walking the walk: complete streets are smart growth investments - gsmsummit 2014nancy grant

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Walking the Walk: Complete Streets are

Smart Growth Investments

Nancy Grant Executive Director

Bicycle Coalition of Maine GrowSmart Maine – Summit 2014

October 21, 2014

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• Making Maine better for

biking since 1992

• Member organization with

over 5000 members

• Education

• Infrastructure

• Advocacy

• Enforcement

• Encouragement

About the Coalition

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Bicycling and Bikes in 2014

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Bicycling and Bikes in 2014

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Complete Streets:

• Complete Streets are streets for everyone, no matter who they are or how they travel.

• Complete Streets are safe for bicyclists, pedestrians, transit users, motorists, of all ages and abilities.

• Complete Streets are SAFE, COMFORTABLE, CONVENIENT and CONNECTED.

• Complete Streets Policies ensure that the entire (street) right-of-way is planned, designed, constructed, operated, and maintained to provide safe access for all users.

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Fix 1950’s Transportation System

• Car is king, all efforts focused on moving or parked cars, avoiding traffic jams • Drive anywhere and everywhere in the shortest time possible • If traffic, build another lane • Parking lots everywhere • Unsafe for pedestrians, bicyclists, young/old, disabled, limited transit

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WHY? / BENEFITS

• Improves Safety for those who don’t drive

• Improves Public Health

• Stimulates Economic Development

• Saves Mainer’s money

• Provides Choices

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Not everyone drives! • Kids under 16

• Disabled

• Elderly

• People who can’t afford or choose not to have cars

• People prohibited from driving

• more than 3,000 Lewiston-Auburn households don't have access to cars

• =33% of Americans, 24% of Mainers (Federal Highway 2006)

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Maine: • 7.2% of fatalities

on roads involve bicyclists or pedestrians.

• A pedestrian is

hit by a motor vehicle once a day on average.

Safety

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More than 40% of pedestrian deaths in 2007 and 2008 occurred where no crosswalk was available. Pedestrian crashes 88% with sidewalks 69% with hybrid beacon 39% with medians 29% with road conversions

Safety

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Slowing traffic improves safety for people walking

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Safety

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend adoption of Complete Streets policies as a strategy to prevent obesity

Benefits: Health

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2014 CDC State Indicator Report

People who are physically active generally live longer and have a lower risk for heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, some cancers, and obesity. Environmental and policy strategies such as …street-scale and community-scale design policy can help increase physical activity behavior among all Americans.

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• Adults: 23% of adults report no leisure time physical activity

• Youth: 14% report no physical activity

“More work is needed to increase opportunities for people to be physically active in their communities and schools. These supports may include state-level guidance on physical activities policies in schools, walking or biking to and from school and complete streets policies.

2014 CDC State Indicator Report

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Health

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Benefits: Economic Development

Investments in bike/ped infrastructure result in: • Increase in property values • Increase in sales tax • Decrease in vacancy rates

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Benefits: Economic Development

Investments in bike/ped infrastructure supports more bicycle businesses: Number of bike retailers in Maine: 98 Number of Bike Shop Employees: 437 Annual Bicycle Sales: $40,400,000

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Benefits: Economic Development

Grows bicycle tourism Annual economic impact from bicycle tourism in: • Wisconsin: $533 million • Oregon: $400 million • Iowa: $365 million • Arizona: $88 million • Vermont: $83 million

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COST: Can we afford this?

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“The reconstruction project will create a new northbound entry to the interstate at Exit 15 and create spaces for more than 300 cars and buses at a new park-and-ride lot… State planners say the improvements are needed to make travel safer and reduce the number of drivers who use Route 1 in Yarmouth to reach Exit 17…”

COST: >$8 million

COST: Can we afford this?

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Benefit: Cost Saving per household

Cost of Congestion - Average American spends the following sitting in traffic each year: • 19 gallons of gas • 38 hours of time • $818.00

Americans spend 17% of their household incomes on transportation: • $3,210 on vehicle purchases • $2,756 on fuel and oil • $2,490 on miscellaneous expenses

Total: $8,220 per year (vs. $308 for a bike)

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Princeton Survey to 1,003 adults (2012):

• 83% of Americans support maintaining or increasing federal funding for biking & walking

• Strong support regardless of politics, religion, community, age, gender, income, race & education

• 91% of 18-29 year olds support this funding

Americans want choice in transportation

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High Demand for bike/ped projects

2012 Maine Quality Communities Program (MDOT) • 92 Communities asked for projects costing $45 million • (only $2.3 m/year available through federal funds)

Bethel connecting to Crescent Park School

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• Americans are driving less. In 2004, the average

vehicle miles traveled by Americans peaked and it has

fallen every year since then.

