Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Ohio Transportation Engineering Conference
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
In a nutshell, complete streets are…
… roadways designed and operated to safely and comfortably accommodate
multiple users of all ages and abilities, including cyclists, pedestrians, transit riders, elderly,
delivery and service personnel, and emergency responders; and to accommodate and slow
stormwater runoff as part of a comprehensive storm water management system.
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Steps to Implementing Complete Streets
1.
Collaborating
 Local Communities
 Regional Networks
2.
Adopting a policy
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Legislative
Resolution
Planning Documents
Tax District
3. Changing Procedures & Implementing Design
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Road Projects – criteria for selecting, checklists, signalization
Design Guidelines – including streetscape
Codes and Procedures – stormwater, parking, bicycle facilities
Traffic enforcement – parking, speed, bicycle clearance
4.
Select Project and Apply for funding
5.
Measuring performance
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
•
Cuyahoga County Toolkit for Complete
Streets Implementation
59 communities with different levels of
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Commitment
Interest in complete streets
Varying demographics, geography, and
development patterns
•
Home Rule in Ohio
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County can legally provide
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Advocacy for benefits of complete streets
Technical assistance with plans and policies
Improvements to County roads if
approached by community
Thus a toolkit:
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Provides options for different needs and
starting points
Promotes a common language among
communities
Offers starting point for conversation
between communities and county
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Principles of the Toolkit
• Easy to read/ lots of graphics
• Targeted to communities with different levels of commitment
Community not sure about it
benefits and challenges
Community eager to implement
implementation chapter
Community with specific project
design guidelines
• Primary audience: planners, engineers, elected officials,
advocates
• Each chapter able to stand alone for future updates
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
When to Include Complete Streets
(or is my project too far down the road?)
Include complete streets considerations as early as possible in the project
development process to avoid costly change order or project modifications
Planning, and
Scoping
• Meaningful and
extensive
integration of
complete streets
elements
possible
Leverage STP
dollars
• Complete streets
elements can be
designed and
built for the
same or less
costs than if they
are considered
later in the
project
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Preliminary
Engineering
and Design
• Minor
improvements
for all users of
the road possible
Final Design
• Projects that are
too far down the
road can still
include some
complete streets
elements such as
striping and
signing.
Toolkit Outline
• Chapter 1: Background
• Chapter 2: Planning a Road Project
• Chapter 3: Complete Streets Typology
• Chapter 4: Design Elements
• Chapter 5: Steps to Implementation
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Finding Opportunities for Complete Streets
Step 1:
Analyze existing and future
road context
Development
Patterns
Street
Network
Type of
Project
Commercial,
Retail, Office
Option for
Multi-modal
access to:
Maintenance
Neighborhood
or residential
Greenways or
parks
Industrial
Semi-Rural
Regional bike
network
Other
Transit
Resurfacing,
restoration,
rehabilitation
Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:
Determine desired Review existing Select complete
mode priorities roadway conditions streets elements
Priorities for
Public
Investment
Roadway
Dimensions
Design
Elements
>70’
Large Street
Road or Lane
Diet
48’ - 69’
Medium Street
Transit Facilities
Reconstruction
New
Construction
Schools
Business
Centers
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Pedestrian
Facilities
30’ – 47’
Small Street
<30’
Very Small Street
Bicycle Facilities
Water
Management
and Landscaping
Parking
Management
Step 1 – Analyze Network and Needs:
Consider the Street Network
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Step 2 – Mode Priorities:
Impact of Mode Priorities on Design Choices
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Step 3 – Existing Conditions:
Reviewing the Existing Road Conditions
Land Use Based
• Commercial
• Industrial
• Semi-rural
• Subdivision /
Cul-de-sac
• Residential
Lane
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Network
Based
• Commuter
• Boulevard
• Neighborhood
Connector
• Transit Spine
• Access/ Alleys
• Bridges
Roadway
Dimensions
• Large
• 5 or more traffic lanes
• Medium
• 3 – 5 traffic lanes
• Small
• 2 – 3 traffic lanes
• Very Small
• 1 – 2 traffic lanes
Step 3 – Existing Conditions:
Example of Street Typology (Land Use Based)
Street Typology
Main Focus
Commercial
Shopping, entertainment,
commercial activity
Industrial
Connectivity of industrial areas
Semi Rural
Narrow lanes, natural edges,
non-standard traffic
Subdivision /
Cul-de-sac
Low speed, low volume, limited
through-traffic. High volume of
pedestrians and children
Residential Lane
Very small, private or public
street, limited access to homes
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Primary Users
Secondary Users
Step 3 – Existing Conditions:
Example of Street Typology (Network Based)
Street Typology
Main Focus
Commuter
Pleasant, safe, quick method of
transportation
Boulevard
Multiple lanes with a median,
slow speeds, enhanced
landscaping
Neighborhood
Connector
Connect neighborhoods to
businesses
Transit Spine
Current or future express bus or
rapid transit corridor (GCRTA)
Access and Alleys
Local access for commercial,
residential, or industrial areas
Bridges
Used by all users, provides safe
passage over an obstacle
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Primary Users
Secondary Users
Depends on location in network
Step 4 – Design Elements:
Suggested Complete Streets Elements
Manual includes:
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Right of Way Considerations (Section 4.1)
Pedestrian Facilities (Section 4.2)
Transit Facilities (Section 4.3)
Bicycle Facilities (Section 4.4)
Landscaping and Stormwater (Section 4.5)
Parking Management (Section 4.6)
Large Commuter
Street
Bicycle Facilities
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Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Small
Neighborhood
Connector
Bike route signage
Multi-use path
Cycle track
Bike signals
Two-way bike lanes
Painted Bike boxes
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Bike route signage
Bike parking (at
recreation sites)
Sharrows
Right-of-Way Considerations
Road Diet or Lane Diet
Traffic Calming Chicane
City of Kannapolis, North Carolina
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Pedestrian Facilities
Speed Tables and Refuge Islands at Crosswalks
Pedestrian Signage and
Midblock Crossings
Lee Road, Cleveland Heights
University Heights, John Carroll University
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Transit Facilities
Bicycle Facilities
Shelters and Information
Buffered
Bike Lane
Cleveland Heights, Edgehill
Protected Bus Way
Bicycle Parking
Cleveland Heights
City of Columbus
Cleveland
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Stormwater Management
Vegetated Biofilter
City of Columbus
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Permeable Pavement
City of Columbus
Cost Considerations
Based on current
Northeast Ohio
price estimates
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Financing Alternatives
 No single designated source of money for funding Complete Streets projects.
