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Before

Source: KAI Aerial source: Google Earth Figure 12. Atlantic Avenue (Delray Beach) Figure 14. Orlando Lane Elimination Project

After

Source: nctcog.org Figure 15. Edgewater Drive (Orlando)

Aerial source: Google Earth Figure 13. Vero Beach Lane Elimination Project

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Aerial source: Google Earth Source: maps.google.com Figure 18. Clearwater Lane Elimination Project Figure 20. 1st Ave South and Pinellas Trail (St. Petersburg)

Aerial source: Google Earth Figure 16. Tampa Lane Elimination Project

Aerial source: Google Earth Figure 19. St. Petersburg Lane Elimination Pro-

ject Aerial source: Google Earth Figure 21. Indian Rocks Beach Lane Elimination Source: maps.google.com Project Figure 17. Nebraska Ave in Tampa

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Synopsis bicyclists require supportive land uses, This study was commissioned by the Michi- successful traffic calming, and clearly gan DOT to quantify the safety and delay marked pedestrian and bicycle infra- impacts of reducing a cross section from four structure. lanes to three lanes and develop guidelines . Findings varied considerably across the for identifying candidate sites for road diets. 24 study sites. The authors recommend The study looked at 24 existing road diet conducting detailed corridor operational sites in different environments throughout analyses (after initial screening) to sup- Michigan, some of which were visited by the port proposed road diets. authors to qualitatively assess pedestrian Comments Aerial source: Google Earth and bicyclist operations. Key findings of the This study is not a before-and-after study authors are the following: Figure 22. St. Petersburg Beach Lane Elimina- but an operational modeling study. The de- tion Project . Based on Synchro analyses of nine sig- lay assessment determines the threshold at nalized intersections, four-to-three con- which signalized intersection approaches 3.0 IMPACTS OF LANE versions tend to create "significant [in- along the three-lane segment do not meet a ELIMINATION PROJECTS tersection approach] delay" when aver- Level of Service (LOS) D standard. It does age daily traffic (ADT) is greater than not appear that the authors accounted for This section summarizes studies of lane elim- 10,000 and peak hour volumes are potential diversion of traffic to other corri- ination project impacts and provides brief greater than 1,000. The authors con- dors after the four-to-three conversion in critiques of the studies where warranted. clude that the 20,000 ADT threshold that their delay assessment or in forming their 3.1 SAFETY AND OPERATIONAL has been used by others is too high. recommendation for a 10,000 ADT thresh- ANALYSIS OF 4-LANE TO 3-LANE . The authors calculated an average crash old. The study does not appear to have in- CONVERSIONS (MICHIGAN DOT) modification factor (CMF) of 0.91 for cluded any travel demand modeling. four-to-three conversions but deter- The authors disregarded crashes that oc- Reference mined that it is not statistically different curred on side streets. Crash frequency on Lyles, R.W., M.A. Siddiqui, W.C. Taylor, B.Z. from 1.0. The authors conclude that side streets is arguably sensitive to the rout- Malik, G. Siviy, and T. Haan. Safety and Op- simply comparing before and after crash ing and magnitude of diverted traffic vol- erational Analysis of 4-lane to 3-lane Conver- statistics may overestimate the benefits umes as well as changes made to signal tim- sions (Road Diets) in Michigan: Final Report. of a four-to-three conversion. ing as a result of a lane elimination project. Michigan DOT Report RC-1555. Department . The authors did not find changes in Disregarding side-street crashes may not be of Civil and Environmental Engineering, crash severity resulting from four-to- appropriate. Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, three conversions to be significant. January 2012. . Qualitative assessment led to the con- The appendices of the study were not avail- clusion that "well-functioning" road diets able for review. The authors' crash data are from the perspective of pedestrians and not broken out by crash type in the body of

February 2014 | 13 the report but may be more detailed in an crease in delay for an intersection was 3.3 GOING ON A ROAD DIET (FHWA) appendix. 5.3 seconds and for a US 1 approach was Reference 3.2 US 1 CORRIDOR MODIFICATION 5.7 seconds. Some intersections and approaches saw a decrease in delay in the Tan, C.H. Going on a Road Diet. FHWA-HRT- EVALUATION (FDOT) 2009 scenario due to the decrease in 11-006. FHWA, Washington, D.C., Septem- Reference volumes. Signal timings were not modi- ber-October 2011. Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. US 1 Corri- fied between 2007 and 2009; therefore, Synopsis dor Modification Evaluation. Executive the changes in delay are most likely at- This report discussed what road diets are, Summary. FDOT, Delray Beach, FL, May tributable to the decrease in volumes their benefits, the public's view of road di- 2009. (which, as noted above, was not the re- ets, other considerations, and example road sult of the lane reduction). Synopsis diet projects including Edgewater Drive in . Speeds along the corridor were ob- Orlando, FL, and Stone Way North in Seattle, This study was commissioned by FDOT to served to be on average 6 miles per hour WA. Key findings are listed by topic or pro- evaluate potential changes to lane configu- (mph) slower after the corridor modifi- ject as follows. ration (i.e., a reduction from three through cation. Prior to the corridor modifica- lanes to two through lanes) along one-way tion, the observed operating speeds Edgewater Drive – Orlando, FL couplet segments of US 1 in Delray Beach, were 5 to 10 mph over the posted speed The FHWA report documents a before-and- Florida. The study looked at speed, volume, limit; however, with the lane reduction, after analysis for a 1.5-mile section of Edge- and crash data collected in the peak season the 85th percentile speed was observed water Drive that was reduced from 4 lanes prior to implementation of the corridor to be generally equivalent to the posted to 3 lanes, one lane in each direction plus a modification (April 2007) and in the peak speed limit of 35 mph. The lane reduc- center turn lane. The study used an average season after implementation of the lane re- tion resulted in lower operating speeds of three years of “before” data and four duction (February 2009). Key findings of the throughout the corridor. months of “after” data (annualized to one authors are the following: . Crashes decreased along the corridor year). Crash rates, vehicle speeds, and traffic . Evaluation of the link LOS for the study after the lane reduction. There was a re- volumes were examined. Findings of the corridor after the implementation of the duction in rear-end collisions, the most evaluation include the following: lane reduction revealed that overall common crash type in the study area, . The road diet reduced crash rates by 34 time-of-day patterns did not significantly and the intersections that experienced percent and injury rates by 68 percent, change and the corridor continued to the highest number of crashes before where crash rate and injury rate are de- operate at an acceptable LOS. Traffic the lane reduction had a dramatic 75% fined as crashes or injuries per million volumes were noted to be lower in 2009 reduction in the number of crashes. vehicle miles driven on the study seg- than 2007 but this was not attributed to Comments ment. Before the road diet, the study the lane reduction . section experienced a crash every 2.5 The above summary is based on an execu- . Based on SYNCHRO analysis of the study days (146 crashes per year). After the tive summary of the full report and, thus, area intersections during the a.m. and road diet was implemented, the study p.m. peak hours, the most significant in- appendices were not available for review.

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section experienced a crash every 4.2 mented. The 85th percentile speeds speeds by 18 percent. Traffic diversion days (87 crashes per year). dropped by 1 and 3 miles per hour for did not occur, and an overwhelming ma- . Traffic speeds were reduced throughout the northbound and southbound direc- jority (67 percent) of users surveyed felt the whole study corridor with the road tions, respectively, after the road diet safer with the road diet in place. diet treatment in place. implementation. . A road diet project in Athens, Georgia, . Traffic volumes for all modes increased. . The average daily traffic volumes on an arterial with an average daily traf- Initially, the motor vehicle volume de- dropped 6 percent, which was con- fic volume of 20,000, resulted in crashes creased by about 2,000 vehicles per day, sistent with a citywide trend between going down by 53 percent in general and but it eventually increased to about 500 2006 and 2008. Peak hour volumes 60 percent at unsignalized locations. vehicles per day more than before the dropped by approximately 5 percent, Traffic diversion was less than 4 percent. treatment. Total pedestrian volumes in- and off-peak volumes actually increased . A road diet in Clear Lake, Iowa, on a creased in the corridor by 23 percent. for parts of the study corridor. Bicycle downtown segment of US 18 with an av- The largest increase of pedestrians was volumes increased by 35 percent. Traffic erage daily traffic volume of 12,000, sig- observed in the volumes crossing Edge- did not divert after the road diet, as in- nificantly reduced crashes and de- water Drive, indicating that pedestrians dicated by the fact that volume did not creased aggressive speeding by 52 per- may have found crossing three lanes increase on the four non-arterial streets cent. easier than crossing the previous config- commonly perceived as alternatives to uration. Total bicycle volumes increased Stone Way North. Considerations by 30 percent, with the largest increase . Total crashes decreased by 14 percent, The FHWA report cites Lagerwey and Bur- associated with bicycles crossing Edge- injury crashes went down by 33 percent, den’s paper Road Diets: Fixing the Big Roads, water Drive, similar to the pedestrian and angle crashes dropped by 56 per- which describes a number of additional case volume case. cent. There was no change in bicycle studies and suggests criteria for road diet crashes, but the bicycle crash rate de- candidate roadways. These criteria include Stone Way North – Seattle, WA creased because the number of cyclists the following: The FHWA report documents a before-and- increased. Pedestrian crashes declined . Moderate volumes (8,000-15,000 ADT) after study for a 1.2-mile section of Stone by 80 percent. . Roads with safety issues Way North that was reduced from a four- . Transit corridors Other Case Studies lane roadway with parking on both sides to a . Popular or essential bicycle routes and three-lane roadway with one through lane in The FHWA report states that a number of links each direction, a center turn lane, bicycle other case studies on road diets confirm the . Commercial reinvestment areas lanes, and parking on both sides. Vehicle results from Edgewater Drive and Stone Way . Economic enterprise zones speeds, traffic volumes, and crash data were North as typical. . Historic streets reviewed. Findings of the evaluation include . A road diet in Vancouver, Washington, . Scenic roads the following: reduced crashes by 52 percent on an ar- . Entertainment districts . Speeds along the study corridor de- terial with an average daily traffic vol- . Main streets creased after the road diet was imple- ume of 17,000 vehicles and decreased

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Lagerwey offered a rule of thumb: If the . The corridor saw total crashes decrease designed to accommodate the traffic prospective road is in an urbanized situation 57% and personal injury crashes de- demands that will be experienced with a number of left turns, short blocks, crease 100%. throughout the design life of the im- and a signal at every corner, then a road diet provement. Design life can vary with could be appropriate in some situations with Other Iowa Cases each application of a four-to-three lane a daily traffic volume as high as 25,000. On Eight other four-lane to three-lane lane re- conversion. If signing and markings are the other hand, if a road has virtually no left duction studies were evaluated. Related the major items of work, a project de- turns and few signals, a road diet might be findings include the following: sign life of 3-5 years would justify the inappropriate if the average daily traffic is . Annual average crashes went down for costs. If the safety benefits are great over 18,000. all studies in a range of 27-67%. enough for the project to be considered . 3.4 4-LANE TO 3-LANE CONVERSIONS Crash rates went down for all studies in a safety project, project design life is as a range of 39-68%. calculated according to MDOT time-of- (IOWA DOT) return safety analysis procedures. If the Comments Reference project requires significant pavement Welch, Tom. "4-Lane to 3-Lane Conver- The information was presented in a Power- construction or reconstruction, project sions." Powerpoint. Office of Traffic and Point presentation, so appendices and addi- design life will have to increase as the Safety, Highway Division, Iowa Department tional information are not available. project costs increase and may range of Transportation, Ames, Iowa, 2005. 3.5 MICHIGAN’S OPERATIONS MANUAL: from 10 to 20 years. . Four-to-three lane conversions across Synopsis 4-TO-3 LANE CONVERSIONS (MICHIGAN DOT) the country have been successfully im- The Iowa DOT conducted a study of eight plemented on corridors with an ADT of four-lane to three-lane conversion projects Reference 15,000 or less, where "success" means and highlighted the US 75 Sioux Center pro- "4-to-3 Lane Conversions." Michigan's Oper- improvements in safety (e.g., crash rate ject specifically. Key findings are listed by ations Manual. Policy Guide. Michigan DOT, reductions of 10-50%) and little adverse topic or project as follows. Lansing, MI, November 13, 2009. impact to traffic flow. In Michigan, a study of lane conversions reported an US 75 Sioux Center Synopsis average 26% reduction in injury crashes, A before-and-after study of a four-lane This document is a policy guide for four-lane an average 37% injury crash reduction roadway with on-street parking was reduced to three-lane conversions to be used to pro- for older drivers, and an average 37% to a three-lane roadway with bike lanes and vide policy and guidance for projects of this pedestrian crash reduction. a center two-way left-turn lane. Findings of type in Michigan. The policy focuses on pro- . Michigan DOT and Iowa DOT set guid- this study include the following: ject design life, safety and capacity, pedes- ance limits of about 15,000 to 17,500 . trian and bicyclist accommodation, and The corridor saw an average travel ADT as being realistic volumes for four- community support. Key points of infor- speed decrease of 7 mph (25%). to-three lane conversions. Depending on . mation in the document are the following: The corridor saw an average free flow conditions, a three-lane cross section speed decrease of 3 mph (10%). . FHWA generally requires improvement projects using Federal-Aid funds to be

16 | Kittelson & Associates, Inc. Statewide Lane Elimination Guidance Phase 1: Resource Document

can be investigated at higher levels of clusive left turn lanes are provided through- ▫ Reducing crossing distances for pe- ADT. out the four-lane section (i.e., the section is destrians . Four-to-three lane conversions create a four-lane undivided section). While this is ▫ Providing space for pedestrian ref- space for bicycle lanes. The document reasonable as a general statement, it would uges states that bicycle lanes improve the vis- be desirable to have supporting data, as well ▫ Improving bicyclist safety when bicy- ibility of bicyclists to motorists and re- as data for four-lane sections with exclusive cle lanes are added duce turning conflicts between bicyclists left turn lanes (i.e., for four-lane divided sec- ▫ Providing space for on-street parking and motorists. tions). Data relating the percentage of left . Business owners worry about loss of cus- turns in the traffic stream to the capacity of ▫ Reducing rear-end and side-swipe tomer access following a lane conver- the section would be particularly informa- crashes sion, while motorists worry about a re- tive. ▫ Improving speed limit compliance (i.e., reducing vehicle speeds) duction in capacity and an increase in 3.6 TRAFFIC PRACTICES: A GUIDEBOOK congestion. As a result, the community ▫ Decreasing the number of crashes FOR CITY & COUNTY AGENCIES may be reluctant to support a four-to- and crash severity (e.g., a 29% re- three lane conversion. Trial periods of 1- (MISSOURI COALITION FOR ROADWAY duction in number of crashes for 3 years can be used to build community SAFETY) converting a four-lane roadway to support, if a promise is made to revert Reference three-lane roadway) back to four lanes if the community does Missouri DOT, Missouri LTAP, and Missouri . Roadways with an ADT of 20,000 or less not want to keep the three-lane lane Coalition for Roadway Safety. Traffic Practic- may be good candidates for road diets. section after the trial period ends. This es: A Guidebook for City & County Agencies. Roads with an ADT of 15,000 or less can be a particularly good approach if Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, pub- have been shown to positively affect the conversion only involves signing and lished after 2009. safety, operations, and livability. marking. . Factors to be considered in evaluating Synopsis Comments potential road diets include driveway The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety density, transit routes, number of inter- The document states that three-lane sec- (MCRS) is a partnership that includes Mis- sections in the corridor, design of inter- tions are safer than four-lane sections at in- souri DOT. MCRS created a guidebook to sections in the corridor, and operational tersections and driveways because it is easi- provide local transportation agencies with a characteristics of the corridor. er for drivers to find gaps in traffic flow. reference guide for finding information re- . Road diets may impact intersection turn While this is reasonable as a general state- lated to traffic control devices. Within this lanes, signing, pavement markings, traf- ment, it is desirable to have supporting data. guidebook, there is a section on road diets. fic control devices, transit stops, pedes- The document states that three-lane sec- Key information provided in the guidebook trian facilities, and bicycle facilities. tions are better equipped than four-lane includes the following: . The four-lane to three-lane road diet is sections to handle left-turning traffic with- . Road diets provide multiple safety and compatible with single-lane rounda- out causing a large reduction in capacity and operational benefits for all modes of bouts. safety. This statement assumes that no ex- transportation, including:

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. Community input should be obtained . Positive impact on property values and Comments when proposing a road diet. sales – Generally, property values go up Although the speakers are recognized as after a road diet, and businesses typical- Comments having a large base of knowledge on this ly do better after a road diet. After a topic, no references were cited. The road diet material in this guidebook is a road diet, motorists drive more prudent- small section of a larger report but it sup- ly, people can shop for parking spaces, 3.8 REVITALIZING THE URBAN CORE: plies a list of key resources used to develop and the retail life of the street improves. ROAD DIETS (METRO JACKSONVILLE) the material. . Increased livability – A road diet can re- Reference The statement in the guidebook about the sult in a quieter street and a street with Davis, Ennis. "Revitalizing the Urban Core: compatibility of four-lane to three-lane road more social interactions. Road Diets." Metro Jacksonville. August 2, . diets with single-lane roundabouts would Cost-effectiveness – A road diet is one of 2010. benefit from more discussion. the most cost-effective ways to improve Synopsis 3.7 "MOVING BEYOND THE a roadway. One of the participants in the video states that a roadway can be con- This article discusses what a road diet is, its AUTOMOBILE: ROAD DIET" verted for about $50,000 per mile. popularity, and example road diet projects. TRANSCRIPT (STREETFILMS) . Multimodal accommodation Key points of the article are as follows: Reference ▫ Pedestrians – Road diets reduce . Road diets are typically successful where C. Dickerson, Jr. "Moving Beyond the Auto- speeding, make vehicle movements the road carries less than 19,000 vehi- mobile: Road Diet." Transcript. Streetfilms, more predictable, and shorten cross- cles per day. They can be successful at April 12, 2011. ing distances. up to 23,000 vehicles per day but more ▫ Bicyclists – Many road diets shift Synopsis extensive changes to the roadway might space from car lanes to create bike be required (e.g., traffic calming treat- This article is a transcript of the video “Road lanes. ments on parallel roads) Diets” from the Streetfilms video series ▫ Drivers – Road diets reduce speed- . Popularity is gaining. San Francisco leads “Moving Beyond the Automobile” (MBA). ing, which improves safety. Road the country in number of road diets, Dan Burden, Mike Sallaberry, and Charles diets can provide left-turn pockets, with 30 as of 2010, and Hartford, CT, has Gandy discuss the benefits of a road diet. which allows through traffic to pro- the greatest number of road diets per Key benefits they describe are: ceed without shifting lanes or wait- capita, with 12 road diets (as of 2010). . Efficient reallocation of space – In a road ing behind turning vehicles. . Retail merchants in Seattle are reported diet, space is reallocated so the street One of the participants in the video notes to be strong proponents of road diets. functions more efficiently. Space can be that a road diet on Valencia Street in San This is because reduced vehicle speeds reallocated to bicycle/pedestrian infra- Francisco in the 1990s resulted in a 140% allow for easier and safer parking, im- structure and/or parking. The reallocat- increase in bicyclist volume. The road diet proved store access, and increased qual- ed space benefits those who live, work, converted a four-lane street into a three- ity of overall walking conditions and liv- and shop in the corridor instead of the lane street with bicycle lanes. ability—conditions that support im- drivers who just drive through the area. proved economic activity.

