Department of Transportation Street Classification September 20, 2010

Department of Transportation Mobility Goals Promote a livable community Encourage non-auto travel Protect neighborhoods Manage multimodal corridors

Department of Transportation UN Urban Accords  Sustainability  Green City Action Plan State Mandates  Complete Streets  Community Sustainability  Reduce Greenhouse Gas Changing Expectations

Department of Transportation Functional Classification CA Roadway System  Principal Arterial  Minor Arterial  Collector  Local

Department of Transportation How It’s Used Basis for previous funding of streets Warrants for traffic control devices Limits where speed limits can be enforced electronically City policies for traffic calming devices  Speed Hump Policy  Neighborhood Traffic Management Program

Department of Transportation What’s the Issue? The Functional Classification system:  Focuses on vehicle volumes and congestion  Makes pedestrians, bikes, and transit a lesser priority  Inconsistently connects land use and street function  Lacks the flexibility needed to most effectively provide for today’s and future demands on streets in Pasadena

Department of Transportation Current System 1994 and 2004 Mobility Elements recognized the issues Introduced an alternate system of street types  Multimodal Corridors  De-emphasized Streets

Department of Transportation Why Change? The Current System:  Addresses portions of the street system  Issues of equity  Has largely achieved the goals established at its creation  Investment has been directed to Multimodal Corridors  Traffic growth has slowed on De- emphasized streets  Is limited in its ability to address Complete Streets and sustainability

Department of Transportation What is the Goal? Expand the concepts from the 2004 Mobility Element  More equitable allocation of street classifications citywide Address the need to incorporate Complete Streets and sustainability Provide a uniform basis for traffic calming and neighborhood traffic management Establish a decision-making framework for future street design and development review decisions

Department of Transportation How to Change Look to national Best Practices and Peer Cities  Institute of Transportation Engineers Recommended Practice for Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares  San Francisco – Better Streets Plan  Charlotte – Urban Street Design Guide  Minneapolis – Design Guidelines for Streets and Sidewalks  New York – Street Design Manual  San Diego, Santa Monica, Sacramento General Plans

Department of Transportation Proposed System Context  Urban form and land use Function  Multi-modal & primary trip type Overlays  Special considerations that likely affect but do not predominate design

Department of Transportation Context Developed from General Plan Land Use Categories Mapped based on existing designations

Department of Transportation Context Types Freeway Frontage  dominated by road function Downtown  high intensity uses require balancing of modes with emphasis on pedestrians Main Street  defined by storefronts, pedestrian activity, and on- street parking City Mix  horizontal mixing of uses, some storefronts, mix of auto & pedestrian emphasis Downtown Main Street City Mix

Department of Transportation Context Types Commercial/Industrial  Defined by orientation of buildings and emphasis on truck & vehicle access Park  Opportunity to emphasize landscape  Need for pedestrian & bike safety Civic  Schools, libraries, & civic center  Pedestrian safety & ceremonial functions Civic Park Commercial/Industrial

Department of Transportation Context Types Residential vary by building height, massing, frontage, etc.  City Multifamily  Mid-rise building with minimal setbacks  Garden Multifamily  Multistory with landscaped yards  Single-family  Landscaped front and side yards with medium to deep setbacks City Garden Single-family

Department of Transportation Function

Department of Transportation Function Types Freeway  Primarily serve regional trips passing through or to Pasadena  Only type with no bicycle or pedestrian access  Only type in one context – Freeway Frontage Throughway  Primarily used by vehicles moving between Pasadena & the region  Context determines need to balance access & other modes Arroyo Parkway Sierra Madre Fair Oaks

Department of Transportation Function Types Connectors  Focused on travel between parts of Pasadena  Provide access to major destinations  Context determines need to balance access & other modes  City Connectors  Focused on “crosstown” trips  Neighborhood Connectors  Focused on trips between adjacent neighborhoods & districts Washington – City Connector Glenarm – Neighborhood Connector

Department of Transportation Connector Types Connector Streets

Department of Transportation Function Types Access – focus on access to context (mapped as one type)  Street  Majority of streets in Pasadena  Typically 18 foot min. width for two travel lanes  Yield  Narrower street where vehicles yield  Alley  Primarily access to rear of lots  Shared  Designed to mix bikes, pedestrians, & vehicles across the right-of-way  Private Access - Alley Access - Shared Access - Street

Department of Transportation Overlays One Way Truck Routes Transit – 3 levels Bicycle Emergency Routes Pedestrian Emphasis Hillside Landscape Historic Designations Special Events HillsideLandscape

Department of Transportation Transit Overlay

Department of Transportation Bike and Ped Emphasis

Department of Transportation What it Means for Streets Building to Building Guidance Visible criteria for all modes Framework for deciding trade-offs

Department of Transportation Pedestrian Realm Link between context & roadway Landscape with no sidewalk Sidewalk with continuous landscape Sidewalk with landscape elements Sidewalk, no landscape

Department of Transportation Parking Buffer between pedestrians & roadway Parking No ParkingCurb extension into parking lane

Department of Transportation Downtown Streets Downtown Throughway

Department of Transportation City Multifamily Streets City Multifamily Residential Connector - Neighborhood

Department of Transportation Single Family Streets Single Family Residential Access

Department of Transportation Process to Date Staff/Consultant developed Draft Street Classification System Concept presented to TAC and GPAUC Focus groups held with Residents and Businesses

Department of Transportation Next Steps Refine Street Types  Return to TAC with feedback from Focus Groups  Further development through General Plan – Mobility Element & Land Use Element process  Fit with refined goals and objectives  Fit with refined land use & transportation vision for Pasadena

Department of Transportation Next Steps Update Policies based on Street Types —  Neighborhood Traffic Management Program  Traffic Calming Device Policies  Reshape design guidelines for streets  Rebalancing modal priorities  Prioritizing improvements

Department of Transportation Questions Full text of the Street Types System DRAFT Report is available online at  the Transportation Advisory Committee page of the City website, as item 4a of the January 20, 2010 agenda  or at: TAC%20REPORTS/010810/ ITEM_4A_010810_TAC.pdf