CE 527 - Sustainable Mobility - Group 2 - Johnson Park Final Report

JOHNSON PARK
CE 527 - SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY
FINAL REPORT
TEAM: ELISSA MCDADE, DOUG MOODY, CLAY GRIGGS,
DANIEL FOYE, AND PATRICK GILSTER
JUNE 2013

CONTENTS
Executive Summary 1
Background and Approach 2
Goals and Objectives 3
Transportation Demand Management 4
Existing Roadway Conditions 6
Activity Centers and Zoning Changes 9
Pedestrian and Bicycle Connections 10
Reactions From Transportation Professionals 13
Understanding Turning Movement Volumes and Speed 14
2020 Design Concept 17
2035 Design Concept 19
Special Project Area 21
Case Study 23
Conclusion 25
JOHNSON PARK
CE 527 - SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY
FINAL REPORT

LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE 1.1. Goals and Objectives 3
FIGURE 1.2. Existing Roadway Conditions 6
FIGURE 1.3. Existing Lane Dimensions for the Johnson & Ella Intersection 7
FIGURE 1.4. Existing Lane Dimensions for the Johnson & Bishop Intersection 7
FIGURE 1.5. Existing Lane Dimensions for the Johnson & Sydney Intersection 8
FIGURE 1.6. Activity Centers and Zoning Changes 9
FIGURE 1.7. Bicycle Boulevard Diverters 10
FIGURE 1.8. Proposed 2035 Intersection 11
FIGURE 1.9. Proposed 2035 Transit Stop 11
FIGURE 1.10. Proposed 2035 Bus Shelter 12
FIGURE 1.11. 2005 Turning Movement Data for the Johnson & Ella Intersection 15
FIGURE 1.12. 2005 Turning Movement Data for the Johnson & Bishop Intersection 15
FIGURE 1.13. 2020 Turning Movement Data for the Johnson & Ella Intersection 16
FIGURE 1.14. 2020 Turning Movement Data for the Johnson & Bishop Intersection 16
FIGURE 1.15. 2020 Design Concept - Proposed Striping Changes to Johnson Ave. 18
FIGURE 1.16. 2035 Design Concept - Proposed Infrastructure Changes to Johnson Ave. 20

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JOHNSON PARK COMPLETE STREET - FINAL REPORTJUNE 2013
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The scope of this project is to envision Johnson Avenue between
Sydney Street and Ella Street as a Complete Street. This project area
offers the California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo Engineering
students the opportunity to practice creating a streetscape that
accomodates all modes of travel including pedestrian, bicycle,
automobile and transit. Using various techniques our group created
existing conditions maps to analyze conditions along Johnson
Avenue and in the surrounding neighborhoods. Goals and objectives
were identified using input from members of the community and
formed after tours of the project site. This allowed our group to
establish realistically feasible goals that could be implemented by
the year 2020. Many of the 2020 goals for the complete street can
be implemented at relatively low costs to the city without many
infrastructure upgrades. An underlying vision for this project area is
that the street right of way could be re-striped to provide for better
distribution of the right-of-way between the different modes. It is our
vision that creating 2035 infrastructure upgrades could include raised
medians and landscaping to better define the streetscape and
provide higher levels of protection for pedestrians and cyclists along
Johnson Ave. It is our hope that this booklet will allow us to present
an alternative street view that could one day be built along Johnson
Avenue. Thank you for reviewing our current work.