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3.9 ROAD DIETS: FIXING THE BIG ROADS tial because road diets can be controver- uge islands. A more informative statement (WALKABLE COMMUNITIES, INC.) sial. might have focused on fundamental factors . The "ideal" roadway for a road diet is a (e.g., auto speeds and volumes) and reiter- Reference four-lane road carrying 12,000-18,000 ated that site-specific assessment is essen- D. Burden and P. Lagerway. Road Diets: Fix- auto trips per day. Road diets may also tial. ing the Big Roads. Walkable Communities, be feasible where the roadway carries The paper describes the ADT of 30,000 car- Inc., March 1999. 19,000-25,000 cars per day. ried by Lake Washington Boulevard in Kirk- Synopsis . The City of Santa Monica is reportedly land, WA, as an ADT that "may be beyond The authors explore the history and benefits "most comfortable" with road diets the comfort range of many." The paper of road diets. They also discuss processes for where auto trips do not exceed 20,000 states that an ADT of 20,000-23,000 is more implementation, considerations, and typical per day. likely to be acceptable to the community. . Road diets can create more space be- roadways selected. Key points of the paper 3.10 COAST HIGHWAY LANE are the following: tween automobiles and fixed objects on the roadside. REDUCTION TO GO FORWARD (SAN . Best Model Project – To build communi- DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE) ty support, the first projects in an area The paper contains summaries of several should include roadways with some of road diet before-and-after studies. Reference the following characteristics: Comments B. Henry. "Coast Highway Lane Reduction to Go Forward." The San Diego Union-Tribune, ▫ Moderate volumes (ADT of 8,000- The paper states, "Often [road diets] set the February 1, 2013. 15,000) stage for millions or megamillions of dollars ▫ Roads with safety concerns in new commercial and residential develop- Synopsis ▫ Transit corridors ment. The change can increase the value of This article is about the plan to eliminate ▫ Popular or essential bicycle routes existing properties." No supporting data for one northbound lane of Coast Highway 101 and links these statements are provided. Supporting in Encinitas, CA, which was approved by the ▫ Commercial reinvestment areas data are not provided for several of the stud- City despite concerns expressed by the state ies described in the paper. ▫ Economic enterprise zones Coastal Commission. A public hearing was held, with much voiced support from bicy- ▫ Historic streets The paper states, "Four-lane roadways sig- clists encouraging the project, which is antic- ▫ Scenic roads nificantly discourage mobility and access of transit users (cannot cross these streets), ipated to create a safer environment for bi- ▫ Entertainment districts pedestrians, and bicyclists." This statement cyclists. ▫ Main streets seems to be an exaggeration, as there are The Coastal Commission's concern related to . Communities proposing a road diet have many examples of four-lane roadways that the need for the City of obtain a coastal de- conducted a three- to six-day charrettes support non-auto uses. It is not uncommon, velopment permit because the lane reduc- to gain input and support from a variety for example, to find four-lane roads with tion project "changes the intensity of use of of people. Involving the public is essen- signalized crossings and/or pedestrian ref- the road." A City civil engineer countered

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that (1) state officials typically exempt cities can sometimes save money that • Lee County, FL: County staff de- from coastal permit requirements for small- might otherwise have been expend- cided that five roads shown to scale projects like repaving and (2) this lane ed on widening projects. be four-laned in the Long-Range reduction project does not change the ▫ Complete Street policies do not nec- Transportation Plan (LRTP) amount of traffic on the road or add lanes to essarily trigger any additional spend- should instead be improved as the road. The City intends to move forward ing but they do require more careful two-lane roads with medians with the project. planning of existing transportation and turn lanes. The total cost for all five projects was reduced Comments projects. Safety improvements can be incorporated into existing pro- by $58.5 million. This article provides an example of how mul- jects instead of seeking separate • Colorado Springs, CO: The City tiple agencies and local governments may funding sources. has created miles of bikeways get involved in a lane elimination project. ▫ Many projects are modest in size through lane elimination pro- 3.11 COSTS OF COMPLETE STREETS and low cost. jects. Speeding has been re- (NATIONAL COMPLETE STREETS duced by the projects, and . Citizens support Complete Streets. community satisfaction has in- COALITION) . Complete Streets are safer streets. creased. Reference ▫ Complete Street policies are a cost- "Costs of Complete Streets: What We Are effective way to address pedestrian 3.12 PROVEN SAFETY Learning from State and Local Govern- safety hazards. COUNTERMEASURES: ROAD DIET ments." National Complete Streets Coalition, ▫ Examples (FHWA) Washington, D.C., 2011. • Orlando, FL: A four-to-three lane Reference Synopsis elimination project on Edge- “Proven Safety Countermeasures: Road Diet Taken from the National Complete Streets water Drive reduced the fre- (Roadway Reconfiguration)." FHWA, Wash- Coalition website, the fact sheet entitled quency of injury crashes from ington, D.C., 2012. one every nine days to one eve- “Costs of Complete Streets” discusses the Synopsis cost-effectiveness of converting streets into ry 30 days, and the number of people walking and bicycling This fact sheet discusses the benefits of a Complete Streets. This is relevant to lane road diet and provides background infor- elimination projects because reallocating rose 23% and 30%, respectively. • Vancouver, WA: A four-to-three mation and guidance on when to implement street space to non-auto modes is a com- a road diet. Key facts in the document are: mon goal of lane elimination projects. Key lane elimination project on findings from the fact sheet that pertain to Fourth Plain Boulevard reduced . Four-to-three lane elimination projects lane elimination projects are: vehicle crashes by 52%, and the have resulted in a 29% reduction in all number of pedestrian crashes roadway crashes. Reductions in rear-end . Complete Streets can be achieved within dropped from two per year to and side-swipe crashes are most com- existing budgets. zero. mon. ▫ Projects can be achieved within existing transportation budgets and

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. Reduced crossing distances benefit pe- 3.13 ROAD DIETS – WHITE PAPER (CITY ber of conflict points along the roadway destrians. OF ASHLAND, OR) segment. The number of crashes de- . Reallocated space can provide room for crease due to the reduced number of pedestrian crossing islands as well as Reference conflict points, the slower operating bike lanes ( which increase safety for bi- Kittelson & Associates, Inc., “Road Diets – speeds, and the increase in motorists’ cyclists) and on-street parking. The latter White Paper.” Portland, OR, January 11, attentiveness resulting from higher lev- two options create buffer space be- 2011. els of street activity. National research tween pedestrians and vehicles, increas- indicates that converting a four-lane un- ing the safety and quality of travel of Synopsis divided road to a three-lane road with pedestrians. This white paper is one in a set of five devel- two through lanes and a center turn lane . If there is only one through lane in each oped for the City of Ashland’s Transportation reduces crashes by approximately 29%. direction, multiple-threat crashes (i.e., System Plan update to present information . A more attractive environment for pe- when the driver in one lane stops for a on tools, opportunities, and potential strate- destrians and bicyclists – Reallocating pedestrian but the driver in the adjacent gies to help develop a green transportation existing right-of-way to designate space lane does not) are reduced. community. It presents general information exclusively for pedestrian and/or bicycle . Reduced vehicle speeds are associated on road diets including example projects and travel provides a more inviting and com- with improved speed limit compliance their effects. A table in the report summa- fortable setting for pedestrians and bicy- and decreased crash severity. rizes before-and-after data for three road clists. Reduced vehicle speeds and the . Roadways with ADTs of 20,000 or less diet projects. An additional project is pre- streetscape improvements that often may be good candidates for a road diet. sented in more detail as a case study. accompany road diets also improve the Roads with ADTs of 15,000 or less have According to the white paper, road diets quality of travel for pedestrian and bicy- been reported to have very good results provide the following benefits: clists. in the areas of safety, operations, and . Improved traffic flow – The reduced The white paper identifies the following sit- livability. Other considerations are number of vehicle travel lanes in the uations where extra care needs to be taken driveway density, transit routes, and the same direction reduces lane changes to make a road diet successful: number and design of intersections and weaving, which improves vehicle along the corridor. . Relatively high access density – Accesses flow along the corridor. and driveways should be consolidated to Comments . Vehicle speeds reduced closer to desired help reduce conflict points in the corri- The article has many key resources cited at operating speed – The narrowed road- dor. the end. way and features such as on-street park- . Offset minor streets at intersections – ing and bike lanes create a “tunnel ef- Offset minor street approaches at inter- fect” that naturally slows motorists. sections should be realigned and/or con- . Reduced conflicts and reduced number sideration should be given to restricting of crashes – The reduced number of au- access to/from those minor streets to tomobile travel lanes reduces the num- right-in/right-out only.

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. Heavy existing traffic congestion – Ef- than 90% in each direction. The 85th . There are trade-offs in addressing all of forts should be made to mitigate existing percentile speed was reduced by 18% in these issues. traffic congestion along a corridor with the westbound direction and 24% in the . Some issues are interrelated. intersections currently operating at or eastbound direction. . Successfully addressing some of these near capacity before attempting to im- . Safety – The rechannelization and instal- issues will require a lot of lead time, so plement a road diet on the corridor. lation of marked crosswalks reduced col- early coordination with the applicant lisions by 23% one year after project and relevant stakeholders is critical. 3.14 NICKERSON STREET completion. RECHANNELIZATION BEFORE-AND- . Volume – Daily and p.m. peak traffic There are trade-offs in addressing the myriad AFTER REPORT (SEATTLE DOT) volumes changed very little with the im- issues associated with lane elimination pro- Reference plementation of the project. A.M. peak jects. Some of the issues are interrelated, so addressing one issue will require additional "Nickerson Street Rechannelization: Before volumes decreased 10% after the im- actions to address related issues. Addressing and After Report." City of Seattle, WA, plementation of the project. . some issues will require a significant amount March 1, 2012. Diverted traffic – The project does not appear to have diverted traffic to other of lead time. Synopsis corridors. In fact, according to the This study by the Seattle DOT describes the study, traffic volumes on potential diver- effects of reconfiguring the travel lanes on sion routes decreased after implementa- 4.1 SAFETY IMPACTS Nickerson Street from 13th Avenue West to tion of the Nickerson Street project. Profile Florentia Street. The goal of the project was . Freight use – The number of freight ve- Generally, lane elimination results in a net to improve pedestrian safety by reducing hicles on Nickerson street rose "slightly" improvement to safety. However, as with pedestrians' exposure to traffic and reducing after project implementation; freight many aspects of lane elimination, the safety vehicle speeds. Prior to rechannelization, vehicles are approximately 5% of the ve- impacts of these actions can be both positive there were two travel lanes in each direc- hicles using the corridor. Large trucks and negative. In part, the negative impacts tion. The street was reconfigured to one lane (such as semi-trailers) make up approx- can be mitigated through design and opera- in each direction with a two-way left turn imately 2% of total traffic, and such tional decisions; however, they are also like- lane in the center and bicycle lanes in each trucks continue to use the corridor as a ly to be impacted by changes in adjoining direction. Two new marked crosswalks were through route and as a means of access- land use and peoples’ travel decisions, in- installed. Key findings of the study were as ing the surrounding neighborhood. cluding modal choice. follows: 4.0 LANE ELIMINATION ISSUES The Project for Public Spaces [1] cites the . Speed – The percent of drivers traveling before-and-after study results summarized over the speed limit was reduced by This section contains profiles of issues that may be associated with lane elimination pro- in Table 2. Other studies show that the more than 60% in both directions. The speed of vehicles are reduced on the percent of "top-end" speeders (those jects. This section could serve as the foun- dation for a lane elimination review check- through lane or lanes after a lane elimina- traveling more than 10 mph over the tion. The studies point to a speed reduction posted speed) was reduced by more list. Three cautions should be kept in mind when considering these issues: of 1 to 7 mph, depending on conditions.

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One study cited an 18% decrease in speeds With slower speeds and fewer conflicting common two-way left-turn lane (TWLTL). (i.e., an 8 mph reduction from 45 mph). movements, studies of such lane elimination Four-lane roadways with ADT of up to One of the most obvious advantages of a projects have shown reductions in rear-end 20,000 (or up to 1,750 vehicles per peak lane elimination project is that pedestrian crashes, as well as a 56% reduction in angle hour) have been shown to be good candi- exposure to oncoming traffic is reduced, of- crashes. dates for a road diet. Four-lane roads with ten by half (e.g., a two-lane road versus a Factors to consider: ADTs higher than 20,000 should be evaluated for feasibility on a case-by-case basis. [2] four-lane road). As such, decreases in pe- . Pedestrian and bicycle riders – It should destrian crashes as high as 80% have been Similarly, of the before-and-after studies be kept in mind that, when implemented conducted, little to no changes in vehicle observed after lane elimination projects in conjunction with a Complete Streets have been implemented. LOS were seen for roadway segments and strategy, it is likely that the total number intersections, while achieving the desired Impacts: of pedestrians and bicyclists may in- effects of slower vehicle speed and fewer . Lane elimination projects generally re- crease after lane elimination project im- accidents. When a street is converted to two duce crash rates. It has been observed plementation. Providing safe accommo- lanes, this helps to calm traffic, in part by in some cases that the total number of dations for non-motorized modes of eliminating the opportunity for passing and pedestrian and bicycle crashes increases travel is important in lane elimination in part because the slower drivers set the after a lane elimination project is im- projects. speed. plemented, but this generally reflects an . Travel patterns – Crash experience on cross streets and alternative routes increase in volumes rather than an in- Issue: Traffic Operations crease in crash rates. might be issues for investigation. . Lane elimination projects are reported to . Lane elimination projects generally re- Minimum design standards – Lane elimination projects should meet or exceed work best when ADT is less than 20,000 (on a duce the severity of crashes. four-lane roadway) and left-turning vehicles minimum design standards for all are removed from the through traffic flow, modes. Issue: Safety and traffic diversion resulting from a lane . User expectancy – Modifying the cross elimination project can be significantly lower Lane elimination projects generally reduce section of an existing roadway will re- than project opponents anticipate. However, crash rates and crash severity. quire actions to ensure that users of the projects should be evaluated on a case-by-

facility are prepared for the change. case basis. Many studies indicate that the number of 4.2 TRAFFIC OPERATIONS IMPACTS crashes as well as the crash rates decrease The Project for Public Spaces [1] cites the significantly after a lane elimination project. Profile before-and-after study results summarized Studies show reductions in the number of According to studies by FHWA, under most in Table 2. crashes ranging from 14% to 60% and de- ADT conditions, lane elimination (of one creases in crash rates ranging from 34% to through lane per direction) seems to have 68%. The number of injury crashes is re- minimal effects on vehicle capacity because duced similarly (e.g., 33% to 68%). left-turning vehicles were moved into a

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Table 2. Before-and-After Crash and Operations Data

Project Context Features of Completed Impacts Project

Stone Way North in . Formerly four lanes . Two lanes with two-way . Bicycle traffic increased 35% (15% of peak hour traffic volume) Seattle, WA . Posted speed = 30 left turn lane . No diversion of autos to other routes mph . Bike lanes . 85th percentile speed reduced from 37 mph to 34-36 mph . 1.2 miles long . Vehicles traveling > 40 mph reduced from 4% of traffic to 1% of traffic . Total crashes reduced by 14% . Injury crashes reduced by 33% . Angle collisions reduced by 56% . Bicycle crash rate reduced

Raymond Avenue in . Minor arterial . Two lanes . Crashes decreased from 35 to 17 over two six-month periods Poughkeepsie, NY . Formerly four lanes . Three new roundabouts . Speeds decreased 24% (about 9 mph) . 1.5 miles long . New midblock crossing . Travel time increased 7% . Landscaping . Delays decreased 56% at roundabouts . Curb extensions . ADT decreased 8.8% at Vassar College . Landscaped median . ADT increased on some parallel streets, partly due to external factors Prospect Park West . Formerly three one- . Two lanes . Vehicle plus bicycle traffic increased 13% in the a.m. peak period and 9% in the p.m. in Brooklyn, NY way lanes . Two-way bikeway peak period . On-street parking . On-street parking . Peak volumes and travel times "stable" . Signal timing modifica- . Weekday bicycle traffic volume nearly tripled tions . Weekend bicycle traffic more than doubled . Pedestrian refuges . Speeding vehicles reduced from 74% to 20% . Average speed reduced from 33.8 to 26.6 mph . Crashes reduced by 16% . Injuries reduced by 21% . Bicycle traffic on sidewalks decreased from 46% to 3%

continued

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Project Context Features of Completed Impacts Project

Edgewater Drive in . Arterial . Two lanes with two-way . Speeding vehicles reduced from 15.7% to 7.5% at north end of segment, 9.8% to 8.9% in Orlando, FL . Formerly four lanes left turn lane the middle of segment, and 29.5% to 19.6% at south end of segment . On-street parking . Bike lanes . Crashes per mile decreased 34% . Posted speed = 35 . On-street parking . Crash frequency decreased from 1 crash per 2.5 days to 1 crash per 4.2 days mph . Injury frequency decreased from 1 injury per 8.9 days to 1 injury per 30.4 days . 1.5 miles long . Pedestrian traffic increased 23% . Bicycle traffic increased 30% . ADT decreased 12% immediately after implementation but increased to slightly above the "before" ADT over time . Travel time increased 50 seconds on average during the a.m. peak period . Northbound travel time increased 10 seconds during the p.m. peak period . Southbound travel time decreased 10 seconds during the p.m. peak period . No noticeable effect on buses East Boulevard in . Arterial . Two lanes with two-way . Travel time remained constant in Phases 1 and 2 Charlotte, NC . Formerly four to left turn lane . 85th percentile speed decreased from 43 mph to 40 mph in early phases five lanes . Bike lanes . ADT decreased from 20,500 to 17,500 in Phase 1 and increased from 18,600 to 19,700 . 16,000 to 24,400 . Pedestrian refuges in Phase 2 ADT . Curb extensions . Posted speed = 35 . Tree canopy mph . 1.5 miles long Nebraska Avenue in . Arterial . Two lanes with median . Crash rate decreased from 8.5 to 3.3 crashes per million vehicle miles traveled (MVMT) Tampa, FL . Formerly four lanes or two-way left turn lane . Fatal/incapacitating crashes reduced by 45% per year (33% per MVMT) . 3.2 miles long . Widened lanes . Sideswipe crashes reduced from 0.78 per MVMT to 0.08 per MVMT . Bike lanes . Bike crashes reduced from 5.0 per year to 2.7 per year . Bus pullouts . Pedestrian crashes reduced from 7.0 per year to 2.7 per year . Upgraded signals . ADT decreased from 17,900 to 14,600 (not diverted to side streets but possibly diverted . ADA improvements to an improved I-275) Source: [1]

