MS
Uploaded byMark Sauer
3,700 views

Pedestrian Planning

This document provides background information on pedestrian planning in Milwaukee. It discusses how other major U.S. cities like Seattle and Portland have adopted pedestrian master plans to make their cities more walkable. In contrast, Milwaukee currently lacks a comprehensive pedestrian plan, though it does have a bicycle plan. The document also discusses Walk Score and SEWRPC as tools for evaluating walkability and existing pedestrian infrastructure and policies. It provides context for understanding the need and goals of developing pedestrian best practices and recommendations for Milwaukee.

Embed presentation

PEDESTRIAN PLANNING BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES FOR MILWAUKEE’S PEDESTRIAN PROJECTS, PROGRAMS, AND POLICIES UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE APPLIED PLANNING WORKSHOP SPRING 2011 HEATH ANDERSON : RACHANA KOTHARI : PAUL MERKEY : XYLIA RUEDA : MARK SAUER
CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 7 PROBLEM, PROJECT-PROGRAM-POLICY FRAMEWORK, PROCESS, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES PEDESTRIANS IN MILWAUKEE 13 US PEDESTRIAN PLANNING AND MILWAUKEE, WALK SCORE, SEWRPC, MILWAUKEE’S EXISTING BICYCLE ACCOMMODATIONS 19 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROJECT, PROGRAM, POLICY 43 MILWAUKEE SITE SELECTION GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS ANALYSIS TARGET AREA A 47 91st ST. & SILVER SPRING DR., SITE SELECTION, WALK SCORE, STAKEHOLDERS, PUBLIC INTERVIEWS- FIELD SURVEY, RECOMMENDATIONS TARGET AREA B: 57 6th ST. & LINCOLN AVE., SITE SELECTION, WALK SCORE, PUBLIC INTERVIEWS- FIELD SURVEY, PUBLIC PARTICIPATION OPEN HOUSE, RECOMMENDATIONS CITY WIDE RECOMMENDATIONS 73 APPLICATION OF PROJECT, PROGRAM, POLICY IN MILWAUKEE 3 INTRODUCTION
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The primary objective of this study is to identify best management prac- tices in pedestrian planning for the City of Milwaukee. The Planning Group has compiled different pedestrian related best practice methods and identified how each method can be adapted to fit Milwaukee’s pe- destrian needs. Best practices have been categorized in three groups— project based, programs, and policies—which address various pedes- trian issues. This report also provides a set of recommended policies and programs to encourage, educate, and promote increased use of a more accessible and walkable environment. Many large cities- Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Kansas City, Denver have successfully drafted and adopted pedestrian plans. Many of these GROUP MEMBERS plans are also inclusive of bicycle plans and accommodations. Milwau- kee currently has a Bicycle Plan but not a plan that focuses on the XYLIA RUEDA improvement of pedestrian interests, safety, and infrastructure. One Project Manager result of not having a pedestrian plan is a large number pedestrian crash reports generated by the Milwaukee Police Department. In a three year HEATH ANDERSON: period from January 2007 to January 2011, 828 pedestrian crashes GIS Spatial Analysis were reported. Because of the need to increase pedestrian safety, this report begins the research and development of a pedestrian plan for the MARK SAUER: City of Milwaukee. Public Participation To begin this study, the Planning Group first began by identifying various Coordinator case studies in improvements to pedestrian related projects, programs, and policies. Then the group utilized ESRI’s ArcGIS program point den- RACHANA KOTHARI: sity tool in conjunction with the crash data to better define the areas Urban Design Specialist of highest crash frequency. Further analysis was conducted on various sites that met the group’s criteria to gain a greater understanding of PAUL MERKEY: the physical make-up of the sites. The two sites that best fit our criteria Program Researcher were the intersections of N 91st St. & W Silver Spring Ave. and S 6th St. & W Lincoln Ave. In order to better serve the public, questionnaires and a public open house were conducted to gain an understanding of the publics’ desires, needs, likes, and dislikes. One of those needs was to address speed and driver courtesy throughout Milwaukee. Photomontages and spe- cific site recommendations were constructed for each site that included project recommendations intended to aid in the reduction of pedestrian crashes. The group then identified best practice methods to be adopted as the framework for problematic intersections throughout the City. The end product is a compilation of best practice project, program, and policy recommendations at two site specific locations and city wide which outlines tasks needed to reduce pedestrian crashes throughout the City. The next critical steps for the City is to devise a ranking system to stra- tegically prioritize and ensure the most critical projects are addressed first while phasing in lower-priority projects based on cost and feasibil- ity. These recommendations were constructed through public input and are in the best interest of the residents of Milwaukee. 5 INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION During the fifteen week semester, group members worked on a planning related problem dealing with improvements to the proj- ects, programs, and policies impacting the pedestrian realm in Milwaukee. Taking a client-centered approach to defining and solving the problem, the group acted as a consulting team for Dave Schlabowske, Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for the City of Milwaukee, Department of Public Works. The overall project goal for is to present the client with a docu- ment on best practice case studies in pedestrian projects, pro- grams, and policies from around the nation. Not only will this document highlight best practices, but it will showcase how those best practices can be implemented at various sites throughout the City of Milwaukee. PROBLEM Ninety-five percent of streets in Milwaukee have sidewalks. This existing infrastructure provides ample opportunity for pedestrian circulation and allows for safe separation of motorized and non motorized transportation in the public realm. However, sidewalks alone are not enough. In order to cater to the increased den- sity of pedestrian traffic desired by stakeholders throughout the city, Milwaukee must improve policies and programs to guide the physical design of streets for the pedestrian. Currently, the State of Wisconsin uses “Guide to Complete Streets” when redeveloping state roads and highways. This plan is enact- ed when any State or federal money is used to finance a project, regardless of the location of the infrastructure in the State. The “complete” street guide however, does not apply to city streets not owned by the state. Though the City of Milwaukee has the ability to create the infrastructure and density it desires through its own means, there is currently no best practices program or complete streets policy in place to guide this development at the local level. This study is intended to create a living, breathing document which applies best practice principles in pedestrian-oriented de- sign to specific areas throughout the City of Milwaukee. In addi- tion, it will act as a gateway and template for further develop- ment of best practices in City projects. The outcome will be a combination of project, policy, and program recommendations for the City of Milwaukee. 7 INTRODUCTION
PROJECT, PROGRAM, POLICY FRAMEWORK Pedestrian planning is inclusive of three elements- project, pro- gram, and policy. Implemented through private or public entities, the three p’s of pedestrian planning are used to ensure a safe and rewarding walking experience. Project: A project is defined as the implementation of a physical change to the pedestrian infrastructure or experience. Projects would include things like installing speed humps, or new cross- walk line painting. Projects should be done at the municipal level. Program: A program is a short-term activity with a goal of edu- cating the public or encouraging walking as a viable transporta- tion option. Programs can be implemented at the municipal level or privately. Policy: A policy is a long-term resolution, ordinance, or commit- ment by a department or agency to educate the public or encour- age walking as a viable transportation option. Policies can be implemented by private entities or through a municipality. PROCESS The research began with a problem definition and understanding of Milwaukee’s current pedestrian infrastructure, programs, and policies. Goals, objectives, and criteria were then defined in order to frame the research and problem-solution. Finally, a scope of work was created and roles were selected by each group member. Two Milwaukee sites were selected using Geographic Information Systems analysis. In addition, best practice case study research was conducted to effectively and efficiently enhance pedestrian infrastructure, programs, and policies in cities around the nation. Through conceptual design renderings and recommendations, best practice research will be implemented on two sites within the City of Milwaukee focusing on site specific projects, programs, and policies. As part of the implementation and recommendation process, a public participation charette and stakeholder interviews were conducted within the two selected sites. Stakeholder interviews proved to be useful in understanding how power and responsibil- ity is shared amongst the users of the intersection (drivers, pe- Above: Participants of the public destrians, local business owners). The public charette allowed for charette place stickers on safe preference surveys to be conducted and residents to have a direct and unsafe areas of one of the impact on the future of their community. target intersections. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 8
The result of this process is both conceptual design ideas and recommendations on projects, programs, and policies the City of Milwaukee can implement to improve the pedestrian realm. GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND CRITERIA The goals, objectives, and criteria, outlined below, were defined by the Planning Group. They are intended to be the result of the research and identify recommendations presented in this docu- ment and future implementation by the City on specific sites, or in City wide policy. IMPROVE SAFETY: By eliminating the perceived and real safety issues in the pedestrian realm, people are more likely to choose to walk. Objective: 1. Reduce pedestrian crashes Criteria: - Improve block and intersection design for pedestrian usage based on best practices - Improve Pedestrian Level of Service (see WISDOT) 2. Ensure pedestrian right-of-way Criteria: - Restrict street furnishings to the edges of the sidewalk - Increase sidewalk width 3. Education and Outreach Criteria: - Safe pedestrian habits will be presented in at least three different media formats - Safe pedestrian habits will be directed at all ages - Programs will educate the public on pedestrian safety regulations - Safe driving habits ENCOURAGE WALKABILITY: Milwaukee should encourage walking to promote healthy and active lifestyles which result in associated environmental and economic benefits. Objective: 1. Increase the frequency of walking Criteria: - Create programs that encourage walking over motor- ized transportation - Enhance street design as to be part of the public realm to make pedestrians feel welcome and safe 2. Education and Outreach: Criteria: - Inform and educate elected officials and public agency staff about the pedestrian realm 9 INTRODUCTION
- Organize programs and events to encourage public to walk 3. Improve access to sidewalks and crossings: Criteria: - Reduce intersection crossing distances for pedestrians - Improve accessibility to crossings and sidewalks for those with disabilities 4. Improve connectivity: Criteria: - Enhance accessibility to other modes of travel such as mass transit - Promote pedestrian design to be compatible with sur- rounding uses - Implement American Disability Act (ADA) design stan- dards in all projects to improve accessibility for all users THINK LOCAL: The City of Milwaukee has the resources and ability to manage its pedestrian infrastructure with local funding sources and incentives. Objectives: 1. Complete and maintain pedestrian system Criteria: - Create funding strategies for pedestrian infrastructure improvements - Create funding strategies for pedestrian infrastructure maintenance 2. Public/Private investment (partnerships) Criteria: - Identify private funding sources for pedestrian infra- structure - Identify avenues for ventures - Identify and pursue available grants through intergov- ernmental co-operation PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 10
PEDESTRIANS IN MILWAUKEE The following chapter is background information on pedestrian planning as it relates to Milwaukee. U.S. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING AND MILWAUKEE Cities like Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco all consistently rank among the most desirable cities to live and visit. Their ur- banism- multi-modal approach to transportation, economic vital- ity, and livability- is notorious Nationwide and often emulated in the planning profession. Among the various reasons for their de- sirability is the fact that these cities are extremely walkable. Since the early 1990’s, pedestrian planning has emerged as a form of transportation that progressive cities like Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco have incorporated into planning policies and pro- grams. In 1998 the City of Portland adopted it’s Pedestrian Mas- ter Plan. Even earlier, in 1996, Seattle drafted and adopted its first Pedestrian Master Plan which has now blossomed into an on- line interactive map highlighting walking routes, amenities, and multi-modal connections. One of the main reasons these urban areas are so successful is because they have taken a wholistic approach to transportation planning and created pedestrian plans for the 21st Century. The City of Milwaukee currently ranks as the 28th largest city by Population. Similar cities like Denver, Portland, and Louisville, Kentucky have all adopted or are in the process of adopting pe- destrian plans. Cities like Baltimore and Nashville have county or regional pedestrian plans which are used at the local level by each respective city to coordinate pedestrian planning. On the other hand, Milwaukee has just drafted its Bicycle Plan and does not have a strategic, City wide plan for its pedestrians. Walking is still very much a necessity in Milwaukee because of the safety and desirability factors which stem from its foundation. While the City of Milwaukee has in place the sidewalks it needs to encour- age walking, the City lacks a wholistic approach to pedestrian and transportation plans. Using studies like Seattle and Denver allows Milwaukee to see what an excellent pedestrian plan looks like. More importantly, it will allow Milwaukee to emulate an excellent pedestrian planning process. Data Source. US Census, 2010 Above: a comparison of similar sized cities in terms of areas and population. Source: City of Milwaukee Downtown Plan 13 PEDESTRIANS IN MILWAUKEE
WALK SCORE Walk Score is an independent interactive mapping site launched in 2007. Inspired by the work of the Sightline Institute, its mis- sion is promote walkable neighborhoods by making it easy for the average Joe to evaluate walkability- or access to amenities and transportation- when deciding where to live. The Planning Group decided to utilize this free service to evalu- ate the two target areas because the Planning Group agrees with Walk Score’s identification of certain variables that make a place or neighborhood walkable. Walkable neighborhoods offer ben- efits to the environment, health, finances, and communities that sprawling, auto-dependent neighborhoods do not. Walking pro- duces zero emissions and provides an alternative to costly gas prices or bus fares. Additionally, studies show that for every ten minutes a person spends in a daily car commute, time spent in community activities falls by 10% (Sightline Institute). Final- ly, according to a Seattle Times report entitled 2 studies: Urban sprawl adds pounds, pollution, “the average resident of a walk- able neighborhood weighs seven pounds less than someone who lives in a sprawling neighborhood” In each target area section, there is an evaluation of the select- ed intersection and surrounding neighborhood using Walk Score. Walk scores are numbered between 0 and 100 with 100 being a “walker’s paradise” where daily errands do not require a car. The City of Milwaukee average Walk Score is 62, but it ranks 13th amongst the largest 40 U.S. cities. San Francisco is number 1. Above: Milwaukee’s most walk- able neighborhoods are ranked by Walk Score Bottom Left: A one mile radius in a compact neighborhood versus a sprawling neighborhood PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 14
SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION (SEWRPC) The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission’s (SEWRPC) planning report “A Regional Transportation System Plan for Southeastern Wisconsin: 2035,” states that their pedes- trian facilities plan element is a policy, rather than a system, plan. It proposes that the various units and agencies of government responsible for the construction and maintenance of pedestrian facilities in Southeastern Wisconsin adopt and follow recommend- ed standards and guidelines with regard to the development of those facilities. The guidelines, together with the recommended standards for pedestrian facilities, are designed to facilitate safe and efficient pedestrian travel within the Region. SEWRPC’s planning report further notes the importance of pedes- trian safety: “The standards and guidelines for pedestrian facilities in- clude recommendations that sidewalks be provided along streets and highways in areas of existing or planned urban development based upon identified criteria; that sidewalks be designed and constructed using widths and clearances appropriate for the levels of pedestrian and vehicular traffic in any given area; that landscaped terraces, curb lawns, or other buffer areas be provided between sidewalks and the roadways enhancing the pedestrian environment; and that efforts be made to maximize pedestrian safety at street crossings, including the timing of the “walk” phase of traf- fic signals to provide for safe pedestrian crossings, and the provision of pedestrian “islands” and medians in wide, heavily traveled, or otherwise hazardous roadways. The plan also emphasizes that all pedestrian facilities must be designed and constructed in accordance with the require- ments of the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act and its implementing regulations.” They also propose that local units of government prepare com- munity bicycle and pedestrian plans to supplement their regional plan. The local plans should provide for facilities to accommodate bicycle and pedestrian travel within neighborhoods, providing for convenient travel between residential areas and shopping cen- ters, schools, parks, and transit stops within or adjacent to the neighborhood. Lastly, SEWRPC recommends that local units of government consider the preparation and implementation of land use plans that encourage more compact and dense development patterns, in order to facilitate pedestrian and bicycle travel. 15 PEDESTRIANS IN MILWAUKEE
