Complete Streets: Closing the Gap Between Policy & Practice

Barbara McCann Tuesdays at APA Nov. 2013

Completing Our Streets: Closing the Gap Between Policy and Practice

Complete Streets Policy Adoption

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As of September 1, 2013

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4 As of January 1, 2013

5 As of September 1, 2013

Hawaii’s Complete Streets Law

• Requires the State DOT & County Transportation Departments to adopt internal Complete Streets policies

• Applies to new construction, reconstruction, & maintenance

• Established short term Task Force to: – Propose changes to state and county highway

design standards & guidelines – Make recommendations for restructuring

procedures, rewriting design manuals & creating new performance measures

Complete Streets Task Force members

• DOT • Each County Public Works or Transportation

Department • Department of Health • Hawaii bike and trail advocates • AARP • FHWA • Highway Users Alliance • University of Hawaii planners and engineers • Other interested parties

• “To meet the requirements of Act 54, the Task Force reviewed existing state, county, and national complete streets design standards and guidelines. However, the Task Force found it to be an overwhelming challenge to reach consensus on preferred design standards within the timeframe allowed.”

Picture of hearing?

What happened?

• Project delivery trumped policy • Political Transition • Weak steps to change • Failure to build internal ownership

– No internal champion – 10 principles seemed disconnected – Design focus invaded engineer’s turf

Three conditions for success:

• Ownership of a new vision

• Creation of a clear path for the transition

• Sustained political will

Closing the Gap

• Build ownership in the new vision

• Projects • Systems

• Policy

• Projects • Systems

• Policy

Wieters, 2012

Closing the Gap

• Build ownership in the new vision • Create a visceral understanding of user needs

• Reframe the problem to solve

• Focus on an existing priority: safety

Takaaki Iwabu for Raleigh News Observer

Louisville Kentucky Bill Deatherage walks along Brownsboro Rd. before and after new sidewalk was installed.

Seattle Safety Results

• Total collisions: 12% 2006 - 18,676 2008 - 16,458

• Fatalities 50% • Serious injuries 31% 2006 - 357 2008 - 246

Closing the Gap

• Create a clear path to change • Inclusive decision-making

• Understand what happens now

• End the tilt

• Create new systems

Who was left out when this road was planned?

Be Inclusive

Close the human gap

Understand the project-delivery system…

…and end its biases

Image courtesy From Policy to Pavement: Implementing Complete Streets in the San Diego Region.

Create new systems

• Charlotte six-step

planning process 1. Define Land

Use Context

6. DescribeTradeoffsand Select

Cross-Section

2. DefineTransportation

Context

3. IdentifyDeficiencies

4. DescribeFuture Objectives

5. DefineStreet Typeand Initial

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Closing the Gap

• Build sustained political will

• Proof in the Projects – and the spending:

• $12.5 million for sidewalks

• $3 million for bikeways

• $10 million for public transportation

Closing the Gap

• Build ownership in the new vision

• Create a clear path to change

• Sustain political will

Champions Close the Gap

• Clarity of purpose

• Determination to get around obstacles

• Ability to bring others along

• Build relationships, as well as evidence

Before After

• Questions?

Completing Our Streets:

The Transition to Safe and Inclusive Transportation Networks

by Barbara McCann barbara@bmccann.net

@csbarb Facebook

www.completingourstreets Use discount code 4STREETS to save 25%!

4 Implementation steps

1. Changing Procedures

2. Training 3. Re-writing

Manuals 4. New Performance

measures