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JUNE 2013JOHNSON PARK COMPLETE STREET - FINAL REPORT
BACKGROUND AND APPROACH
The spring 2013 CE 527, Sustainable Mobility class was divided into two teams and
given a transportation project. This project enabled the teams to create proposals for
Johnson Avenue to become a complete street between Ella Street and Sydney Street.
While considering local input, the following concepts were expected to be taken under
consideration (listed in order of importance): land use, pedestrians, bicycles, public transit,
and cars.
Johnson Avenue is located on the southeast side of San Luis Obispo, CA. This is a four lane
arterial with the following facilities: a center two way turning lane; left hand turning pockets
at all signalized intersections; 4-5 foot class-1 bicycle lanes adjacent to the travel lanes; and
partial street parking. The posted speed limit for Johnson Avenue is 35mph, but speed spot
studies taken in the project area reveal that the 85th percentile speed is 42mph.
This is a predominately residential neighborhood with trips being generated by a need to
leave the area to travel to: places of employment; restaurants and entertainment; and
shopping. Trip attractors in the project area include San Luis Obispo County facilities,
medical facilities, schools (elementary, high school and adult school) and churches. This is
a suburban feeling neighborhood that provides its residents with a disconnected network of
hiking trails, bicycle lanes and pedestrian walkways.
Our team, the Residential Connectors, drew upon maps, documented traffic flow and
accident data from the City of San Luis Obispo and personal knowledge of the study area
to create initial traffic calming goals and objectives. We then spent a morning riding our
bikes through the project area and surrounding neighborhood to modify, update or validate
these goals and objectives. This experience, as well as some interviews conducted with
neighborhood stakeholders, provided the launch-pad for our finalized project goals and
objectives, and overall vision.
We discovered that the neighborhood surrounding Johnson Avenue was poorly served by
the arterial running through it. With a current average daily traffic volume between 15,000
and 19,999, it has comparable volumes to South Street (between Higuera Street and Broad
Street), but twice as much lane capacity. If put on a road diet similar to the one undertaken
on South Street, Johnson Avenue could be more accommodating to all types of users, and
become a facility that attracted the neighborhood instead of dividing it.
This design project, undertaken in phases, focuses on the creation of a complete street
experience on Johnson Avenue for all users through: the reduction in roadway width for
motorized vehicles; expansion of pedestrian facilities; addition of street trees and furniture;
zoning changes to allow for neighborhood servicing commercial uses; and connection of
bicycle facilities and networks.

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Figure 1.1. Goals & Objectives
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goals and objectives, listed below, were established initially based on the project
team’s ideas of what complete streets concepts could do within the neighborhood. Upon
community involvement and a bicycle/walking tour of the project area, the project revised
its goals and objects to better match the needs of residents and constraints due to the
topography. The goals below offer broad views of what the project team would like to see
implemented within the area to create a vibrant community that could evolve into its own
destination neighborhood known as “Johnson Park.” By encouraging a broader spectrum of
land uses along Johnson Avenue, the project team hopes to inspire more residents to walk or
bicycle to neighborhood serving uses such as a small market, park, or coffee shop. Through
changes to the physical street, the project team hopes to make the atmosphere along
Johnson safer and more enjoyable for all users and abilities.

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TRANSPORTATION DEMAND
MANAGEMENT
Our Transportation Demand Management features
encompassed many different aspects associated with
pedestrian, bus, and bicycle modes of transportation. Through
increased knowledge from the class, we used topics as well as
outside sources to choose revisions that were both attainable
and effective. Through programs such as Safe Routes to School
and Rideshare Programs in conjunction with bicycle education
and other incentives to use alternative modes of transportation,
the neighborhood has the potential to become more sustainable
and less dependent on cars.
Our first objective in Transportation Demand Management
(TDM) was Safe Routes to School. These programs encourage
walking and biking to school and conducting projects and
activities to create a safer and more pleasant atmosphere for
those who decide to pursue. By instilling the principles of healthy
living and an active lifestyle at a young age, the program is
fashioning a new mindset in children about sustainable modes
of transportation and how it benefits themselves and the
community. These Safe Routes would be determined once the
new crosswalks were in place to create the safest and fastest
way to get to and from Sinsheimer Elementary School from both
across Johnson and the surrounding neighborhoods.
The Rideshare Program is another way to encourage sustainable
techniques, but is broader and extends to both children as well
as adults. It has many services that provide modes of travel
that could move the same number of people while expending
much fewer natural resources. Some of these options include
organizing carpools and vanpools. Encompassed in the
Rideshare Program are techniques such as matching commuters
with similar people, places to meet, and ways to track your trips
and savings. These programs and many more create ways for