MILWAUKEE’S EXISTING BICYCLE ACCOMMODATIONS Transportation comes in many forms. These forms sometimes work together and sometimes compete for users. Whether an individual decides to bike, walk, drive or otherwise, it is important to think about pedestrian planning as part of a larger transporta- tion network which supports the need and desire to have multiple modes of transportation. One area where Milwaukee has excelled thus far is in bicycle planning and accommodation. Incorporating the existing bicycle infrastructure into pedestrian planning will offer multiple benefits that a singular approach to transportation planning would otherwise miss. The following is an excerpt from SEWRPC Memorandum Report No. 197 Review, Update, and Reaffirmation of the Year 2035 Re- gional Transportation System Plan: This map (page 17) identifies those arterial streets and highways which provided bicycle accommodations through paved shoulders, bicycle lanes, or separate paths in 2009. The mileage of arterial streets and highways that provided bicycle accommodations through paved shoulders, bicycle lanes, or separate paths increased from about 633 miles in 2004 to about 650 miles in 2009, or about a 3% increase. Data is not available to identify those urban arterials with outside lanes of 14 feet in width which also accommodate bicycles. A multi-modal transportation system with high quality pub- lic transit, bicycle and pedestrian, and arterial street and highway elements which adds to the quality of life of Region residents and supports and promotes expansion of the Re- gion’s economy, by providing for convenient, efficient, and safe travel by each mode, while protecting the quality of the Region’s natural environment, minimizing disruption of both the natural and man-made environment, and serving to support implementation of the regional land use plan, while minimizing the capital and annual operating costs of the transportation system. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 16
17 PEDESTRIANS IN MILWAUKEE
BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES The best practice section of this report outlines several project, Case Studies are from the Pe- program, and policy best practices from around the nation that destrian and Bicycle Information deal with how to improve the pedestrian experience. They range Center Case Study Compendium, from simple project practices like lighting and stripping cross- July 2010 walks to programs designed to reinstitute the practice of walk- ing to neighborhood schools. Ultimately, these physical and insti- tutional changes are recommendations based on their success. They can only be fully successful in Milwaukee through a com- bined social change in the behavior of pedestrian, bicyclists, and motorists alike. PROJECT BEST PRACTICES The project section includes a collection of case studies cover- PROJECTS ing a broad array of topics from safety, walkability, accessibility, 1. UNCONTROLLED infrastructure improvements, planning, education and enforce- CROSSWALKS ment. These case studies will serve as a baseline for project im- 2. SPEEDING AND LACK OF plementation by providing ideas for potential methods Milwaukee VISIBILITY can undertake to improve pedestrian infrastructure and support 3. IRREGULAR ANGLES a walkable environment. Each case study provides a context in 4. LACK OF CURBS which the project takes place, a description of the pedestrian is- 5. ECONOMIC sues faced, as well as how the community sought to address DISINVESTMENT their concerns through various measures. Each case study then 6. ROUNDABOUT concludes with a solution describing the successes and lessons 7. MANAGING learned from the planning process or implementation. STORMWATER 8. CREATING SIDEWALKS 9. UNLIMITED AND CASE STUDY 1: UNCONTROLLED CROSSWALKS UNDEFINED ACCESS Location 10. TOTAL FACILITIES City of Santa Rosa, California OVERHAUL Problem The City of Santa Rosa reported an unusually high incidence of pedestrian/vehicle collisions due to uncontrolled crosswalks. Background Speeding on residential streets is cited as one of the most fre- quently expressed concerns by local citizens. To provide a solu- tion to the issue, three locations were selected for traffic calming and facilities improvements. The solution was tested, analyzed and monitored with funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). Solution Santa Rosa initiated a new proactive pedestrian warning system where a flashing device would be installed on the pavement sur- 19 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROJECTS
face, along the crosswalk lines facing traffic. The In-Pavement Flashing Lights Crosswalk Warning System’s purpose was to warn the vehicular traffic of the presence of pedestrians in the cross- walk at uncontrolled intersections. This was tested in the city with the permission of The California Traffic Control Devices Commit- tee. The experimental system consists of a series of flashing Below: In-Pavement Crosswalk light units which are embedded in the pavement adjacent to a lighting during the day and at marked crosswalk. The lights reflect toward the oncoming traffic night. to warn drivers of a pedestrian’s presence. Result and Application for Milwaukee The concept of flashing amber lights embedded in the pavement at uncontrolled crosswalks clearly has a positive effect in enhanc- ing a driver’s awareness of crosswalks and modifying driver hab- its to be more favorable for pedestrians. It is even more effec- tive during adverse weather conditions such as darkness, fog and rain. With continuous monitoring it has been found that after the implementation of the device the number of pedestrian/vehicle fatalities had been reduced in the City of Santa Rosa. Moreover, other cities like Lafayette and West Hollywood have also installed the crosswalk warning systems based on the success in City of Santa Rosa. CASE STUDY 2: SPEEDING AND LACK OF VISIBILITY Location Bellevue, Washington Problem Pedestrian crash data suggested increased fatalities on the resi- dential streets of the City of Bellevue. With the expressed con- cerns of the local citizens, the City needed to take some action. Two main issues which concerned the citizens were speeding on residential streets and reduced visibility due to close parking near school crosswalks. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 20
Background The numerous concerns of local citizens- including increased fa- talities on the residential streets near schools- put this project into motion. Five different school locations were selected for fa- cilities improvements on the basis of high numbers of students living within walking distance. Initially, this program was created for traffic calming but infrastructure improvements were later im- plemented. Solution Design and infrastructure improvements included installing raised Above: A typical curb exten- crosswalks which doubled to reduce vehicle speeds while at the sion. Curb extensions are used same time improving pedestrian visibility by preventing vehicles to reduce the distance pedestrian from parking too close to the crosswalk. Curb extensions were have to cross. As a secondary also added, where feasible, to decrease the distance necessary to benefit, they can often reduce cross the road and improve line of sight. Bollards were installed the speed of traffic and provide room for additional sidewalk ele- in the curb extensions to prevent children from huddling near the ments like lighting, rubbish bins, curb. In several locations additional measures were also taken, and signage. such as a traffic circle for additional traffic calming, improved street lighting, and additional sidewalks to bridge gaps. The im- provements also included an educational component. ...through facilities Result and Application for Milwaukee At the selected locations within Bellevue for which data was avail- improvements the able, it has been noticed that through facilities improvements the average vehicle average vehicle speed is reduced by 3 mile per hour. The curb speed is reduced by extensions have effectively prevented parking next to the cross- walk, physically keeping parked cars at least 30 feet away. Com- 3 mile per hour... ments from parents and residents are extremely positive after the improvements and the city plans to implement these in future projects. CASE STUDY 3: IRREGULAR ANGLES Location Mulry Square, New York City, New York Problem The Mulry Square intersection in Greenwich Village was perceived to be an odd and dangerous intersection due to a continuously increasing number of fatalities. Speeding, obstructed views of on- coming vehicular or pedestrian traffic, irregular angles resulting in high speed irregular turns, improper and unidentifiable cross- walks were some of the reported issues that the community re- quested the City take actions on. Background Mulry Square, a wedge-shaped site, is currently owned by NYC Metropolitan Transit Authority. The site is used as a parking lot 21 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROJECTS
and is located at the southwest corner of Greenwich Avenue and south of Seventh Avenue. Because of the ongoing reports of traf- fic related safety issues by concerned residents, the New York City Department of Transportation has worked with the local com- munity to assess the issues and provide solutions. Solution The community-based planning process resulted in recommen- dations for traffic calming techniques and the addition of ameni- ties in the surrounding area. These included sidewalk extensions, reconfigured crosswalks, and additional greening of the area. These improvements transformed this intersection, which was previously known for pedestrian accidents and high-speed turns. As a short term solution, sidewalk extensions were painted on the street and outlined with temporary bollards to test the impact of the recommendations on traffic flow. Once it was clear that the solutions worked, the project was built out in final form with slate pavers, granite curbs, new crosswalks, landscaping, bollards, and changes in traffic light phasing. Above: Mulry Square before and after pedestrian improvements Result and Application for Milwaukee were made. With the infrastructure improvements at Mulry square the num- ber of fatalities has been reduced by nearly 60%. The success of the project is evident in the positive community feedback. CASE STUDY 4: LACK OF CURBS Location Seattle, Washington Problem The sidewalks on Seattle’s southeastern streets were perceived to be unsafe and less pedestrian friendly without curbs. Due to a lack of curbs, cars were parked on the sidewalks and planting strips which left no barriers to traffic and made streetscaping maintenance impracti- cal. Furthermore, because cars were not parked on the street, the width of the street encouraged an unsafe driving at- mosphere discouraging pedestrians. Above: Mulry Square now offers Background a safer pedestrian experience The Seattle Department of Transportation identified the need to because of traffic calming efforts improve facilities in its southeastern quarter, a largely low income like sidewalk extensions and in- community of Seattle between the years 2001-2004. With the creased green space. plan to implement safer and more walkable neighborhoods in this quarter, this project was initiated. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 22
Solution The Seattle Department of Transportation was committed to tak- ing numerous actions for this project including adding curbs, pro- moting on-street parallel parking, installing landscaping, traffic calming, and sidewalk repairs to support safer and more walk- able neighborhoods. However, the project faced several obstacles due to concerns raised by local residents. With concerns ranging from maintenance issues of planting strips to gentrification, and limited funds, the initial project was termed as a demonstration Below: Extruded curb technology project chosen to serve as a model for future improvements. is used to install curbs. By using this technology, the Seattle DOT One street segment with disintegrating sidewalks and high rates avoided costly street repaving of thru-traffic was chosen for the demonstration. After the im- and still accomplished its goal to provement was identified as having a positive impact, surveys formalize the street because ex- truded curbs can be freestanding. were carried out to further the work of revital- izing the neighborhood. Results showed that sixty-six of the ninety-five affected house- holds approve of the project. To incorporate the needs of the residents, a staff designer was assigned throughout the design and con- struction phase. Extruded curb technology was used rather than formed curbs, which would have required repaving the street to current standards. City landscape crews also worked with residents to plant trees and lay sod. Funding was obtained through two sources: a Community Development Block Grant- due to the status of the neighborhood as low in- come- and a small neighborhood grant of City funds. Since the funding source was limited in the long-run, it did not allow more than sev- eral thousand linear feet of improvements to be accomplished city-wide in one given year. “The three speed humps Thus, the project was carried out in phases over a number of years. installed and new parallel parking helped to slow traffic Result and Application for Milwaukee by an average of 12 miles per The results were widely appreciated by the southeastern quarter neighborhoods. Pedest- hour” rians have an unimpeded path beside the road that is now pro- tected by attractive plantings. The three speed humps installed and new parallel parking has helped to slow traffic by an aver- age of 12 miles per hour. Residents themselves appreciate the improvements and view it as public investment to bring adequate standards to their neighborhood. 23 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROJECTS
Below: Reinvestment in the CASE STUDY 5: ECONOMIC DISINVESTMENT pedestrian experience included Location new brick pavers, bluestone Washington, D.C. pedestrian crossings, a planting strip, new lighting, bike racks, Problem and trash receptacles. These improvements proved essential Barracks Row (8th Street SE) a ¾-mile, 6-block stretch between to new retail business growth on Pennsylvania Avenue and M Street SE, is one of the District’s old- this D.C. street est commercial corridors. The century old buildings in the oldest commercial strip give the street charm and character, but over the years it had experienced economic disinvestment. Vacant storefronts and loitering added to the perception that 8th Street was an unsafe place to be and shop after dark. Merchants com- plained that there was inadequate public parking. Time had taken its toll on the public realm which was left with cracked concrete sidewalks, inconsistent roadway-focused street lighting, inade- quate parking and weathered and unhealthy street trees. Background The Capitol Hill neighborhood began organizing for the revitaliza- tion of 8th Street years ago with the formation of a non-profit organization. It began by using materials and following the model provided by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street program. Continuous efforts to improve the public realm along the street fell short so the organization expressed concern to DDOT and a study of local streets was launched. DDOT con- tracted with a private transportation and landscaping firm to con- duct the study and prepare a concept plan. Solution The primary goal of the Barracks Row streetscape project was to create a safe and visually appealing pedestrian environment and address transportation concerns in order to foster business and retail growth in the area. The public realm on 8th Street and Barracks Row was completely reconstructed. New brick-pav- ers were installed within sidewalks, and key pedestrian cross- ings were visually enhanced with bluestone paving. A five foot planting strip was created along the curb to absorb surface runoff from sidewalks and to provide a continuous root zone for newly planted street trees. The project also provided for new globe lights, bicycle racks, and trash receptacles. Additionally, 92 new American Elm trees were donated and planted by a local “green” organization. Loriope was planted in tree boxes as edging and a public park was replanted and enhanced. In response to concerns regarding the neighborhood’s lack of adequate parking, angled parking was created along the street to replace the existing paral- lel on-street parking. The new configuration has increased the overall number of park- PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 24
ing spaces- which are short time meters to ensure a steady sup- ply of parking in front of retail uses. Additionally, a one block area was converted from one-way traffic to two-way, in order to pro- mote greater access to storefronts and increase traffic mobility. These changes were made to help revitalize the commercial area, one of the oldest in the District of Columbia. Result and Application for Milwaukee The Barrack’s Row revitalization effort has been highly successful. Since 1999, 43 new businesses have opened in the area (includ- ing business expansion through 12 new outdoor cafes), 51 fa- cades have been restored, 198 net new jobs have been created, and 3 new traditional buildings have been constructed. Pedestri- ans now have a safer and more welcoming environment in which to walk around. CASE STUDY 6: ROUNDABOUT Location Abita Springs, LA Problem Strange configuration of the main intersection of Abita Springs round- about area resulted in vehicles speed- ing and higher traffic during peak hours. Even with the Tammany Trace pedestrian and bicycle facility adja- cent to the intersection, the environ- ment of the Abita Springs historic dis- trict remained unsafe for pedestrians and other non-motorized traffic. Background Above: New sidewalk pavers, Abita Springs Historic District’s main intersection routes traffic bluestone pavers, trash recep- counterclockwise where Louisiana 59 and 36 meet with exits onto tacles, and other sidewalk im- Level Street as well as the two highways. The complex four-way provements transformed not only the pedestrian realm, but spurred intersection, which borders the town center and is close to Abita economic development in Wash- Springs Middle School, had been regulated by a traffic light. The ington D.C. current lighting system has created backups which extend onto the freeways. Solution With the consensus of the Mayor, Abita Springs Town Council and business owners in the vicinity, the transportation depart- ment committed to take actions to accommodate the needs of all stakeholders during the design and construction phases. The highway department measured traffic volume at the inter-section at about 14,000 vehicles a day pre-Katrina and 17,000 after the 25 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROJECTS
storm. DDOT overcame the challenges by selecting the smallest diameter roundabout possible to accommodate vehicles (about 20,000 vehicles a day). Also, they were able to purchase and raze a non-contributing building in the historic district to provide extra space for the roundabout. A section of the Tammany Trace was also shifted slightly to make it easier for pedestrians and bikers to cross the intersection. Landscaping and more directional signs, as well as a final layer of asphalt, were installed. Result and Application for Milwaukee Statistical data is not yet available for the project but studies indicated that roundabouts are safer for drivers and pedestrians than both traffic circles and traditional intersections. Because low speeds are required for traffic entering roundabouts they are not designed for high-speed motor ways. However, since speeding and congestion is high in the Abita Springs district, designing and implementing a roundabout is considered significant so the speed limit at the roundabout is 20 mile per hour. Above: A new roundabout- de- signed to fit the site specifically, CASE STUDY 7: MANAGING STORMWATER was used as a traffic calming device within a historic district to Location allow for easier pedestrian cross- Portland, Oregon ing. Problem The SW 12th Avenue now known as Green Street- located at Montgomery adjacent to Portland State University- needed to retrofit existing street space for pedestrians, on-street parking, street trees, landscaping, street lighting, and signage, while at the same time capturing and filtering stormwater run-off from 12th Avenue. All this within an eight-foot wide space. Background The retrofit project is the City of Portland’s first green street proj- ect and is based off of City’s commitment to promote natural sys- tems to manage urban stormwater runoff. Solution The streetscape project not only manages street run-off but also maintains strong pedestrian circulation and on-street parking. The project utilizes a series of landscaped infiltration planters to handle approximately 8,000 square feet of storm water runoff. The design provides water quality treatment and maximizes in- filtration of the runoff. Each facility can pond about 7 inches of stormwater runoff and retain it for infiltration. A 30-inch wide parking egress zone was dedicated for people to access their vehicles without infringing upon the stormwater planters. Perpendicular pathways were created between each PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 26
