Borough of Carlisle, PA
Smart Transportation Projects
SCORP Technical Advisory Committee
November 18, 2010
Traffic
Safety &
Mobility
Project
Pennsylvania’s
Flagship Smart
Transportation
Community
Bike &
Pedestrian
Trail
Network
CommunityWide MultiModal Network:
• “Smartly-Designed”
Streets
• On-Street Bike Lanes
• Off-Street Bike &
Pedestrian Trails
• Sidewalks
Blue Lines = Existing
Trails & Bike Lanes
Green Lines = Proposed
Connector Trails & Bike
Lanes
Builds on Existing Assets:
• Densely-populated town center
• Parks, schools, shops, restaurants all within
walking distance of residential neighborhoods
(www.walkscore.com)
• Community-wide sidewalk network
• Wide cartways running North/South and
East/West through downtown
• Individual trail segments throughout communitywide park system
• Traditional town character
Addresses Current Liabilities
• Four-lane “highways” through downtown
– Speeding
– Lane Jockeying
– Loss of “small town feel”
•
•
•
•
Vehicle conflicts with bikes/pedestrians
Truck traffic, noise, and pollution
Several trails, but no connectivity
Urban blight/suburban sprawl
Traffic
Safety &
Mobility
Project
Pennsylvania’s
Flagship Smart
Transportation
Community
Bike &
Pedestrian
Trail
Network
Traffic Safety & Mobility Project
• Began with community-initiated traffic study.
• Reduce main downtown streets from 4 lanes to 3 (dedicated
left turn lane in center)
– AKA “road diet”
• Two-way bike lanes on both main downtown streets (High &
Hanover: SRs 11, 34, 74, 641)
• Smart traffic signal technology
• Curb “bump outs” for pedestrian safety
• Truck traffic mitigation measures
• Improvements to LeTort Nature Trail
Existing Street Cross-Section
Future Street Cross-Section
Current Street Conditions
Future Street Conditions
LeTort Nature Trail Improvements
Cross Section of Upgraded Nature Trail
Status: Traffic Safety & Mobility
Project
• Traffic study completed with local funds
• Received $2.8 million in Round 1 PCTI funds
for construction
• Engineering & design ($225,000) funded
locally
• Construction began September 2010
• Expected completion in June of 2011
Traffic
Safety &
Mobility
Project
Pennsylvania’s
Flagship Smart
Transportation
Community
Bike &
Pedestrian
Trail
Network
Bike/Pedestrian Trail Network
• Began with community-initiated trail study by
LeTort Regional Authority
• 10 mile network of bike lanes and walking trails
providing connections to and between:
Borough Parks
7 Borough Schools
Existing trails throughout the Borough (including downtown
bike lanes & LeTort Nature trail)
Downtown Carlisle
 (Provide connection opportunity to three surrounding municipalities
as envisioned by the LRA Urban Trail/Greenway Plan.)
Regional Perspective
Inter-municipal Connections
Community Connectivity
On-Street Bike Lane Cross Section
Status: Bike/Pedestrian Trail Network
Project
• LeTort Authority Urban Trail/Greenway Plan
completed with local dollars
• Existing trail segments completed with over
$1.2 million in NON-PCTI funds
• Applied for $539,643 in Round 2 PCTI funds to
complete project
– Application highly ranked by County Planning
Commission and HATS region
– Currently awaiting PennDOT consideration
Two Integrated Projects: “HUBS” Completed
Consistency
with
Smart Transportation
Principles
Integration of Land Use &
Transportation Decision Making:
 Town centers (like Carlisle) struggle with “suburban
flight” and suburban sprawl associated with an
automobile-dominated society.
 In order to survive, town centers must employ
community development & land use principles
which capitalize on their unique strengths.
 Streets with a “sense of place,” not highways.
