Mike on Traffic

Neighborhood Street Design Guidelines

The Institute of Transportation Engineers published a recommended practice this year titled Neighborhood Street Design Guidelines.  It’s a very good reference for anyone involved with the design of new neighborhoods.  Table 1 shows recommended design elements derived from the report based on the density of the neighborhood.

In Minnesota, the statutory speed limit on local streets is 30 mph.  Following are other design guidelines based on this speed (note the recommended practice also provides guidelines for other speed limits):

• Minimum stopping sight distance = 200 feet
• Minimum centerline horizontal curve radius = 300 feet
• Maximum grade in rolling terrain = 8% (2% at intersections)
• Clear sight distance provided at intersections without traffic control = 140 feet
• Corner radius at intersecting streets at 90 degree angle = 15 feet
• Minimum distance between tee intersections = 125 feet

The recommended practice provides discussion related to each of these design elements as well as other topics such as planning connectivity, utilities, street lights, parking, etc.  The 64 page document is a handy reference for those working on neighborhood design and I highly recommend it. 

One topic not covered in detail is when and what signs to use in neighborhoods.  Given the budget pressures faced by agencies and research about the effectiveness of signs, I encourage you to minimize the use of all signs in new neighborhoods other than street name signs.

Problem Solved - Obama Replaces Costly High Speed Rail Plan With High Speed Bus Plan

This just in from the Onion News Network (this is satire...) - Obama Replaces Costly High Speed Rail Plan With High Speed Bus Plan.  Combine this witht he Onion's previsous finding that 98% of U.S. Commuters Favor Public Transportation For Others and we're getting somewhere!

Obama Replaces Costly High-Speed Rail Plan With High-Speed Bus Plan

Smart Parking Meters in Minneapolis

Minneapolis is installing "smart" parking meters in the warehouse district.  Here's an article explaining the project. 

I snapped these photos yesterday, but the meters weren't operational yet.  Personally, I think they'll be great (assuming they work).  I'd rather use a credit card instead of carrying around quarters.

Coincidentally, there's a good article in Thinking Highways apout parking in Pasadena, CA that talks a lot about parking meters.  The balancing act with parking meters is to make them cheap enough that people want to use them, but not so cheap that people will keep circling the block waiting for a meter to open up.  Using smart meters will allow Minneapolis to fine tune this balancing act. 

 

 

 

Wohr's Automated Parking Ramp System

Check out the video on the automated parking system.  It looks like Wohr has implemented several of these systems.  Amazing technology.  I wonder how much a site has to be worth to justify the cost of a system like this.

Review of ITE's New Recommended Practice - Transportation Impact Analyses for Site Development

The Institute of Transportation Engineers' just published a Recommended Practice report titled Transportation Impact Analyses for Site Development.  This is an update to the PROPOSED Recommended Practice published in 2006.  Both reports are worthwhile references for anyone involved in preparing traffic studies. 

The new version has the same table of contents and is the same length as the previous version.  I looked closely at all of the tables and figures, comparing each version side by side.  The only changes appear to be updating references to the Trip Generation report  to the 8th Edition published in 2008 (hence the minor tweak to Table 2-2).  I believe all of the other tables and figures are consistent between the two versions.

If you own the Proposed Recommended Practice, don't waste $35 buying the new version.  Simply cross out the word Proposed on the cover and replace Table 2-2 with the update below.