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Impacts: . Delay – For roadways without many sig- . Reduction in the number of receiving . Capacity – According to FHWA, it is only nalized intersections, lane elimination lanes for dual turn lanes from side for road diets on four-lane roadways may result in a slight increase in delay. streets . with ADTs above approximately 20,000 For roadways with many signalized in- Signal timing and coordination on the that there is an increased chance that tersections, a reduction in delay should segment from which through lanes are traffic congestion will increase to the be expected if dedicated left turn lanes being eliminated and the cross streets . point of diverting traffic to alternative are added and the traffic signals are Achieving preferred design standards vs. routes. In the cases of lane elimination modified to improve progression and minimum design standards (e.g., for cen- projects that FHWA examined through- reduce cycle lengths (while providing ter turn lane width), which may have an out North America, lane eliminations appropriate pedestrian phases). In an- impact on the operations of the segment have not resulted in reductions in ADT, other study of going from five travel from which through lanes are being meaning such projects have not caused lanes to three in Kentucky, simulation eliminated . inconveniences to motorists to the point shows a minimum increase in delay of Signal spacing . of them diverting to alternative routes. up to 7 seconds/trip under the existing Peaking and directional characteristics of . Speed – According to FHWA, before- level of traffic. traffic (i.e., distribution of daily traffic by and-after studies suggest a traffic calm- . Queuing – Of the cases examined, queu- hour and direction) . ing effect that results in a 4-5 mph re- ing has not been an issue. If a two-way- Posted speed . duction in the 85th percentile free-flow left-turn lane or left turn pockets are in- Long-term (forecast) volumes . speed, a 25% reduction in travel speed, stalled as part of lane elimination pro- Truck and bus volumes . and a 30 percent reduction in the per- jects, queuing that would otherwise oc- Turning volumes (left and right turns) . centage of vehicles traveling more than cur from left-turning vehicles’ delays Driveway density/access management . 5 mph over the speed limit. This calming may be eliminated or reduced. Pedestrian crossing volumes . Cross streets – Bike lanes, if they were to effect seems to be more evident when 4.3 PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLIST be installed curbside or between parking lane elimination occurs on US or State ACTIVITY routes with moderate ADTs in small ur- lanes and travel lanes as part of a lane ban areas. This calming effect would be elimination project, could increase sight Profile less likely in the central areas of larger distance and turning radii at intersec- In general, lane elimination projects create a cities, where the speed limits (and traf- tions and driveways. more attractive and safer environment for fic speeds) may have been lower to Factors to consider: pedestrians and bicyclists in many ways. Re- begin with. allocated space can be used to expand or . Larger operational impacts (such as sig- . Travel time – According to a before-and- create sidewalks and/or bicycle lanes. Space nificantly more queuing and delay) that after study of US 75 in Iowa, a conver- reallocated to on-street parking or landscap- may occur with lane elimination in a sion of four to three lanes (with a two- ing creates a buffer between vehicle traffic busy downtown setting due to heavy way-left-turn lane included) resulted in a and pedestrians, generating an environment side street volumes and the three-lane 18-second (or 36%) increase in peak that feels more pedestrian-friendly and saf- scenario’s loss of left-turn capacity hour travel time. er. caused by the short block lengths

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The Project for Public Spaces [1] cites the crash rates have been shown to de- 4.4 IMPACTS TO TRANSIT before-and-after study results summarized crease as well, even if the total number ROUTING/STOPS AND RIDERSHIP previously in Table 2. Other studies show of crashes did not decrease; the increase increases in pedestrian and bicycle activity of in bicycling volumes combined with the Profile 23 and 30 percent, respectively. same number of crashes resulted in a Lane elimination projects could affect the lower crash rate. The number of crashes routing of transit services and the location Issue: Pedestrian and Bicyclist Activity may also decrease because of increased and design of transit stops. Existing and proposed lane elimination projects identified to Lane elimination projects are reported to motorists’ attentiveness to higher levels date are not located in existing rail corridors, create safer, more comfortable environ- of street activity. ments for pedestrians and bicyclists. so impacts to bus services are the most likely Factors to consider: type of transit impact. However, implemen-

. Depending on the scope of the project, tation of rail transit and/or dedicated transit upgrades to meet ADA standards may be Impacts: running ways may be planned for the corri- required for pedestrian facilities. dor, and the lane elimination project must . Facilities – The reallocation of existing . Trade-offs exist between providing dedi- take such plans into consideration. right-of-way to designated space for pe- cated pedestrian and bicycle facilities destrian and/or bicycle travel provides a Lane elimination projects should ensure that and using the available right-of-way for at least one resulting through lane in each more inviting and comfortable setting other purposes (e.g., medians, landscap- for pedestrians and bicyclists. direction is wide enough to accommodate ing, and transit facilities). buses (i.e., at least 11 feet wide according to Streetscape improvements that may ac- . Alternative means of improving pedes- [5]). company lane elimination projects also trian and bicyclist safety may exist. For improve the quality of travel for pedes- example, an alternative means of reduc- Issue: Impacts to Transit trian and bicyclists. ing pedestrian crossing distances is con- . Safety – Reduced vehicle speeds and struction of curb extensions or bulb- A lane elimination project may or may not reduced exposure to oncoming traffic at outs. have a significant impact on transit service. Access to transit, delays to buses caused by crossings are added safety effects of . Additional improvements may be need- increased congestion, delays caused by buses lane elimination projects. Studies point ed if the corridor has a relatively high to a speed reduction of 1 to 7 mph, and stopping in through lanes, and stop reloca- number of access points, offset minor tion are topics for consideration, as is the lower speeds reduce the severity of streets, and heavy congestion. For ex- potential for a corridor to support a dedicat- crashes. Shorter crossing distances limit ample, a lane elimination project in a ed transit facility in the future. pedestrian and bicyclist exposure to on- corridor with a relatively high number of coming traffic and eliminate the multi- access points might be more successful if ple-threat crashes. Decreases in pedes- access points are consolidated as part of Information relevant to the design of transit trian crashes as high as 80% have been the lane elimination project and traffic is facilities in Florida can be found in FDOT's observed after lane elimination projects able to flow more smoothly as a result. Accessing Transit: Design Handbook for Flor- have been implemented. [2] Bicycle [3] ida Bus Passenger Facilities [6] and FDOT's

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Typical Sections for Exclusive Transit Running . Number and type of bus routes operat- diet that would remove on-street parking. Ways. [7] ing in the corridor (which is significant Residents pressured the City to keep on- Only a limited number of studies to date because express buses in the corridor street parking and remove a traffic lane in- have documented the impacts that lane will require a passing lane or other stead. [8] elimination projects have on transit services. means of passing stopped local buses) Specific impacts described in these studies . Number of bus stops and/or need to Issue: Parking include the following: [1] relocate bus stops Removal of on-street parking can be a con- . Need to re-route transit services . The East Boulevard road diet in Char- troversial issue, but lane elimination projects . Need for bus pull-outs due to automo- do not typically reduce the supply of on- lotte, NC, was a corridor project that bile speeds vs. re-entry delay experi- street parking. "improved pedestrian and bicycle infra- enced by buses attempting to leave bus structure connections to bus routes and pull-outs light rail." . Use of transit preferential treatments in . Impacts: The Edgewater Drive road diet in Orlan- the corridor (e.g., transit signal priority . The HCM 2010 multimodal level of ser- do, FL, "had no measured impact on bus and signals timed for bus progression) vice methodology uses on-street parking loading times or operations." . Coordination with the LRTP and TDP re- percentage as an analysis parameter. For Impacts: garding future transit services planned in pedestrians, higher on-street parking uti- the corridor . Lane elimination may negatively affect lization results in improved level of ser- the speed and reliability of bus services, 4.5 IMPACTS ON PARKING SUPPLY AND vice, as these parked cars act as buffers. especially if just one travel lane per di- ACTIVITY For bicyclists, level of service is adversely rection remains. Constructing bus bulbs impacted by on-street parking, as "door- Profile can mitigate these effects, although use ing" becomes a greater concern. [9] of bus bulbs may result in delays for The effect of lane elimination on parking Generally, a five- or six-foot wide bicycle other vehicles when there is just one supply and parking activity is highly depend- lane next to an eight-foot wide parking through lane in each direction and the ent on the roadway cross sections before lane does not have dooring issues. bus stops in that through lane to serve and after the lane elimination project. In . In Ashland, OR, a before-and-after study passengers. most instances, the lane elimination project of a lane elimination project found that does not reduce the supply of parking on the Factors to consider: parking utilization increased from 29 roadway. In fact, underutilized travel lanes percent to 41 percent after the lane . Marking of transit zones and stop loca- are often eliminated in favor of additional elimination project was implemented. tions on-street parking, effectively increasing the [10] . Provision of adequate, accessible pedes- parking supply. . On-street parking acts as a traffic calm- trian access to transit It is well known that the public does not like ing device, creating a “tunnel effect” . Compatibility of with transit use removal of parking spaces. An example of that naturally slows motorists’ speeds. . Bus volumes and headways the public’s resistance occurred in the City of [3] Santa Barbara (CA), which proposed a road

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. The provision of on-street parking allows tentially reducing parking demand in issue is considered in Section for the construction of curb extensions the study roadway. 10.6.11 of the FDOT Right of Way at crosswalks, which reduce crossing dis- ▫ However, if free on-street parking is Procedures Manual [15] with respect tance for pedestrians. provided, it will reduce the market to State roadways. Factors to consider: price of parking of all types (includ- 4.6 SALES TAX REVENUE AND PROPERTY ing off-street parking). Because . VALUE IMPACTS Parallel vs. angled parking providing this parking has an associ- ▫ According to the MUTCD, parallel ated cost, it is in essence a subsidy Profile parking stalls may be eight feet wide that incentivizes automobile travel The impacts of lane elimination projects on by 22 to 26 feet long. [11] Angled and inflates parking demand. [14] sales tax revenues and property values are parking uses less linear curb length . Roadway design characteristics mixed, although most studies point to either per parking space than traditional no overall economic impacts or some posi- ▫ High-speed street types are not suit- parallel parking, so more spaces can tive impact. Typical concerns related to sales able for on-street parking. [12] be provided on the same block. tax revenue include the belief that eliminat- ▫ On-street parking should not impede However, angled parking takes up ing lanes will reduce the volume of business visibility for pedestrians, bicyclists more distance perpendicular to the for establishments along the roadway where and other vehicles. This means that curb (20 feet next to a 13 feet travel the lane will be removed. Additionally, there on-street parking spaces should be lane). [12] are concerns that lane elimination projects located carefully relative to intersec- ▫ Angled parking may be considered will increase congestion on the roadway, tions and crosswalks. [12] on low-speed and low-volume which will result in lower property values commercial collectors and main . Twenty-four-hour vs. peak period park- along the route. [16] streets. [13] ing Example projects: ▫ Back-in angled parking—as opposed ▫ On-street parking can be allowed at . to head-in angled parking—is con- some times of the day and disal- East Main Street in El Cajon, CA: On East sidered beneficial to bicyclists, as it lowed at peak traffic times. This can Main Street, two through lanes were is easier to make eye contact with allow more efficient use of lane ca- removed from a four-lane roadway, re- drivers as they pull out of their park- pacity when it is needed. [12] sulting in a two-lane roadway with angle parking. Since the lane elimination pro- ing spots. On the other hand, drivers . Metering of on-street parking may be confused by this configura- ject was implemented, property values ▫ If on-street parking is created by a tion. have increased 181% (more than double lane elimination project, the distri- than the citywide average), and taxable . Induced effects bution of meter revenue might be- sales have increased by 66% compared ▫ The increased non-motorized level come a topic of discussion between to 45% for the entire city. Lease rates of service typically provided by lane the jurisdiction that maintains the have increased by 56 percent. [17] elimination projects may turn driv- roadway and the jurisdiction in . Fourth Plain Boulevard in Vancouver, ers into pedestrians or bicyclists, po- which the roadway is located. This WA: Fourth Plain Boulevard was re-

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striped from a four-lane facility to a ty. Studies have shown a wide variation part of a lane elimination project may three-lane facility with a two-way left in lane elimination project impacts on make the lane elimination project con- turn lane. ADA ramps, bicycle lanes, and business activity, from little to no in- troversial. underground utility work were under- crease in economic activity relative to 4.7 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES taken as part of this effort. Gross sales neighborhood growth to a 174% in- receipts in the corridor increased by crease in business activity (implying the Profile 3.1% after implementation of the road possibility of positive impacts). Lane elimination projects generally have a diet. Two comparable commercial zones . Property values – No significant impacts net positive impact on the environment. If elsewhere in the city saw declines of on property values have been estab- there is a reduction in traffic volumes 9.8% and 25%. [13] lished in quantitative studies of lane through a shift to non-auto modes resulting . York Boulevard in Los Angeles, CA: Prior elimination projects. Property values from the lane elimination project, air quality to the road diet, York Boulevard was a may be positively impacted by potential will improve and noise will be reduced. Addi- four-lane roadway with on-street park- streetscape improvements implemented tionally, lane elimination projects provide an ing. The reconfigured roadway consist- in conjunction with lane elimination pro- opportunity to add landscaping and green ed of one through lane in each direction, jects. projects to streets. There are several bene- a center turn lane, and on-street park- fits associated with "greening" a corridor ing, with bicycle lanes added later. A Issue: Sales Tax Revenue and Property Value related to runoff reduction, detention, re- study of this project found no significant Lane elimination projects generally have no tention, conveyance, water quality mitiga- change in property values as a result of impact or a positive impact on sales tax reve- tion, and carbon absorption by plants. How- the road diet. While sales tax revenues nues and property values. ever, the pollution generated by increased are higher in the affected portion of York congestion and the reconstruction of the Boulevard, the study was not able to existing road should be taken into account. conclude that the road diet caused in Factors to consider: the increase in sales tax revenues. [16] . Merchants’ perceptions – Research into Issue: Environmental Impacts Despite the findings of the above studies, surveys of merchants' perceptions on Lane elimination projects generally have a anecdotal reports indicate that lane elimina- both the possible business impacts re- net positive impact on the environment. tion projects in Florida have resulted in sub- sulting from a lane elimination and their stantial positive economic development im- perceptions of customer travel patterns pacts. Cited examples of such projects in- are often inaccurate. Efforts to educate Impacts: clude Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach and local merchants on these issues may be . Traffic volume reductions (through Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. beneficial in gaining support for a lane mode shift) can positively impact air Impacts: elimination project. quality. . On-street parking – On-street parking is . Business activity – Studies have shown . Increases in delay can adversely impact an important and potentially conten- that lane elimination projects can (but air quality. tious asset to local merchants and cus- do not always) increase economic activi- . Lane elimination projects create space tomers. Removal of a parking lane as for low-emission travel. If trees and

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landscaping are added to the corridor, . Green landscaping is a means of enhanc- 5. Structural Capacity air quality can improve still further due ing environmental sustainability. 6. Vertical Clearance to carbon absorption by the plants. . Reconstructing an existing roadway can 7. Grades . If the road surface is replaced by more have an environmental cost. Additional- 8. Cross Slope permeable materials, stormwater man- ly, traffic studies must consider future 9. Superelevation agement is improved. Landscaping ele- capacity needs to avoid the situation in 10. Horizontal Alignment ments like bioswales, planters, rain gar- which it is necessary to reconstruct the 11. Vertical Alignment dens, and street trees help curb storm- road again in a short span. 12. Stopping Sight Distance water runoff and are beneficial for ecol- . If the road needs a new surface, paving 13. Horizontal Clearance ogy. Optimal stormwater management is materials should be chosen to minimize Design variations are required when pro- more than simply removing rainfall as noise and to maximize reflectivity in or- posed design elements do not require a de- quickly as possible, as simply removing der to reduce the urban heat island ef- sign exception but are below FDOT's govern- rainfall quickly risks negative environ- fect, improve air quality, and increase ing criteria. mental impacts associated with both pavement durability. stormwater quality and quantity (e.g., . If the lane reduction project diverts traf- polluted runoff, sedimentation, and fic to other corridors, environmental im- Issue: Design Variances and Exceptions bank erosion). Instead, optimal storm- pacts (e.g., emissions and noise) may in- Lane elimination projects can be feasible water management focuses on efforts to crease in those corridors. without design variances and exceptions. retain and treat—or even eliminate— Where a variance or exception is needed, it is 4.8 DESIGN VARIANCES AND most likely to be related to median and lane runoff at the source through cost- widths. effective green infrastructure. [18] EXCEPTIONS

. Reductions in auto traffic caused by Profile travelers shifting to non-auto modes can FDOT's design standards are available Lane elimination projects generally will not lead to reduced traffic noise in the corri- through the Roadway Design Office. [20] affect many of the 13 Controlling Design El- dor. According to FDOT’s Plans Preparation Man- ements. The Controlling Design Elements Factors to consider: ual [21], design exceptions are required most likely to need a variance or exception for these types of projects include but are . The city or county may require specific when proposed design elements are below not limited to design speed, lane widths, and environmental permits. both the FDOT's governing criteria and shoulder widths. . If the project uses federal funding, the AASHTO’s new construction criteria for the National Environmental Policy Act 13 Controlling Design Elements. The 13 Con- Approval from multiple individuals may be (NEPA) process has to be followed. trolling Design Elements are: required for certain issues. The guidelines However, a lane elimination project typ- 1. Design Speed for approval authorities are outlined in Vol- ically occurs within existing pavement, 2. Lane Widths ume 1, Section 23.3, of the Plans Prepara- so it is possible that the project can ob- 3. Shoulder Widths tion Manual. [21] tain a Categorical Exclusion. [19] 4. Bridge Widths Impacts:

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. May delay project schedule if exceptions ments. If compliance with ADA curb roadway for which lane elimination is pro- and variances are not submitted and ap- ramp requirements is determined to be posed would have a six-lane cross section in proved in advance technically infeasible, documentation as the long term, reducing the cross section to a design variation is required. Mainte- four lanes is not consistent with the LRTP. If Factors to consider: nance resurfacing projects can only be the Work Program shows that funding has . Lane elimination project components programmed on routes that meet the been obtained to widen a given roadway such as landscaping may require a sight requirements identified in Chapter 28 of from four lanes to six lanes, lane elimination distance evaluation. the Work Program Instructions. [22] is not consistent with the Work Program. If . If automobile and/or bicycle lane widths the TDP shows that a given roadway is 4.9 CONSISTENCY WITH PLANS AND are narrowed as part of a lane elimina- planned to have dedicated bus lanes in the tion project, a design exception or vari- PROGRAMS future, eliminating through lanes may make ance may be required. Profile it infeasible to implement the dedicated bus . Lane elimination projects may be funded Proposed lane elimination projects should lanes, so lane elimination is not consistent with safety funds if the lane elimination be consistent with adopted plans and pro- with the TDP. project is intended to address a safety grams. These plans and programs include issue. When projects using safety funds the following: are developed to improve specific safety Issue: Consistency with Plans and Programs problems, only the elements identified . FDOT Work Program It is essential to ensure that a proposed lane under the scope of work for the safety . MPO/TPO Long-Range Transportation elimination project is consistent with adopt- improvement project are subject to the Plan (LRTP) ed plans and programs. If there is an incon- variance/exception approval processes. . MPO/TPO Transportation Improvement sistency, the project must be modified and/or one or more adopted plans and pro- Existing features within the safety im- Program (TIP) grams must be amended. provement project limits not meeting . State Transportation Improvement Pro- design criteria do not require approval gram (STIP) to remain as long as the project does not . Transit agency Transit Development Plan If a proposed lane elimination project is not create a nonconforming condition. The (TDP) consistent with an adopted plan or program, safety study should identify all the appli- . Local comprehensive plan the lane elimination (a) may be infeasible or cable variations and/or exceptions (de- . Local vision documents and master plans (b) the adopted plan or program must be sign or utility) required based on the Specifically, the proposed new cross section amended or modified. The amendment pro- proposed scope. for a given roadway should be consistent cesses for the above-listed plans and pro- . Lane elimination projects can go hand- with (a) the cross section upon which the grams involve the following: in-hand with maintenance, resurfacing, analyses that informed the above-listed . ride rehabilitation, and skid hazard pro- plans and programs are based and (b) any Work Program – Amendments must oc- jects or may even be considered as one. planned and programmed projects affecting cur in accordance with Section 339.135 These projects do not require design ex- that roadway. If the travel demand model- of the Florida Statutes (F.S.) [23]. See ceptions or design variations other than ing underlying the LRTP assumed that a Part III, Chapter 3, of the Work Program for addressing ADA curb ramp require- Instructions [22] for detailed information

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about the process, the types of amend- . STIP – Amendments must occur in ac- reviewing comprehensive plan amendments that are possible, and the condi- cordance with 23 CFR 450. [24] Chapter ments. [33] tions under which amendments are al- 5 of FDOT's Metropolitan Planning Or- . Visions and master plans – Amendment lowed. ganization Program Management Hand- processes will vary by jurisdiction. . LRTP – Amendments must occur in ac- book notes that each MPO/TPO's TIP is Impacts: cordance with the Code of Federal Regu- incorporated into the STIP and includes lations (CFR) Title 23 Part 450 [24] and a section on TIP and STIP amendments. . A proposed lane elimination project may 339.175, F.S. [25] FDOT's Office of Policy [28] Chapter 5 describes conditions un- be determined to be infeasible if it is not Planning has also prepared a document der which a STIP amendment is required consistent with one or more plans and [26] that specifies thresholds at which and the amendment process. Additional programs. proposed changes to LRTP projects re- information about STIP amendments Factors to consider: quire an amendment to the LRTP; and administrative modifications is . The amendment processes may require amendments may be required based on available from the FDOT Office of Work public involvement, the participation changes in project cost, changes in pro- Program and Budget. [29] and approval of multiple agencies, re- ject schedule, changes in project scope, . TDP – TDPs undergo major updates eve- vised fiscal analyses, and revised envi- and deletion of a cost-feasible project ry five years and minor updates annual- ronmental analyses (in non-attainment from the LRTP. Also available from the ly. Both types of update provide an op- and maintenance areas). Office of Policy Planning is Chapter 4 of portunity to maintain consistency be- . Amending one of the above-listed plans FDOT's Metropolitan Planning Organiza- tween TDP projects and proposed lane and programs may require amending tion Program Management Handbook, elimination projects. TDP updates occur others (e.g., local comprehensive plans which includes a section on LRTP admin- according to Florida Administrative Code should be consistent with the applicable istrative modifications and amendments. (F.A.C.) Rule 14-73.001 [30]. TDPs are LRTP). [27] An "administrative modification" is required to be consistent with the LRTP . A project that utilizes federal funding a change that is less significant than an and the local comprehensive plan. must be included in the TIP and STIP. "amendment." . Comprehensive plan – Local government Amendments to the TIP and STIP associ- . TIP – Amendments must occur in ac- comprehensive plans may be amended ated with such projects must be trans- cordance with 23 CFR 450 [24] and at any time. The timing of amendment mitted to FHWA. [28] 339.175, F.S. [25] Chapter 5 of FDOT's submittals will vary by jurisdiction. The . Environmental document approvals re- Metropolitan Planning Organization Pro- Florida Department of Economic Oppor- quire consistency with the LRTP, TIP, and gram Management Handbook includes a tunity (DEO) provides information about STIP. [28] The forthcoming FHWA/FDOT section on TIP amendments. [8] Chapter amendment review processes and time document Final Guidance for Meeting 5 describes conditions under which a TIP frames. [31] 163.3177, F.S., states the Planning Requirements for NEPA Ap- amendment is required and the requirements that comprehensive plans proval [34] may be helpful. amendment process. Administrative TIP are to meet. [32] 163.3184, F.S., pro- . The amendment process can take sever- amendments do not require the approv- vides information about FDOT's role in al months. [28] al of the full MPO/TPO board.

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4.10 FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION have their own functional classification sys- Table 3. Functional Classification and Federal tems. System Profile Elimination of a lane on a roadway can im- Functional Federal System/ Issue: Functional Classification Classification(s) Funding Eligibility pact the functional classification of that A lane elimination project can affect the de- road. A change in functional classification Local, Rural Minor Col- Eligible for Federal-Aid gree to which a roadway serves a mobility or can be very significant because it could re- lector only with special con- access function. A change in federal func- siderations sult, effectively, in a gap in the continuity tional classification might also affect federal and connectivity of the system and it could funding eligibility. Rural Major Collector, Eligible for Surface affect planning, funding, traffic analyses, Urban Collector, Minor Transportation Pro- project prioritization, and state and federal Arterial, Principal Arte- gram (STP) reporting requirements. As such, potential The FHWA document is supplemented by a rial changes to functional classification are key document prepared by FDOT's Transporta- Local, Rural Minor Col- Eligible for National considerations in reviewing lane elimination tion Statistics Office (TranStat): FDOT's lector, Rural Major Col- Highway System (NHS) projects. FHWA Urban Boundary and Federal Func- lector, Urban Collector, as determined by Con- The primary guide for managing functional tional Classification Handbook. [37] The Minor Arterial, Principal gress and revised by classifications for federal reporting purposes FDOT Handbook was completed in 2003, so Arterial FHWA, based on FDOT is FHWA's Highway Functional Classification: it does not reflect the 2013 version of the or FHWA Division Of- Concepts, Criteria and Procedures [35] doc- FHWA document in some respects, but it fice request ument, which was updated in 2013. There describes the process for assigning and revis- Source: [37] are key differences between the 2013 doc- ing functional classifications (a process Under MAP-21, STP funds can be used on ument, the original 1989 document, and the wherein ADT, access, and system continuity any “Federal-aid highway, bridge, and tunnel 2008 interim guidance document [36] that are criteria) and provides sample forms. It projects on any public road" as well as "pe- may continue to impact functional classifica- notes that reclassification of US highways destrian and bicycle infrastructure and trans- tions in Florida (e.g., ongoing designation of requires coordination with AASHTO, and it it capital projects, including intercity bus Urban Minor Collectors). The 2013 docu- states that functional classification changes terminals.” [38] Table 3 indicates that, in ment notes that federal functional classifica- should occur before system designation general, the only roads upon which STP tions should reflect existing conditions, not changes occur. The FDOT Handbook links funds cannot be used are Local streets and future conditions. That is, a federal func- federal functional classification to federal Rural Minor Collectors. In all likelihood, lane tional classification change should occur af- system classification as shown in Table 3. elimination projects in Florida will be pro- ter the associated roadway project con- posed only on non-Local streets in urban cludes. The federal functional classification areas. As such, downgrading the functional system is the only functional classification classification of the affected roadway as part recognized by FDOT. [37] Other agencies in of the lane elimination project will likely not Florida as well as local governments may impact the potential to receive future STP funding for the roadway. The FHWA Division

34 | Kittelson & Associates, Inc. Statewide Lane Elimination Guidance Phase 1: Resource Document

Office should be consulted if there is a ques- . Coordination with AASHTO if reclassifi- patibility with an existing system designation about this, particularly if FDOT intends cation is proposed for a US highway in tion) can be very significant because it could to transfer jurisdiction of the roadway to a concert with a lane elimination project result in a gap in the continuity and connec- local government (in which case the local . Changes to urban and transitioning area tivity of a given system and it could affect government would be responsible for future boundaries (which can be adjusted by funding, state and federal reporting re- improvements). FDOT) if necessary to support a pro- quirements, economic development, nation- Changes to federal functional classifications posed change in functional classification al defense, emergency response, and other related to lane elimination projects may . Extent to which the affected road serves aspects of statewide and regional transpor- originate with FDOT District staff, an a mobility function or an access function tation networks. As such, consistency with MPO/TPO, or a local government. Local . Extent to which the affected road serves and/or potential changes to system designa- government requests for federal functional long-distance trips (including regional tions are important considerations in review- classification changes typically occur through trips) and short-distance trips ing lane elimination projects. an MPO/TPO. The changes must be re- . Extent to which the affected road serves viewed and approved by FDOT and then by a national defense function Issue: System Designation . FHWA. [35,37] Extent to which the affected road serves A change in system designation might affect airports, seaports, intermodal facilities, Impacts: funding eligibility and system continuity. The and other public facilities latter may have implications for national de- . Ability of the road to maintain its current . Role of functional classification in crash fense and freight transportation, among oth- and/or planned function (e.g., as a route analysis er concerns. for long-distance, regional trips) . Role of functional classification in bridge . Multimodal capacity and connectivity capacity [37, 39] . Role of functional classification in The NHS includes "roadways important to maintenance cycles and emergency re- the nation's economy, defense, and mobili- Factors to consider: sponse activities ty." [38] There are five sub-systems within . Complete Streets initiatives and the the NHS: needs of multiple transportation modes 4.11 SYSTEM DESIGNATION . Interstates . Functional classification systems used by Profile . Other Principal Arterials affected local governments Elimination of a lane on a roadway can im- . Strategic Highway Network . Design standards and criteria specific to pact its state and federal system designa- . Major Strategic Highway Network Con- the proposed functional classification tions. System designations include the Na- nectors . Coordination with TranStat with respect tional Highway System (NHS), the State . Intermodal Connectors to data collection and reporting Highway System (SHS), and the Strategic In- . Coordination with MPOs, TPOs, other termodal System (SIS). Roadways on these Given the strategic importance of these sub- planning agencies, and federal agencies systems, it is unlikely that a lane elimination systems may also be Federal-Aid roadways. project would be proposed for many of the A change in system designation (or a change in roadway function that results in incom- roadways on the NHS. [37] If such a pro-

February 2014 | 35 posal occurs, CFR Title 23 Part 470 [24] con- corridor studies [44]. Constructing and main- . Provides connection to other states tains information about modifications to the taining the SHS is funded by the State Trans- . Limited-access facility NHS. Such modifications require coordina- portation Trust Fund [22]. . Percent trucks tion between FDOT, local officials, and Multiple lane elimination projects exist on . Annual average daily truck traffic FHWA. [37] A project on the NHS must also SHS (or former SHS) facilities in Florida, and . Provides connection to other SIS or be included in the local MPO/TPO's Trans- it is anticipated that requests to eliminate Emerging SIS facilities portation Improvement Program (TIP) and through lanes on SHS facilities will continue The above criteria (and others) are available the State Transportation Improvement Pro- to arise. Several of the existing lane elimina- through FDOT's Enterprise Strategic Inter- gram (STIP) [22]. Additionally, FDOT's FHWA tion projects were accompanied by jurisdic- modal System (eSIS) tool. [47] The eSIS tool Urban Boundary and Federal Functional tional transfers. If a lane elimination pro- also provides a map of SIS facilities, infor- Classification Handbook [37] indicates that a posal includes transferring a road off the mation about and documentation for cur- re-designation of a US highway would re- SHS, the road's eligibility for continuing Trust rent SIS designation change requests, and quire coordination with AASHTO. The Hand- Fund dollars must be assessed. (FDOT's the 2007 SIS Data and Designation Review. book recommends that functional classifica- Work Program Instructions describes a varie- The eSIS tool is also a means to track re- tion changes should occur before system ty of purposes for which Trust Fund dollars quests to change SIS designations. A docu- designation changes occur. can be used. [22]) Transferring a road off the ment about the formal SIS designation The SHS consists of roadways under the ju- SHS requires a formal deletion of SHS mile- change process is available through eSIS; this risdiction of and maintained by FDOT, quali- age. Forms are available to request and au- document includes example forms. FDOT's fying expressway authorities, and other state thorize such mileage deletions; examples Office of Policy Planning undertakes periodic agencies. [37,40] FDOT's authority to desig- can be found in FDOT's Road Jurisdiction and systemwide reviews to determine if SIS crite- nate facilities as part of the SHS and to con- Numbering Handbook. [45] ria and/or designations need to be updated. struct, regulate, and maintain them comes The SIS is a network of transportation facili- Districtwide Coordinators review SIS desig- from Sections 334.044 and 335.02 of the ties (including roads, railroads, ports, and nations as needed. [47] Florida Statutes (F.S.) [41,42]. FDOT is al- multimodal facilities) that "meet a strategic Requests to change a SIS designation may be lowed to establish standards for access and essential state interest." [22] FDOT's submitted to Districts by the owner of the management and the number of lanes in authority to develop and manage the SIS is transportation facility, an MPO/TPO, a local SHS roadway segments, with the goal of established in Section 339.63, F.S. [46] government, other stakeholders, or District achieving "the highest degree of efficient There are two primary SIS designations: SIS staff. All criteria associated with the pro- mobility for corridor users," and may also and Emerging SIS, and criteria for identifying posed SIS designation must be met before regulate vehicles allowed to use the SHS. the roadways that are eligible for these des- the District will process the request. The Dis- FDOT has authority to number and re- ignations include the following: [47] trict can use the SIS Environmental Screen- number SHS facilities. [42] FDOT has estab- . ing Tool to evaluate the community and en- lished design standards for SHS facilities Interstate, NHS, or SHS facility . vironmental impacts of a proposed SIS des- [20], and policy and procedure documents Provides connection between Economic ignation change request. After Districts have been prepared on topics such as Con- Regions as defined by Enterprise Florida . submit SIS designation change requests to text Sensitive Solutions [43] and major urban Provides connection to Rural Area of Critical Economic Concern Central Office, Central Office conducts an

36 | Kittelson & Associates, Inc. Statewide Lane Elimination Guidance Phase 1: Resource Document analysis of statewide implications of the FHWA Urban Boundary and Federal Func- regarding system designation changes change in designation. [47] tional Classification Handbook [37], the only (which might affect the prioritization of If a lane elimination proposal includes roads upon which STP funds generally can- planned projects) . changing a SIS designation, the road's eligi- not be used are Local streets and Rural Mi- Jurisdictional transfer . bility for SIS funding (which is a statewide nor Collectors. In all likelihood, lane elimina- Route numbering changes . set-aside from the Trust Fund) must be as- tion projects in Florida will not occur on Lo- SHS and SIS designation criteria . sessed. SIS funds can be used for capacity, cal roads or Rural Minor Collectors or result Design standards and criteria . ITS, preservation, safety, and interchange in the affected road being reclassified as a Support from affected agencies and oth- projects. [22] Local road or Rural Minor Collector. Thus, er affected local governments (e.g., let- roadways from which lanes are proposed to ters and resolutions) Federal-Aid funds are distributed to states be eliminated should continue to be eligible 4.12 ACCESS MANAGEMENT for construction, reconstruction, and im- for STP funding. The FHWA Division Office provement of highways and bridges on eligi- should be contacted if there are questions Profile ble routes and for special projects. [24] Giv- about this. Lane elimination projects may include access en the flexibility provided under MAP-21, management plans that eliminate, consoli- states have a great deal of discretion regard- Federal-Aid funds might be available for the date, and/or relocate driveways to reduce ing where Federal-Aid funds can be used. landscaping components of a lane elimina- conflict points. Reducing conflict points That is, Federal-Aid funds are not used only tion project if the lane elimination project is tends to improve traffic operations by help- on the official Federal-Aid systems (i.e., the a Federal-Aid construction project, but this is ing vehicle traffic flow more smoothly; it also Interstate system and the NHS). However, generally not the case if the lane elimination tends to improve safety for all modes. [3,4] Federal-Aid funds are generally not used on project consists only of resurfacing. [22] Shared/joint accesses minimize the number Rural Minor Collectors and Local streets. [22] Impacts: of driveways and curb cuts, particularly in a Funding programs under the Federal-Aid . Future funding of transportation im- downtown setting, which is important in umbrella include the Surface Transportation provements in the corridor maintaining a pedestrian-oriented environ- Program (STP), the Bicycle Transportation ment and managing vehicular traffic and and Pedestrian Walkways program, the Con- Factors to consider: safety. Another benefit to reducing the gestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improve- . Consistency with adopted plans and number of accesses is that landscaped me- ment Program, the Safe Routes to School programs (e.g., the TIP and the SIS Cost- dians could replace a center turn lane; this program, and the Transportation Alterna- Feasible Plan) might visually narrow the road, add green tives Program. [48] . Coordination with TranStat regarding elements to the corridor, and enhance the data collection and reporting The STP is the most flexible of all the funds aesthetics of the roadway. provided under MAP-21, and it can be used . Coordination with the FDOT Office of F.A.C. Chapter 14-97 [49] describes the ac- for Federal-Aid highway, bridge, and tunnel Policy Planning regarding management cess management classification system for projects on any public road as well as pedes- of the SIS the SHS, associated standards, and the pro- trian/bicycle infrastructure and transit capi- . Coordination with MPO/TPOs, other cess for modifying a roadway's access man- tal projects. [38,48] According to FDOT's planning agencies, and federal agencies