stormwater planter so that a pedestrian would not have to walk Above: These two diagrams very far to access their cars or the sidewalk. A four-inch curb ex- depict how the new stormwater posure at each planter indicates to the pedestrian that there is a runoff planters work during drop in grade. Each curb cut which allows the street runoff to en- heavy rainfall ter the stormwater planters has an ADA accessible grate to allow Below: Birdseye view of new for unencumbered pedestrian flow along the parking egress zone. stormwater planters Result and Application for Milwaukee This was a successful “green street” project and it has won a National Award of Honor from the American Society of Landscape Architects. The project design does not pose safety issues for pedestrians or for people getting in and out of vehicles. Fur- ther, it has demonstrated how both new and existing streets in downtown or highly urbanized areas can be de- signed to provide direct environmen- tal benefits and be aesthetically inte- grated into the urban streetscape. CASE STUDY 8: CREATING SIDEWALKS Location Snohomish County, Washington Problem The Lake Serene Community was forced to walk in the travel lanes of Serene Way, a two-lane local access road. Walkers some- times had to jump into the ditches to avoid oncoming cars at certain blind turns. Background The road had minimal shoulders and drainage from the road col- lected into open ditches along both sides of the road. The existing right-of-way for the road was 60 feet and with a high number of pedestrian vehicle collisions, the Lake Serene Community Asso- ciation initiated the project by requesting a sidewalk be built. 27 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROJECTS
Solution The project has several main objectives which include provision of a safe walkway, coordination with the Lake Serene Commu- nity association, minimizing impacts to adjacent properties, and minimizing modifications to the existing drainage system while avoiding the use of a detention pond/pipe design. To further the perception of safety, the 4,500 linear foot walkway was designed in such a way that the walkway is located behind the drainage ditches. This provides a buffer between cars, bicyclists, and pe- destrians. Additionally, the sidewalk connects with adjacent pe- destrian facilities and provides a safer route to school for students of a local elementary school. In order to minimize the impact on adjacent properties, an alignment within the existing right-of- way was chosen that would meander among existing project site features such as fences, trees and utility poles. Due to a lack of funding, the County used porous concrete as infiltrating material which doubled as a stormwater drain. Result and Application for Milwaukee There is anecdotal evidence of increased foot traffic since the Above: Before and After views installation of the walkway, particularly during night hours. Ad- of the new retention area and ditionally, there was a considerable cost savings because the use sidewallk of porous concrete material enabled the walkway to be built by eliminating the need for a detention system. CASE STUDY 9: UNLIMITED AND UNDEFINED ACCESS Location City of Des Moines, Washington Problem The existing SR-99 corridor is an undivided five-lane facility with a two-way left-turn lane (TWLTL) and paved shoulders. Significant segments of the roadside have unlimited and undefined access. The corridor has heavy traffic and creates an unsafe environment for pedestrians. Background The project was initiated to improve traffic congestion, opera- tions, and safety, provide facilities for transit and pedestrians, and encourage economic redevelopment along the SR-99 corridor through the City of Des Moines. Solution SR-99 will undertake a series of infrastructure improvements in- cluding the placement and type of intersection signals, pedestrian features, access control, and aesthetic treatments to increase ca- pacity and mobility and relieve congestion. One of the specific PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 28
features that will be considered in this project is a landscaped me- dian with a low profile concrete barrier which would eliminate the existing two-way left-turn lane and improve both pedestrian and vehicular safety. Additionally, curbs and gutters will be installed along the highway, and a six-foot landscaped planter will be built on each side of the street. The project will also install equipment needed to support transit signal priority. As a trial project, Des Moines and King County Metro have even considered the instal- lation of a High Occupancy Vehicle and Business Access lane in each direction of the route as well as bus pullouts and new transit shelters. To further enhance pedestrian activity, sidewalks will be installed on both sides of the highway with sidewalk lighting and a pedestrian-activated signal. Below: A conceptual rendering Result and Application for Milwaukee of the SR-99 corridor with road- The conditions for pedestrians along the corridor were greatly way improvements. Some im- improved and the efforts of the transportation department were provements include a landscaped median,HOV lane, left-turn lane, appreciated by the citizens of Des Moines. With the facility im- bus pullouts and transit shelters, provements, the frequency of walking was significantly increased. and paved crosswalks. 29 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROJECTS
CASE STUDY 10: TOTAL FACILITIES OVERHAUL Location Cleveland Heights, Ohio Problem Severance Circle, surrounded by a high-use commercial and re- tail development in a vital suburb, is perceived to be unfriendly to pedestrians and bicyclists. Due to very little accommodation for pedestrians and bicyclists, at times it forces them to cut into vehicular lanes at the risk of their personal safety. Despite being enclosed by a shopping mall, Severance Circle was not properly connected to other surrounding land uses. Below: Bike lanes, mid-block Background crosswalks and signals, benches The Canyon Johnson Urban Fund purchased the land and rede- and bus shelters were added to veloped the center in 2002. They agreed to dedicate Severance Severence Cirlce to enrich the Circle as a public street and to build a complete sidewalk system. pedestrian experience and en- Funds were set aside by the buyer, the seller, and the City for courage walking, biking, and public transit instead of driving. road and sidewalk improvements. Solution With an array of goals formulated by the Department of Planning and Development, a variety of measures were implemented. These measures include provision of benches and bus shelters, sidewalks abutting build- ing facades to provide storefront displays, addition of pedestrian activated walk signals at busy intersections and at mid-block crossings, and the installation of light poles, shade trees, and awnings. One of the significant construction projects involved converting the four-lane road into two-lanes with a center left-turn lane and bike lanes on either side. As an added measure, enforcement of speeding and other dangerous driving was stepped up, and numerous tickets were issued. Result and Application for Milwaukee Completed in 2003, the street project has formed a com- plete and connected sidewalk system, created common spaces, and installed benches, bus shelters, pedestrian- scaled lights, trees, and other landscaping. Dedicated bicycle lanes were added and the four-lane road was reconfigured. With all these facility improvements it has been reported by city engineer that during the 2003 holiday shopping rush, vehicular traffic moved without significant delay, without speeding, and the new side- walks and crosswalks were also used by pedestrians. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 30
PROGRAM BEST PRACTICES The program best practices are short-term activities or events PROGRAMS designed to promote and encourage walking. They may have 1. SAFETY TRAINING long-lasting effects on the community or city where implemented, 2. “CROSS SAFELY, but they are designed to achieve short-term goals and address DRIVE SAFELY” specific problems. Many of the case studies have an objective of 3. EXTREME POSTER educating the public or encouraging walking as a viable transpor- CAMPAIGN tation option either in tandem with public transit and biking or as 4. PUBLIC TELEVISION an alternative to the automobile. Like the project best practices, SAFETY VIDEOS the programs are from around the country and provide a wide 5. WALK THERE! range of urban to suburban experiences. CHALLENGE 6. BILINGUAL SCHOOL CASE STUDY 1: SAFETY TRAINING EDUCATION Location Tucson, Arizona Background The safety training program was developed to improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. Arizona boasted the second highest fatality rate for pedestrians at 13% of total traffic fatalities (NHT- SA). Moreover, Tucson spent less than $1 per year per student on pedestrian and traffic safety education, with even less being spent on adults. In 2004, the City of Tucson requested federal transportation enhancement funds to improve pedestrian safety through public outreach and safety training. Below: A publication by the City Solution of Tucson and its partners for In order to reduce pedestrian and automobile roadway crashes, educating the public about rules, increase awareness of pedestrian responsibility and tolerance of regulations, activities, and safety all right-of-way users, the City of Tucson developed television measures for pedestrian and bicyclists and radio public service announcements. This was coupled with the creation of educational videos for police training as well as for student safety classes to be taught by police officers. Ad- ditionally, a traffic safety guide with pedestrian maps was created and handed out. A “share the road” ethic was promoted as the permanent result. Result and Application for Milwaukee The City installed 180 poster sized signs promoting the “share the road” ethic at bus shelters around the city. These signs were also displayed in forty (40) libraries and bike shops to reach a larger audience. Lastly, there was a monthly safety newsletter created and distributed. All handouts- mostly for bicyclists and motorists- were in both English and Spanish and available on- line. A separate Bicycle Ambassadors program was also created and has helped to install over seventy (70) HAWK (high intensity activated crosswalk) signals at high prioritization location in the Tucson-Pima County region. 31 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROGRAMS
CASE STUDY 2: “CROSS SAFELY, DRIVE SAFELY” Location Amherst, Massachusetts Background There is heavy pedestrian as well as automobile traffic on the University of Massachusetts campus, but few pedestrian safety programs. In the late 1990’s, two pedestrians were killed when a car stuck them in crosswalks on the University campus. Addi- tionally, since 2000 an average of four pedestrians per year have been seriously injured by drivers. In the past, after a complaint was made about either a pedestrian or a driver not being safe an officer would be assigned to the area for a few days to patrol where the complaint was made. Recognizing the lack of safety between pedestrians and motorists, UMassSAFE- a partnership between the Governors Highway Safety Bureau and the UMass College of Engineering Transportation Center- and University Police partnered together and created the “Cross Safely Drive Safely”. Federal funding (NHTSA) allowed the program to include Above: The “Cross Safely Drive education, enforcement, and evaluation. Safely” Poster which was hung around the UMass campus Solution The program included an awareness campaign along with a judi- cial education component. Safety tips were placed on posters and bus cards and reinforced through media coverage to remind residents about safe pedestrian habits. For the first month of the program violators of either pedestrian or automobile laws (identified by a plain clothed decoy with a radio) were stopped Below: An officer discussing the by UMass officers and given a handout but not cited for any importance of pedestrian/ mo- violation. Each handout included push button hand operator torist safety on campus. Notice and pedestrian safety tips. For the second month violators were the “Cross Safely Drive Safely” cited and fined. Additionally, these efforts were publicized in the poster promoted on the side of local media. the bus Result and Application for Milwaukee Despite pedestrian crashes still occur- ring, it is evident that motorists are more aware of pedestrians. More motor- ists yielding the right-of-way to pedestri- ans is one noticeable results. Addition- ally, police officers have become more aware of crosswalk violations which has led to more consistent enforcement of the laws. The program was deemed so successful that UMass has continued the program despite running out of grant money. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 32
CASE STUDY 3: EXTREME POSTER CAMPAIGN Location Ontario, Canada Background Ontario recognized a lack of safe habits instilled in its pedestrians when, in 2002, the City of Toronto reported more than half of all traffic fatalities were pedestrian fatalities (50). Due to the ex- treme nature of the information, the Injury Prevention Coalition created an extreme poster campaign for the City. Solution The Injury Prevention Coalition waged a media campaign with the slogan “Cross the Street as if Your Life Depends on it, Because it Does”. The Coalition sent posters and brochures to over 900 com- munity agencies and also had posters on the sides of over thirty buses. Additionally, a short safety slideshow was developed to be played in movie theaters for the audience to see while waiting for the show to begin. Funding was provided through a number of local contributions. Result and Application for Milwaukee The initial launch of the campaign was covered by local media outlets to help get the message out about both the campaign and the message. It is estimated that the slideshow in movie theaters reached an audience of 867,000 individuals. In 2009 the Coalition developed a website entitled iNAVIGAIT, dedicated to education and awareness for pedestrians. www.inavigait.com Above: The Injury Prevention Coalition poster created to make an impact in Ontario CASE STUDY 4: PUBLIC TELEVISION SAFETY VIDEOS Location Bethesda, Maryland Background Since 1996 a series of videos about pedestrian safety has been created for playing on public access channels in Maryland. These videos are designed to educate the public about barriers to pe- destrian safety. Solution Each month a specific issue or case study is highlighted in a twenty-eight minute episode. Issues are brought to light by ex- perts, advocates, planners, engineers, and public officials and in- terviews on topics have been conducted in all fifty states, Canada, five European countries, and Australia and New Zealand. Some issues include pedestrian infrastructure, planning in coordination with transit, and hazards confronting pedestrians. 33 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROGRAMS
Result and Application for Milwaukee Over 120 public access cable stations carry the episodes each month in addition to a DISH Network channel. Viewers include both citizens and public officials. Moreover, the videos are ar- chived online and the website received over 100,000 visitors per year. The program is now archived on Google Video at: http:// video.google.com/videosearch?q=%22Perils+For+Pedestria ns%22 CASE STUDY 5: WALK THERE! CHALLENGE Location Atlanta, Georgia Background It was noted that most citizens of Atlanta do not consider walking as a means of transportation for shorter, neighborhood trips. To promote health and sustainability, and reduce traffic congestion, Atlanta’s Downtown Transportation Management Association de- veloped an education program to encourage walking. Solution As part of the “Let’s Walk Downtown” plan, the “Walk There!” challenge was created. The challenge was for members of the State Legislature, City Council, and Mayor’s Office to walk instead of drive. Those elected officials who joined the team also par- ticipated in promotional events to raise awareness of the heath, environmental, and social benefits of walking. Free pedometers Above: The Walk There Challenge were given out to participants who then tracked the number of is an ongoing program through steps they took each week. In addition to the challenge, walking the City of Atlanta. maps with sites within easy walking distance to downtown were created and distributed. Result The challenge was taken by many elected officials with almost 2,000 pedometers being distributed. The challenge was also followed closely by the local media. It was so successful that an expansion of the challenge is currently being developed. CASE STUDY 6: BILINGUAL SCHOOL EDUCATION Location San Diego, California Background Though there was some pedestrian education already in schools, it was noted that this education was lacking and missing the target with English as a Second Language (ESL) students. A PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 34
pedestrian child safety training program was created for a bilin- gual low-income school where the majority of the children walked to school. Solution A pedestrian education curriculum was developed, translated, and presented in both English and Spanish. Moreover, standard videos and images typically used for presentations were replaced with images from the students’ own neighborhoods making the presentation more interactive for students. Result and Application for Milwaukee Post-presentation survey and analysis (two weeks after) indi- cated that students retained the information better than when presentations were not retrofitted. The students’ notion that their parents, Safety Patrol, and siblings were responsible for their Above: A neighborhood image safety was overcome to help them realize they themselves must used in the school education pro- be responsible pedestrians. Moreover, the thought that “Cars will gram. The image shows students always stop for kids” was challenged and the students realized inappropriately crossing the street without looking for oncom- that this is not always the case. ing traffic 35 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROGRAMS
POLICY BEST PRACTICES POLICIES The policy best practices are long-term solutions to enhance the 1. LOCAL COMPLETE pedestrian realm. Some policies take immediate action to impact STREETS the physical nature of a space or an entire municipality. Other 2. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL policies take aim at a social, behavioral problem that training, ed- EDUCATION ucation, and reinforcement of good practice is hopeful to change. 3. PEDESTRIAN AND Some solutions are directly applicable while others offer pieces BICYCLE TRAVEL POLICY which might be compatible in Milwaukee. While this list is not 4. CORRIDOR TRAFFIC comprehensive, these six policy case studies are intended to give CALMING an idea of the wide range of possible policy solutions the City of 5. TRAFFIC OFFICER Milwaukee must consider. TRAINING 6. INJURY PREVENTION CASE STUDY 1: LOCAL COMPLETE STREETS PROGRAM Location Throughout the nation Background Streets designed with only the car in mind limit the option of mode choice in mobility. These types of streets can be danger- ous for bicyclists and pedestrians due to their lack of amenities offered for these mode types. In order to plan for and fund all modes of transportation, the National Complete Street Coalition was formed and as a result, the complete streets policy move- ment has been adopted by municipalities nationwide. Above: The National Complete Streets Coalition is the founder Solution and all-knowing source for Com- One solution to an automobile oriented street construction policy plete Streets has been the introduction of “complete streets” policies. Complete Streets policies have been adopted throughout the nation at the state and local levels through ordinances and resolutions through quasi-public agencies, and through comprehensive plans and de- sign manuals. These policies ensure that all users of the streets are kept in mind when constructing or improving a street. The general policy framework for complete streets policies includes seven elements: a vision; specifics on all end users; a compre- hensive transportation network outside of the project area; ap- plicability for all agencies and all roads; applicability for all proj- ects; approval of exceptions; design criteria; context-sensitive solutions; performance measures and implementation strategies. This comprehensive approach ensures a complete policy in which all users are kept in mind and all departments know the approach as they work on individual projects. Above: A complete street in Port- land, Oregon accommodates the Result and Application for Milwaukee automobile, bicycle, and pedes- The passing of Complete Streets policies has resulted in several trian in the right-of-way. benefits which include: improved safety; easing of automobile congestion; help children; improved air quality and fiscal rewards. Specifically, the City of Seattle, WA adopted a complete streets PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 36