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students and employees alike to get from start to destination with
little to no inconvenience as well as reduce vehicular traffic on
Johnson Avenue and the neighboring streets.
Next involves education and adjustment. Bicycle education is
a great way to increase the number of bicyclists in the area as
citizens learn how safe and fun it can be. The Bicycle Coalition
specializes in this field and could be utilized to spread the word
to the residents near Johnson Avenue. This can be accomplished
through community meetings and school presentations to spread
bicycle principles. In this way, students could bike to the high
school and elementary school, and residents to work or retail
knowing the safety precautions and rules. We would also like to
extend the transit service hours so that no matter how early or
late the work day is, there will be a way to get to the destination
via bus. In this way, the employees or shoppers who may not
have been able to compute by bus now have that opportunity.
Finally, business incentives for telecommuting would help
decrease vehicular traffic and pollution while increasing
sustainable transportation users. Although a prominently
residential neighborhood, a vast majority of the populace
has jobs and needs a way to get to them. By offering business
incentives, these residents may feel it is enough of a reason to
take a sustainable mode of transportation for work thus lowering
vehicular traffic on Johnson Avenue. The hospital and elderly
center and other businesses in the proximity also need ways to
get to and from work and these business incentives would make
sustainable modes more appealing.

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EXISTING ROADWAY CONDITIONS
As shown below, the existing Johnson right-of-way is 75 feet wide in the roadway and at
transit stops and reduces to 74 feet at intersections.
In the roadway, at transit stops, and at intersections, there are 6 foot sidewalks on both sides.
Bike lanes are 5 feet wide at intersections, 4 feet wide in the roadway, and buses maneuver
through and/or stop in the bike lane at transit stops.
In both the roadway and at transit stops, there are 4 automobile lanes (two in either
direction), and each is 9.5 feet. At intersections, there are 4 lanes for automobile through
traffic and one left turn lane.
Parking is available on the south-west side of Johnson between Fixlini and Bishop and on
both side of Johnson from Bishop to Sydney.
Figure 1.2. Existing Roadway Conditions

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PATRICKGILSTERDANIELFOYECLAYGRIGGS
DOUGLASMOODYELISSAMCDADE
LANE DIMENSIONS
S-1.1
DESIGNEDBY:DESIGNDATE
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RESIDENTIAL
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ELLA ST.
JOHNSON AVE.
FIXLINI ST.
ELLA ST.
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BISHOP ST.
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JOHNSON AVE.
SMITHST.
LANE WIDTHS
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8.0
Figure 1.3. Existing Lane Dimensions for the Johnson & Ella Intersection
Figure 1.4. Existing Lane Dimensions for the Johnson & Bishop Intersection

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LANE DIMENSIONS
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CONNECTORS
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JOHNSON AVE.
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JOHNSON AVE.
SMITHST.
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Figure 1.5. Existing Lane Dimensions for the Johnson & Sydney Intersection

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ACTIVITY CENTERS AND ZONING CHANGES
School District/
Adult School
French Hospital
First Baptist Church
Railroad Crossing
Bridge
Railroad Safety Trail Terrace Hill Sinsheimer Park Sinsheimer Elementary SLO Swim Center Laurel Lane Market Church
Medical Office Park
County Health Center
County Probation
Office
Unused Open Space
Government Commercial Cultural/Historical High Density Residential Medium Density Residential
Neighborhood Commercial
Parks & Open Space
ZONE CHANGES BY 2020
JO
HNSO
N
AVE
ELLA
ST
FLO
RA
ST
FIXILINIST
AUGUSTA
ST
LAURELLN
BISHOP ST
RAILROAD
SYDNEY
ST
Figure 1.6. Activity Centers and Zoning Changes
ACTIVITY CENTERS AND ZONING CHANGES
In order to establish how and by whom the complete street would utilized, it was necessary
to identify important sources of activity that are already community assests within the
neighborhood. Along Johnson Avenue there are many existing businesses and services such
as French Hospital, County Health Facilities, Medical Offices, and School District offices.
However, most of the area is currently single-family or medium-density residential. There
was only one neighborhood commercial serving use, Laurel Lane Market, that is located on
another nearby street. It is for this reason, that the project team recommends converting
certain parcels along Johnson Avenue to Neighborhood Commercial and/or Mixed Use. This
would support the conversion of Johnson Avenue into a complete street because it would
allow more commercial facilities for residents to walk or bike to within their neighborhood.
The proposed rezoning of undeveloped land to Parks & Open Space with the creation of
a new park could reestablish this neighborhood as “Johnson Park” and encourage use of
alternate modes by residents to the park if connected in conjunction with completing the
Bike Boulevard north of Johnson Ave.