 Walkability
 Bikeability
Collaboration with Stakeholders:
 LeTort Regional Authority
 Dickinson College
 Cumberland County
 Carlisle Area Health and
Wellness Foundation
 PA Department of
Conservation and Natural
Resources
 Downtown Carlisle Association
 Elm Street Program
 East Side Neighbor Association
 Appalachian Trail Conservancy
 Greater Carlisle Area Chamber
of Commerce
 Carlisle Area School District
 Clean Air Board of Central PA
 Cumberland Valley Visitor’s
Bureau
 North Middleton Township
 South Middleton Township
 Middlesex Township
 Downtown Neighborhood
Connection
 Carlisle Area Sertoma Club
 SoSo Neighborhood
Association
Money Counts:
• Builds on existing resources, rather than
constructing new infrastructure:
– Re-design of downtown streets and traffic
signal system
– Existing trails incorporated into network.
– Existing streets/alleys reconfigured to
accommodate bike lanes.
Leverage & Preserve Existing
Investments:
Local Funding Match:
Planning
$134,518
Design &
Engineering
$313,000
Cash Match
$447,518
Leverage & Preserve Existing Investments:
Downtown Street Project
• Re-design of downtown streets
– Restores invaluable downtown character that
cannot be duplicated
Leverage & Preserve Existing
Investments: Trail Project
 11:
Individual trail segments which will become inter-connected as part of this project.
 $1,335,804:
Amount of non PCTI funds allocated for trail development/connectivity in the Greater
Carlisle area.
 248%:
Return on investment of $539,643 in requested PCTI funds.
Choose Projects with High Value/Price
Ratio:
• For a reasonable cost:
Increase quality of life
Promote economic development
Promote healthier lifestyles
Reduce pollution and congestion by promoting a multimodal transportation
Improve safety
Build a stronger community
Safety Always and Maybe Safety Only:
• Reduce conflicts between
bicycles/pedestrians/vehicles
– *2010: PA placed 42nd in bicycle
friendly rating in United States
• Improve vehicular safety in
downtown Carlisle
• Provide safe off-road walking
and running trails for the
public.
*Study from League of American Bicyclists
Look Beyond Level-of-Service:
• Economic Development
• Downtown
Revitalization
• Tourism
• Recreation
• Conservation
• Healthy Lifestyles
• Family Values
Accommodate all modes of travel:
• 13.2 % of Carlisle residents do not own or
have access to a motor vehicle.
• Focuses on providing a community-wide
network connecting schools, parks and
neighborhoods for pedestrian and bicycle
travel while maintaining our road system
for vehicular travel.
Enhance Local Network:
Bike and ped
connections
to townships
Intracommunity
connections
Re-defined
downtown
streets
Variety of options for daily
needs and recreation.
Build Towns, Not Sprawl:
• Capitalizes on advantages of urban community
(highly navigable by foot and bike)
• Maintains and enhances Carlisle (as a viable place to
live, work, play, visit)
– (As opposed to auto-dominant transportation projects which promote sprawl and lead
to degradation of town centers like Carlisle.)
Understand the Context; Plan & Design Within
the Context
Adapts
&
Links
Assets already
present
(Schools,
Parks, Streets,
Trails, &
Downtown)
Enhances
traditional
downtown &
community
friendly to
bikes and
pedestrians.
Develop local governments as strong
land use partners:
Downtown street modifications are model
partnership between PennDOT and local
government
Both projects integrate transportation
initiatives with community development goals
Consistency with Local and Regional
Plans
Related Plans:
Borough of
Carlisle
Comprehensive
Plan
Cumberland
County
Comprehensive
Plan
2002
2003
Cumberland
County
Greenway Plan
2000
Civic Visions
Report
2005
Consistency with Local and Regional
Plans
Related Plans:
HATS Regional
Transportation
Plan
2007
Cumberland
Valley Visitor’s
Bureau
“Branding
Initiative”
2010
Statewide
Comprehensive
Outdoor
Recreation Plan
2009
Teachability:
• Establish Carlisle as a model for other
communities.
• Both the trail network and road diet projects:
– Launched from a solid planning foundation.
– Demonstrate extensive community collaboration.
– Leverage and augment existing resources.
Traffic
Safety &
Mobility
Project
Pennsylvania’s
Flagship Smart
Transportation
Community
Bike &
Pedestrian
Trail
Network
Questions?