ordinance requiring all Seattle DOT projects to implement com- plete streets and specifies all transportation funding sources be drawn from for the implementation of the policy. Seattle also includes critical elements of operations and maintenance in its policy so regular improvements can be made to the existing in- frastructure. CASE STUDY 2: ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EDUCATION Location Orange County, Florida Background After a series of crashes involving school-aged children, Orange County realized a lack of safe pedestrian training for students in its schools. A safety team was formed, comprised of the Sheriff’s Office safety specialist, staff from Police and Fire departments, engineering specialists, the local school board, and advocacy organizations to educate and train students Solution Within the elementary age, there was a big push to promote “Walk Your Child to School Day” to help facilitate parents to be a teacher to their children of safe pedestrian habits. Moreover, a pedestrian component was added to Safety Villages that were already in place. Safety Villages are opportunities for public figures such as police officers and firefighters to engage with students and teach them general safety around the house and when out in public. With older students of the Middle and High School age, safe pe- destrian habits were taught through different media formats and both active and passive teaching. These included direct in-class Above: Students attract attention curriculum taught by teachers, presentations by safety officials, to their new pedestrian training videos, and also posters. program by walking the streets Result and Application for Milwaukee The process to develop the curriculum took one and a half years. It was accomplished by education specialists, law enforcement, engineers, and emergency services. An accurate, balanced, and consistent message about safety and a clarification of vague pedestrian laws (i.e. “what constitutes jaywalking?”) was ac- complished. CASE STUDY 3: PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE TRAVEL POLICY Location The State of Kentucky Background After the USDOT passed “Design Guidance Accommodating Bicy- cle and Pedestrian Travel: A Recommended Approach,” the State 37 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES POLICIES
of Kentucky created the Pedestrian and Bicycle Design Guidance Task Force. The goal of the Task Force was to help guide the Ken- tucky Transportation Cabinet by creating policies regarding when, where, and how to implement bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Solution The Task Force was able to have design guidelines signed in as official order, which took a year of monthly meetings to de- velop. The guidelines ensure that with all new and reconstruct- ed roadways pedestrians and bicyclists are kept in mind. These guidelines give designers specific criteria to consider for accom- modating pedestrians, including land use, existing transportation networks, transit stops, and public demand. Result and Application for Milwaukee Through the passing of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Travel Policy, not only has the safety of pedestrian and bicyclists increased, but so has non-motorized travel. In just three years the number of bicycle boarding’s on city buses in Louisville grew six fold. It is also expected that this policy will reduce vehicle miles traveled and improve air quality in the state. CASE STUDY 4: CORRIDOR TRAFFIC CALMING Location Albemarle, Virginia Background Residents in the Forest Lakes community of Albemarle were tired of the speeding cut-thru traffic on their major streets. A survey determined this concern was valid and indeed harming the community and a solution to the cut-thru speeding traffic was sought. A committee with a number of residents and representa- tives from the Department of Transportation, police department, fire department, and the school board was developed and tasked with generating a solution for the community. Solution As a solution to the cut-thru speeding, a number of improve- ments for the area were identified. These included speed bumps, white road edge markings, pavement markings, and pedestrian signs. School buses were also contributing to the speeding issue and the school board agreed to ensure that the posted speed limit would be followed by bus drivers. Result and Application for Milwaukee During an informal survey process evaluating the potential imple- mentation of the solutions, there was nearly unanimous support PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 38
for the new improvements. A DOT representative congratulated the initiative taken by community members to bring a pressing issue to light, saying the Department would not have made the improvements if the community had not spoken up. CASE STUDY 5: TRAFFIC OFFICE TRAINING Location Madison, Wisconsin Background It was recognized that traffic officers had not been trained on pe- destrian issues which included both safety and pedestrian laws. Additionally, there was a noted lack of discussion about pedes- trian issues during driver education courses. Solution A safety training DVD for officers was developed by a member of the traffic enforcement safety team within the Madison Police Department. After being used to train officers, the DVD was then modified appropriately for viewing by the general public. Copies of this DVD were distributed to high school and private driver education instructors and AAA. Additionally, training was developed to be presented by officers to companies that spend significant amounts of time on the road. Above: A training video from the Madison Police Department Result and Application for Milwaukee depicts a common confusing sce- Traffic officers are now more versed in both pedestrian safety nario for pedestrians and traffic and laws. Additionally, more time is spent by driver education instructors on pedestrian related issues. Due to the successful- ness of the DVD, the city is now working to create a training book which will help in training the public in the future. CASE STUDY 6: INJURY PREVENTION PROGRAM Location Miami-Dade County, Florida Background In the state of Florida, Miami-Dade County had the highest num- ber of pedestrian injuries. Moreover, it is the third highest in the nation. Recognizing this, and the associated costs of the prob- lem presented, the Florida DOT lookedfor the causes, effects, and then solutions to the high pedestrian injury rate. Solution The initial steps of the cause, effect and solution identification process was to analyze hospital records of those injured, conduct crash scene visits, speak with patients and their families directly 39 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES POLICIES
and conduct police interviews to find any commonalities between pedestrian crashes. It was discovered that many sites had issues regarding obstructed views and long distances between marked intersections. It was also noted that 293 of the crashes were with pedestrians under the age of 14. As a policy, Miami-Dade County developed an injury prevention program and implemented it in 184 elementary schools. The program was taught to students for a half-hour session once per week over a 4 week period. Result and Application for Milwaukee With the utilization of pre and post tests it was discovered that gains in pedestrian knowledge was maintained for at least a three month period- when the second post test was conducted. The Above: Children participate in a number of children admitted to a Level 1 trauma center in Miami- safe pedestrian program. Dade as a result of a pedestrian injury dropped from ninety-three to just fifty-two in a three year span. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 40
MILWAUKEE SITE SELECTION The Milwaukee Site Selection is the first step in the research pro- cess. It was conducted to decide which two focus areas the Plan- ning Group would focus on for pedestrian improvements. To Begin, data was gathered for the past three years of auto- pe- destrian crashes from the Milwaukee Police Department’s (MPD) interactive mapping website, “Compass”. This data contained populated fields that displayed detailed information about each crash. After analyzing the data it became apparent that the ad- dress locations of the crashes needed to be cleaned in order for ArcMap to geocode the crash locations. A customized address locator was created based-off of the Milwaukee DIME file roads layer from Map Milwaukee. After reviewing the geocoded results to ensure data location ac- curacy, a point density geoprocessing tool was utilized to gain fur- ther understanding of crash clustering effects over the last three years(essentially a hotspot analysis technique). Upon creation of this image, a summary output file was created that counted the number of crashes at the same location. Each location with a summary of greater than two crashes was analyzed to determine if it fell within an area that the hotspot image determined as a frequent crash location. If it did fall within this area it was further examined for such criteria as: number in intersecting streets, number of crashes, alternate transportation access, speed limits, and land use. If the location fell outside a hotspot, it was dis- missed from further analysis. After compiling the crash records, the results indi- cated that over the last three years, two sites had a total of five crashes and one with a total of four crashes. The two sites chosen were North 91st Street & West Silver Spring Drive, and at South 6th Street & West Lincoln Avenue. The reasons why these sites where chosen above the rest is because of their high crash counts, variety of uses, structures near the street, and the framework of these streets are typical throughout Milwaukee, making a model more adaptable to other parts of the city in future studies. Once the site selection process was complete, the group was able to conduct research on best prac- tice case studies to determine which projects, pro- grams, and policies were best applicable to the two Milwaukee sites. 43 MILWAUKEE SITE SELECTION
PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 44
45 MILWAUKEE SITE SELECTION
TARGET AREA A 91ST AND SILVER SPRING Upon completion of the GIS analysis, the intersection of N 91st Street & W Silver Spring Drive (CTH E) in the north side of Mil- waukee was one of the two sites used to conduct research on best practices. This site, along with the intersection of N 35th Street & W Capitol Drive (STH 190), was the intersection with the highest pedestrian crash rates in the City of Milwaukee. This intersection has an annual average traffic count of 19,700 and posted speed limits of 35 miles per hour on 91st Street and 40 miles per hour on Silver Spring Drive. This intersection has a similar framework as other intersections seen throughout the City of Milwaukee. SITE SELECTION Image from the Wisconsin De- The map to the right, titled “Crash Location: N. 91st St. and W. partment of Transportation’s Silver Spring Ave.” is an aerial view that displays the orientation 2009 “Wisconsin Highway Traffic and the land uses surrounding the intersection. Volume Data” The map on page 48 titled “Crash Frequency: N. 91st St. and W. Silver Spring Ave.” displays the crash frequency for the intersection of S. 91st St. and W. Silver Spring Ave. When cal- culating the frequency the ArcGIS program calculates the number of points (crashes) with in a 1/4 mile radius. The output of the point density tool is an image with a color ramp dis- playing greater number of crashes in the area as a darker color, i.e. blue. Because this inter- section has such a high number of crashes, and in tern a high number of points, a ratio of 1:1 (points to crashes), enabled this location to have a high density of crashes. 47 TARGET AREAS AREA A: 91st STREET & SILVER SPRING DRIVE
PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 48
WALK SCORE The Walk Score for the neighborhoods around the intersection of 91st and Silver Spring is comprised of the Silver Swan Neighbor- hood and the Valhalla neighborhood. The table on the right indi- cates where each of these neighborhoods ranks amongst Milwau- kee neighborhoods. The Silver Swan neighborhood score is 50. It has a population of 3,208 people which is .02% of Milwaukee’s population. Valhalla is ranked 135 and has a score of 46. It con- tains 0.7% of Milwaukee’s population, or 4,301 people. The overall Walk Score for the area is a car-dependent 38. The maps and charts below show a fifteen minute walk to the various services in the areas. Because of the low number of intersections in the area and long block lengths, this area is ranked negatively on pedestrian friendliness. While it does have high scores for walking distance to schools (Bryant Elementary only) and bank- ing (Chase ATM), it ranks poorly in terms of grocery stores and restaurant choices which are not fast food. Providing access to better food choices is one way Milwaukee can encourage walking and promote a healthier lifestyle for its residents. In addition, by locating smaller scale neighborhood services within shorter distances, the City can better connect people to other modes of transportation and increase the frequency of walking. Better urban design of block lengths and street amenities will provide a safer, less car- dependent walking experience at 91st and Silver Spring. 49 TARGET AREAS AREA A: 91st STREET & SILVER SPRING DRIVE
STAKEHOLDERS The Planning Group conducted, or attempted to conduct, stake- holder interviews with the local Alderman, local business owners, and staff at the Department of Public Works. Although the pur- pose of all the interviews was to identify pedestrian issues, the format and focus of the questionnaires varied. The goal of each interview was to gain insight into their perception of the pedes- trian experience. We also wanted to know if they were aware of issues or if they had any suggestions for improvements. 2nd District Alderman Joe Davis The office of Alderman Joe Davis was contacted several times re- garding the pedestrian study of N. 91st Street and Silver Spring Drive. Every attempt for correspondence yielded no results. Gas Station Owner An interview was conducted with the owner of the BP gas sta- Above: Because of the placement tion at this intersection to obtain a better understanding of the mailboxes, cars dropping off mail pedestrian traffic, any general observations, and suggestions for pose a serious safety risk for pe- improvements. The owner of this particular gas station is also the destrians on the sidewalk owner of the gas station located on the northwest corner of the block. He expressed words of concern for the pedestrians cross- Below: Mid-block crossing was an ing the intersection in every direction. He mentioned that a lot observed problem. A pedestrian chooses to cross mid-block in- of people would seek shelter from the rain or snow under the gas stead of at the designated cross- station structure and would dart across traffic to catch the bus. walk at the intersection of 91st and Silver Spring Because he owns both gas stations at the intersection, he notices heavier foot traffic at the gas station located on the northwest corner and heavier vehicle traffic at the northeast gas station. When asked if he had any indication why he thinks this may be, he stated he wasn’t sure. He mentioned that his prices are the same at both gas stations. He was also asked if he had any sug- gestions or additional comments to which he replied that N. 91st Street needs surface improvements because there are many pot- holes- making the road unsafe for cars and people. Postmaster A questionnaire was conducted with the Postmaster of the US Post Office located at N 91st St. & W Silver Spring Ave. A syn- opsis of the postmaster’s answers concluded that there were not any real problems with the intersection, and no costumers have complained to the post office about the location of the office, or the locations of their drop boxes. The fenced parking lot does belong to the post office, but the Postmaster was unable to pro- vide an employee count of those that take an alternate form of transportation other than personal vehicle to work. Furthermore, the postmaster was also unable to provide us with the number of employees that live within a five mile radius of the office. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 50
PUBLIC INTERVIEWS- FIELD SURVEY As part of the recommended plan, several group members went out in the field to perform a pedestrian survey to obtain a SWOT analysis. In order to do so, pedestrians were asked four ques- tions: do you generally feel safe crossing in this intersection, what do you like about the reconstruction and did it improve your accessibility, do you think there are problem areas when walking across or around this intersection, and if you could change or add something to the intersection, what might it be? The following is a summary of the field survey: Pedestrian Planning Public Interviews, N. 91st Street and W. Sil- ver Spring Drive 3:30- 5:00pm Wednesday April 6, 2011 Below: A very unfriendly pedes- General Observations trian experience While group members sought input from pedestrians, we also observed the following: Bottom: It was observed that - More people generally arrived in the vicinity right before the there is a heavy use of the Mil- bus arrived waukee County Transit System at - The majority of pedestrians (estimated 90%) used the conven- this intersection. ience store (northwest corner) - School buses drop off students at all corners of the intersection - MCTS driver said the intersection is always busy with pedest- rians and she has never experienced any complaints - There are a lot of police in marked and unmarked cars patrol- ing the area - One bike rider was seen during the duration of the interviews. He was riding north on 91st in the street. This is where there is no sidewalk along the west property line of Valhalla Memo- rial Park. Once he was north of Silver Spring, he moved onto the sidewalk - Around 75% (estimated) of pedestrians who used the intersec- tion were coming or going to the bus. A large percentage of the overall pedestrian total did not use the intersection but crossed midblock on both 91st north of Silver Spring and Silver Spring west of 91st. Nearly all trips were to and from the convenience store at the northwest corner - One (1) respondent who indicated they felt safe and the inter- section did not need any improvements did not use the inter- section to cross 91st street. After crossing Silver Spring travel- ing north, they crossed 91st midblock to access the BP - Pedestrians would dart in front of traffic to attempt to catch the bus - Pedestrians would have to reach a fast-pace walk to cross the entire block in either direction—north/south or east/west 51 TARGET AREAS AREA A: 91st STREET & SILVER SPRING DRIVE