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PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE
CONNECTIONS
Throughout the length of Johnson, our proposed design intends
to create more desirable walking and cycling options. Walking is
made more desirable by increasing sidewalk/pedestrian space,
decreasing crossing distance, lowering traffic speeds, and
including vegetation. Cycling is made more desirable by better
protecting cyclists from automobile traffic and providing more
route options with varying surroundings and topographies.
Our walkability goals are achieved by removing automobile
lanes and reallocating some of the space to pedestrian
infrastructure. Fewer lanes allow shorter crossing distances. More
pedestrian space (especially with vegetation) allows for more
desirable pedestrian conditions.
Sharrows are proposed on routes with substantially less
automobile traffic than Johnson. Parallel bicycle routes to the
north-east of Johnson on Flora and Fixlini were proposed. We
proposed connecting these two routes via a class 1 bicycle route
through the area where Bishop terminates, and we proposed
redevelopment. On Fixlini, in addition to sharrows, we proposed
diverters (as shown below) that allow for through bicycle traffic
but direct automobile traffic off Fixlini at each intersection—Fixlini
has problems with cut-through traffic from Johnson to access the
high school, and these diverters could be part of the solution.
We also proposed sharrows perpendicular bicycle routes on
Ella and Sydney and along a parallel route to the south-west
of Johnson from Sydney to Sinsheimer Elementary—this route
could be extended to continue along Augusta, to a short stint on
Bishop, to Sierra Way, and finally connect with Ella.
Figure 1.7. Bicycle Boulevard
Diverters

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A cycle track was proposed on Johnson Ave. As seen in Figure
1.5, in roadway sections, cyclists are separated from automobile
traffic by a raised buffer, and pedestrians are separated from
cyclists by an elevated sidewalk and trees.
At intersections, cyclists can activate a through green light
shared with through autos via a loop detector or camera
associated with the cycle track. Left turns can be made via an
actuation button next to a cyclists stopped in the cycle track
at an intersection. As noted in the transportation professional
reactions below, future designs should probably separate the
cycle track and crosswalks—this should reduce pedestrian/
cyclist conflicts, but it also places automobiles stopped at the
intersection further away, possibly impacting sight distance of
drivers.
As seen below, at bus stops, we designed the cycle track and
sidewalk to merge into a shared-zone. We started with the
assumption that a pedestrian/cyclist interaction is better than a
cyclist bus interaction; however, as can be ascertained from the
transportation professional reactions below, this design needs
refinement.
In our proposed 2035 design, we have a combined 24 feet
pedestrian/bike of space available on both sides of Johnson.
If we redistribute our space allocation so that each side of
Johnson has 12 feet of pedestrian/bike space we could make
Figure 1.8. Proposed 2035
Intersection
Figure 1.9. Proposed 2035 Transit Stop

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the following changes to transit stops:
• Move the shelter a few feet further away from the bus
pullout and near the middle of the pedestrian/bike space.
• Prior to the shelter, switch the positions of the cycle track
and the sidewalk so that the cycle track wraps behind the
shelter. In this configuration, the area from where bus riders
interact with the pullout (including the shelter) all the way
to where the pedestrian space and cycle-track cross would
be pedestrian-only space. Where the sidewalk and cycle
track cross, the cycle track would curve to slow cyclists,
the oncoming shelter would slow cyclists, and pedestrians
would have the right-of-way—this could be indicated by
a crosswalk (or shared zone) and signage. If the shelter is
3 feet wide, this will leave 9 feet to distribute between the
sidewalk space in front of the shelter and the cycle track
that now wraps behind the shelter. A 5 foot sidewalk in
front of the shelter and a 4 foot cycle track behind it seems
reasonable.
• Another option is a similar configuration but with the shelter
on the other side of the bus pull out. This eliminates the
shelter as an object that would slow cyclists entering the
bus pull out space, but this configuration remove the shelter
as a sight obstacle between pedestrians in the pull out
space and oncoming cyclists. This configuration makes it
more difficult for bus operators to see if they have riders
waiting as they approach the bus stop.
Adjustments would also need to be made to our proposed 2020
stripping changes to reflect this design change.
Figure 1.10. Proposed 2035 Bus
Shelter