February 2014 | 37 agement classification. Where access spac- . Enforcement of access restrictions (e.g., While evacuation events are so rare that the ing is increased due to driveway consolida- through use of medians and islands) effects of lane reduction on their success tion, however, there might not be a need to . Need for public hearings have not been comprehensively examined, modify access management classification. the consequences for evacuating and emer- 4.13 EMERGENCY EVACUATION FDOT's Systems Planning Office has devel- gency vehicles have been raised during sev- oped several resources related to access Profile eral studies of actual lane reduction projects. management. Careful consideration must be given to the Some types of lane reduction (specifically decision to eliminate a travel lane in poten- four-to-three conversions and bicycle lane Issue: Access Management tial evacuation areas. Evacuation is an unu- addition/conversion from parking) are actu- Consolidation of access points in conjunction sual transportation circumstance that can be ally preferred by emergency responders be- with a lane elimination project could pro- planned for in areas that are especially cause they enable emergency vehicles to use mote smoother traffic flow, reduce conflict prone to disaster, such as coastal areas (dur- an intuitive path (i.e., the center left turn points, and provide opportunities to install ing hurricanes) and locations with specific lane) and mitigate confusion by other driv- landscaped medians in place of center turn security threats (institutional areas, heavily- ers. [50] lanes. visited tourist attractions, and other build- ings/areas designed to hold large crowds Issue: Emergency Evacuation during special events). The MUTCD [11] calls Lane elimination projects can impact evacua- Impacts: for a state- or locally-developed contingency tion capacity. . If turn lanes do not exist and a lane elim- plan that considers “the use of all applicable ination project results in a facility with roadways” in the event of an emergency only one through lane in each direction, evacuation. It also calls for “a controlled Impacts: the impacts of turning movements on operation of certain designated highways” . Evacuation time requirements may pre- through traffic might increase and “the establishment of traffic operations clude reducing the vehicular capacity of . If turning movements are to occur at a for the expediting of essential traffic.” a designated evacuation route. reduced number of driveways, traffic Negative consequences resulting from lane . To accommodate evacuating traffic, control at the higher-volume driveways elimination with regard to evacuation can be evacuation routes may be required to may need to be reviewed. mitigated by leaving the full required paved maintain a minimum width of obstruc- Factors to consider: roadway width anticipated by the emergen- tion-free paved roadway. That is, the cy evacuation plan. Lane width changes, . Access management classification evacuation plan might require parking striping of bicycle lanes, and striping of . Functional classification lanes to be used as a travel lane during painted buffer areas are types of improve- . Need for exclusive left and right turn an evacuation and/or the direction of ments that do generally not physically re- lanes flow in existing through lanes might be duce the paved width of the roadway and, . Accommodation of U-turns in a nar- reversed. thus, are the optimal type of lane elimina- rowed cross section (especially U-turns tion strategy if the study area is located that might be made by large trucks) within an evacuation area. . Maintaining property access 38 | Kittelson & Associates, Inc. Statewide Lane Elimination Guidance Phase 1: Resource Document

Factors to consider: impacts of the lane elimination project (in- by FDOT, by a local government, or by an- . Curb extensions and widened medians cluding tort liability). other state agency. are types of geometric changes that TranStat has prepared a document that de- have been associated with lane elimina- scribes the jurisdictional transfer process in Issue: Jurisdictional Transfers tion projects and which might obstruct detail [45] and supplements a relevant FDOT Transferring jurisdiction of a roadway to a for evacuating vehicles as well as emer- procedural document [51] and relevant local government as part of a lane elimina- gency responders. Statutory language [42]. This document, the tion project is not uncommon. Future . Evacuating vehicles may create their Road Jurisdiction and Numbering Handbook, maintenance of the roadway is a concern. own lanes or be instructed to do so by was written for FDOT staff representing mul- officials during an evacuation. tiple disciplines and covers the following . Different areas (e.g., different coastal types of jurisdictional transfers: If the affected roadway previously received Federal-Aid funds, the local government to zones) may have different evacuation 1. Jurisdictional changes involving only requirements. which the roadway is being transferred is FDOT (i.e., new State road construction, required to enter into a Project Maintenance 4.14 JURISDICTIONAL TRANSFERS realigned State roads, and vacated State Agreement with FDOT. More information roadway right-of-way) Profile about this is available in the FDOT procedur- 2. Jurisdictional changes involving FDOT al document entitled Inspection of Federal- Jurisdictional transfers of roadways involve and a local government Aid Projects Under Local Jurisdiction. [52] conveying the ownership of and opera- 3. Jurisdictional changes involving FDOT tions/maintenance responsibility for a given and another state agency (e.g., an ex- Impacts: roadway (including sidewalks, bridges, bicy- pressway authority) . N/A cle lanes, railroad crossings, and drainage Factors to consider: elements) from one level of government or The Handbook includes sample transfer agency to another. Table 1 indicates that forms and agreements. It states that the . Coordination with the local government jurisdictional transfers have frequently ac- Districts are responsible for determining . Liability (including liability for contami- companied lane elimination projects in Flor- which office within each District is responsi- nated soils and hazardous pavement ida. Where these lane elimination‒related ble for handling jurisdictional transfers; the conditions) jurisdictional transfers have occurred, FDOT Handbook assumes that this responsibility . National defense has transferred jurisdiction of the affected defaults to the office that tracks SHS mile- . Travel to and through urban areas roadway to a local government. The trans- age. The transfer process may involve mul- . Disaster preparedness and emergency fers reflect the interest of local governments tiple rounds of negotiations, and a local gov- evacuation in being fully engaged in the planning, de- ernment resolution is required for the sec- . Access to intermodal facilities and re- sign, and implementation of the lane elimi- ond type of above-listed transfer. The ap- gional public facilities nation project and the willingness of local provals of the District Secretary and the De- . Existing agreements and obligations governments to take responsibility for the partment Secretary are also required. Juris- . Location of the affected roadway in trib- dictional transfer requests may be initiated al lands

February 2014 | 39

. Continued operation of existing traffic ty is a critical consideration with regards to Factors to consider: monitoring sites in the affected roadway lane elimination projects because lane elim- . Lane elimination elements that can posi- section ination projects impact roadway geometry tively affect freight . Impact on and maintenance of cultural, and access to intermodal centers and busi- ▫ Lane widening ‒ Lane elimination historical, architectural, and archaeolog- nesses. might result in the widening of exist- ical resources ing through lanes. Wider lanes bet- . Coordination with TranStat Issue: Freight Routes and Access ter accommodate trucks (and buses) . Coordination with AASHTO regarding Lane elimination projects may impact the and provide a buffer between requests for US route number changes viability of truck routes as well as business trucks, autos, and bicyclists in bicy- (which may take several months and access and local deliveries. cle lanes. must occur prior to the jurisdictional ▫ Increased commercial development transfer) ‒ The livability benefits associated . Previous use of Federal-Aid funds to It is common for freight organizations to dis- with lane elimination projects (in- construct/improve/maintain the affect- courage lane elimination projects along cluding the addition of multimodal ed roadway truck routes, mainly due to concerns about facilities and a general improvement . Need for public hearings increased congestion leading to increased of roadway aesthetics) can lead to 4.15 FREIGHT ROUTES/ACCESS truck delay and decreased truck reliability. increased economic activity along [53,54] While the effect of lane elimination the roadway corridor. New commer- Profile on delay should be closely considered before cial development could lead to in- The Florida Statutes task FDOT with the fol- lanes are eliminated, additional coordination creased opportunities for freight lowing duties: [41] should be undertaken with the freight com- carriers and other freight-supported . Conducting studies and providing coor- munity even if the lane elimination project is activity. dination to assess needs associated with not be expected to increase delay. . Lane elimination elements that can neg- landside ingress and egress to port facili- Impacts: atively affect freight ties . Any increases in congestion may result ▫ Increased delay ‒ The most common . Coordinating with local governmental in increases in delay and decreases in concern voiced by freight organiza- entities to ensure that port facility ac- travel time reliability. tions related to lane elimination is cess routes are properly integrated with . Decreased curb radii may limit truck the perception that the removal of other transportation facilities movements and/or cause trailer off- through lanes will decrease roadway . Emphasizing freight issues and needs in tracking that can put pedestrians at risk. capacity and, consequently, increase all appropriate transportation plans, in- . Removal of delivery zones may impact delay to trucks. While lane elimina- cluding the Florida Transportation Plan truck access to businesses. tion projects are usually performed and the Strategic Intermodal System . Where there is only one through lane on roadways that operate under ca- Plan per direction after a lane elimination pacity, a change in travel time relia- Thus, FDOT has an interest in accommodat- project, trucks that stop for deliveries bility could significantly affect the ing freight activity on the SHS. Freight activi- are likely to block auto traffic.

40 | Kittelson & Associates, Inc. Statewide Lane Elimination Guidance Phase 1: Resource Document

on-time performance of freight flict between truck routes and a lane Factors to consider: movements. elimination project is to design the lane . Determination of impact area ▫ Decreased turning radii ‒ Careful elimination project around the design . Methodology for predicting changes in consideration must be undertaken vehicle, but this may not always be pos- traffic patterns (e.g., extents of the local regarding the design vehicle and its sible given the goals of the lane elimina- travel demand model) geometric requirements when lane tion project. If trucks can no longer be . Effect of lane elimination on planned elimination projects are implement- accommodated safely or efficiently on a and programmed transportation pro- ed. Curb extensions or other per- truck route after a lane elimination projects in adjacent jurisdictions manent, non-traversable areas that ject is implemented, then any truck . Effects of adjacent jurisdictions' planned are added as part of a lane elimina- route designation may need to be and programmed transportation pro- tion project can be problematic for moved to an alternative route and the jects on the segment where through large vehicles if these treatments are section where lanes have been eliminat- lanes are to be eliminated not designed according to the prop- ed should be signed with truck prohibi- . Near- and long-term assessments er design vehicle. tions or restrictions. . Adjacent jurisdictions' LOS standards . ▫ Lane narrowing ‒ If lane widths are Improvements may be needed to ac- . Incorporation of adjacent communities decreased during a lane elimination commodate trucks on alternate routes. into public outreach efforts . project as a means of adding bicycle Delivery zones and loading areas may . Degree of support from adjacent juris- lanes or other features, large trucks need to be modified or relocated. dictions . may be at increased risk of involve- Future land use plans may include pro- . Associated comprehensive plan amendment in sideswipe and mirror crash- jects that will generate a high level of ments, which require extra-jurisdictional es, depending on the resulting width truck traffic. coordination [33] of the lane and the curvature of the 4.16 EXTRA-JURISDICTIONAL IMPACTS road. Additionally, narrower lanes Issue: Extra-Jurisdictional Impacts mean that there is less space be- Profile The impacts of a lane elimination project may The impacts of a lane elimination project can tween trucks and other road users, extend into adjacent jurisdictions. which can create a sense of discom- manifest outside of the corridor in which the

fort in all users. lane elimination project is located. These impacts may extend into adjacent communi- . In Florida and other states, truck routes 4.17 STRUCTURE/UTILITY IMPACTS ties and jurisdictions. can be officially designated by local authorities, with routes being identified us- Impacts: Profile Lane elimination projects occur within existing a combination of engineering and . Impact on traffic operations in adjacent ing right-of-way, so impacts to structures community input. [54] Most authorities jurisdictions (e.g., increased congestion and utilities are generally limited. Structural tend to sign truck restrictions and pro- due to diverted traffic) and utilities impacts are most likely to occur hibited routes rather than defined . Impact on transportation safety in adja- when the lane elimination project is more routes. The simplest way to avoid a con- cent jurisdictions

February 2014 | 41 complex than simply restriping existing may be needed to maintain obstruction- and sidewalks is relatively low in comparison pavement (e.g., if the lane elimination pro- free sidewalks. to other project cost elements (e.g., variable ject involves widening sidewalks or adding . Relocation of structures may be needed costs of labor and materials). [55] In addi- landscaping). to meet design standards and local ordi- tion, if the lane elimination project leads to nances (e.g., for street lighting uniformi- implementation of a Complete Street, the Issue: Structure/Utility Impacts ty and for sign placement). needs of multiple users can be integrated . Lane elimination projects may impact struc- Structure and utility relocations may im- into the project early, minimizing calls for tures and utilities, even though lane elimina- pact a lane elimination project's mainte- future retrofits in the corridor. [55] tion projects typically occur within existing nance of traffic (MOT) plan. right-of-way. . Lane elimination projects can be coordi- Issue: Costs and Funding nated with utility projects as well as Lane elimination projects are often relatively pavement maintenance projects. low in cost, particularly when coordinated Impacts: . Local governments might propose relo- with other improvement projects. cating overhead utilities underground as . Relocation of traffic signal hardware (e.g., traffic signal poles, controller cabi- part of a lane elimination project. nets, pedestrian push-buttons, and pe- . Conventional traffic signal and street Example lane elimination project costs are destrian signals) lighting infrastructure might be replaced provided in Table 4. Minnesota DOT's pub- . Relocation of signs and sign structures with ornamental infrastructure if a pro- lication entitled Minnesota's Best Practices . Relocation of street lighting posed lane elimination project includes for Pedestrian/Bicyclist Safety [57] provides . Relocation of guardrails and separators corridor beautification elements. the following illustrative costs for lane elimi- on bridges 4.18 COSTS AND FUNDING SOURCES nation projects on four-lane undivided . Relocation/reconstruction of drainage roadways: Profile system elements (e.g., gutters and storm . $16,000 per mile for restriping drains) While a lane elimination project can result in . $500,000 per mile for overlay . Access to utilities (e.g., access to fire hy- significant changes to roadway design, lane . $5 million per mile for reconstruction drants and access to underground utili- elimination projects are typically relatively ties if a raised median is added to the low-cost projects. [55] If a repaving or re- Although lane reduction projects have real cross section in place of existing through construction project is ongoing or pro- construction/implementation costs, they can lanes) grammed, elements of the lane elimination be viewed as long-term investments in the . Installation/modification of irrigation project (e.g., restriping) can be implemented community rather that short-term projects. systems (e.g., if landscaping is added to as part of that repaving or reconstruction [59] A cost-benefit ratio calculated in 2004 the corridor) project so as to save costs. [56] for a lane elimination project in Evansville, IN, indicated that that project's benefits Although lane elimination projects may be Factors to consider: would exceed its costs by a factor of 5.24 perceived as adding "expensive" multimodal . Relocation of traffic signal hardware, after 20 years. [60] features to an existing corridor, the incre- signs, sign structures, and street lighting mental cost of features such as bicycle lanes

42 | Kittelson & Associates, Inc. Statewide Lane Elimination Guidance Phase 1: Resource Document

Table 4. Example Lane Elimination Project Costs

Data Project Context Features of Completed Project Cost* Source

Fourth Plain Boulevard in . Principal arterial . Two lanes w/two-way center turn lane $1,260,000 [3] Vancouver, WA . 12,000 ADT . Bike lanes . Posted speed = 30 mph . ADA ramps . Residential with commercial land uses . Underground utility work . 1.0 mile in length Baxter Street in Athens- . Arterial . Two lanes w/two-way center turn lane $190,000 [3] Clarke County, GA . 20,000 ADT . Bike lanes . Posted speed = 35 mph . Signal modifications . Commercial with residential land uses . 1.9 miles in length US 18 in Clear Lake, IA . State highway . Two lanes with two-way center turn lane $105,000 [3] . 12,000 ADT . Bike lanes . Posted speed = 45 mph . ADA ramps . Commercial with residential land uses . Underground utility work . 1.1 miles in length St. George Street in Toron- . Principal arterial . Two lanes with turn lanes at intersections $3,760,000 [8] to, ON . 16,000 ADT . Total reconstruction . Formerly four lanes . Improved intersections . 1.1 miles in length . Bike lanes . Full tree canopy South Orange Avenue in . Urban arterial . Two 11-17' lanes with two-way center turn lane $1,600,000 [58] South Orange, NJ . Main street . Curb extensions and on-street parking . Formerly four lanes with on-street parking . Landscaped median . New midblock crosswalks (brick-paved) . Benches, planters, and planting beds . Pedestrian-scale lighting *year of expenditure, in U.S. dollars

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Including facilities for multimodal users in a . There may be opportunities to share the bined with a trial period (e.g., conduct- corridor can create opportunities to access costs of studies, design, and implemen- ing the poll or vote before and after the new funding sources. [59] Potential funding tation among multiple stakeholders. trial), it is even more effective. In gen- sources for lane elimination projects include eral, poll and votes should be conducted 4.19 COMMUNITY SUPPORT the federal Transportation Alternatives Pro- in a manner that results in a statistically gram (into which the Safe Routes to School Profile sound representation of all community Program was absorbed), the Transportation Gaining public acceptance for lane elimina- members. Investment Generating Economic Recovery tion projects is important but can be chal- . Media – Creating a web page for the (TIGER) program, the Sustainable Communi- lenging. A study by Vergis and Niemeier [61] project is a way to reach the public. In- ties Challenge grants program, Main Street reports that public support for a lane elimi- teractive blogs enable public participa- programs, Community Development Block nation project is linked to perceived safety, tion. Social media can be used to keep Grants, and various local sources. [55] perceived comfort, volume of bicyclists, and the community up-to-date on the pro- Impacts: expected cross-street congestion. Public ject. Webinars are a means of providing participation is often coordinated with out- access to information. Educating the . The desire to coordinate a lane elimina- reach to elected officials. public about the potential impacts of the tion project with a programmed project lane elimination project is essential. There are multiple tools available to assess might impact the schedule of one or . Workshop – Workshops are a more en- and/or build community support for a lane both of the projects. gaged form of public participation and elimination project. These include the fol- educational outreach. Factors to consider: lowing: . If the lane elimination project leads to . Trial period – Trial periods help gauge Issue: Community Support implementation of a Complete Street, the level of support for a lane elimina- Community support for a lane elimination the needs of multiple users can be inte- tion project through a simulation of the grated into the project early, minimizing project is essential but can be challenging to project. Pilot implementations are a obtain. calls for future retrofits. powerful tool because they provide an . The potential outcomes of lane elimina- opportunity to validate an approach for tion projects are beneficial to the health deployment and show the community Impacts: of communities and the environment. how the project will operate. Executing a The short-term cost of a lane elimination pilot implementation can also uncover . It is not uncommon for a lane elimina- project could be perceived as a long- operability issues and provide an oppor- tion proposal to generate controversy. term investment in sustainability and ac- tunity to address these issues before The strongest objections from the com- tive transportation. roll-out. To effectively prepare for a pilot munity typically come from the stake- . Lane elimination projects that reduce implementation, a detailed approach holders who are afraid of a reduction in crashes can save funding later. [59] and an effective means of monitoring the motorized capacity of the road. . Costs will vary by location and year. [55] should be developed. Commuters, businesses, transit opera- . Poll – A citizens’ poll or vote is another tors, and freight operators usually be- tool for assessing public support. Com- long to this group.

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. Bicyclists and walkers tend to be sup- Other Issues formalized. While many agencies and gov- portive of lane elimination projects, par- ernments make use of information about Person capacity vs. vehicle capacity ticularly when the projects create or en- the impacts of lane elimination when pro- hance bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Alternatives to lane elimination posing or reviewing lane elimination pro- Environmental groups and health advo- Railroad crossings jects, most do not have formal processes or cates tend to favor lane elimination pro- Project schedule guidelines to assist them in their efforts. jects as well. Central Office coordination Few formal processes for reviewing lane Factors to consider: elimination requests exist. . Timing the public outreach effort with

project development 5.0 EXISTING PROCESSES FOR . Ease with which the community can ob- REVIEWING LANE ELIMINATION 5.2 FDOT DISTRICT FOUR DRAFT tain information about the project and PROCESS provide input REQUESTS . Obtaining feedback from an adequately 5.1 INTRODUCTION Overview representative sample of the community The purpose of this chapter is to identify and FDOT District Four's process was developed . Funding community outreach activities describe existing processes for reviewing to create consistency in the District's han- 4.20 OTHER ISSUES lane elimination requests. This information dling of an increasing number of lane elimi- will provide Florida Department of Transpor- nation requests from local governments and Other issues that might be considered in de- tation (FDOT) District staff with examples of other agencies. The process is currently in veloping a procedure for reviewing lane guidelines and processes for reviewing lane draft form. The process is intended to give elimination requests include the following: elimination requests. applicants as much information as early as . Assessment of person capacity in the The processes described in this chapter in- possible to help them decide whether or not corridor instead of vehicle capacity clude the existing FDOT District Four and the lane elimination request is feasible. . Analysis of alternatives to lane elimina- FDOT District Seven processes. Also included Description tion are Michigan DOT's process and the process . Assessment of railroad crossing impacts Table 5 summarizes the characteristics of used in the City of Sunnyvale, California. The . Feasibility of the project schedule the draft District Four review process. Ap- remaining process described in this guide is . FDOT Central Office coordination re- pendix A contains District Four's description a conceptual process outlined by FDOT Dis- quirements of its draft review process. trict Five; the District Five process is transit- The draft District Four process has been cir- focused but contains elements applicable to culated among other FDOT Districts and other types of lane elimination projects. FDOT Central Office. Comments on the pro- Overall, efforts to identify existing processes cess received to date suggest the following for reviewing lane elimination requests re- improvements: vealed that few such processes have been

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. Add a definition of lane elimination to ▫ Consistency with previous Project ▫ Possible relocation of delivery zones the process document. Development and Environment and truck staging areas . Note that towns, TPOs, counties, and (PD&E) commitments ▫ Coordination with the county emer- developers may also be applicants. ▫ Potential impacts to active construc- gency management department and . Consider that local governments without tion projects in the area the regional planning council regard- the technical resources and/or funding ▫ Alternatives to the proposed lane ing hurricane evacuation routes might ask FDOT to conduct lane elimina- elimination ▫ Public involvement documentation tion studies on their behalf. This may ▫ Potential design variances or excep- (in Stage 2 instead of Stage 3) occur through the identification of tions ▫ Conceptual access management plan MPO/TPO priorities and Work Program development. ▫ Benefits to non-automobile modes, ▫ Assessment of modifications to me- including Americans with Disabilities dians and median openings . Note that State roads might also be part of the National Highway System (NHS) or Act (ADA) and transit access im- ▫ Impact on drainage, wetlands, sur- Strategic Highway Network (STRAHNET). provements face waters, and habitats, including . Include access management classifica- ▫ Utility impact assessment and utility how impacts will be mitigated and tion as an issue of concern and a data coordination plan what level of permitting is required need. ▫ Proposed modifications to bridges (if any) . Another issue to address is whether or ▫ Proposed modifications to traffic ▫ Impacts to existing utilities and utili- not federal funding was used to widen a signal and sign structures ty easements and discussion of utility relocations given roadway to its current cross sec- . Consider including a discussion of poten- tion. tial commitments in the initial meeting. ▫ Impacts to existing bridges and traf- . Consider separating the process from This would provide the applicant with fic signal and sign structures the required technical documentation. more guidance for developing the con- ▫ Before-and-after evaluation of mul- There may not be a need to include rep- ceptual implementation plan in the con- timodal level of service (MMLOS) resentatives of each office in all stages. cept report. consistent with the latest edition of . The District Coordinator could conduct a . Consider eliminating the Central Office the FDOT Quality/Level of Service preliminary review of submitted docu- notice requirement in Stage 1, as the Handbook mentation and analyses to ensure that applicant may choose to withdraw the ▫ Consider clarifying that the concept the documentation and analyses are lane elimination request after the initial report should present conceptual complete before they are transmitted to meeting. designs that do not degrade existing all of the offices. . Add the following to the concept report substandard roadway elements. . Clarify the text by replacing "challenges" requirements: ▫ Consider including an application with "fatal flaws." The process should ▫ Volumes and analyses for existing document. only be stopped for fatal flaws. and future no-build and build sce- ▫ Consider requiring the District Secre- . Add the following to the list of topics to narios (not just near- and long-term tary to sign off on the District staff be addressed at the initial meeting: volumes and analyses) recommendation.

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Table 5. Summary of FDOT District Four Lane Elimination Review Process

Under what circumstances is The process is used when an applicant approaches the District to discuss a potential or proposed lane elimination project on a State the process used? road.

To whom does the process The applicant is typically a city, county, or MPO. apply?

What project components are The reviewed project components are: reviewed? . Project location . Project limits . Project length . Proposed change in lane configuration . Project schedule . Transportation analysis . Design plans (conceptual and detailed) The District also review's the applicant's impact assessment (referred to as a concept report). This assessment must include: . Conceptual design plans (including proposed typical sections) that meet FDOT design standards for all transportation modes . Need for any design variations or exceptions . Near- and long-term traffic forecasts with and without the proposed project (with changes in travel patterns clearly shown) . Near- and long-term level of service (LOS) and queuing analyses for intersections and segments in the impact area . Mitigation to address any significant and adverse LOS impacts on State roads and the regional transportation system resulting from the lane elimination . Impact on pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure (e.g., sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and multi-use paths) and connectivity . Impact on transit routes and/or transit stop locations (including appropriateness of turn radii and lane widths) . Impact on trucks and truck routes (including appropriateness of turn radii and lane widths and possible relocation of designated truck routes) . Crash analysis (including five years of crash data for pedestrian/bicycle crashes, three years of crash data for all other types of crashes, identification of high-crash locations, and a Crash Modification Factor assessment) . Conceptual funding plan (including cost estimates and funding sources) . Conceptual implementation plan (including an implementation schedule and a list of the commitments that the applicant will make in support of the lane elimination proposal) At the application stage, the District requires a resolution by the appropriate local government governing body, documentation of public involvement activities and public comment, a final concept report (as applicable), a final funding plan (as applicable), and a final implementation plan (as applicable).

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What issues of concern are Issues of concern are: addressed? . Status of the roadway as an Evacuation Route and/or part of the Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) . Consistency of the proposed project with the applicable Long-Range Transportation Plan, Transit Development Plan, Transporta- tion Improvement Plan, and Comprehensive Plan and with any applicable subarea master plans and visions . Anticipated change (if any) in jurisdictional responsibility for ownership or maintenance of the roadway . Plan for obtaining input and review from businesses, residents, and other stakeholders . Plan for receiving endorsement from elected officials . Impacts to the regional transportation system . Community impacts (e.g., traffic pattern and circulation changes, neighborhood impacts, changes in peak period levels of congestion, consistency with redevelopment plans, site access impacts, impacts on transit service, and impacts on trucks and designated truck routes) What departments or offices The Planning & Environmental Management, Design, Traffic Operations, Modal Development, Maintenance, Permitting, and Legal are involved and to what ex- Offices are equally involved. tent?

To what level of detail is the Initially, District review is high-level and preliminary. Later, the project concept report is reviewed in great detail. request analyzed?

Who coordinates the review? A District Lane Elimination Review Coordinator is assigned. To date, the District Coordinator has represented the Planning & Envi- ronmental Management Office.

How long does the process The process is divided into three stages. The length of the process depends on the speed with which the applicant moves forward. take? Is it phased? Turnaround times for specific District Four staff activities are specified in the draft process document. How much flexibility does the Stage 1 allows for a discussion of analysis requirements and methodology with the applicant. District reviewers are allowed to include process allow? or exclude analysis requirements on a case-by-case basis. District reviewers can opt to require the concept report to address existing posted speed and desired posted speed, evacuation route impacts, the need to add/remove/modify traffic signals, impacts on school crossing locations and/or midblock pedestrian crossing locations, impact on parking supply, and case-specific special considerations such as railroad crossing improvements. Follow-up meetings between the District and applicant may occur as needed. How are jurisdictional trans- Jurisdictional transfers are mentioned but not addressed in detail. The process directs District staff to discuss jurisdictional transfers fers accounted for? with the applicant in Stage 1 of the review process. How is functional classifica- Functional classification is accounted for with respect to a road's status as an Evacuation Route and/or part of the SIS. tion accounted for? Who makes the decision to The District makes the decision to approve or deny a lane elimination request. Central Office staff are updated in each of the three approve or deny a lane elimi- stages of the review process. nation request?

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5.3 FDOT DISTRICT SEVEN DRAFT and mobility. CSS also considers the needs of The threshold of 15,000 vehicles per day is PROCESS multiple transportation modes. based on background information that ac- companies the policy. The background in- Overview District Seven staff report that, as of Sep- tember 9, 2013, two lane elimination re- formation indicates that a volume lower FDOT District Seven's process is currently in quests were withdrawn based on public in- than 15,000 vehicles per day have "a positive draft form. The process begins with an initial put. In three Resurfacing, Restoration, and effect on crash reduction, with only minor or meeting with the applicant, at which time Rehabilitation (RRR) projects, lane elimina- no effect on quality of traffic flow." If the District Seven staff provide the applicant tion was considered but did not move for- volume exceeds 15,000 vehicles per day, the with a Lane Reduction Request Form, re- ward, based on the results of traffic anal- background information indicates that "con- quest the applicant to conduct public in- yses. A citizen-requested lane elimination versions have been successful, but inconven- volvement activities, and request the appli- was determined to be unnecessary and in- ience due to congestion increases" may oc- cation to coordinate with the MPO/TPO, ad- feasible. Two requests in District Seven are cur, so the project must be supported by a jacent jurisdictions, and other agencies that active. traffic analysis and public involvement. The might be affected by the lane elimination background information includes crash re- project. District Seven staff use information 5.4 MICHIGAN DOT PROCESS duction statistics. from the initial meeting and information Overview The policy states that four- to three-lane provided via the form to develop an evalua- The Michigan DOT process takes the form of conversion projects are eligible for Federal- tion methodology. The evaluation is docu- a 2009 policy intended to provide guidance Aid funding if issues related to traffic opera- mented in a report that is submitted to the for evaluating proposed conversions of four- tions, consistency with the LRTP, and public District for review. lane roads to three-lane roads. The policy involvement have been successfully ad- Description was created in response to an increasing dressed. Pilot projects (which should be in Table 6 summarizes the characteristics of statewide level of interest in such conver- place for at least one year) may be eligible the draft District Seven review process. Ap- sions. for Federal-Aid funding, with the agreement of FHWA. pendix B contains the District Seven lane Description reduction request application. The overall Table 7 summarizes the characteristics of Switching back to a four-lane section after process has not been published but was de- the Michigan DOT review process. Appendix non-pilot three-lane implementation will not scribed by District Seven staff for the pur- C contains the Michigan DOT lane elimina- include FHWA participation if Federal-Aid poses of this document. tion policy memorandum. funds were used to create the three-lane The application form states that District Sev- section unless crash analysis, LOS analysis, or en applies a context-sensitive solutions (CSS) unanticipated issues justify it. approach to projects and activities. This approach recognizes to seek input from a range of stakeholders, preserve community features and resources, and balance safety

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Table 6. Summary of FDOT District Seven Lane Elimination Review Process

Under what circumstances is The process is used when an applicant submits an application for a proposed lane elimination project on a State road. the process used?

To whom does the process Applicants include local governments and citizens. apply?

What project components are The application form requires the following: reviewed? . US route number and/or State road number . SIS and FIHS status . NHS designation . Evacuation route status . Roadway identification number . Location of roadway in a protected area . Location of roadway in Multimodal Transportation District, Transportation Concurrency Exception Area, Community Redevelop- ment Area, Dense Urban Land Area, etc. . Project endpoints (including milepoints) . Functional classification . Access classification . Corridor width . Corridor preservation width . Posted speed limit . Roadway design . Unique design features . Pedestrian features . Roadway ownership and whether or not a jurisdictional transfer is being requested . Characteristics of parallel roadways (location, width, speed limit, pedestrian features, on-street parking, and roadway design) . Existing annual average daily traffic (AADT) and LOS . Future AADT and LOS . LOS standard . A.M. peak hour . P.M. peak hour . Traffic signal characteristics (type and location) . Type and frequency of existing transit service

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. Crash analysis . Description of existing conditions and the proposed project . Desired implementation date . Estimated cost . Funding source and implementation plan . Link to bus rapid transit or rail implementation in corridor What issues of concern are Issues of concern are: addressed? . Consistency with LRTP . Consistency with local community vision plan(s) . Consistency with regional trail, bus, and/or rail plans . Anticipated benefits to surrounding community . Effect on local businesses and liability for any damages to businesses . Effect on adjacent communities . Anticipated benefits to regional traffic . Effect on surrounding roadway network . Effect on local transit routes . Public support What departments or offices The Project Development and Analysis section coordinates the review. Comments from other sections in the District are solicited and are involved and to what ex- consolidated. tent?

To what level of detail is the Requested documentation for the methodology meeting includes: request analyzed? . Preliminary traffic studies . Preliminary plans and typical sections (existing and proposed) . Aerial photos . Elected official, stakeholder, and public support documentation . Conceptual cost estimate Who coordinates the review? The Project Development and Analysis section coordinates the review. Comments from other sections in the District are solicited and consolidated. The point of contact on the application is Waddah Farah, Project Development and Analysis Administrator. How long does the process A proposed lane elimination request has yet to make it through the entire process. The process is informally broken into three phas- take? Is it phased? es: initial meeting, application, and review.

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How much flexibility does the Applicants are able to participate in an initial meeting with District Seven staff, at which time they receive the application form and process allow? develop an understanding of the required evaluations and submittals. District staff report that some applicants reconsider lane elimination projects after realizing the extent of analysis required. The application form must be fully completed before District Seven staff will process it. How are jurisdictional trans- The application form explicitly asks if the applicant is requesting a transfer of roadway jurisdiction. fers accounted for?

How is functional classifica- The application form explicitly asks for roadway functional classification. tion accounted for?

Who makes the decision to The District makes the decision to approve or deny a lane elimination request. approve or deny a lane elimination request?

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Table 7. Summary of Michigan DOT Lane Elimination Review Process

Under what circumstances is The process applies to lane elimination projects on the Federal-Aid Highway System. It covers only the conversion of four-lane road- the process used? ways to three-lane roadways.

To whom does the process Applicants include local agencies. The process also applies when Michigan DOT proposes a lane elimination project. apply?

What project components are Lane elimination projects in which four through lanes are converted to two through lanes and one center turn lane are allowed with- reviewed? out further study if (a) the road carries no more than 15,000 vehicles per day and (b) public involvement activities precede the lane elimination request. Michigan DOT will consider lane elimination requests on roads that carry more than 15,000 vehicles per day if public involvement has occurred and a study shows that LOS is not significantly degraded at intersections in or adjacent to the segment where lane elimination is proposed. Documentation of the following must be provided by the applicant if the design year average daily traffic (ADT) exceeds 15,000 vehicles per day: . Operational analysis showing that the three-lane section will operate at LOS C (preferred) or LOS D (if necessary to meet traffic calming and safety needs) . Consistency of the project's design year ADT with the LRTP . Project design life . Public support for the project or for a pilot project What issues of concern are Issues of concern are: addressed? . Involvement of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) . Level of public support (including driver and business community support) . Intersection LOS (i.e., how well the future section will handle traffic demand through the design year) . Environmental impacts (i.e., air quality requirements for lane elimination in an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) non- attainment area and the appropriate type of environmental document) . How to respond to a community that wants to switch back to a four-lane section What departments or offices The process does not state which Michigan DOT departments or offices are involved. are involved and to what ex- FHWA is involved when lane elimination is proposed for a road on the Federal-Aid Highway System. When Federal-Aid funds are to be tent? used to implement the lane elimination project, FHWA processes the lane elimination request as it would the funding of a more typical highway project. The Michigan DOT policy elaborates on the FHWA process. To what level of detail is the Michigan DOT appears to get involved in the design phase, with the expectation that the applicant has proactively conducted public request analyzed? involvement activities.

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Who coordinates the review? Documentation is submitted to the FHWA Area Engineer following review and recommendation by Michigan DOT. How long does the process The duration and phasing of the process are unknown. take? Is it phased?

How much flexibility does the Screening based on AADT thresholds will allow some lane elimination projects to be approved without an operational analysis. Lane process allow? elimination projects for corridors with AADTs in excess of the thresholds will require an operational analysis. The target LOS threshold can be lowered from C to D to accommodate other community goals. Concurrence of Michigan DOT staff is likely required.

How are jurisdictional trans- The process does not discuss jurisdictional transfers. fers accounted for?

How is functional classifica- Functional classification does not appear to be a consideration, although limiting the process to existing interrupted-flow, four-lane tion accounted for? roadways will eliminate most local streets, the largest interrupted-flow highways, and all limited-access facilities.

Who makes the decision to Documentation is submitted to the FHWA Area Engineer following review and recommendation by Michigan DOT. approve or deny a lane elimination request?

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5.5 CITY OF SUNNYVALE (CALIFORNIA) 5.6 FDOT DISTRICT FIVE CONCEPTUAL 5.7 SUMMARY OF EXISTING LANE PROCESS PROCESS ELIMINATION REVIEW PROCESSES Overview Overview As noted in the introduction section of this document, few lane elimination review pro- The City of Sunnyvale process is rooted in District Five has prepared a conceptual cesses have been formally documented. policy language in the City's General Plan. A framework for evaluating lane elimination Given the complexity of lane elimination "Policy on the Allocation of Street Space" requests when such requests are intended projects, formal documentation of a review was proposed by the City's Bicycle and Pe- to create a dedicated transit lane. This process is likely to be beneficial to reviewers destrian Advisory Commission and adopted framework has not been finalized or applied. in that it provides a checklist of issues to as- by the City Council in 2009. The Council The purposes of the conceptual framework sess. Formal documentation of a process is amended the General Plan in 2011 to incor- are the following: also likely to be beneficial to applicants be- porate the policy. The purpose of the policy . Assist the District in ascertaining wheth- cause it clarifies the level of analysis that is is "to provide direction on how to consider er or not a proposed dedicated transit needed for District reviewers to comprehen- all modes of transportation when allocating lane is consistent with the goals of the sively review a lane elimination request. roadway space, particularly in situations that community and region could require the removal of travel lanes [or] . Assist the District in ascertaining wheth- Existing formal processes for reviewing lane on-street parking...." Application of this pol- er or not a proposed dedicated transit icy generally includes conducting a standard- elimination requests are all concerned with lane is consistent with FDOT's mission project funding, community support, and ized set of evaluations and completing a . Assist communities in implementing pro- impacts on traffic operations. standardized evaluation table. jects that are consistent with FDOT's Most existing formal processes for reviewing Description mission lane elimination requests are concerned with Table 8 summarizes the characteristics of FDOT's mission is providing a safe transpor- environmental impacts, safety impacts, con- the City of Sunnyvale analysis and review tation system "that ensures the mobility of sistency with planned and programmed projects, and the needs of pedestrians and bicy- process. Appendix D contains the City's people and goods, enhances economic pros- clists. "Policy on the Allocation of Street Space" perity, and preserves the quality of our envi- and examples of how it has been used. ronment and communities." City staff note that it is not always possible Description to meet all objectives within the available Table 9 summarizes the characteristics of right-of-way. In such cases, safety takes the District Five conceptual review process. precedence over capacity and providing for Appendix E contains District Five's conceptu- multimodal travel takes precedence over al framework. providing on-street parking.

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Table 8. Summary of City of Sunnyvale Lane Elimination Review Process

Under what circumstances is City staff can propose a lane elimination project to support other City initiatives (e.g., maximizing the accommodation of pedestrians the process used? and bicyclists on City streets).

To whom does the process The process guides City staff and members of the City Council. apply?

What project components are City staff prepare the following analyses: reviewed? . Environmental review (conducted with respect to the California Environmental Quality Act; some projects may be exempt; some projects may require the completion of a checklist and identification of environmental mitigation projects) . Fiscal impact (summary of city and/or grant funds available to implement the lane elimination) . Public contact (documentation of public notices, public involvement events, publicly available project information, and comments received from the public) . Parking impact assessment (documentation of on- and off-street parking demand and occupancy, if applicable) The existing roadway configuration and multiple alternatives are assessed with respect to criteria and standards in a standardized evaluation table. These criteria and standards are: . Vehicle travel lane width (standard: 10 feet) . Parking lane width (standard: 8 feet) . Bike lane width (standard: 4-5 feet) . Buffer zones, if included (standard: N/A) . A.M. peak hour intersection LOS (standard: LOS D) . P.M. peak hour intersection LOS (standard: LOS D) . Roadway capacity (standard: 10,000 vehicles/day/lane) . Sidewalks (standard: present) . Crash reduction potential (standard: "high") . Crosswalk installation potential (standard: low travel speed/volume) . Speed compatibility and speed reduction potential (standard: 85th percentile speed > 5 mph greater than posted speed when posted speed is < 45 mph) Data are collected such that City staff can evaluate the above items. For example, City staff conduct a speed study. What issues of concern are Issues of concern are: addressed? . Environmental impacts . Fiscal impacts . Public involvement . Safety . Meeting design criteria and standards . Parking impact

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What departments or offices City Public Works staff conduct the required analyses. are involved and to what extent?

To what level of detail is the City staff review proposed lane elimination projects with respect to environmental impacts, fiscal impacts, and public involvement, request analyzed? based on recent examples of how the policy has been applied.

Who coordinates the review? City Public Works staff coordinate the required analyses and the presentation of results to the City Council. How long does the process The duration of the process is unknown. It is not phased. take? Is it phased? How much flexibility does the The process appears to require multiple analysis alternatives. City staff appear to have discretion in developing the alternatives and process allow? designing the analyses.

How are jurisdictional trans- The policy appears to apply only to City streets. fers accounted for?

How is functional classifica- Functional classification does not appear to be a consideration, although it might influence roadway design criteria and standards. tion accounted for?

Who makes the decision to The City Council makes the final decision based on a staff report. approve or deny a lane elimination request?

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Table 9. Summary of FDOT District Five Conceptual Lane Elimination Review Process

Under what circumstances is The process applies when a local government or other agency proposes converting general-purpose through lanes on a State roadway the process used? to dedicated transit lanes.

To whom does the process The process applies to communities, municipalities, and regions. apply?

What project components are The framework considers three general project elements: reviewed? . Community commitment (consistency with the goals, commitments, and actions of the community and region) . Technical analyses (traffic operations and impacts) . Implementation feasibility (funding and approvals) Implementation feasibility is assessed only if the District determines that there is adequate community commitment behind the proposed lane elimination project and the project is technically feasible. Technical analyses should address the following: . Existing and future roadway capacity . Existing and future delay . Short- and long-term person throughput . Short- and long-term LOS . Short- and long-term traffic impacts on adjacent roadways What issues of concern are Issues of concern are: addressed? . Support of community and regional leadership bodies . Existing transit ridership and ridership trends . Potential for existing and/or proposed land uses to increase transit ridership . Adoption of transit-supportive land uses in the comprehensive plan . Inclusion of the transit service that will use the dedicated lane in the LRTP, transit agency’s vision, or TDP . Satisfying the community and region's adopted LOS standards . General feasibility of roadway configuration scenarios and concepts of operations (using adopted land uses) . Extra-jurisdictional impacts and willingness of adjacent jurisdictions to support inclusion of the dedicated lane project in the LRTP . Identification and securement of funding for detailed planning and engineering What departments or offices The review team should consist of traffic, roadway design, transit, and community planning experts who are experienced in urban are involved and to what ex- transportation and community development issues. tent?

To what level of detail is the The conceptual process focuses on traffic operations and person throughput. The conceptual process does not discuss pedestrian and request analyzed? bicycle issues or access to transit.

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Who coordinates the review? The process is conceptual, but it is possible that the District's Intermodal Systems Development office would coordinate a lane elimination request review. How long does the process The duration of the process is unknown. take? Is it phased?

How much flexibility does the If the technical analyses do not justify the lane elimination project or show technical feasibility, District staff may provide guidance process allow? and suggest milestones to the applicant to strengthen the lane elimination request. How are jurisdictional trans- The process does not discuss jurisdictional transfers. fers accounted for? How is functional classifica- The process does not discuss functional classification. tion accounted for?

Who makes the decision to It is likely that the District makes the decision to approve or deny a lane elimination request. approve or deny a lane elimination request?

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Other observations about the review pro- tions under which specific analysis re- dence and how state roadway right-of- cesses contained in this document are the quirements are applicable). way is to be used? following: . Two of the processes acknowledge the . Only one process requires applicants to . All of the processes are explicitly or im- possibility of pilot (temporary) imple- analyze multiple build alternatives. plicitly limited to review of lane elimina- mentations of lane elimination projects, . All of the processes are concerned with tion requests on specific types of road- but only one provides details about how the following issues: ways (e.g., state roadways, city road- a pilot implementation is to be accom- ▫ Funding proposed lane elimination ways, and four-lane roadways). Howev- plished and evaluated. Associated issues projects er, the review process principles are for the Districts to consider include the ▫ Obtaining community support for generally applicable to a wider range of following: proposed lane elimination projects roadway types. ▫ Under what conditions should a pilot ▫ Analyzing traffic operations impacts . Most of the processes described in this implementation be required? in the affected corridor and in a document do not include specific criteria ▫ How long should a pilot implementa- larger area of impact tion remain in place before it is against which proposed lane elimination Districts may wish to include these is- evaluated? projects are to be reviewed. (The specif- sues in their processes. ic criteria that are provided take the ▫ How should a pilot implementation . Most of the processes mention the fol- form of LOS standards, ADT thresholds, be evaluated, who conducts the lowing issues: and geometric design criteria.) Districts evaluation, and who pays for the ▫ Analyzing environmental impacts may wish to include detailed evaluation evaluation? ▫ Analyzing safety impacts criteria (e.g., MMLOS standards) in their ▫ If the community does not like the ▫ Consistency of the lane elimination lane elimination review processes. pilot roadway section, who is re- project with adopted plans and vi- . Most of the processes do not specify the sponsible for restoring the roadway sions extent to which analysis requirements to its original cross section? Who and review standards may be sensitive pays for restoring the roadway to its ▫ Pedestrian and bicyclist needs to the purpose of the lane elimination original cross section? Districts may wish to include these is- project and/or the specific features of . Only one process addresses the issue of sues in their processes. the lane elimination project. A process precedence when right-of-way is con- . Most of the processes specifically re- may ask the applicant to provide the strained. If right-of-way in a corridor is quire short- and long-term analyses. functional classification of the affected constrained to the point where through . The three FDOT Districts' processes roadway, for example, but it does not lane elimination is a potential means of acknowledge a degree of phasing or necessarily indicate the use to which re- creating space for other roadway ele- staging in the lane elimination review viewers will put that information. Dis- ments, which of those other roadway el- process. The District Four and District tricts may wish to clarify how they will ements are the most important? For ex- Seven draft procedures include three use the information provided in a lane ample, is on-street parking more im- stages, while the District Five conceptual elimination application (i.e., the condi- portant than bicycle lanes? Do District procedure includes two stages. staff have a vision that defines prece-

60 | Kittelson & Associates, Inc. Statewide Lane Elimination Guidance Phase 1: Resource Document

. The District Four procedure includes transit/Pages/LaneWidthonBus Safe- 15. Right of Way Procedures Manual. Sec- FDOT Central Office notice require- ty.pdf. tion 10.6. FDOT, Tallahassee, FL, October ments. The Michigan DOT procedure in- 6. Accessing Transit: Design Handbook for 2012. Available at http://www.dot.state. cludes FHWA notice requirements. Florida Bus Passenger Facilities. Version fl.us/rightofway/documents/ROWmanu . The Michigan DOT procedure allows for III. FDOT, Tallahassee, FL, 2013. Available al/ch10s06.pdf. the approval of lane elimination projects at http://www.dot.state.fl.us/transit/ 16. C. McCormick. York Boulevard: The Eco- on lower-volume roadways without Pages/2013AccessingTransitFinal.pdf. nomics of a Road Diet. UCLA Luskin preparation of an operational analysis. 7. Typical Sections for Exclusive Transit School of Public Affairs, Los Angeles, CA, Districts may wish to consider establish- Running Ways. Final Report. FDOT, Tal- 2012. Available at http://la.streetsblog. ing thresholds under which analysis re- lahassee, FL, June 2013. Available at org/wp-content/pdf/york_blvd_final_ quirements are simplified. http://www.dot.state.fl.us/transit/Pages report_compress.pdf. /TypicalSectionsExclusiveTransitRunning 17. "El Cajon's Road Diet." Pedestrian and 6.0 REFERENCES ways.pdf. Bicycle Information Center, accessed 1. "Rightsizing Streets." Project for Public 8. D. Burden and P. Lagerway. Road Diets: December 16, 2013. Available at Spaces, accessed December 13, 2013. Fixing the Big Roads. Walkable Commu- http://katana.hsrc.unc.edu/cms/downlo Available at http://www.pps.org nities, Inc., March 1999. ads/ENG.ElCajon'sRoadDiet.pdf. /reference/rightsizing/. 9. Highway Capacity Manual. Transporta- 18. Smart Growth America and National 2. Tan, C.H. Going on a Road Diet. FHWA- tion Research Board, Washington, D.C., Complete Streets Coalition. "Implement- HRT-11-006. FHWA, Washington, D.C., 2010. ing Complete Streets: Sustainable Com- September-October 2011. 10. D. Burden. "Livability and the Role of plete Streets." National Complete 3. Kittelson & Associates, Inc., “Road Diets Transportation." Presentation. Walkable Streets Coalition, Washington, D.C., – White Paper.” Portland, OR, January and Livable Communities Institute, Feb- 2010. 11, 2011. ruary 2013. 19. "National Environmental Policy Act 4. Missouri DOT, Missouri LTAP, and Mis- 11. Manual on Uniform Traffic Control De- (NEPA)." Web page. EPA, Washington, souri Coalition for Roadway Safety. Traf- vices. 2009 Edition with revisions. FHWA, D.C., updated June 25, 2012. fic Practices: A Guidebook for City & Washington, D.C., May 2012. 20. "Design Standards for Design, Construc- County Agencies. Missouri Coalition for 12. Urban Street Design Guidelines. City of tion, Maintenance, and Utility Opera- Roadway Safety, published after 2009. Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 2007. tions on the State Highway System." 5. University of North Florida and FAMU- 13. J. A. Rosales, Road Diet Handbook: Set- Year 2014. FDOT, Tallahassee, FL, 2013. FSU College of Engineering. Integrating ting Trends for Livable Streets. Second Available at Transit into Traditional Neighborhood Edition. Parsons Brinckerhoff, New York http://www.dot.state.fl.us/rddesign/Des Design Policies - The Influence of Lane City, NY, July 2007. ignStandards/Standards.shtm. Width on Bus Safety. Final Report. 14. D. Shoup. The High Cost of Free Parking. 21. Plans Preparation Manual. FDOT, Talla- FDOT, Tallahassee, FL, June 2010. Avail- University of California-Berkeley, Berke- hassee, FL, July 1 2013. Available at able at http://www.dot.state.fl.us/ ley, CA, 1997. http://www.dot.state.fl.us/rddesign/PP MManual/PPM.shtm.

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22. Work Program Instructions. Tentative cy/metrosupport/mpohandbook/ 37. FHWA Urban Boundary and Federal Work Program – FY 14/15-18/19. FDOT, ch5.pdf. Functional Classification Handbook. Tallahassee, FL, September 30, 2013. 29. FDOT. "STIP Information." Available at FDOT, Tallahassee, FL, April 4, 2003. Available at http://www.dot.state.fl.us/programdeve Available at http://www.dot.state.fl.us/ http://www.dot.state.fl.us/programdeve lopmentoffice/federal/stip.shtm. planning/statistics/hwysys/fchand lopmentoffice/Development/PDF In- 30. Florida Administrative Code, Rule 14- book.pdf. structions/WorkProgramInstructions.pdf 73.001. Available at 38. "Surface Transportation Program (STP)." 23. Florida Statutes, Chapter 339.135. https://www.flrules.org/gateway/RuleN FHWA. Accessed November 25, 2013. Available at http://www.flsenate.gov/ o.asp?id=14-73.001. Available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ Laws/Statutes/2013/339.135. 31. DEO. "Amendment Submittal and Pro- map21/stp.cfm. 24. Title 23 CFR. Revised April 1, 2011. cessing Guidelines." Available at 39. Multimodal Transportation Districts and Available at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/ http://www.floridajobs.org/community- Areawide Quality of Service Handbook. pkg/CFR-2011-title23-vol1/pdf/CFR- planning-and-development/programs/ FDOT, Tallahassee, FL, 2003. Available at 2011-title23-vol1.pdf. comprehensive-planning/amendment- http://www.reconnectingamerica.org/as 25. Florida Statutes, Chapter 339.175. submittal-and-processing-guidelines. sets/Uploads/bestpractice098.pdf. Available at 32. Florida Statutes, Chapter 163.3177. 40. "Florida Highway Systems, Numbering http://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/ Available at http://www.flsenate. and Jurisdiction." FDOT, Tallahassee, FL, 2013/339.175. gov/Laws/Statutes/2013/163.3177. accessed November 26, 2013. Available 26. FDOT. "Florida LRTP Amendment 33. Florida Statutes, Chapter 163.3184. at http://www.dot.state.fl.us/planning/ Thresholds." August 7, 2013. Available Available at http://www.flsenate.gov/ statistics/hwysys/. at http://www.dot.state.fl.us/planning Laws/Statutes/2013/163.3184. 41. Florida Statutes, Chapter 334. Available /Policy/metrosupport/lrtpamdmtthresh. 34. FDOT and FHWA. Final Guidance for at http://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/ Stat- pdf. Meeting Planning Requirements for utes/2013/Chapter334. 27. FDOT. Metropolitan Planning Organiza- NEPA Approval. Forthcoming. 42. Florida Statutes, Chapter 335. Available tion Program Management Handbook. 35. Highway Functional Classification: Con- at http://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/ Stat- "Long-Range Transportation Plan" chap- cepts, Criteria and Procedures. FHWA, utes/2013/Chapter335. ter. May 7, 2012. Available at Washington, D.C., 2013. Available at 43. "Policy: Context Sensitive Solutions." http://www.dot.state.fl.us/planning/ http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/ FDOT, Tallahassee, FL, November 20, Policy/metrosupport/mpohandbook/ processes/statewide/related/highway_ 2008. Available at http://www2.dot. ch4.pdf. functional_classifications/fcauab.pdf. state.fl.us/proceduraldocuments/proced 28. FDOT. Metropolitan Planning Organiza- 36. "Guidance for the Functional Classifica- ures/bin/000650002.pdf. tion Program Management Handbook. tion of Highways (Updated)." FHWA, 44. "Policy: Major Urban Corridor Studies." "Transportation Improvement Program" Washington, D.C., October 14, 2008. FDOT, Tallahassee, FL, September 20, chapter. July 3, 2012. Available at Available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ 2007. Available at http://www2.dot. http://www.dot.state.fl.us/planning/Poli policy/ohpi/hpms/fchguidance.cfm. state.fl.us/proceduraldocuments/proced ures/bin/000725010.pdf.7

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45. Road Jurisdiction and Numbering Hand- 001. FDOT, Tallahassee, FL, January 58. R. Ewing and M. King. Flexible Design of book. FDOT, Tallahassee, FL, July 20, 2008. Available at http://www2.dot. New Jersey's Main Streets. New Jersey 2006. Available at http://www.dot. state.fl.us/proceduraldocuments/proced DOT, Trenton, NJ, 2002. Available at state.fl.us/planning/statistics/hwysys/jur ures/bin/850065001.pdf. http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/p isdictionhandbook.pdf. 53. E. Barnett. “Freight Interests’ Dire Pre- ublicat/flexibledesign.pdf. 46. Florida Statutes, Chapter 339.63. Avail- dictions About Road Diets Not Borne Out 59. "Costs." Fact sheet. National Complete able at http://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/ By Data.” Publicola at SeattleMet. March Streets Coalition, Washington, D.C., Statutes/2013/339.63. 31, 2011. Available at http://www. seat- 2010. Available at http://www.smart 47. "Enterprise Strategic Intermodal Sys- tlemet.com/news-and-profiles/public growthamerica.org/complete- tem." FDOT, Tallahassee, FL, accessed ola/articles/freight-interests-dire- streets/implementation/factsheets/ November 27, 2013. Available at predictions-about-road-diets-not-borne- costs. http://www.dot.state.fl.us/planning/sis/ out-by-data. 60. D. Stensaas. "Lincoln Avenue Road Diet: esis.shtm. 54. J. Maus. “Freight Committee: ‘Postpone A Prescription for Health." Presentation. 48. "A Guide to Federal-Aid Programs and any advancement’ of Barbur road diet.” Evansville MPO, Evansville, IN, 2008. Projects: Introduction." FHWA, Wash- BikePortland.org. October 10, 2013. Available at http://www.indianampo. ington, D.C., accessed November 26, Available at http://bikeportland.org/ com/PDF/Presentations/P10Stensas.pdf. 2013. Available at http://www.fhwa. 2013/10/10/freight-committee- 61. S. Vergis and D. Neimeier. Understand- dot.gov/federalaid/projects.pdf#intro. postpone-any-advancement-of-barbur- ing How Public Perceptions of Road Diets 49. Florida Administrative Code, Rule 14-97. road-diet-95306. are Formed. Institute of Transportation Available at https://www.flrules.org/ 55. Complete Streets: Guide to Answering Studies, University of California, Davis, gateway/ChapterHome.asp?Chapter=14- the Costs Question. National Complete CA, September 2012. 97. Streets Coalition, Washington, D.C.,

50. Nozzi, D. “Economic Merits of Road Diets 2013. Available at http://www.smart and Traffic Calming.” Walkable Streets growthamerica.org/documents/cs/ re- blog. August 17, 2003. Available at sources/cs-answering-the-costs- http://walkablestreets.wordpress.com/2 question.pdf. 003/08/17/economic-merits-of-road- 56. "Costs Concerns." Fact sheet. National diets-and-traffic-calming/ Complete Streets Coalition, Washington, 51. FDOT. Road Jurisdiction and Number D.C., 2010. Available at http://www. Procedure. Topic No. 525-020-010. smartgrowthamerica.org/complete- FDOT, Tallahassee, FL, July 2006. Availa- streets/implementation/cost-concerns. ble at http://www2.dot.state.fl.us/ pro- 57. Minnesota's Best Practices for Pedestri- ceduraldocu- an/Bicycle Safety. Minnesota DOT, Ro- ments/procedures/bin/525020010.pdf. seville, MN, September 2013. Available 52. Inspection of Federal-Aid Projects Under at http://www.dot.state.mn.us/ re- Local Jurisdiction. Topic No. 850-065- search/TS/2013/201322.pdf.