- A pedestrian traffic count showed that most people would walk to the gas station located on the northwest corner of the inter- section versus the gas station on the northeast corner (see gas station stakeholder summary) Interview Totals - 22 successful interviews Below: Because of the auto-ori- - 7 declined to interview (people who were approached and in- ented nature of the intersection formed of our purpose and then declined) of 91st and Silver Spring, the - Roughly 76% of people responded (22/29 = 75.8%) short “walk” signals make it dif- ficult to cross the street. - 1.5 hours - 21 of 22 respondents were African American Notice the pedestrian cross signal - About half of respondents were female and the position of the woman in the two photos below. This par- Questions ticular woman only made it a few Do you generally feel safe crossing in this intersection? steps before the signal changed The overwhelming consensus answer for this question was yes, to “don’t walk” people generally feel safe when crossing this intersection. Of the twenty-two (22) respondents, two (2) felt that safety was an issue. Their main concerns were three fold: speed of drivers; amount of traffic during the day; and short walk signals. What do you like about the reconstruction and did it improve your accessibility? Around 50% of respondents (14) felt that the Silver Spring repav- ing, relining and new intersection features were an improvement. Of those that responded positively, the majority of responses were because of the pedestrian crosswalk push button signals that were put in. Other responses included that the road is much smoother so traffic seemed less hectic (2) the addition of bike lanes were an improvement along Silver Spring (1), and the cam- eras were a good deterrent for crime (1). Finally, one respondent felt that the new improvements made crossing easier and helped with safety of pedestrians who were being clipped by cars at the southwest corner of the intersection. Do you think there are problem areas when walking across or around this intersection? Around one third (8) of respondents said that they felt there were specific problem areas around the intersection. However, of those respondents, only half (4) named specific intersection issues. Those issues included three (3) problems with the cross- walk signals being too short and one (1) woman specifically indi- cated that the bus stop island at the southeast corner of the inter- section is never shoveled during the winter. The remaining four respondents indicated issues with the general intersection that were external. 2 said that drivers were driving too fast and driv- ers running the yellow and red lights were a common occurrence PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 52
The other two (2) respondents said that the day driving was much more chaotic versus night when traffic was much calmer but lighting was dim If you could change or add something to the intersection, what might it be? A large number of respondents indicated that bus shelters would be a welcomed addition to this intersection to deal with snow and rain throughout the year. Another common response dealt with other street furnishings including garbage cans and benches. Two respondents also said they would like to see more mainte- nance when things break or in an effort to pick up trash. Inter- estingly, no one commented on landscaping or trees. Finally, one response dealt with the external factor that drivers needed to be educated on the presence of pedestrians in the area. The following is a summary of responses to this particular ques- Above: A noticeable improve- tion and the number of people with the response in parentheses: ment to the intersection has been - (5) Bus shelters the recent addition of pedestrian - At northeast corner of 91st St. and Silver Spring Dr. push-button cross signals. - (1) Make drivers more aware of pedestrians Below: Despite the addition of - (2) Add Bench(s) cross signals, walk timing re- - (1) Crossing guard for children mains inadequate so pedestrian - (2) More garbage cans must stand in small islands in the - Garbage can near the BP gas station middle of traffic - (2) Maintenance/clean up - (1) Security cameras - (1) Remove cameras - (1) Increased size for standing on corner. Larger Landing - (1) Go-kart or automated cross walk Additional comments? We concluded each questionnaire by giving the participants an opportunity to give any additional comments which may relate to their walking experience. The following is a summary list of the Below: Dead-end sidewalks im- additional comments: pede pedestrian mobility at the - (1) Respondent does not live in the area southeast corner 53 TARGET AREAS AREA A: 91st STREET & SILVER SPRING DRIVE
RECOMMENDATIONS The intersection of 91st and Silver Spring is a common intersec- tion found throughout Milwaukee. That is, it has similar features - speed limits, number of lanes, surrounding land use - as other intersections around Milwaukee and thus acts as a perfect model for our research. The recommendations for this intersection deal with aesthetics, some of which the WISDOT has already begun to address, and pedestrian safety and comfort. Because of the high rates of speed, surrounding residential land uses, and high level of transit ridership, these recommendations focus on what can best be done to serve those that live in the vicinity and use public transit. Project It is the recommendation of this plan that based on the com- ments from pedestrians at N 91st St. & W Silver Spring Ave., the following projects be taken into consideration for implementation. The first and most prevalent is the conversion of bus stop pads to bus shelters. Overhauling these facilities will allow the pe- destrians to remain safe and comfortable at the bus stop during poor to extreme weather conditions. Best Practice Management (BPM) project case study number ten (10) better illustrates how a total facility overhaul can better improve a street intersection. Furthermore, controlling the crosswalk so that pedestrians have a safe and visible path to cross is a necessity. BPM case study one (1) is a prime example how instilling a crosswalk light and visible markers led to the reduction of pedestrian crashes. When interpreting these case studies there is an over arching theme that is identified, “complete streets.” “Complete Streets” is an ideal representation of all types of transportation, including non- motorized, when configuring and constructing the street design. Program “Cross Safely, Drive Safely” This program has the potential to work well around the 91st and Silver Spring intersection. Interviews with pedestrians in the area indicated two items that would make this program successful. First, pedestrians were concerned about the speed of drivers. On the UMass campus where this program took place, drivers were stopped when violating traffic laws, one of which was speed. The implementation of this program would allow for traffic officers to stop automobiles and educate the drivers, not just about the posted speed limit, but about the need to be aware of pedestrians at the intersection. The second item identified by pedestrians that makes this pro- gram applicable is the short (time) crosswalk signals. This issue is two fold. First, the timers need to be addressed to ensure ped- PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 54
estrians a safe amount of time to cross. Second, the intersection creates an environment that encourages pedestrians to practice unsafe habits. When the lights are too short for the amount of time it takes to cross the street, pedestrians are more likely to jump-out in front of traffic when it is not safe to do so. With the implementation of “Cross Safely, Drive Safely,” pedestrians in the area will be educated about safe habits and the dangers of jutting out in front of on-coming traffic. Policy More frequent maintenance Interviews with pedestrians identified an issue with infrequent maintenance and a general lack of cleaning-up of the area. Many of the pedestrians interviewed indicated there is a clear lack of garbage cans, especially around bus stops. Respondents indi- cated they felt that if garbage cans were available it would help tremendously in keeping the area a bit more clean. Additionally, people felt there is a lag time between when something breaks and when it is fixed. Developing the goal of a faster response time to broken items will help ensure that both pedestrians and traffic move in the most efficient manner. Red light cameras During the reconstruction of the intersection red-light cameras were added. Interviews indicated that pedestrians liked the ad- dition and would like to see more. This was due to the perception that they helped reduce crime, increasing the perception of safety at night. Due to this, the continued use of the cameras is recom- mended. Moreover, if they break they should be replaced and not simply taken down. 55 TARGET AREAS AREA A: 91st STREET & SILVER SPRING DRIVE
TARGET AREA B 6TH AN LINCOLN AVENUE The intersection of S. 6th Street and W. Lincoln Avenue on the south side of Milwaukee was the second site used to conduct re- search on best practices. This site had the third highest number of pedestrian and vehicle crashes in the City of Milwaukee. Ad- ditionally, this intersection has an annual average traffic count of approximately 10,200 and posted speed limits of 20 miles per hour (when children are present) on 6th Street and 30 miles per hours on Lincoln Avenue. This intersection has a similar frame- work as other highly traveled intersections seen throughout the City of Milwaukee and thus was used as a local case study. Image from the Wisconsin De- partment of Transportation’s 2009 “Wisconsin Highway Traffic Volume Data” SITE SELECTION The map to the right, titled “Crash Location: S. 6th St. and W. Lincoln Ave.” is an aerial view that displays the orientation and the land uses sur- rounding the intersection. The most prominent use is the religious institu- tion on the southwest corner of the intersection, Basilica of St. Josaphat. The map on page 58 titled “Crash Frequency: S. 6th St. and W. Lincoln Ave.” displays the crash frequen- cy for the intersection of S. 6th St. and W. Lincoln Ave. When calculat- ing the frequency the ArcGIS pro- gram calculates the number of points (crashes) within a 1/4 mile radius. The output of the point density tool is an image with a color ramp display- ing the greater number of crashes in the area as a darker color, i.e. blue. Because this intersection has such a high number of crashes, and in tern a high number of points, a ratio of 1:1 (points to crashes), enabled this loca- tion to have a high density of crashes. This location has a high crash density rating and the frequency increases as one heads toward the northeast, i.e. the city center. 57 TARGET AREAS AREA B: 6TH STREET AND LINCOLN AVENUE
PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 58
WALK SCORE The Walk Score for the Lincoln Village neighborhood, which the intersection of 6th and Lincoln is part of, is 63. The table on the right indicates where the Lincoln Village neighborhood ranks amongst Milwaukee neighborhoods. Lincoln Village’s score of 63 means it is “somewhat walkable” and 46% of Milwaukee has a higher Walk Score. There are 12,190 people, or 2% of Milwau- kee’s population. For a transit score, Lincoln Village ranks good with a 52. There are seven bus routes nearby. The overall Walk Score for the area of 6th and Lincoln Avenue is a 67. There is a good number of intersections within a 1/2 mile ra- dius and the average block length is also good at 390 feet. Short block lengths and a large number of intersections makes walking more convenient, safer, and more visually interesting as there is more change for both pedestrians and automobiles, and a higher diversity of walking routes for pedestrians. The area also ranks well in food choices, parks, and schools. Sixth and Lincoln, while not among the top Walk Scores in Mil- waukee, shows how better urban design - smaller block lengths, good amenities and services, and a number of intersections makes walking better and more likely to occur. The density and diversity of uses in this neighborhood indicates that there is more to walkability than infrastructure improvements and programs. 59 TARGET AREAS AREA B: 6TH STREET AND LINCOLN AVENUE
PUBLIC INTERVIEWS- FIELD SURVEY As part of our recommended plan, several group members went out in the field to perform a pedestrian survey to obtain a SWOT analysis. In order to do so, pedestrians were asked four ques- tions: do you generally feel safe crossing in this intersection, do you think there is a difference between day and night in regards to how the intersection operates, do you think there are problem areas when walking across or around this intersection, and if you could change or add something to the intersection, what might it be? The following is a summary of the field survey: Pedestrian Planning Public Interviews, S. 6th Street and W. Lin- coln Avenue 8:30- 10:00am Wednesday April 13, 2011 General Observations - More people generally arrived in the vicinity right before the bus arrives - There is a lot of police in both marked cars and on bicycle patrolling or driving through the intersection/area - There were several children with adults and students during the interview timeframe. Most were waiting for the bus Interview Totals - Thirty-Two (32) successful interviews - Twelve (12) declined to interview (people who were approached and informed of our purpose and then declined) - Two (2) did not speak English - Three (3) were police officers - Roughly 73% of people responded (32/44 = 72.7%) - 1.5 hours - There was a visually noticable diversity of races - 12 of 32 respondents were female Questions Do you generally feel safe crossing in this intersection? Just over half of the respondents (18) felt safe when crossing the intersection of 6th and Lincoln. Of the 32 respondents, right (8) said they do not feel safe and six (6) were unsure or said they feel safe only some of the time. The main issues outlined by the eight respondents who did not feel safe were that drivers did not obey the rules of the road, specifically speeding, turning right on red without stopping, and running yellow and red lights. All right (8) acknowledged that reckless or unobservant drivers were an issue. Additionally, many people said they did not feel safe because PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 60
there is a lot of traffic and cars move quickly - they must be alert at all time. Finally, it is interesting to note that one respondent who felt safe said so only because her children were not with her. She acknowledged that having her children makes her feel unsafe because of the chance of them being struck by an automobile. Do you think there are problem areas when walking across or around this intersection? When asked whether there were specific problem areas at the in- tersection of 6th and Lincoln, 15 respondents indicated that there are no problem areas that stand out. Of those 17 respondents who indicated there was a problem, 5 people indicated that it was not the intersection, but drivers being reckless or not obeying the rules of the road - specifically, turning right on red without stopping or running yellow and red lights. Three (3) respondents said that the right turn only lane onto Chase, going east on Lin- coln was an issue because it is poorly marked and drivers don’t see it until they are about to turn and then cut back into traffic. Three (3) people also indicated that the lights at both Chase and Lincoln were confusing and caused people to speed to beat the lights or stop in crosswalks. Additionally, two (2) people said that the crosswalks around Chase and Lincoln are difficult to cross because of cars turning right onto Chase from Lincoln and cannot be seen or did not look for pedestrians. There were four (4) other concerns which included maintenance issues and cracks in pave- ment being problems for the elderly, the crosswalk lines are hard to see, and cross signals are too short. Do you think there is a difference between day and night in re- gards to how the intersection operates? When asked if there was any difference between how the inter- section operates during the day or at nights, the responses were very evenly divided. The majority (13) of respondents did not have an answer. Of those thirteen, five (5) respondents said they do not go out at night in the neighborhood. Ten (10) of the 32 respondents said that there is no difference between day and night with one person sighting that drivers don’t care either way. Nine (9) of the 32 respondents said that there was a difference between day and night at the intersection. Of those nine (9) re- sponses, 3 said that there is less traffic at night while five (5) said that night time drivers were more hectic including one response which mentioned drunk driving. Overall, two respondents com- mented on the presence of gangs, prostitution, or drugs in the area. If you could change or add something to the intersection, what might it be? The largest number of responses to the question pertained to the 61 TARGET AREAS AREA B: 6TH STREET AND LINCOLN AVENUE
crosswalk markings. Respondents suggested repainting of the directional and crosswalk lines in the roads (7). Other responses that received a high rate of response were to add more bus shel- ters or benches (4 each), make drivers more aware of pedestri- ans (3), and to increase the walk signals for pedestrian (5). One respondent indicated that not only would longer crosswalk signals be beneficial, but timed walk signals that pedestrians can visually see would be useful. The following is a summary of responses to this particular ques- tion and the number of people with the response in parentheses: - (4) Add Bench(s) - (1) Repave roads - (7) Repaint street and crosswalk lines - (2) More signs for Right turn onto Chase from Lincoln - (4) Add Bus shelter(s) - Every corner with bus stop - (1) Traffic Calming- Slow Traffic - (1) Add Trees - (1) More lighting - (1) More police patrols - (3) Make drivers more aware of pedestrians - (5) Longer walk signals - Add Timed Walk signals (numbers counting down) - (1) Pick up garbage Additional comments? The Planning Group concluded each questionnaire by giving the participants an opportunity to give any additional comments which may relate to their walking experience. The following is a summary list of the comments: - (1) Like the intersection - (2) Does not live in area - (1) Lincoln is bad for speeding all the way North to 6th St. and Beecher St. intersection - (1) The fountain at northeast corner is nice in the summer - (1) Was hit by driver at one point on northwest corner of intersection PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 62
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION OPEN HOUSE The public open house, held on April 19th, was an attempt by the planning group to actively engage the public in planning for the intersection of 6th Street and Lincoln Avenue and the surrounding area. The meeting was attended by three people- one member of the general public and two local business owners. The informa- tion below is a summary of activities and feedback from the open house. Public Open House Tuesday, April 19th, 2011 6-8pm St. Josaphat Basilica Attendance: 3 Safety concerns The first activity, after the planning group presentation and out- line, was to identify safe and unsafe areas around the 6th and Lincoln intersection. The results of this activity conclude that par- ticipants feel there are more unsafe areas (13 total) than safe Above: The Public Open House areas (7). All of the safe areas identified were either on the side- flyer which was distributed to walks or in the park. Of the unsafe areas indicated, only four (4) 300 people. were on sidewalks while nine (9) were in the road. Generally, turn lanes around this area were deemed to be a problem both for au- tomobile traffic and pedestrians alike. One issue that was raised is the speed of drivers traveling west- bound on W. Lincoln Avenue. The two local business owners identified one specific area which is particularly dangerous and concerning to them because of a bottleneck at the intersection caused by a parking lane. As vehicles travel westbound on W. Lin- coln Ave., the drivers are abruptly cut-off in the right lane as they cross 6th St. due to a parking lane on the north side of the 600 block of W. Lincoln Avenue. They say that this causes the drivers to accelerate rapidly and speed around or cut-off other vehicles in the main travel lane. Another issue that participants mentioned is that they believe W. Lincoln Ave. is a “wide load” street for construction equip- ment and semis. Such large vehicles on a narrow 4-lane street can cause visibility issues for vehicles trying to pass and in turn, raises pedestrian safety issues with being unseen and speeding vehicles. All participants agreed that it should be a goal to slow traffic, spe- Above: After a formal presenta- cifically westbound traffic, west of 5th Avenue. tion by the planning group, meet- ing attendants participated in a hands on activity 63 TARGET AREAS AREA B: 6TH STREET AND LINCOLN AVENUE