 Must consider long term maintenance costs while in planning process
 Infrastructure and facilities that contribute to Complete Streets may be
funded from several existing sources. Examples include:
 Toolkit provides information about funding source for various programs
 Local
 State
 Federal
 Nonprofit/Foundation/Private Sector
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Role of Planning Commission
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Begins a regional identity for transportation network: all about
connectivity
Provide starting point for conversation with interested communities in
master plans
Leverage the funding: roadway, amenities, streetscape, stormwater,
transit and others
Role of Department of Public Works (DPW)
• Provide technical input into design and funding
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Advantages of Developing a
Regional Toolkit
• From County perspective:
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Builds organizational capacity for infrastructure planning
Provides starting point for conversation with interested communities
Establishes inter-departmental collaboration
Begins a regional identity for transportation network
• From a City’s perspective:
• Opens door for conversations about complete streets
• Provides an advanced starting point for building complete streets,
adopting policies, or changing procedures
• Not “on an island”; strength in numbers with neighboring
communities and region; common language
• Gives higher level of assurance to the community and community
leaders who may be less familiar with the complete streets concept.
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Lessons learned: Developing a toolkit
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It is more than bike lanes!
Every street is unique, but seek the typology based
on land use, existing right-of-way and function
Find, consult and use the best practices
Leverage the funding: roadway, amenities,
streetscape, stormwater, transit and others
Build a network – all about connectivity
Sell the benefits of complete streets first
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Project Team Complete Streets Toolkit:
Office of County Executive Ed FitzGerald: Jennifer Scofield
Cuyahoga County Planning Commission: Glenn Coyne (Executive Director),
Alison Ball, Meghan Chaney, Michael Melko, Claire Kilbane, Dan Meaney,
Robin Watkins, Andrew Boughan
Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works: Bonnie Teeuwen (Director of
Public Works), Gayle Lewin (project coordinator), Stan Kosilesky, David
Marquard, Mike Kubek
Technical Assistance: Jacob VanSickle (Bike Cleveland), Smart Growth
America, North East Ohio Sewer District, Cleveland Metroparks, Greater
Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
www.planning.co.Cuyahoga.oh.us/complete
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Using Technology to Improve Service
to GCRTA Customers
o NextConnect: Real Time Arrival Information
o Future of Fare Payment
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
NextConnect: Real-Time Arrivals
o GPS-based technology to monitor transit vehicle
locations in real-time
o Provides expected arrival time for a given route at a
given stop
o Information is provided via:
o Mobile-friendly website (http://www.nextconnect.riderta.com/)
o Subscription-based e-mail notifications
o Digital displays at high ridership stops/stations and
along BRT corridors
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
NextConnect: Website
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
NextConnect: Website
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
NextConnect: Digital Displays
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
NextConnect: What is the Value?
o Allows for more informed trip planning
o Perceived wait time >> actual wait time when real-
time arrival information is not available
o Out-of-vehicle travel time is viewed as more of a
burden than in-vehicle travel time
o Real-time information shows up in customer surveys
as the most important improvement
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
Future of Fare Payment
o Currently accept cash and magnetic strip
paper tickets
o Moving towards Smart Card (“Tap and Go”)
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
Future of Fare Payment
Paper Tickets
Smart Cards
Farebox Reliability
Frequent maintenance on “dip”
rollers
Much less maintenance required
for card readers
Card Reliability
-Can tear or become
de-magnetized
-No way to track a lost card
-Durable, credit-card like material
-Card can be registered to user
Trip Speed
-Payment at the farebox slows
down the boarding process
-Confusion on dipping vs. swiping
Data Collection
Data tied to a specific trip,
not to a card
Pre-loaded fare or pass allows
riders to “Tap and Go”
Data tied to a specific card allows
RTA to learn more about trip
patterns to help improve service
for our customers
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
Future of Fare Payment
o Existing hardware has
Smart Card capabilities
o Software, web and user
interface are in the design
stage
o No timeline set for
implementation
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
Thank you!
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority