1. Caltrans Improvement Project Design Flexibility Workgroup
Janice Benton, Assistant Division Chief, Division of Design, Caltrans
Kate White, Deputy Secretary of Environmental Policy and Housing Coordination, CalSTA
Active Transportation and Livable Communities Advisory Group
February 19, 2015
Kate

2. Caltrans Improvement Project
Kate

3. WG #4 Update SSTI Recommendations to Address Workgroup Charter
Actions Complete
Flexible Design & Liability
2015 Action Plan
Cross-Workgroups Collaboration
Kate

4. SSTI Recommendations
5.1 Caltrans should update the design and traffic control device manuals (Highway Design Manual and CA MUTCD), and other guidance documents as necessary, to implement the new strategic plan and vision.
5.2 Caltrans should relinquish oversight of bike facilities on locally owned streets.
5.3 Caltrans should give designers the option of using NACTO urban design standards in metro areas.
5.4 Caltrans should generally rethink its approach to facilities in metro areas and town centers.
5.5 Caltrans should build more flexibility into its processes.
5.7 Caltrans and CalSTA should revisit legal guidance on the risk of innovative design practices.
9.8 Caltrans must provide room for innovative actions that further state and department goals.
10.2 Caltrans should benchmark practice against best practices elsewhere
10.3 Caltrans should work to better integrate its research program with improved practice.
10.4 Caltrans’ effort to develop an enterprise risk management system should continue and be viewed as a critically important resources for performance-based decision making.
Kate
SSTI RECOMMENDATIONS TO BE ADDRESSED
5.1 Caltrans should update the design and traffic control device manuals (Highway Design Manual and CA MUTCD), and other guidance documents as necessary, to implement the new strategic plan and vision.
5.2 Caltrans should relinquish oversight of bike facilities on locally owned streets. [Note: while the Department fully supports this concept, this recommendation will require a change to State law such that Caltrans is not required to set standards for bicycle facilities on locally owned streets.]
5.3 Caltrans should give designers the option of using NACTO urban design standards in metro areas.
5.4 Caltrans should generally rethink its approach to facilities in metro areas and town centers.
5.5 Caltrans should build more flexibility into its processes.
5.7 Caltrans and CalSTA should revisit legal guidance on the risk of innovative design practices.
9.8 Caltrans must provide room for innovative actions that further state and department goals.
10.2 Caltrans should benchmark practice against best practices elsewhere. [Note: Page 65 of the SSTI report, the best practices discussion focuses on the INVEST tool only. This working group seeks all forms of best practices for department-wide application.]
10.3 Caltrans should work to better integrate its research program with improved practice. [Note: This recommendation did not appear in the June13, 2014 “Caltrans Improvement Project” memo from Secretary Brian Kelly. Workgroup 4 is including this recommendation as part of our workgroup.]
10.4 Caltrans’ effort to develop an enterprise risk management system should continue and be viewed as a critically important resources for performance-based decision making. [Note: This recommendation as originally written in the SSTI report focuses on a global application of Enterprise Risk Management with an emphasis on Human Resources. This workgroup is focusing more specifically on effective decision making, particularly in design innovations.]

5. Workgroup #4 Charter Purpose:
Increase innovation in multi-modal street design
Encourage local and district autonomy
Address risk averseness “culture of fear”
Transform into nimble, adaptable and responsive organization
“Standards and guidance are the easy part. Culture change is the hard part.” – Malcolm Dougherty
Kate
Reform design guidance and operating procedures

6. “We need to stop building transportation through communities and begin building communities through transportation.” – SSTI advisors
Kate

7. Workgroup #4 Members Steering Committee: Team Leads: Advisors:
Karla Sutliff – Co-Chairs
AJ Jimenez, Jeanne Scherer – Legal
Bijan Sartipi – D4
Marlin Feenstra, Self-Help Counties Coalition
Jeff Holm, FHWA
Team Leads:
Tim Craggs, Design
Tom Hallenbeck, Traffic Operations
Rihui Zhang, Local Assistance
Coco Briseno, Research
Katie Benour, Planning
Advisors:
Luisa Paiwonsky, USDOT (formerly MADOT)
Gary Toth, Project for Public Spaces (formerly NJDOT)
Kate