Aesthetics The second activity of the open house asked participants to “get their hands dirty” by applying various streetscape elements and infrastructure improvements to planametric illustrations of the in- tersection. This was done utilizing cut-outs of elements- bench- es, trees, trash receptacles, pavers, planters, and hanging bas- kets- and markers to draw other elements- bike racks, public art, pavement markings, sidewalk extensions, signage, and banners. Each element was designated a certain point value based on the unit and installation cost. Participants were allowed an unlimited budget for placing these items where they felt appropriate. The result of this activ- ity was clear; aesthetic im- provements are more than welcomed in order for the intersection to be “dressed up a bit”. New items like planters, hanging baskets, and trees were placed on the site in an effort to make the aesthetic appearance of the intersection more inter- esting and inviting. Partici- pants also indicated that in- frastructure improvements like curb-bump outs and new pavers, instead of re- painting crosswalks, would help to slow traffic while better defining the pedes- trian right-of-way. However, Top: Meeting attendees partici- these improvements, they argued, would not be welcomed at pate in placing streetscaping ele- the expense of on-street parking spaces. Other maintenance is- ments on 6th and Lincoln maps sues like trash pick-up and repairs to road surfaces were desired. Above: Three planning group Participants mentioned the wish for more aesthetically appealing members listen intently as com- trash receptacles to connect any streetscape improvements. munity stakeholders discuss some issues with the intersection Because speed of drivers was a “hot topic”, it was asked if par- of 6th and Lincoln. ticipants ever observed pedestrians darting into traffic to cross the street more quickly instead of crossing at the corner. Both business owners replied “not really”, and felt the situation with speeding and pedestrians was a combination of driver careless- ness and unawareness and the pedestrian’s occasionally crossing when they shouldn’t. In other words, there was a general dis- connect between pedestrians and drivers and the speed of traffic makes it more unsafe for both parties. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 64
A final issue arose with one participant who indicated that be- cause of the presence of the Basilica, focus of drivers is up in the air rather than at the pedestrian or ground level. Additionally, because traffic approaching the intersection is generally moving at a high rate of speed, and there are a limited number of visual or physical barriers to reduce this speed, the intersection not only felt unsafe, but was unsafe. This participant felt it was important to slow traffic approaching the intersection, specifically where the Basilica was most visible- westbound and southbound traffic. It was suggested by the participant that adding improvements such as lighted crosswalks to focus driver attention on pedestrians and not the Basilica would help pedestrians feel more safe and slow traffic. Image preferences Finally, participants had the opportunity to indicate their prefer- ence of various streetscaping and infrastructure improvements. This was done through an image preference survey. While there was a limited number of participants, a few results stood out. In the vegetation/tree board, all three stickers were placed on the photo which had a full planter bed with trees and pavers on the corner. Additionally, two participants preferred the crosswalk photo with lights at night to indicate the presence of a pedestrian. The other boards had split results with each participant voting for a different image. Additional Participant Comments Presentation was well prepared and informative Above: Two of the five image boards from the open house. The other subjects were pedes- trian signage, curb bump-outs and activation/use of sidewalk right-of-way. 65 TARGET AREAS AREA B: 6TH STREET AND LINCOLN AVENUE
Right: The results of the first hands-on participant activity show where there are safe and unsafe areas within the intersec- tion and surrounding context. The yellow stars indicate safe areas The red stars indicate unsafe areas Above: A participant places stars on what he believes are safe and unsafe areas at 6th St. and Lin- coln Ave. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 66
Left: The results of the second hands-on pedestrian exercise revealed the desire for many aesthetic and physical changes to the pedestrian realm and infra- structure. Above: A participant places street elements on his board while a Planning Group member observes 67 TARGET AREAS AREA B: 6TH STREET AND LINCOLN AVENUE
RECOMMENDATIONS The recommendations for the 6th and Lincoln intersection revolve around creating a more aesthetically pleasing pedestrian envi- ronment and education. By refocusing on the pedestrian realm - through the addition of benches, hanging baskets, walk timers, curb bump outs- pedestrians will feel safer. These improvements will also serve to make drivers more aware of “the street” as a shared space instead of a thoroughfare. Special focus should also be given to the idea of view corridors and vertical elements. Because of the presence of St. Josaphat Basilica drivers are more likely to be focused up at the impres- sive structure, rather than at pedestrian level. Improvements like crosswalk lighting and more frequent maintenance of road lines Below: This image is a render- will help return attention to the road and at not the Basilica. It ing of what the 6th and Lincoln intersection could look like if the may even prompt more drivers to park and walk to see the Ba- project recommendations were silica and the neighborhood surrounding the 6th and Lincoln in- implemented. tersection! Project There are many recommendations for the 6th and Lincoln intersection. To begin, speed plays a large factor in pedestrian safety. Best Prac- tice Management (BPM) project case study two (2) aids in reducing pedestrian crashes by imple- menting curb-cuts and on-street parking, nar- rowing the street width. Both case studies one (1) and three (3) also deal with pedestrian safety and are methods of reducing pedestrian crashes at the intersection by introducing better signage such as: walking timers; early pedestrian release signs and an increase in the time in which the pedestrian can cross the street; and retrofitting sidewalks with traffic calming techniques as in BMP two. Slowing traffic and making the pedestri- ans pathways more visible will reduce pedestrian crashes. Again, as in the 91st and Silver Spring intersection, “Complete Streets” is an ideal for- mat for all modes of transportation. BPM case studies five (5) and ten (10) identify methods to reduce pedestrian crashes by overhauling the facilities and beautifying the area by implement- ing vegetation as a buffer between the sidewalk and the road. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 68
Program Driver education A major concern at this intersection was both the speed and recklessness of drivers. Additionally, it was stated that due to the street grid, often times the traffic lights are confusing to drivers. A program revolving around the education of drivers will help de- ter this behavior. Businesses in the area provide a great av- enue to reach out to drivers about slowing down and the need to be attentive. Pub- lic Service Announcement brochures and pamphlets would be developed and handed out to drivers. These materials would be dispersed through the businesses by giving each customer one when they visit a store. Additionally, the Basilica provides a great opportunity to reach a large number of visi- tors. Lastly, these informational items could be placed on parked automobiles in the area on a weekly basis. Education in nearby schools There are a number of schools within close proximity to the intersection. Developing a few lesson plans pertaining to different pe- destrian issues should be developed for each grade level. The information would stress the importance of safe pedestrian habits and the need to be at- Above: This image is a render- tentive. As the case studies indicated, many young children think ing of what the 6th and Lincoln intersection could look like if the and assume that traffic will stop for them if they enter the street. project recommendations were Additionally, when a consistent curriculum was developed, there implemented. was a higher and longer retention rate of safe habits versus those done individually or by teacher. Policy More frequent maintenance Interviews with pedestrians in the area identified a number of issues with the currently worn out pavement markings. It is rec- ommended that there is a developed plan to ensure a consistent rotating basis of when the pavement markings are repainted. From discussions, it was clear that the worn out markings have caused confusion on the part of drivers who then drive recklessly once they realize they are in the wrong lane. 69 TARGET AREAS AREA B: 6TH STREET AND LINCOLN AVENUE
This page contains before and after photomontage renderings of existing conditions and pedestri- A an streetscaping improvements. The improvements include the Planning Group’s recommenda- tions for project improvements based on case study research and public input. Read as A:A = before:after, etc. A: 6th Street looking south B B: Looking northeast from the steps of St.Josaphat Basilica C C: Lincoln Avenue looking east PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 70
A B C 71 TARGET AREAS AREA B: 6TH STREET AND LINCOLN AVENUE
CITY WIDE RECOMMENDATIONS CITY OF MILWAUKEE The City of Milwaukee has an opportunity to improve on its pe- destrian infrastructure through education and a comprehensive, complete streets approach. By introducing the street as a shared space, or a “complete street”, Milwaukee can better serve the pe- destrian and motorist. This approach will create safe, enjoyable walking routes which encourage people to walk and capitalize on unique, local experiences and partnerships. It will also encourage safer driving habits and enhance multi-modalism in transporta- tion. However, a transition to a more walkable Milwaukee will take public outreach, education, and good implementation. Project The base framework for a City of Milwaukee Pedestrian Plan, implemented city wide, must begin with the idea of “Complete Streets”. Making the pedestrians visible by decreasing the time frame for which crosswalks are repainted, adding lighting, or a change in material will greatly reduce the number of pedestrian crashes throughout the city. Also adding other elements such as signage will contribute to the reduction of pedestrian crashes, making the drivers more aware of their surroundings. The final project to be used as a base technique is traffic calming. Slowing the traffic near areas of high pedestrian use will reduce crashes by making the drivers more aware of their surroundings and, al- low for an increase in reaction time if a pedestrian were to walk into the path of an oncoming vehicle. Program Safety training sessions It is recommended the City develop pedestrian training sessions to be presented to the public. These would be sessions in which traffic officers would teach commonly violated rules to the public. These sessions could either be taught by themselves or as part of other outreach events put on by the Milwaukee Police Depart- ment throughout the city and year. An opportunity would be to be stationed around busy intersections during events, engaging pedestrians in conversations about safe habits. These sessions would then also be taught at specific events when officers have other community outreach events. PSA pamphlets and posters The development of public service announcement pamphlets and posters is a recommendation as a city-wide project. Pamphlets would be small, 1/3 sheets of paper the would have diagrams and text relating to safe pedestrian habits. Additionally, one would be created to discuss the need for drivers to be attentive to ped- 73 CITY WIDE RECOMMENDATIONS
estrians. These pamphlets can easily be handed out by officers during the educational sessions. Driver educational pamphlets can easily be placed on automobiles during large events. In addition to these two types of pamphlets, safe pedestrian hab- its can be incorporated into the material passed out to visitors by the Downtown Ambassadors. Downtown Ambassadors should also be taught safe habits and how they can engage visitors to discuss this information when they are helping individuals. Lastly, the information in the pamphlets should also be developed into posters. These posters can then be placed in business’ win- dows and at bus shelters. Bus shelters provide a great opportu- nity for people to read the information while they are waiting for the bus. Moreover, a poster should be developed for placement on the bus. Walk There! Challenge This program in Atlanta, Georgia challenged local and state of- ficials to walk instead of drive. It is recommended that a simi- lar challenge takes place in Milwaukee. This challenge could in- clude city employees and the rest of the downtown businesses. It would be important for each participant to track the number of steps walked each day to reach a combined goal of all participants when the challenge ends. Along with the challenge, it should be kicked-off with a large event, perhaps the walking of the Milwau- kee Riverwalk and ended in a similar fashion. Moreover, it should coincide with a “walk to work week” challenge, formulated around “bike to work week.” Policy K-12 curriculum for MPS The City of Milwaukee should work with Milwaukee Public Schools to develop a consistent, across-the-board curriculum revolving around safe pedestrian habits. These lessons would be developed to ensure that teachers are in fact teaching the subject to stu- dents and that the information is correct and consistent city-wide. Lesson plans would be developed for each grade level and tailored in such a way as to be the most effective for that age group. In Orange County, Florida the information was presented differently for different grades. For younger kids an active teaching envi- ronment was used while a more passive, in the form of posters around the school, was used for high schools. Miami-Dade Coun- ty was able to see a decline in the number of pedestrian crashes for students under the age of 14 with just four weeks of half-hour lesson plans once a week. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 74
Pedestrian travel policy This policy would create design guidelines that would need to be followed anytime construction on a street occurs. This policy would ensure that when construction happens, pedestrian ele- ments are included and are done in such a way to be accessible to all pedestrians of the street. The State of Kentucky implemented this policy and has concluded that not only has pedestrian safety increased, so have other forms of non-motorized transportation. Corridor traffic calming Neighborhood residents are the best at recognizing pedestrian is- sues in their area. The corridor traffic calming policy would take advantage of this local knowledge. A system by the City should be setup to develop an avenue for local residents to get the sig- nage needed for the neighborhood. The City should work with neighborhood associations in not only identifying where signage is needed, but also with the funding. The neighborhood associa- tion would raise funds to help subsidize the cost of the signage it feels it needs. As a result, the City would expedite the purchase and installment of the signs neighbors feel are needed. Training of traffic officers The training of traffic officers is needed. Often times pedestrian laws are convoluted, resulting in infrequent or incorrect enforce- ment. The Milwaukee Police Department should either develop a video series or train a few officers to teach pedestrian laws to all traffic officers. This would create a consistent message ensuring that all officers were trained on the same ordinances. This would guarantee consistent enforcement when on the streets. Addition- ally, this training would allow for officers to educate pedestrians about safe habits and ordinances pertaining to pedestrians when they see a violation occur. The City of Madison, Wisconsin created a video series for their po- lice department and it was seen as a huge success. These were so helpful that the videos were then edited to create a message for the education of the public at outreach events and in schools. 75 CITY WIDE RECOMMENDATIONS
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS These ideas provide some preliminary brainstorming ideas which the City of Milwaukee might consider in generating new alterna- tives for improving Milwaukee’s pedestrian experience. New Ideas Fun theory Making things fun makes people want to do them. If you make walking fun, by whatever means, people will want to do it. One example would be to station a traffic officer at an intersection with existing crosswalks, signals, etc. That officer would be re- sponsible for administering jaywalking tickets to offenders. The officer would also be responsible for recording the information of a predetermined number of those people who follow the rules. Ultimately, the money generated from jaywalkers would be dis- tributed to those that follow the rules. See www.thefuntheory. com, “The Speed Camera Lottery” as an example. Walk to work day Once a year provide incentives for businesses and government departments to encourage walking to work. This voluntary ap- proach would help promote a healthier lifestyle and increase the social capitol of the area in which it is implemented. Since 2004, cities across the nation have participated in National Walk to Work Day on the first Friday of April. Walking weekend Close a neighborhood to walking only for a weekend or Friday work day. Public transportation should be allowed to continue its usual routes. This idea allows for more social interaction, increase safety, compliment a community event, promote a healthier lifestyle, and generate support for walking as a realistic approach to transportation; or at least a multi-modal approach. Riverwest, Bay View, and Lincoln Village might be some areas of consideration for implementation. Sheboygan County, Wisconsin is launching its first ever Bike and Walk to Work Week in June of 2011. See http://www.co.sheboygan.wi.us/bwtww/ for more details. Existing Policy Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) Busing Policy Work with MPS to reduce the number of students bused, there- by increasing the number of students walking to neighborhood schools. Use the money saved in busing costs to provide better or equal services at all neighborhood schools so demand for bus- ing to schools with better choices is mitigated. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 76
APPENDIX RESOURCES City of Denver Pedestrian Master Plan http://www.denvergov.org/TabId/395511/default.aspx City of Seattle Pedestrian Master Plan http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/pedestrian_masterplan/ Complete Streets Resource Toolkit http://www.sacog.org/complete-streets/toolkit/START.html Federal Highway Administration Safety: A Resident’s Guide for Creating Safe and Walkable Communities http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/ped_cmnity/ped_walk- guide/suc_stories.cfm Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center: Compendium, July 2010 http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/ Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center: Image Library http://www.pedbikeimages.org/ Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center: Walking Info http://www.walkinginfo.org/ National Complete Streets Coalition http://www.completestreets.org/changing-policy/policy-ele- ments/ Walk Score http://www.walkscore.com/ 79 APPENDIX
6TH AND LINCOLN NEIGHBORHOOD/BUSINESS CONTACTS David Arias El Salvador Restaurant 2316 S. 6th Street 414.405.4386 Luis Barbosa BMR Architects and Design 503 W. Lincoln Avenue 414.384.2996 Chris or Nara Colton Guarding Your Angels Daycare Center 2338 S. 6th Street 414.383.3400 Rick Petrie Urban Anthropology 707 W. Lincoln Avenue 414.271.9417 John Rozga Owner/Operator Rozga Funeral Home 703 W. Lincoln Avenue 414.671.5200 rfh1@milwpc.com Jim Tarantino Committee Coordinator Lincoln Village Business Association 1133 W. Lincoln Avenue 414.672.2249 Maria Vargas Divas Hair Salon 616 W. Lincoln Avenue 414.899.7895 Brad Zwieg Owner/Operator Studio Z 606 W. Lincoln Avenue 414.645.4900 PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 80
Pedestrian Planning
Pedestrian Planning