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REACTIONS FROM
TRANSPORTATION PROFESSIONALS
ON PEDESTRIAN & BICYCLE
CONNECTIONS
Cycle Track
“I have concerns about the cycle track @ intersections & bike
speed as bus stops. But I also think that raised cycle tracks w/
the buffer will help people feel comfortable riding on the street.”
– Kevin C.
“I notice that the cycle tracks coloring appears to overlap with
the crosswalk zebra striping at many study area intersections.
This creates an inherent conflict between bicyclists and
pedestrians.” – Scott E.
“The ending of the cycle tracks onto the sidewalk at bus
stop locations would seem to create a significant conflict
between bicyclists, transit users (entering and exiting the bus),
and pedestrians. In addition, these conflict would likely be
exacerbated due to restricted sight distance when a bus is
present. Unless the bicyclists are expected to dismount, the
bicyclists would appear to also be riding on the sidewalk in these
areas which is not legal in the City of SLO. Also, when a bus is
not present, would bicyclists be expected to ride on the sidewalk
with peds?” – Scott E.
“The interface between the cycle track and the bus stop is a bit
concerning – what happens when a bus is stopped and 5 cyclists
moving 20 mph are approaching?’ – James D.
“Not sold on the shared bike/ped areas.” – Bryan W.
Fixlini Traffic Diverters
“Traffic diverters on Fixlini – consider a temporary trial” – Rich K.
“Fixlini bike boulevard is cool – diverters work nicely.” – Eric M.

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UNDERSTANDING TURNING MOVEMENT VOLUMES
AND SPEED ON JOHNSON AVE
2005 SLO City turning volumes were provided to both project teams at the start of the
project. These provided volumes were for the intersections of Ella and Johnson, and Bishop
and Johnson at morning and afternoon peak volumes in all directions (north, south, west,
east and right, left, thru). A simple growth model was applied to these volumes to grow them
1% each year as projections for 2020 and 2035. This growth percentage is in accordance
with the city growth model as stated in the City of San Luis Obispo General Plan.
The turning movement volumes were considered as we evaluated the possibility of putting
Johnson Avenue on a road diet to reduce the roadway width devoted to the motor vehicle.
At year 2020, our project sought to reduce the travel lanes on Johnson from two lanes in
either direction with a middle turning lane to one lane in either direction with a middle
turning lane. The projected turning volumes proved that maintenance of a left turn lane at
the signalized intersections of Johnson/Ella and Johnson/Bishop would be essential to the
maintenance of traffic level of service (LOS) on Johnson. For example, a projected 2020
PM peak northbound left turn volume at Johnson/Ella of 24 vehicles in combination with a
PM peak southbound thru traffic volume of 1028 vehicles would ensure northbound traffic
congestion unless a left turn lane continued to be available.
Spot speed studies from observations at the Johnson/Bishop intersection were provided by
the San Luis Obispo Public Works department for an afternoon period on Friday, August 8,
2007 and a morning period on Tuesday, July 3, 2012. Although the posted speed limit on this
road is 35mph, the 85th percentile recorded during these studies was 42mph. This results of
this study indicated that the roadway has too much capacity and is unsafe for non-vehicular
roadway users, such as pedestrians and bicyclists. This average speed further supported the
decision to move forward with putting Johnson Avenue on a road diet to reduce speeds to
the posted limit, and to equalize space devoted to motorized vehicle and non-motorized
vehicle or pedestrian users.

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SB 685
Left 2
Thru 626
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Figure 1.11. 2005 Turning Movement Data for the Johnson & Ella Intersection
Figure 1.12. 2005 Turning Movement Data for the Johnson & Bishop Intersection

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SB 788
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SB 528
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Figure 1.13. 2020 Turning Movement Data for the Johnson & Ella Intersection
Figure 1.14. 2020 Turning Movement Data for the Johnson & Bishop Intersection

