BALTIMORE COMPLETE STREETS FINAL | March 2021 Brandon M. Scott Mayor Message from the Mayor Dear Friends, Since the Adoption of the Complete Streets Ordinance in 2018, myself and my colleagues have championed equity and progress in our transportation system. This Manual represents change. Change to our priorities on our roadway network: from moving cars through our once vibrant Brandon M. Scott neighborhoods to allowing people to get around their Mayor neighborhoods safely on foot, on bike, and on transit. This Manual establishes our priorities of putting the most vulnerable populations first by adopting a Modal Hierarchy. This hierarchy which prioritizes walking, biking, transit, and freight above automobiles serves as a check on our decisions from project planning and selection to how projects are designed. To serve our existing families and children who walk to school, and to attract future residents to our City, we must prioritize the safe movement of people walking above all else. Walkable communities are vibrant communities. The Complete Streets Manual prioritizes equity. Baltimore’s history in transportation decisions negatively impacted Black and African American Communities. Not only were communities cut apart with high speed roadways to prioritize the movement of cars, but these communities did not receive the same access to the services received by other wealthier neighborhoods throughout the city. This Manual sets forth a process to prioritize projects in historically disinvested areas. It sets forth a process to direct transportation funding to implement more walkable safe streets in areas with the lowest percentages of car ownership. The Guidance in this manual gets us up to speed with best practices for dense vibrant cities. For too long, we’ve had practices and policies more in line with suburban areas with a decreased emphasis on serving walking, biking, and transit, and controlling vehicle speeds. The Street Types that were created in this Manual reflect the unique needs of Baltimore’s streets. Establishing priorities and design guidelines around Street Type ensures a context and neighborhood sensitive approach to our planning. Respectfully, Brandon M. Scott Mayor Acknowledgments This Manual represents a collaborative effort between Complete Streets Working Groups City and State agencies, consultant teams, and industry Baltimore City Council professionals, with oversight from the Complete Streets Ryan Dorsey Advisory Committee. Each section within this Manual was developed based on research of industry best Baltimore City Department of Transportation practices by the project team, then crafted with input Theo Ngongang Manmohan Singh from Complete Streets working groups and one-on- Frank Murphy Raj Sharma one sessions with City subject matter experts. The Mikah Zaslow Damonnen Taylor Sr. Advisory Committee and working groups met regularly Robert O’Brien Charles Turner throughout the development of the Manual to review Jessica Pimentel Alvaro Lozano project team recommendations and contribute to the Linda Taylor-Newton Suresh Bhatt shaping of the Manual to reflect Baltimore’s unique Matthew Hendrickson Michael Wilmore culture and communities. The following is a list key Meg Young Kirk Gabriel participants in the development of the Complete Streets Ethan Hasiuk Bineeta Sihota Manual. Claudia Turkson Baltimore City Department of Public Works Complete Streets Advisory Committee Yolanda Winkler Linda Batts Steve Sharkey, Chair Meghan Hazer Mark Cameron Department of Transportation Lauren Swiecicki Yolanda Winkler Baltimore City Department of Planning Department of Public Works Laurie Feinberg Matthew DeSantis Kristen Ahearn Anne Draddy Robert Pipik Department of Housing and Community Development Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks Charles Murphy Laurie Feinberg Department of Planning Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development Lt. Dennis Dawson Robert Pipik Kimberly Rubens Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department Dennis Dawson Sean Eames Kate Sylvester Maryland Department of Transportation MTA Derrick Ready iv BALTIMORE COMPLETE STREETS Baltimore City Police Department Complete Streets Ordinance Kenneth Butler Ryan Dorsey Ben Groff Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Civil Rights Sharonda Huffman Darnell Ingram Complete Streets Manual Project Team Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition Baltimore City Department of Transportation Samuel Jordan Graham Young Mikah Zaslow Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee Theo Ngongang Jessica Pimentel Jon Laria Tereina Galloway University of Maryland Baltimore County Wallace Montgomery Dillon Mahmoudi Larry Marcus Hannah Davis Will Weismantel Ray Moravec Central Maryland Transportation Alliance Eric Norton Jessica Shearer Glenn Marsche Jill Patterson Russ Anderson Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Nick Walls Transit Administration Tom Hewitt Nick Stewart Toole Design Zachary Chissell Patrick McMahon Fred Lippert Alia Anderson Jamie Richardson Che-Wei (Vince) Yi Dan Reed Kathleen Hayes Megan Seib Morgan State University Celeste Chavis Baltimore Development Corporation Patrick Terranova Luis O. Cardona Parking Authority Francis Burnszynski Taylor LaFave Laura Bianca-Pruett Bikemore Jed Weeks Liz Cornish All photographs provided by Wallace Montgomery and Toole Design except where otherwise noted. BALTIMORE COMPLETE STREETS v Contents Message from the Mayor . iii Acknowledgments . iv Introduction . 1 INTRODUCTION . 2 A Call to Action . 2 How to Use This Manual . 3 Guiding Principles and Tracking Success . 4 Baltimore’s Hierarchy of Modes . 6 Street Typology . 9 STREET TYPES . 10 Downtown Commercial . 12 Downtown Mixed-Use . 14 Urban Village Main . 16 Urban Village Neighborhood . 18 Urban Village Shared . 19 Urban Center Connector . 20 Neighborhood Corridor . 22 Industrial Access . 24 Parkway . 26 Boulevard . 28 Special Considerations . 30 Design Guidance . 33 STREET DESIGN OVERVIEW . 34 SIDEWALK ZONE . 38 Frontage Subzone . 38 Pedestrian Subzone . 40 Furnishing Subzone . 40 CURBSPACE MANAGEMENT . 43 Prioritizing Curbspace Components . 46 ROADWAY ZONE . 52 Bicycle Facilities . 54 Micromobility . 66 Transit Facilities . 70 Vehicle Facilities . 76 Curbside Lane Subzone . 79 vi BALTIMORE COMPLETE STREETS Street Buffer Subzone . 79 Travelway Subzone . 81 Median Subzone . 84 INTERSECTIONS, CROSSINGS, AND MID-BLOCK TREATMENTS . 86 Intersection and Street Crossing Control . 90 Traffic Signal Operations and Design . 99 Corner Design . 110 Complete Streets Intersection Toolbox . 113 EMERGING TRENDS . 126 Quick-Build Strategies . 128 Emerging Materials and Treatments . 134 Speed Management . 140 Target Speeds by Street Type . 140 Green Street Components . 144 Emerging Trends in Transportation: Challenges and Opportunities . 147 Implementation . 151 ADDRESSING EQUITY IN BALTIMORE . 152 Introduction . 152 Defining Equity in Transportation . 154 Why is Equitable Transportation Important? . 155 Baltimore Equity Assessment . 156 The Baltimore Equity Assessment Process . 156 EQUITY IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT POLICIES . 158 Race/Gender/Culture . 158 Income . 158 Age . 158 Accessibility . 159 PROJECT PRIORITIZATION . 160 Introduction . 160 Sidewalks . 160 Resurfacing . 161 Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) . 163 PROJECT DELIVERY PROCESS . 164 ANNUAL REPORT TO MEASURE PROGRESS . 166 Summary of Annual Report Requirements and Recommendations . 166 Appendices . 171 Appendix 1: Baltimore Complete Streets Design Criteria . 172 Appendix 2: Project Delivery Matrix . ..