• Among 16-34 year olds, car use dropped 23% between

2001 and 2009.

• Fewer young people are getting their drivers

licenses. Between 2000 and 2010, the share of 14-34

year olds without a drivers license increased by 5

percentage points.

• Young people are choosing to bike and walk. In

2009, 16-34 year olds took 24% more bike trips and

16% more walking trips than in 2001.

Changing Trends:

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People will walk or bike short distances!

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Switch to Tom

USM Roundabouts

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USM Roundabouts

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Woodford’s Corner

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Congress Street Bus Corridor

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Main Street, Auburn – Now Complete

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Passage of Policy: 2013

• Joint policy passed by Lewiston, Auburn Councils

• Policy overseen by Bike-Ped Committee with

members selected by Council, Mayors

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National Recognition

• Recognized as 4th best policy in 2013 nationwide

• Joint policy across communities • https://me-lewiston.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/3285

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Progress in the past year

• Restriping projects in both communities

• New striping with repaving

• Included in many street reconstruction projects

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There’s a learning curve! • A need to educate policy makers, staff

• There is no ‘one’ design

• There is no magic bullet

• Context is everything

• Some things are cheap – almost nothing is free

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Start with ‘low hanging fruit’

• Wide streets with excess on-

street parking

• Use of signage and markings

for byways

• Finish connecting critical

infrastructure first

• Educate

• EDUCATE

• EDUCATE!!!

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We still wanted more…

• More guidance

• Street typographies

• Rapid, low-cost solutions and strategies

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So we’re getting some more!

• Obtained study funding

• Administered via MPO

• Bike-Ped Committee

will provide public input

• Prioritized

improvements

• Design Manual

customized for L-A

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Thank you!

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Maine and Complete Streets

Maine: MaineDOT adopted Complete Streets Policy (June 2014) Maine Cities: Portland, Lewiston-Auburn, S. Portland, Bangor, Westbrook, Caribou Congress: US DOT’s proposed bill: “Safe Streets Act”: Would ensure that all streets are designed, planned and built with all users in mind

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The intent of this formalized policy…is to help ensure that all users of Maine’s transportation system—our customers—including bicyclists, pedestrians, people of all ages and abilities, transit users, and motor vehicle users, have safe and efficient access to the transportation system. Applies to: planning, programming, design, rehabilitation, maintenance and construction of state’s transportation system. Address the needs of other users EARLY in the system planning process.

MaineDOT’s policy: http://www.maine.gov/mdot/completestreets/

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• Emphasis on treatments in village/business areas • Exceptions: have to be documented by Program Manager as to why not

included • Paving: (preservation projects): won’t add shoulders at that point, but

may improve safety by restriping. “System preservation projects should not decrease the safety for any road users.”

• Develop/update design and policy manuals • Update training…to ensure that individuals involved in planning, scope

development, design, project development and building the improvements have the tools, knowledge, and direction necessary to successfully implement this policy.”

• Watchdog: Maine Bicycle and Pedestrian Council (volunteer group of interested advocates) will review and recommend relevant policy changes to MaineDOT

MaineDOT’s policy:

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• Applies to state roads only • We do NOT have a state law requiring

Complete Streets (17 other states do, including MA, VT, RI, CT)

• 14,350 miles of roads in Maine NOT owned by MaineDOT

MaineDOT’s policy:

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National Coalition of Complete Streets: http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/complete-streets What your town can do today: • Is one of your streets on MaineDOT’s 3 year

plan? • Does your town have a bike/ped committee? • What road projects are on your town’s project

list? • Don’t take NO for an anwer!

Other Resources:

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Community Spokes Program

• We train and support community members that want to make their towns more bike/ped friendly

• We have 75 "Spokes” in 44 Maine cities or towns in all 16 counties in the state.

• Spokes can help to develop a Complete Streets Policy in your town • November 12 Training in Bangor

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The Future of roads and transportation in Maine • Friendly to Aging Mainers • Supportive of Active Transportation • Walkable and Bikeable Communities • Focused on Users’ Wants and Needs

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The Future of roads and transportation in Maine and beyond Sweden: Vision Zero Plan: Safety prioritized over speed or convenience Green Lane Project: PROTECTED bike lanes: on-street lanes SEPARATED from traffic. Reduces conflict between different modes: • Bicyclists feel safer • Drivers like knowing where to expect riders • Pedestrians report fewer bikes on the sidewalk.

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For more information: Nancy Grant

Executive Director Bicycle Coalition of Maine

nancy@bikemaine.org www.bikemaine.org