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2020 DESIGN CONCEPT
In our 2020 Design Concept, the overall goal was to implement a mode shift that would
simulate our 2035 concept. Our 2035 concept shows the whole street with the road diet
implemented with extended sidewalks and medians, but in 2020 our plan is to set the
concept in motion by striping the road diet, allowing users to become more comfortable
with the new street. This option is also more financially feasible because the treatment mainly
involves striping. Land uses will also be changed to fulfill the development in our 2035 design
concept.
The reasons for reassigning the road space and proposing a road diet directly correlates
with our goals and objectives. Our goals include providing a complete street structure while
maintaining an adequate level of service. Using the traffic volumes on South St. in San Luis
Obispo as well as Baxter Street in Athens, Georgia, a road diet is acceptable at this volume
and the volume to capacity ratio will prove an adequate level of service.
Other factors that were considered in our 2020 design concept was to reduce the
pedestrian crossing distance, therefore we provided room for a pedestrian crossing island
in the concept. Safety of pedestrians was also addressed from the amount of pedestrian
collisions found in the 2002-2011 Crash Data study provided. The cycle tracks also help
provide safety for bicyclists from vehicular elements using a buffer zone, while also keeping
them away from the door zone from on-street parking. Speed limit compliance was also
a big factor since the 85th percentile speeds were 7 mph over the speed limit. Therefore
decreasing lane width will conform vehicles to comply with the speed limit.
The striping involved with the road diet includes eliminating a lane from each side of the
road, while still maintaining a dual left turn lane in the middle of both vehicle lanes. On
the sidewalks, there will be a pedestrian expansion zone to mimic the extension of the
sidewalk in 2035. This pedestrian expansion zone will be 4.5 feet for the main roadway, and
at intersections the zone will be 5.5 feet. The cycle tracks are included in the 2020 design
concept as well, and will be 5 feet throughout Johnson Ave. There are buffer zones between
the cycle track and the middle section of the roadway, measuring 3 feet throughout.
On street parking will be relocated to only be on the east side of Johnson Avenue and be
found throughout the street except at the intersections and bus pullouts. Lastly, there will be
a median at the intersections and the transition approaches to the intersections, measuring 5
feet, as a barrier between the left turn vehicle lane at the intersection and oncoming traffic.
It also serves as a refuge for pedestrians crossing the street and will also include pedestrian
activation buttons.

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In our 2020 design concept, the bus pullout will be included and a 3 foot bus shelter addition
will be added at the pullouts. The cycle track will not be connected to the pedestrian
walkway in the 2020 design, it will remain next to the buffer zone and the bus pullout will
separate the pedestrians with the cyclists. On the westward side of Johnson Ave, there is not
enough space to separate the cycle track and the bus pullout therefore it will be a shared
area for cyclists and buses.
Overall, the striping changes will help implementation of our 2035 design concept since
people will understand the road diet and conform to the speed limit. Budget for the
striping changes will be approximately $200k, which is a significant amount for striping but
implementing the road diet with striping in 2020 will give ample time for users to adjust and
become comfortable with the new street before the street is built up into a true complete
street.
Figure 1.15. 2020 Proposed Striping Changes to Johnson Ave.

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2035 DESIGN CONCEPT
The 2035 Design Concept for Johnson Park seeks to change the streetscape on Johnson
Avenue. Widened sidewalks, cycle tracks, street trees, street furniture and bus stop parklets
remake the experience for all users. The reduction of one travel lane in either direction
on Johnson, as well as the removal of parking on the west side of the street provide the
approximately 27 feet of space necessary to permanently transform the Johnson Park
streetscape from the 2020 restriping plan into long lasting capital changes that will benefit
the Johnson Park neighborhood.
Roadway changes include an 11 foot wide two-way left turn lane. Bicycle lane changes
along the roadway include the installation of a 3 foot wide raised cycle buffer zone and the
installation of a 5 foot wide raise cycle track. Pedestrian walkways on the east and west
sides of the street will be expanded from 6 feet to 10.5 feet. The first 3 feet of the pedestrian
walkway that is directly adjacent to the cycle track will be devoted to street tree planting
and street furniture; such as park benches, trash cans and bicycle racks.
Intersection changes include the installation of a 5 foot median that will double as a
pedestrian refuge. The 2035 design also calls for the installation of pedestrian actuated
crosswalk button to allow pedestrians who take longer than the crossing phase a chance
to safely continue their journey at the next signal phase. Bicycle lane changes at the
intersection include the installation of a 3 foot wide raised cycle buffer zone and the
installation of a 5 foot wide raise cycle track. Pedestrian walkways on the east and west
sides of the street will be expanded from 6 feet to 11.5 feet.
Bus pullout changes include the expansion of the pedestrian walkway on the east side
of the street to 16 feet (due to the space devoted to parking on the roadway section of
this design). This increased size would allow for a combination of the cycle track and the
pedestrian walkway into a shared zone with the addition of a parklet that transit users can
enjoy while they wait for their next bus. Pedestrians and runners would also enjoy this new
feature, and find it a pleasant spot to stop and rest or talk to neighbors as they enjoy their
neighborhood. The west side of the street would be redesigned to an 8 foot shared zone for
pedestrian and bikes at the transit stop.