More Related Content

PPTX
Pedestrian priority in urban area and usefulness towards community
byEminent Planners
 
PDF
Transit Oriented Development - TOD - Human Settlement Planning - Architecture
byYuktaYogeesh1
 
PDF
TOD - Transit Oriented Development
byShruthi Kshirasagar
 
PDF
Transit oriented development
byPalak Khandelwal
 
PPTX
Pedestrians
byNonie Adenel Saguindan
 
PDF
Urban planning theories
byAkanksha Modi
 
PDF
TOD in India
byWRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
 
PPTX
Urban Roads
byGAURAV. H .TANDON
 
Pedestrian priority in urban area and usefulness towards community
byEminent Planners
 
Transit Oriented Development - TOD - Human Settlement Planning - Architecture
byYuktaYogeesh1
 
TOD - Transit Oriented Development
byShruthi Kshirasagar
 
Transit oriented development
byPalak Khandelwal
 
Pedestrians
byNonie Adenel Saguindan
 
Urban planning theories
byAkanksha Modi
 
TOD in India
byWRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
 
Urban Roads
byGAURAV. H .TANDON
 

What's hot

PPTX
TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT
byRidam Shah
 
PDF
UTTIPEC STREET DESIGN GUIDELINES
byUttipec Dda
 
PPTX
Urban Design: Streets
byAnuradha Mukherji
 
PDF
Hierarchy Of Open Spaces
byRavtej Singh
 
PPTX
Walkability
bypriyank purwar
 
PPTX
Transit oriented development
byPooja Jariwala
 
PPTX
Land-use transport planning
byBhavik A Shah
 
PPTX
Multi-modal transportation, dissertation brief
byPiyush KumAr
 
PPTX
Physical planning in town planning
byAbhi Vallabhaneni
 
PPTX
An introduction to urban design
bytree63
 
PPTX
Urban theories.pptx
byShivamSingh518228
 
PPTX
Mass transit system
bySagar Kaptan
 
PPTX
Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) - Case Studies in Indian Scenario
byApparao Gandi
 
PPTX
Radiant city concept of le corbusier
byKriti Chauhan
 
PPTX
Theory Of Urban Design - Mental Map ,Serial Vision
byBimenpreet Kaur
 
PPSX
local area plan, Vasna ward, Ahmedabad
byPratham Pincha
 
PPT
Ahmedabad BRTS Overview
byNishit kadia
 
PPTX
Urban heritage conservation , India
bySiddhi Vakharia
 
PPTX
Sir patrick geddes
byRavi Sharma
 
PPTX
land use by lowry model as an example
bySrikanth Kenchugundu
 
TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT
byRidam Shah
 
UTTIPEC STREET DESIGN GUIDELINES
byUttipec Dda
 
Urban Design: Streets
byAnuradha Mukherji
 
Hierarchy Of Open Spaces
byRavtej Singh
 
Walkability
bypriyank purwar
 
Transit oriented development
byPooja Jariwala
 
Land-use transport planning
byBhavik A Shah
 
Multi-modal transportation, dissertation brief
byPiyush KumAr
 
Physical planning in town planning
byAbhi Vallabhaneni
 
An introduction to urban design
bytree63
 
Urban theories.pptx
byShivamSingh518228
 
Mass transit system
bySagar Kaptan
 
Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) - Case Studies in Indian Scenario
byApparao Gandi
 
Radiant city concept of le corbusier
byKriti Chauhan
 
Theory Of Urban Design - Mental Map ,Serial Vision
byBimenpreet Kaur
 
local area plan, Vasna ward, Ahmedabad
byPratham Pincha
 
Ahmedabad BRTS Overview
byNishit kadia
 
Urban heritage conservation , India
bySiddhi Vakharia
 
Sir patrick geddes
byRavi Sharma
 
land use by lowry model as an example
bySrikanth Kenchugundu
 

Viewers also liked

PPTX
Intelligent Transportation System
byGAURAV. H .TANDON
 
PPT
Pedestrian Safety and Urban Infrastructure
byWRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
 
PDF
Pedestrian planning and modelling
byInstitute for Transport Studies (ITS)
 
PPTX
Intelligent Transportation System
byguest6d72ec
 
PPT
Intelligent Transportation System (ITS)
byJonathan D'Cruz
 
PPT
Intelligent transport system
byCivil Engineers
 
PPT
Traffic flow and Capacity (Pedestrian Mode)
bySJ Ohi
 
PDF
P1(2016)ustidham qiraati 4 july 2015
bynoorishamirsyad
 
PPTX
Algebra 2 powerpoint
byroohal51
 
DOCX
On needle settings of tuck stitch fully fashioned,22rib diamond design fully-...
byMD. SAJJADUL KARIM BHUIYAN
 
PDF
2008 Ebu Training BBC Scotland From QMD to PQ
byEuropean Broacasting Union
 
PPT
In Depth Introdution on Online Advertising by Greg Stuart
byronewmedia_academy
 
PPT
01 introduction E-Commerce
byNirbhay Singh
 
PDF
Nc verification and re processing for collaborative machining
byLiu PeiLing
 
PPTX
Assistive technologies for students with special needs
byrpittma12
 
PPTX
Profit from the cloud TM Parallels Dynamic Infrastructure And OpenStack.
byOpenVZ
 
PDF
Financial management
byThanh Phương Tống Trần
 
PDF
Kehamilan dengan bekas seksio sesarea
byRsia Muslimat
 
PPTX
Orange Sparkle Ball: Who We Are and What We Do
byOrange Sparkle Ball, Inc.
 
PPSX
Kjdf
bypaulili
 
Intelligent Transportation System
byGAURAV. H .TANDON
 
Pedestrian Safety and Urban Infrastructure
byWRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
 
Pedestrian planning and modelling
byInstitute for Transport Studies (ITS)
 
Intelligent Transportation System
byguest6d72ec
 
Intelligent Transportation System (ITS)
byJonathan D'Cruz
 
Intelligent transport system
byCivil Engineers
 
Traffic flow and Capacity (Pedestrian Mode)
bySJ Ohi
 
P1(2016)ustidham qiraati 4 july 2015
bynoorishamirsyad
 
Algebra 2 powerpoint
byroohal51
 
On needle settings of tuck stitch fully fashioned,22rib diamond design fully-...
byMD. SAJJADUL KARIM BHUIYAN
 
2008 Ebu Training BBC Scotland From QMD to PQ
byEuropean Broacasting Union
 
In Depth Introdution on Online Advertising by Greg Stuart
byronewmedia_academy
 
01 introduction E-Commerce
byNirbhay Singh
 
Nc verification and re processing for collaborative machining
byLiu PeiLing
 
Assistive technologies for students with special needs
byrpittma12
 
Profit from the cloud TM Parallels Dynamic Infrastructure And OpenStack.
byOpenVZ
 
Financial management
byThanh Phương Tống Trần
 
Kehamilan dengan bekas seksio sesarea
byRsia Muslimat
 
Orange Sparkle Ball: Who We Are and What We Do
byOrange Sparkle Ball, Inc.
 
Kjdf
bypaulili
 

Similar to Pedestrian Planning

PDF
Complete Streets Report
byjadamsm
 
PPTX
Walking in College Station – Development Standards and Safety
byCity of College Station
 
PDF
12 1439
byFranz Loewenherz
 
PPTX
APA 2012 General Plan Action Plans - Cincinnati
byJoseph Horwedel
 
PDF
Pre-Feasibility Study Guideline September 2009
byled4lgus
 
PDF
Incorporating planned trails projects into the nepa process for highways
byBikeTexas
 
PDF
Sindiong Project Examples.2
bySteveSindiong
 
PPTX
A Tale of Two Streets - Indiana Walk-Bike Summit.pptx
byCynthia Hoyle
 
PPT
Burlington Bike Path Improvement Public Forum
bychapinspencer
 
PDF
Mid-America Regional Council Complete Streets Handbook
byPaul Supawanich
 
PPT
G ao f_pres_full_lr_v2
byRoger Averbeck
 
PDF
INVEST_Project Development 11.24.2015_Low Resolution
byNeha Soni, LEED AP (ND, BD+C), CNU-A
 
PDF
Understanding the Bicycle Project Planning and Implementation Process
byProject for Public Spaces & National Center for Biking and Walking
 
PPT
Getting Around on Foot Action Plan
byWPCwalks
 
PDF
DVRPC_ProjectSummary_2005
byAnnette Ginocchetti, GISP
 
PDF
Remington Walks Community Workshop Presentation
byThe Piedmont Environmental Council
 
PDF
Grimm rpo2012
byRPO America
 
PDF
Week 8: The digital city
byGreg Wass
 
PDF
#5 Part 1: Presenting the Model Design Manual for Living Streets - Snyder, Moule
byProject for Public Spaces & National Center for Biking and Walking
 
PDF
2009 Annual Report
bycrystalnking
 
Complete Streets Report
byjadamsm
 
Walking in College Station – Development Standards and Safety
byCity of College Station
 
12 1439
byFranz Loewenherz
 
APA 2012 General Plan Action Plans - Cincinnati
byJoseph Horwedel
 
Pre-Feasibility Study Guideline September 2009
byled4lgus
 
Incorporating planned trails projects into the nepa process for highways
byBikeTexas
 
Sindiong Project Examples.2
bySteveSindiong
 
A Tale of Two Streets - Indiana Walk-Bike Summit.pptx
byCynthia Hoyle
 
Burlington Bike Path Improvement Public Forum
bychapinspencer
 
Mid-America Regional Council Complete Streets Handbook
byPaul Supawanich
 
G ao f_pres_full_lr_v2
byRoger Averbeck
 
INVEST_Project Development 11.24.2015_Low Resolution
byNeha Soni, LEED AP (ND, BD+C), CNU-A
 
Understanding the Bicycle Project Planning and Implementation Process
byProject for Public Spaces & National Center for Biking and Walking
 
Getting Around on Foot Action Plan
byWPCwalks
 
DVRPC_ProjectSummary_2005
byAnnette Ginocchetti, GISP
 
Remington Walks Community Workshop Presentation
byThe Piedmont Environmental Council
 
Grimm rpo2012
byRPO America
 
Week 8: The digital city
byGreg Wass
 
#5 Part 1: Presenting the Model Design Manual for Living Streets - Snyder, Moule
byProject for Public Spaces & National Center for Biking and Walking
 
2009 Annual Report
bycrystalnking
 

Recently uploaded

PPTX
UNIT 1- Introduction to Basic of Computer Fundamentals
bypawarbhaktiit
 
PDF
Hart, Inc. M&A Data Transition Checklist
byHart, Inc.
 
