A Toolkit for Improving Walkability in Alameda County

Draft Outline 1-19-06

Introduction

1. Why is ACTIA publishing this toolkit, including acknowledgement that there are other modes)? (i.e., purpose of Toolkit)

2. Who is ACTIA? What is Measure B? Who is the BPAC? What is Pedestrian Plan’s Vision statement?

3. How to use this toolkit.

4. Identify intended audiences and applicable chapters:

a. Public agency staff (planners, engineers, public health workers)

b. Pedestrian advocates

c. Other community-based organizations

d. Policy-makers looking for models

e. Citizens interested in improving the walking environment

5. Case studies throughout Toolkit to highlight selected tools, particularly in Alameda County to demonstrate to local agencies that they can and should improve walking.

6. Links to resources.

7. Reference to companion countywide pedestrian plan for background discussion and data.

8. Define walking broadly (facilitate mobility in general, integrated with transit, health, etc.).

9. Why is walking critical to the health of communities throughout Alameda County?

10. Why is planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, operating with peds in mind critical?

1. Policy and Planning

1. Model general plan and/or specific plan language for promoting pedestrian safety, convenience and access and encouraging pedestrian-orientation of new development. <1-2 paragraphs on what points should be included and links to good examples.>
2. Pedestrian Master Plans

i) Elements of an effective pedestrian plan, including model goals and policies

ii) How to develop a pedestrian plan

- Funding sources

- Model RFPs

3. Model transportation impact analyses
4. Examples of types of local policies that hinder pedestrian safety, convenience and access and alternate policies that could replace them

i) Transportation policies that favor auto movement

ii) Land use policies that hinder walking <broad categories with 1-2 sentences of examples of each> (see section 2aiv for more details)

iii) LOS (see Studies & Research for solutions)

5. Pedestrian Planner on staff – roles, organizational structures, staffing arrangements, including models and examples for different sized cities
6. Pedestrian Advisory Committee – roles and structures, enabling legislation and by-laws, how to accommodate in cities without resources, bringing in non-traditional sectors
7. Resources for elected officials

2. Design Standards

a. Infrastructure

i. Requirements for routine accommodation, overview of state/federal policy directives

ii. Best practices for pedestrian infrastructure, including sidewalks, crossings (crosswalks, refuge islands, advance limit lines, etc.), surfaces, traffic signals, turning radii, curb cuts, bulbouts, lighting, street furniture, traffic calming tools (including pros/cons), construction period accommodation for public and private development, etc. <include considerations, photos, reference to Resources section to link to best existing toolkits>

iii. Checklist for Top 10 pedestrian items to include and address when designing any roadway project (with references to state guidelines)

iv. Checklist for Top 10 features for new development to incorporate pedestrian safety, convenience and access <more specific than 2c>

v. The most important practices to be avoided when designing any transportation project that allows pedestrians

vi. Resources to conduct a walkability audit

b. Planning for pedestrians and automobiles, transit and bicycles

i. Autos (freeway interchanges, high speed arterials, parking lots and driveways, collision analysis)

ii. Transit (access to stops and stations) <draw from and reference Designing with Transit>

iii. Bicycles (bike lanes/curb extensions, bike parking/sidewalk access, bike riding on sidewalks) <coordinate this section with Countywide Bicycle Plan update>

iv. Multi-use trails (characteristics of good trail design)

c. Guidance on how to comply with ADA requirements

i. What constitutes an ADA Transition Plan?

ii. Curb ramp and intersection requirements

iii. State and federal guidance/recommendations

iv. Link to state and federal guidelines

e. Safe Routes to School (see 2aii for infrastructure; see 4b for education and encouragements programs, 7b for existing toolkits)

3. Studies & Research

1. Multi-modal LOS

i. What is it? (which considers all modes on a given transportation facility in order to minimize conflicts between modes)

ii. Why is it a good idea?

iii. Examples <San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle>

2. Enhancements to CEQA

i. Description of recent efforts to improve CEQA to avoid inadvertently degrading the pedestrian environment in the process of facilitating motor vehicle flow

ii. Examples of local thresholds of significance that consider pedestrians or conflict with adopted plans, increasing pedestrian conflicts

iii. Impacts on plans promoting alternative transportation as per the initial study checklist (follow up with Jason Patton)

iv. San Francisco efforts to link to public health

3. Description of recent efforts to revise trip generation assumptions for urban projects to minimize unnecessarily large driveways, parking lots, etc. (Note: existing trip generation rates are primarily based on automobile-oriented development.)
4. Published research on the relationship between walking and public health, including health impact assessments and how they have been applied to transportation.
5. Published research on effective ways to slow traffic and improve motorist awareness of pedestrians.

4. Education and Programs to Encourage Walking

a. Model pedestrian education programs

b. Elements of good safe routes to schools programs (note recent changes to federal law)

i. Walking pools, walking school buses, crossing guard programs

ii. Guidance for developing walking route maps for schools

c. Examples of local walking promotions (e.g., annual walkathons, walk-to-work/school day)

d. Pedestrian maps

e. Examples of programs that encourage motorists to slow down and notice pedestrians

5. Funding

1. Introduction

i. Dedicated funding sources

ii. Nontraditional sources

- Integration into bigger projects

- Requirements for new development

- Atypical funding sources (e.g., public health)

2. List funding sources by project category (infrastructure, planning, programs, large projects, flexible funding, etc.)

c. Matrix of all funding sources including evaluation criteria, funding cycle/schedule, contact info)

d. General tips for successful grant applications (see section 7.4.b of Solano County Pedestrian Plan)

6. Land Use

a. Characteristics of a pedestrian-friendly area, acknowledging that each place is different (transportation perspective)

b. Land uses that encourage walking (density thresholds, mixed land uses, public transit) and, conversely, those that discourage walking

- Local funding requirements (MTC, BART, CMA?)

c. Pedestrian typologies being developed by MTC, including explanation, Alameda County examples for each typology (if possible), how to incorporate concept on to a local pedestrian plan

7. Other Resources

a. Glossary of terms and acronyms used in Toolkit

b. Top 10 existing pedestrian toolkits, in terms of comprehensiveness and ease of use

c. Contact information (mail, phone, web)

i. Alameda County public sector pedestrian planners (i.e., city, county, special districts)

ii. Alameda County jurisdictions with pedestrian advisory committees and staff contacts

iii. Alameda County-based private firms that have done pedestrian planning and design work (with disclaimer that this is not an endorsement of their work)