20
During our final presentation, feedback and criticism of our design concept focused on
concerns about the intersection of the cycle track with pedestrian uses at the bus pullout,
and the intersection of the cycle track with the cross walk at the intersection.
In response to these criticisms, suggested future improvements of the Johnson Park 2035
design concept include a continued separation of relocation of the crosswalk along
Johnson so that it connects with the pedestrian walkway and does not intersect with the
cycle track. Our team would also restripe the cycle track through the intersection so that it is
adjacent to the crosswalk.
*Design responses to the concerns about the shared walkway/cycle track at bus pullouts are
addressed in detail in the Pedestrian and Bicycle Connections section of this report.
Figure 1.16. 2035 Proposed Infrastructure Changes to Johnson Ave.

21
SPECIAL PROJECT AREA:
JOHNSON & SYDNEY INTERSECTION
Our special project focused on the intersection of Johnson
Avenue and Sydney Street. This is an un-signalized intersection
that has a flashing crossing sign, which is only active during
certain hours of the day, but is not user actuated. This crosswalk
is important, because it is a route heavily used by school children
crossing Johnson Avenue to walk down Sydney Street to Augusta
Street and on to the Sinsheimer Elementary school. Due to the
high speed of Johnson Avenue, and the lack of user control
over the flashing crossing sign, the school has posted a crossing
guard to help the children before and after school hours. The
intersection is also characterized by a church parking lot on the
south-east corner.
The project proposal for this intersection begins with modifying
this roadway facility to accommodate Safe Routes to School. As
part of the 2035 project timeframe, 5 foot wide medians would
be added to the center of Johnson Avenue next to the left turn
lanes. These would act as pedestrian refuges and incorporate
the installation of pedestrian actuated crosswalk button to
allow pedestrians who take longer than the crossing phase a
chance to safely continue their journey at the next signal phase.
Reflective yellow zebra crosswalks would be painted to allow
safe and visible crossings across all four sides of the intersection.
The existing flashing crossing sign would be updated to include
a user actuated button. Advance warning crossing signs would
also be installed 100 feet prior to the intersection, and would

22
begin flashing when the user actuated buttons are pushed,
to warn the approaching motor vehicles that they should
slow in expectation of a pedestrian crossing at Sydney Street.
Additionally, Sydney Street would be painted with sharrows and
designated a class-3 bicycle lane.
The church parking lot would be rezoned as neighborhood
commercial as part of our 2020 plan. And, our special project
encourages the development of a neighborhood coffee shop or
market in this location, with rooftop parking that can be shared
with the church. This would serve as a neighborhood anchor
and provide residents with a sorely needed local gathering
place that they would be able to use without having to get in
their cars and leave the neighborhood.

23
CASE STUDY:
BAXTER STREET IN ATHENS, GEORGIA
The case study is represented by Baxter Street in Athens-Clarke
County, Georgia. This street was modified to accommodate
sustainable modes of transportation while reducing vehicular
traffic and speeds. Although it has a population of 102,000, the
amount of vehicular traffic is very similar to that of our project
area, Johnson Avenue. The ADT on Baxter Street is between
18,000 and 20,000vpd and on Johnson Avenue is between 15,000
and 20,000vpd as reported on the San Luis Obispo City Public
Works page. By viewing the results of alterations to this street, the
prospect of transforming Johnson can more easily be observed
and conclusions obtained.
Baxter Street is located near the University of Georgia. Safety
concerns for pedestrians and bicyclists were addressed in
October of 1999 to deal with both the downtown area and
students at the University. It was fashioned as a demonstration
project to see what the impacts would be to traffic flow, speeds,
and safety when reducing the number of lanes. The road is
question was forty feet curb-to-curb with four 10-ft lanes. The
road was transformed into a 12-ft two-way left-turn lane in the
center with two 14-ft travel lanes extending from this which
included 3-ft shared bicycle areas. Bicycle lanes needed to be
at least 4-ft and given the limited width of the road, the decision
was to just create a shared bicycle area to give the bicyclists
more safety when traveling the street. These shared bicycle
areas were striped thus creating the impression of a 3-ft bicycle
lane and 11-ft vehicle lane.
Although this project was a less radical transformation than our
Johnson Avenue proposal, its costs and benefits should still be
quantified. The cost of the project for preparation, resurfacing,