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APPENDIX A: FDOT DISTRICT FOUR DRAFT PROCESS

FDOT DISTRICT FOUR DRAFT LANE ELIMINATION REVIEW AND APPROVAL PROCESS FEBRUARY 13, 2013

With a growing interest from local municipalities requesting the elimination of lanes on State roadways, the following review and approval process was developed to assure consistency in FDOT’s handling of these requests. This process is a refinement of a process that was developed and implemented in October 2008 in District Four.

The FDOT Lane Elimination Review and Approval Process is a three-stage process:

1. Initial Meeting 2. Interim Meeting and Concept Report 3. Formal Application

The stages of the process are outlined below. Coordination of the Lane Elimination Review and Approval Process is the responsibility of the District Lane Elimination Review Coordinator. The process engages a multi-disciplined review team with representatives from the Planning & Environmental Management, Design, Traffic Operations, Modal Development, Maintenance, Permitting, and Legal offices.

STAGE 1: INITIAL MEETING

Goal District Deliverable(s) Notice Requirement Obtain preliminary information about  Identification of any issues that prevent the Send notice to Central Office (Public the proposed lane elimination project application from moving forward Involvement Office) that the District from the applicant and provide  List of items to be discussed at the Initial Meeting has been contacted about a lane preliminary feedback on the process  List of items to be evaluated in more detail by the elimination proposal. requirements and feasibility of the applicant in Stage 2 concept.  Initial Meeting summary

The Lane Elimination Review and Approval Process is initiated when the applicant (typically a city, county, or MPO) meets with the District for the first time to discuss a potential or proposed lane elimination project. The Initial Meeting will be arranged by the District Coordinator, who will be responsible for inviting the District's multi-disciplined reviewers to the Initial Meeting and providing them with any materials transmitted by the applicant in advance of the meeting. The purpose of the Initial Meeting is the sharing of preliminary information about the proposed project, discussion of key issues, and a discussion of FDOT concerns.

Typically, this meeting is an opportunity for the applicant to gain an understanding of the Lane Elimination Review and Approval Process. District reviewers are not required to prepare consolidated comments in advance of the Initial Meeting.

A copy of this process document will be provided to the applicant when the date, time, and location for the Initial Meeting have been established.

The applicant should be prepared to discuss the following items at a preliminary, conceptual level at the Initial Meeting:

. Basic information about the proposed project  Project location  Project limits  Project length  Proposed change in lane configuration  Project schedule  Conceptual plan (if available) . Status of the roadway as an Evacuation Route and/or part of the Strategic Intermodal System . Consistency of the proposed project with the applicable Long-Range Transportation Plan, Transit Development Plan, Transportation Improvement Plan, and Comprehensive Plan and with any applicable subarea master plans and visions . Existing and historical traffic counts . Proposed use(s) for the right-of-way after the lane is eliminated (e.g., widened sidewalks, bicycle lanes, landscaping, on- street parking, and transit lanes) . Existing right-of-way width and any proposed changes to the right-of-way width . Anticipated change (if any) in jurisdictional responsibility for ownership or maintenance of the roadway . Plan for obtaining input and review from businesses, residents, and other stakeholders . Plan for receiving endorsement from elected officials . Initial (qualitative) assessment of impacts to the regional transportation system and community impacts:  Traffic pattern and circulation changes  Neighborhood impacts  Changes in peak period levels of congestion  Consistency with redevelopment plans  Site access impacts  Impacts on transit service (e.g., re-routing and relocation of bus stops)  Impacts on trucks and designated truck routes . Ideas for funding sources . Potential implementation strategy

At the Initial Meeting, District reviewers will identify any challenges that may make it infeasible for the applicant to proceed with the proposed lane elimination project. If no such challenges are identified, District reviewers at the Initial Meeting will prepare a list of elements for the applicant to analyze in detail and provide to the District in the form of a concept report. The concept report will be discussed at the Interim Meeting in Stage 2. The District Coordinator will also send notice to Central Office (Public Involvement Office) that the District has been contacted about a lane elimination proposal. The District Coordinator will provide a summary of the Initial Meeting as well as the list of elements to be addressed in Stage 2 to the applicant and to the District reviewers.

If the affected roadway segment is part of a corridor for which premium transit service is planned or if the eliminated lane is intended to be dedicated to transit, additional requirements may apply. If a jurisdictional transfer of the roadway is part of the project, additional requirements will apply. These additional requirements will be discussed at the Initial Meeting.

STAGE 2: INTERIM MEETING AND CONCEPT REPORT

Goal District Deliverable(s) Notice Requirement Obtain a detailed  Consolidated review comments Send notice to Central Office evaluation of the  Interim Meeting summary (Public Involvement Office) that proposed lane elimination  List of conditions to be met for approval of lane elimination the District has received and project from the applicant application reviewed a concept report and provide review  Correspondence stating if FDOT is receptive to the concept and supporting a proposed lane comments. advancing to the formal application in Stage 3 elimination project.

The purpose of the Interim Meeting is to discuss the results of the detailed analysis conducted by the applicant following the Initial Meeting. The applicant will provide a complete concept report that summarizes this analysis to the District Coordinator no less than two weeks in advance of the Interim Meeting so that District reviewers have adequate opportunity to review the report. District reviewers' comments on the concept report will be consolidated by the District Coordinator in advance of the Interim Meeting and shared at the meeting for the purposes of discussion.

The concept report requirements and the items to be discussed at the Interim Meeting will be identified at the Initial Meeting. The following elements, along with the supporting documents for the items discussed at the initial meeting, will be required for all concept reports:

. Conceptual design plans (including proposed typical sections) that meet FDOT design standards for all transportation modes . Need for any design variations or exceptions . Near- and long-term traffic forecasts with and without the proposed project (with changes in travel patterns clearly shown) . Near- and long-term level of service (LOS) and queuing analyses for intersections and segments in the impact area

. Mitigation to address any significant and adverse LOS impacts on State roads and the regional transportation system resulting from the lane elimination . Impact on pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure (e.g., sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and multi-use paths) and connectivity . Impact on transit routes and/or transit stop locations (including appropriateness of turn radii and lane widths) . Impact on trucks and designated truck routes (including appropriateness of turn radii and lane widths and possible relocation of designated truck routes) . Crash analysis  Crash data and summary (five years of crash data for pedestrian/bicycle crashes and three years of crash data for all other types of crashes)  Identification of high-crash locations (by crash type) and locations on FDOT's 5% list (i.e., the list of the 5% of segments with the highest number of crashes)  Estimate of the potential increase or decrease in crashes using Crash Modification Factors (CMFs) from the Highway Safety Manual, CMFs from the Federal Highway Administration CMF website, or other appropriate methodologies . Conceptual funding plan (including cost estimates and funding sources) . Conceptual implementation plan (including an implementation schedule and a list of the commitments that the applicant will make in support of the lane elimination proposal)

The following elements may be required for a given concept report:

. Existing posted speed and desired posted speed after the lane elimination . Evacuation Route impacts . The need to add, remove, or modify traffic signals . Impacts on school crossing locations and/or midblock pedestrian crossing locations . Impact on parking supply . Case-specific special considerations (e.g., railroad crossing improvements)

Following discussion of District reviewers' comments on the concept report, District staff and the applicant will jointly determine if further analysis is needed. A follow-up meeting may be scheduled by the District Coordinator to resolve outstanding comments and concerns.

The District may opt to provide informal conceptual approval at this stage. Conceptual approval is not formal approval of the proposed lane elimination. It is simply a statement that the District is receptive to moving forward to Stage 3 and does not object to the applicant’s project as a concept. Further analysis to address District reviewers' comments and concerns may be required in support of a formal application for lane elimination.

At the conclusion of the Interim Meeting, the District Coordinator will send notice to Central Office (Public Involvement Office) that a concept report for a proposed lane elimination project has been received and reviewed by the District. The District Coordinator

will also provide a summary of the Interim Meeting to the applicant and to the District reviewers. The summary will include a list of items to be addressed before the District will approve a formal application for lane elimination in Stage 3.

STAGE 3: FORMAL APPLICATION

Goal District Deliverable(s) Notice Requirement Approve (or deny) the  Approval (or denial) Send notice to Central Office (Secretary) that the District has application for lane elimination. letter reviewed a formal application for lane elimination and is recommending approval (or denial) of the application.

In Stage 3, the applicant submits the following documents to the District Coordinator:

. Formal application requesting the lane elimination . Resolution documenting project approval by the appropriate city or county body (e.g., commission resolution or formal letter) . Documentation that public involvement activities were noticed and occurred . Summary of concerns and supportive comments that were voiced at the public meeting(s) or provided through written communication to the applicant, along with discussion of how any concerns were addressed . Final concept report (as applicable) . Final funding plan (as applicable) . Final implementation plan (as applicable) The District Coordinator will review the formal application and supporting documents, with input from District staff as needed. The District will send notice to Central Office (Secretary) that the applicant has submitted an application for lane elimination, it has been reviewed by the District, and the District has made a recommendation for approval (or denial). After receiving approval from the Secretary, the District Coordinator will inform the applicant that the application for lane elimination has been approved (or denied). A before-and-after study or a pilot implementation of the concept may be a condition of approval of the application.

PROCESS SUMMARY

The flowchart below summarizes the three-stage Lane Elimination Review and Approval Process.

Start

Stage 1 (Initial Meeting) 

Yes Are fatal flaws identified?

No Stage 2 (Interim Meeting)

Applicant revises report. Is technical No Follow-up meetings occur report adequate? as necessary.

Yes 

Stage 3 (Formal Application)

Does application No Applicant revises satisfy approval application to meet prerequisites? approval prerequisites.

Yes Approve application (possibly with conditions). 

End

 = Central Office notification

APPENDIX B: FDOT DISTRICT SEVEN DRAFT PROCESS

FDOT DISTRICT SEVEN DRAFT LANE REDUCTION PROCESS AND REQUEST FORM

The District Seven Lane Reduction Process includes an initial meeting with the applicant wherein the applicant receives the Lane Reduction Request Form. Based on the initial meeting and the form, a methodology is developed for a report to be submitted to District Seven for review. The initial meeting also requests that the applicant undertake public involvement activities and coordinate with the MPO, neighboring jurisdictions, and other relevant agencies.

APPENDIX C: MICHIGAN DOT PROCESS

MICHIGAN DOT LANE REDUCTION POLICY AND PROCESS

The Michigan FHWA Division Office issued a 2009 memo on the Michigan Operation Manual providing policy guidance on conversion of 4 to 3 lane facilities signed by the Division administrator. In sum, it indicates willingness to approve road diets on the federal aid system for roadways up to 15,000 vpd without further study, provided that proactive public involvement activities preceded the request, and it also indicated a willingness to consider road diets on higher use facilities up to and beyond 20,000 vpd provided that proactive public involvement also occurred and that study determined there was no significant deterioration in service flow quality of intersections in, or adjacent to, the road diet. The memo also clearly recognizes that it does not exempt these projects from review by the interagency work group in non-attainment and maintenance areas or from environmental clearances or other project reviews.

APPENDIX D: CITY OF SUNNYVALE (CA) PROCESS

CITY OF SUNNYVALE (CALIFORNIA) LANE REDUCTION PROCESS AND EVALUATION SUMMARY

—"Report to Mayor and Council," City of Sunnyvale, Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC), August 20, 2012

[Other assessments included in a typical BPAC report are environmental review, fiscal impact, and public contact. An evaluation summary table may be prepared for lane elimination requests as well.]

[The following language is from the City's General Plan.]

Policy LT-5.5 Support a variety of transportation modes.

LT-5.5a Promote alternate modes of travel to the automobile.

LT-5.5b Require sidewalk installation in subdivisions of land and in new, reconstructed, or expanded development.

LT-5.5c Support land uses that increase the likelihood of travel mode split.

LT-5.5d Maximize the provision of bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

LT-5.5e Implement the City of Sunnyvale Bicycle Plan.

LT-5.5f Support an efficient and effective paratransit service and transportation facilities for people with special transportation needs.

LT-5.5g Ensure safe and efficient pedestrian and bicycle connections to neighborhood transit stops.

LT-5.5h Work to improve bus service within the City, including linkages to rail.

Policy LT-5.6 Minimize expansion of the current roadway system, which maximizing opportunities for alternative transportation systems and related programs.

LT-5.6a Develop clear, safe and convenient linkages between all modes of travel; including access to transit stations and stops and connections between work, home and commercial sites.

LT-5.6b Promote public and private transportation demand management.

Policy LT-5.7 Pursue local, state and federal transportation funding sources to finance City transportation capital improvement projects consistent with City priorities.

LT-5.7a Develop alternatives and recommendations for funding mechanisms to finance the planned transportation system.

LT-5.7b Develop a funding mechanism where new and existing land uses equitably participate in transportation system improvements.

Policy LT-5.8 Provide a safe and comfortable system of pedestrian and bicycle pathways.

Policy LT-5.9 Appropriate accommodations for motor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians shall be determined for City streets to increase the use of bicycles for transportation and to enhance the safety and efficiency of the overall street network for bicyclists, pedestrians, and motor vehicles.

Policy LT-5.10 All modes of transportation shall have safe access to City streets.

Policy LT-5.11 The City should consider enhancing standards for pedestrian facilities.

Policy LT-5.12 City streets are public space dedicated to the movement of vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians. Providing safe accommodation for all transportation modes takes priority over non-transport uses. Facilities that meet minimum appropriate safety standards for transport uses shall be considered before non-transport uses are considered.

Policy LT-5.13 Parking is the storage of transportation vehicles and shall not be considered a transport use.

Policy LT-5.14 Historical precedence for street space dedicated for parking shall be a lesser consideration than providing street space for transportation uses when determining the appropriate future use of street space.

Policy LT-5.15 Parking requirements for private development shall apply to off-street parking only.

LT-5.15a Incentives to offset impacts of roadway changes to non-transportation users shall be considered when retrofitting roadways.

Policy LT-5.16 When decisions on the configuration of roadway space are made, staff shall present options, including at a minimum an option that meets minimum safety-related design standards for motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.

Policy LT-5.17 Bike retrofit projects shall be evaluated based on the merits of each project in the context of engineering and planning criteria.

LT-5.17a The City shall maintain engineering and planning criteria with respect to roadway geometry, collisions, travel speed, motor vehicle traffic volume, and parking supply and demand (on and off street) to guide decisions on the provision of bike lanes.

Policy LT-5.18 The City Council shall make the final decisions on roadway space reconfiguration when roadway reconfiguration will result in changes to existing accommodations.

Policy LT-5.19 Public input on roadway space reconfiguration shall be encouraged and presented independently of technical engineering and planning analyses.

Policy LT-5.20 If street configurations do not meet minimum design and safety standards for all users , than standardization for all users shall be priority.

Policy LT-5.21 Safety considerations of all modes shall take priority over capacity considerations of any one mode.

LT-5.21a For each roadway space retrofit project, a bike and pedestrian safety study shall be included in the staff report to evaluate the route in question.

[Evaluation Example 1: Duane Avenue]

[Evaluation Example 2: Remington Drive]

[Evaluation Example 3: Pastoria Avenue]

APPENDIX E: FDOT DISTRICT FIVE CONCEPTUAL PROCESS

FDOT DISTRICT FIVE CONCEPTUAL LANE REDUCTION PROCESS

FDOT Mission

The Department will provide a safe transportation system that:

. Ensures the mobility of people and goods . Enhances economic prosperity . Preserves the quality of our environment and communities

It is assumed that the goals of consideration of dedicating a FDOT lane (existing or proposed) to transit use are the following:

. Ascertain whether a dedicated transit lane project is accomplishing the stated and demonstrated goals of a local community/municipality/region (C/M/R). . Ascertain whether it is accomplishing those goals in a manner that is consistent with the Department’s mission. . Work with communities to refine their projects to accomplish community goals in a manner that is consistent with the Department’s mission.

Conceptual Framework

With the above goals in mind, then the following might be a framework to consider:

1. Community Commitment ‒ Determine if the request is truly consistent with the goals, commitments, and actions of the C/M/R. 2. Technical Analyses ‒ Perform technical analyses in order to determine the mobility feasibility of the request, regardless of existing/proposed roadway configuration and operational plans. 3. Implementation Feasibility ‒ If 1 and 2 result in positive answers, then evaluate the implementation feasibility of the request.

In reviewing any proposals, a multi-disciplined team of traffic, roadway design, transit, and community planning experts should be assembled. Team members should be experienced in urban transportation and community development issues.

Step 1: Community Commitment

The following questions will illuminate the C/M/R’s seriousness and commitment to the request:

. Have the C/M/R officials jointly supported the request in a transparent manner by means of a leadership body recommendation or similar action? . What is the existing transit ridership and has the ridership trend been increasing? . Are the existing and/or proposed land uses consistent with increasing transit ridership potential? . Are the transit-supportive land uses in an adopted comprehensive plan? . Is the requested transit service in the C/M/R adopted long range transit plan and/or the transit agency’s vision plan or TDP? . Are the C/M/R’s adopted LOS standards consistent with the requested operational scenario?

Step 2: Technical Analyses

Utilizing the C/M/R’s adopted land uses determine that corridor’s existing and future person trip demands:

. Develop the roadway configuration scenarios and concepts of operations for evaluation. Ensure they are each generally feasible for consideration . Then for each scenario evaluate and consider the following:  Existing and future roadway capacities under existing and proposed conditions  Delay analyses: existing and proposed conditions  Calculate person throughput; short-term and long-term  Calculate LOS; short-term and long-term  Traffic impacts on adjacent roadways; short-term and long-term ‒ If the impacts extend beyond the C/M/R jurisdiction, ensure the adjacent C/M/R is supportive of the request and is prepared to support is inclusion into the MPO’s long range transportation plan

Note: If the technical analyses do not demonstrate the metrics required to accomplish the C/M/R’s request, provide guidance and milestones that might strengthen the validity of their request (i.e., land use densities, person trip demand, etc.).

Step 3: Implementation Feasibility

If the C/M/R has demonstrated seriousness in their commitment to the resulting roadway configuration scenario(s) and concept(s) of operation and the request has proven to be technically feasible, then the C/M/R will need to develop a plan that will lead to the adoption into the MPO long range transportation plan, as well as a resulting project financing plan.

. Identifying and securing funding for the detailed planning and engineering will be the first step