Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1303 - Complete Streets InfrastructureCITY OF R EDD IN G, CALIFOR NIA COUNCIL POLIC Y S U B J E C T R E S O L U T IO N N U M B E R P O L IC Y N U M B E R E F F E C T IV E D A T E P A G E COM PLET E ST R EE TS IN FR A STR U C TU R E 2012-073 1303 AU G U ST 21, 2012 1 BAC KG R O U N D On September 30, 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 1358, "The California Complete Streets Act." The legislation requires local jurisdictions to amend their General Plans as necessary to ensure that they include polices that will lead to the construction of streets that can accommodate use by pedestrians, bicyclists, disabled persons, and transit users, in addition to motor vehicles. The City of Redding adopted amendments to the Transportation Element of the General Plan on August 21, 2012, to comply with the Complete Streets Act. PU RP O SE The purpose of this Council policy is to provide specific direction to affected City departments in the implementation of the City's Complete Street policies. PO LICY The following shall be the policy of the City of Redding to ensure that Complete Streets are, and will continue to be, a vital element of the City's transportation infrastructure. 1.The various departments of the City of Redding shall make Complete Streets practices a routine part of everyday operations, shall approach transportation projects and programs as opportunities to improve public streets and the transportation network for all users, and shall work in coordination with other departments, agencies, and jurisdictions to achieve Complete Streets. For purposes of this resolution, projects and programs include the public and private construction, reconstruction, retrofit, maintenance, alteration, or repair of the street system and includes the planning, design, approval, and implementation processes. Projects and programs do not include minor routine upkeep such as cleaning, sweeping, mowing, spot repair, or interim measures on detour routes. 2.Street projects, including those constructed within and adjacent to, or necessary to serve, new development should incorporate Complete Streets infrastructure that balances the needs of all users, provided, however, that such infrastructure may be excluded upon written approval by the Public Works Director where documentation and data indicate that: a.Use by nonmotorized users is prohibited by law. b. The existing right-of-way does not allow for the accommodation of all users. In such cases, alternatives shall be explored, such as the use of revised travel-lane configurations, paved shoulders, signage, traffic-calming, or similar alternatives. c.The cost would be excessively disproportionate to the need or probable future. d.There is a documented absence of current or future need. e.The safety of pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, or vehicular traffic may be placed at an unacceptable risk CITY OF R EDD IN G, CALIFOR NIA COUNCIL POLIC Y S U B J E C T R E S O L U T IO N N U M B E R P O L IC Y N U M B E R E F F E C T IV E D A T E P A G E COM PLET E ST R EE TS IN FR A STR U C TU R E 2012-073 1303 AU G U ST 21, 2012 2 3.If the safety and convenience of users can be improved within the scope of pavement resurfacing, re-striping, signalization operations, and similar routine activities on public streets, such projects shall incorporate Complete Streets components unless to do so would be unreasonable or inappropriate in light of the scope of the project or the project is subject to the limitations noted in Item 2 above. 4.The City of Redding Public Works Department and the Development Services Department shall review the City's existing street-related standards and ordinances and prepare revisions as may be necessary to apply Complete Streets practices throughout the transportation network. The review shall consider right-of-way needs, cross-section templates, design-treatment details, street/intersection curb radii, and other standards to achieve a balance between the needs of various users of streets. 5.In its review of proposed development projects, the City will ensure that the intent of this Complete Streets policy is implemented by ensuring that the design of the development includes streets that will accommodate all multimodal users of the facility in a safe and efficient manner and that appropriate street, pedestrian, and bicycle connections from developments to adjacent main streets, open-space areas, parks, transit stops, schools, employment and commercial centers, and other activity centers are provided. It is recognized that streets must be designed in a context-sensitive manner and that not all streets, such as many local residential streets, will necessarily incorporate separate facilities for each use, as long as they provide safe accommodation for all users. 6.The Public Works Director shall: a.Establish a program to identify critical pedestrian- and bicycle-route gaps in the transportation network for all roadway users, which categorizes and prioritizes necessary improvements to correct identified deficiencies through street-maintenance programs as funding allows. b.Identify those streets and sections of streets within the City that, given existing and forecast traffic volumes, have been designed and/or constructed to accommodate traffic in excess of existing and future need. Establish a program for the redesign/retrofit of said streets to be implemented when funding is available. Such retrofits may include, but are not limited to, reducing the number of traffic lanes and adding bike lanes (i.e., "road diet"), reducing lane widths to accommodate bike and pedestrian facilities, and providing pedestrian-safety enhancements at intersections, such as "bulbouts" and refuge islands. c.Establish a process to facilitate public participation in policy decisions and transparency in determinations concerning the design and use of streets. d.Develop funding strategies for addressing transportation needs; actively pursue funding from state, federal, and other sources. CITY OF R EDD IN G, CALIFOR NIA COUNCIL POLIC Y S U B J E C T R E S O L U T IO N N U M B E R P O L IC Y N U M B E R E F F E C T IV E D A T E P A G E COM PLET E ST R EE TS IN FR A STR U C TU R E 2012-073 1303 AU G U ST 21, 2012 3 e.Report to the City Council regarding the steps taken to implement this policy, additional steps planned, and any desired actions that would need to be taken by the City Council or other agencies or departments to remove impediments to implementation of this policy. 7.Provide opportunities for City staff and the public to participate in training programs in how to integrate, accommodate, and balance the needs of all users when such training becomes available. P olicies\CompleteStreets-KM -CC.wp d