24
striping, signal modification, and design fees totaled $185,600.
The number of crashes on this street decreased by 53 percent,
decreased by 60 percent at signalized intersections, and traffic
speeds reduced. There was also a 3.7 percent decrease in
traffic volume which was relocated to a neighboring street and
did not create dramatic vehicle congestion or safety problems
there. Finally, the shared bicycle area provided a bicycle refuge
which created a safer atmosphere for this sustainable mode of
transportation.
This street is a fair representation of Johnson Avenue because
it is reducing the street from 4 lanes to 2 lanes. The Athens-
Clarke County did their best to accommodate bicyclists while
not congesting traffic, although their street width was much
narrower than ours. The cost was very minimal for this size of a
project which strengthens our proposal on Johnson Avenue. As
shown by this street modification, many positive outcomes occur
because of the road diet and prove that it has great potential
to decrease traffic volumes, speeds, and accidents within the
project area.

25
CONCLUSION
The concept of Johnson Park incorporates more places for people in the neighborhood
to go and slower traffic on Johnson Avenue while also creating a Complete Street.
Johnson Avenue is currently a four lane arterial and many vehicles drive faster than the
speed limit. Bike and transit elements in the area support their respective transportation
modes but a road diet allows more real estate to support bus pullouts, medians, and cycle
tracks with buffer zones to support bicycle safety from factors such as the door zone.
Important elements such as maintaining level of service for vehicles and creating parallel
transportation elements for all types of users was required to form the neighborhood feel in
the area.
Our special project was a small neighborhood coffee shop or market at the intersection
of Sydney St. and Johnson Ave. This design brings together the Complete Street element
of Johnson Park by giving people places to meet, while also making the school crossing
safer since more vehicles will be aware of the development and yield to the increase
in pedestrian traffic. The transportation demand management objectives include Safe
Routes to School which is supported by the special project area on Sydney and Sinsheimer
Elementary a few blocks down from the intersection. Bicycle education supports the idea
of a Complete Street by reducing vehicular traffic and also promoting use of parallel streets
with sharrows, like Fixlini St. and Flora St. This design concept allows all types of users to be
comfortable in alternative modes of transportation; confident and advanced users will use
the cycle track on Johnson Ave. and less confident bicyclists can use the route on Flora St.
and Fixlini St. To fully design a Complete Street, we adhered to all modes of transportation as
well as all types of users in their respective modes.
The 2035 design concept is not perfect and still needs refinement. A major issue is the bus
pullout and whether bicyclists will adhere to pedestrians in the shared zone or if routing the
cycle track differently is more plausible. With the raised cycle track and extended sidewalks,
crosswalk markings also become difficult to design due to sight distance constraints on the
perpendicular streets, as well as regulations for crosswalk widths with the cycle track taking
up a significant portion of the crosswalk.
Overall, reducing vehicular traffic with traffic calming measures helps reduce the
dependence on vehicles, and also promoting alternative modes of transportation. Modern
transit networks and bicycle planning efforts also encourage users to try alternative modes
and lessen the use of their private vehicles. Our team developed the project area as a
Complete Street to also support a neighborhood community feel which prepares the area
for future development. Developing a community is essential to growth of a sustainable
city and the Complete Street in Johnson Park aides in San Luis Obispo’s overall sustainability
awareness and development.

WORKS CITED
City of San Luis Obispo Public Works Department. Traffic Division Spot Speed Study.
Johnson(Bishop/Laurel). Friday August 8, 2010.
City of San Luis Obispo Public Works Department. Traffic Division Spot Speed Study.
Johnson(near Bishop). Thursday, July 3, 2012.
Clark, David E. Road Diets: Athens-Clarke County’s Experience in Converting
4-lane Roadways into 3-lane Roadways. http://www.ite.org/Membersonly/
annualmeeting/2001/AB01H6101.pdf
National Center for Safe Routes to School. http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/about-us
Nelson, Angela. Ride Share Online. http://www.rideshareonline.com/

CE 527 - Sustainable Mobility - Group 2 - Johnson Park Final Report

CE 527 - Sustainable Mobility - Group 2 - Johnson Park Final Report

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