8. 2014-2015 Action Plan Evaluate Manuals, Guidance, Tools
Enhance Partnerships and Communication
Educate and Train Staff, Partners, and Stakeholders
Investigate Legislative Changes
Maximize Delegation
Maximize Appropriate use of Risk Management
Deploy and Integrate Research
Janice

9. 2014 Accomplishments
April: Endorsed NACTO guidelines, released Design Flexibility Memo
Sept: Highway Design Manual Updated, Design Flexibility FAQs posted, AB 1193 signed
Oct: 2-day Session with SSTI Advisors
Nov: CA MUTCD Updated (Director’s Foreword)
Dec: Research alignment with new goals
Participating in other divisions efforts:
Caltrans Bicycle Task Force
Complete Streets Trainings
AASHTO’s Subcommittee on Design/Traffic
Janice
Design Flexibility Memo – April 10, 2014
Reaffirms CT philosophy regarding flexibility
Reiterates local entities authorities on facilities they own and operate
Highlights recent improvements made by CT
Highway Design Manual Update to incorporate Complete Streets philosophies
“Main Street, California, a Guide for Improving Community and Transportation Vitality”
Supported the use of NACTO and other guidance
Highlighted importance of documenting decisions
Analyzed NACTO for inclusion of concepts into HDM and CAMUTCD

10. NACTO Design Guides
Designs were developed by cities for cities, since unique urban streets require innovative solutions.
Principles cities are using to make streets safe and inviting for people walking, biking, and driving in urban contexts.
Creating real spaces for people on city streets.
Economic development is integrally tied into this transformation.
Paramount to all of this is the safety of people on city streets.
SAFE, SUSTAINABLE, INTEGRATED, EFFICIENT SYSTEM to ENHANCE ECONOMY AND LIVIBILITY
Janice
Provide cities with state-of-the-practice solutions that can help create complete streets that are safe and enjoyable for bicyclists.
Designs in this document were developed by cities for cities, since unique urban streets require innovative solutions.
Most treatments are not directly referenced in the AASHTO Guide to Bikeway Facilities.
Most are permitted under the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).
Authors conducted extensive worldwide literature search from design guidelines and real-life experience.

11. 2014 Outreach May – Local Assistance Cooperative Committee
May & Oct – Caltrans Legal Division
June – Caltrans Bicycle Advisory Committee
July & Aug – Caltrans Planning Horizons Webinars
Sept – California Traffic Control and Devices Committee
Oct – Caltrans Planning and Local Assistance, NACTO Designing Cities conference
Nov – CA Assoc of Councils of Govt (CalCOG)
Dec – Caltrans Design Management Board
Janice
Reform design guidance and operating procedures

12. Design Flexibility
Incorporates context sensitive solutions based on innovative designs to address a problem to further community values, to address a problem or to promote environmental/sustainable and livability elements
Typically incorporates multi-modal uses
Requires engineering judgment
Kate

13. Addressing Design Liability
Primary Defenses:
Design Immunity (Gov. Code § 830.6)
Reasonableness Defense (Gov Code § 835.4)
Document, Document, Document
Reasonable Design Based on Sound Engineering Judgment (factors may include environmental enhancements, multimodal uses, community values)
Proper approval
Archive
Late

14. 2015 Action Items
Modify all internal technical training to reflect design flexibility
Delegation of more design approvals to Districts
Evaluate design approval process
Develop standards for separated bicycle lanes
Evaluate pilots/demonstration projects
Explore tort reform
Janice

15. Cross-Workgroups Collaboration
Support and leverage each others efforts
Avoid redundancy
Communicate internally on progress
Joint 2015 Outreach calendar
Tim, Kate