PPTX
The Abomination of AI – keynote at ICoSCI 2026
byAlan Dix
 
PDF
Are AI Hallucinations Getting Better or Worse? We Analyzed the Data.
byScott M. Graffius
 
PPTX
Design Flaws and Known Attacks in Agentic AI - ITI Business Session
byInformation Technology Institute
 
PDF
Chapter 2 Computer Threat .pdf
byGetnet Tigabie Askale -(GM)
 
PDF
A paper in the leading academic journal Telecommunication Policy cited Scott ...
byScott M. Graffius
 
PDF
Special Reeling Cable Specification _ Anhui Feichun Special Cable Co., Ltd_.pdf
byAnhui Feichun Special Cable Co., Ltd.
 
PDF
Top 5 Best Dedicated Server Providers in Los Angeles (Updated Edition)
byAtal Networks
 
PDF
How Automation Powers Data Quality and Governance at Scale
bySafe Software
 
PDF
Best 10 Dedicated Servers in Amsterdam, Netherlands (2026 Enterprise Edition)...
byAtal Networks
 
PPTX
Apache Kafka 101 for Techies in IT dep.pptx
byamulyareddyk97
 
PPTX
Spacewalk 2026 - Presented at the IMAX in Raleigh, NC
byAll Things Open
 
PDF
January Patch Tuesday
byIvanti
 
PPTX
Robot Vacuums are Cleaning Up. The global robot vacuum segment has high marke...
byRobert March
 
PPTX
Fortify Your Digital Defenses with ServiceNow Security Operations by Suma Soft
byGavin Ellis
 
PDF
Pervasive Encryption - Keeping Data Secure.pdf
byPrecisely
 
PPTX
Storage-and-HCI-Positioning-update-sales.pptx
byhungungphu123
 
PPTX
Microsoft Azure News - January 2026 - BAUG
byDaniel Toomey
 
PPTX
computer science class 11 ( phishing and fraud mails) .pptx
bybalajichess314
 
UNIT 1- Introduction to Basic of Computer Fundamentals
bypawarbhaktiit
 
Hart, Inc. M&A Data Transition Checklist
byHart, Inc.
 
The Abomination of AI – keynote at ICoSCI 2026
byAlan Dix
 
Are AI Hallucinations Getting Better or Worse? We Analyzed the Data.
byScott M. Graffius
 
Design Flaws and Known Attacks in Agentic AI - ITI Business Session
byInformation Technology Institute
 
Chapter 2 Computer Threat .pdf
byGetnet Tigabie Askale -(GM)
 
A paper in the leading academic journal Telecommunication Policy cited Scott ...
byScott M. Graffius
 
Special Reeling Cable Specification _ Anhui Feichun Special Cable Co., Ltd_.pdf
byAnhui Feichun Special Cable Co., Ltd.
 
Top 5 Best Dedicated Server Providers in Los Angeles (Updated Edition)
byAtal Networks
 
How Automation Powers Data Quality and Governance at Scale
bySafe Software
 
Best 10 Dedicated Servers in Amsterdam, Netherlands (2026 Enterprise Edition)...
byAtal Networks
 
Apache Kafka 101 for Techies in IT dep.pptx
byamulyareddyk97
 
Spacewalk 2026 - Presented at the IMAX in Raleigh, NC
byAll Things Open
 
January Patch Tuesday
byIvanti
 
Robot Vacuums are Cleaning Up. The global robot vacuum segment has high marke...
byRobert March
 
Fortify Your Digital Defenses with ServiceNow Security Operations by Suma Soft
byGavin Ellis
 
Pervasive Encryption - Keeping Data Secure.pdf
byPrecisely
 
Storage-and-HCI-Positioning-update-sales.pptx
byhungungphu123
 
Microsoft Azure News - January 2026 - BAUG
byDaniel Toomey
 
computer science class 11 ( phishing and fraud mails) .pptx
bybalajichess314
 

Pedestrian Planning

  • 1.
    PEDESTRIAN PLANNING BEST PRACTICECASE STUDIES FOR MILWAUKEE’S PEDESTRIAN PROJECTS, PROGRAMS, AND POLICIES UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE APPLIED PLANNING WORKSHOP SPRING 2011 HEATH ANDERSON : RACHANA KOTHARI : PAUL MERKEY : XYLIA RUEDA : MARK SAUER
  • 3.
    CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 7 PROBLEM, PROJECT-PROGRAM-POLICY FRAMEWORK, PROCESS, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES PEDESTRIANS IN MILWAUKEE 13 US PEDESTRIAN PLANNING AND MILWAUKEE, WALK SCORE, SEWRPC, MILWAUKEE’S EXISTING BICYCLE ACCOMMODATIONS 19 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROJECT, PROGRAM, POLICY 43 MILWAUKEE SITE SELECTION GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS ANALYSIS TARGET AREA A 47 91st ST. & SILVER SPRING DR., SITE SELECTION, WALK SCORE, STAKEHOLDERS, PUBLIC INTERVIEWS- FIELD SURVEY, RECOMMENDATIONS TARGET AREA B: 57 6th ST. & LINCOLN AVE., SITE SELECTION, WALK SCORE, PUBLIC INTERVIEWS- FIELD SURVEY, PUBLIC PARTICIPATION OPEN HOUSE, RECOMMENDATIONS CITY WIDE RECOMMENDATIONS 73 APPLICATION OF PROJECT, PROGRAM, POLICY IN MILWAUKEE 3 INTRODUCTION
  • 5.
    EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The primaryobjective of this study is to identify best management prac- tices in pedestrian planning for the City of Milwaukee. The Planning Group has compiled different pedestrian related best practice methods and identified how each method can be adapted to fit Milwaukee’s pe- destrian needs. Best practices have been categorized in three groups— project based, programs, and policies—which address various pedes- trian issues. This report also provides a set of recommended policies and programs to encourage, educate, and promote increased use of a more accessible and walkable environment. Many large cities- Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Kansas City, Denver have successfully drafted and adopted pedestrian plans. Many of these GROUP MEMBERS plans are also inclusive of bicycle plans and accommodations. Milwau- kee currently has a Bicycle Plan but not a plan that focuses on the XYLIA RUEDA improvement of pedestrian interests, safety, and infrastructure. One Project Manager result of not having a pedestrian plan is a large number pedestrian crash reports generated by the Milwaukee Police Department. In a three year HEATH ANDERSON: period from January 2007 to January 2011, 828 pedestrian crashes GIS Spatial Analysis were reported. Because of the need to increase pedestrian safety, this report begins the research and development of a pedestrian plan for the MARK SAUER: City of Milwaukee. Public Participation To begin this study, the Planning Group first began by identifying various Coordinator case studies in improvements to pedestrian related projects, programs, and policies. Then the group utilized ESRI’s ArcGIS program point den- RACHANA KOTHARI: sity tool in conjunction with the crash data to better define the areas Urban Design Specialist of highest crash frequency. Further analysis was conducted on various sites that met the group’s criteria to gain a greater understanding of PAUL MERKEY: the physical make-up of the sites. The two sites that best fit our criteria Program Researcher were the intersections of N 91st St. & W Silver Spring Ave. and S 6th St. & W Lincoln Ave. In order to better serve the public, questionnaires and a public open house were conducted to gain an understanding of the publics’ desires, needs, likes, and dislikes. One of those needs was to address speed and driver courtesy throughout Milwaukee. Photomontages and spe- cific site recommendations were constructed for each site that included project recommendations intended to aid in the reduction of pedestrian crashes. The group then identified best practice methods to be adopted as the framework for problematic intersections throughout the City. The end product is a compilation of best practice project, program, and policy recommendations at two site specific locations and city wide which outlines tasks needed to reduce pedestrian crashes throughout the City. The next critical steps for the City is to devise a ranking system to stra- tegically prioritize and ensure the most critical projects are addressed first while phasing in lower-priority projects based on cost and feasibil- ity. These recommendations were constructed through public input and are in the best interest of the residents of Milwaukee. 5 INTRODUCTION
  • 7.
    INTRODUCTION During the fifteenweek semester, group members worked on a planning related problem dealing with improvements to the proj- ects, programs, and policies impacting the pedestrian realm in Milwaukee. Taking a client-centered approach to defining and solving the problem, the group acted as a consulting team for Dave Schlabowske, Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for the City of Milwaukee, Department of Public Works. The overall project goal for is to present the client with a docu- ment on best practice case studies in pedestrian projects, pro- grams, and policies from around the nation. Not only will this document highlight best practices, but it will showcase how those best practices can be implemented at various sites throughout the City of Milwaukee. PROBLEM Ninety-five percent of streets in Milwaukee have sidewalks. This existing infrastructure provides ample opportunity for pedestrian circulation and allows for safe separation of motorized and non motorized transportation in the public realm. However, sidewalks alone are not enough. In order to cater to the increased den- sity of pedestrian traffic desired by stakeholders throughout the city, Milwaukee must improve policies and programs to guide the physical design of streets for the pedestrian. Currently, the State of Wisconsin uses “Guide to Complete Streets” when redeveloping state roads and highways. This plan is enact- ed when any State or federal money is used to finance a project, regardless of the location of the infrastructure in the State. The “complete” street guide however, does not apply to city streets not owned by the state. Though the City of Milwaukee has the ability to create the infrastructure and density it desires through its own means, there is currently no best practices program or complete streets policy in place to guide this development at the local level. This study is intended to create a living, breathing document which applies best practice principles in pedestrian-oriented de- sign to specific areas throughout the City of Milwaukee. In addi- tion, it will act as a gateway and template for further develop- ment of best practices in City projects. The outcome will be a combination of project, policy, and program recommendations for the City of Milwaukee. 7 INTRODUCTION
  • 8.
    PROJECT, PROGRAM, POLICYFRAMEWORK Pedestrian planning is inclusive of three elements- project, pro- gram, and policy. Implemented through private or public entities, the three p’s of pedestrian planning are used to ensure a safe and rewarding walking experience. Project: A project is defined as the implementation of a physical change to the pedestrian infrastructure or experience. Projects would include things like installing speed humps, or new cross- walk line painting. Projects should be done at the municipal level. Program: A program is a short-term activity with a goal of edu- cating the public or encouraging walking as a viable transporta- tion option. Programs can be implemented at the municipal level or privately. Policy: A policy is a long-term resolution, ordinance, or commit- ment by a department or agency to educate the public or encour- age walking as a viable transportation option. Policies can be implemented by private entities or through a municipality. PROCESS The research began with a problem definition and understanding of Milwaukee’s current pedestrian infrastructure, programs, and policies. Goals, objectives, and criteria were then defined in order to frame the research and problem-solution. Finally, a scope of work was created and roles were selected by each group member. Two Milwaukee sites were selected using Geographic Information Systems analysis. In addition, best practice case study research was conducted to effectively and efficiently enhance pedestrian infrastructure, programs, and policies in cities around the nation. Through conceptual design renderings and recommendations, best practice research will be implemented on two sites within the City of Milwaukee focusing on site specific projects, programs, and policies. As part of the implementation and recommendation process, a public participation charette and stakeholder interviews were conducted within the two selected sites. Stakeholder interviews proved to be useful in understanding how power and responsibil- ity is shared amongst the users of the intersection (drivers, pe- Above: Participants of the public destrians, local business owners). The public charette allowed for charette place stickers on safe preference surveys to be conducted and residents to have a direct and unsafe areas of one of the impact on the future of their community. target intersections. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 8
  • 9.
    The result ofthis process is both conceptual design ideas and recommendations on projects, programs, and policies the City of Milwaukee can implement to improve the pedestrian realm. GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND CRITERIA The goals, objectives, and criteria, outlined below, were defined by the Planning Group. They are intended to be the result of the research and identify recommendations presented in this docu- ment and future implementation by the City on specific sites, or in City wide policy. IMPROVE SAFETY: By eliminating the perceived and real safety issues in the pedestrian realm, people are more likely to choose to walk. Objective: 1. Reduce pedestrian crashes Criteria: - Improve block and intersection design for pedestrian usage based on best practices - Improve Pedestrian Level of Service (see WISDOT) 2. Ensure pedestrian right-of-way Criteria: - Restrict street furnishings to the edges of the sidewalk - Increase sidewalk width 3. Education and Outreach Criteria: - Safe pedestrian habits will be presented in at least three different media formats - Safe pedestrian habits will be directed at all ages - Programs will educate the public on pedestrian safety regulations - Safe driving habits ENCOURAGE WALKABILITY: Milwaukee should encourage walking to promote healthy and active lifestyles which result in associated environmental and economic benefits. Objective: 1. Increase the frequency of walking Criteria: - Create programs that encourage walking over motor- ized transportation - Enhance street design as to be part of the public realm to make pedestrians feel welcome and safe 2. Education and Outreach: Criteria: - Inform and educate elected officials and public agency staff about the pedestrian realm 9 INTRODUCTION
  • 10.
    - Organize programsand events to encourage public to walk 3. Improve access to sidewalks and crossings: Criteria: - Reduce intersection crossing distances for pedestrians - Improve accessibility to crossings and sidewalks for those with disabilities 4. Improve connectivity: Criteria: - Enhance accessibility to other modes of travel such as mass transit - Promote pedestrian design to be compatible with sur- rounding uses - Implement American Disability Act (ADA) design stan- dards in all projects to improve accessibility for all users THINK LOCAL: The City of Milwaukee has the resources and ability to manage its pedestrian infrastructure with local funding sources and incentives. Objectives: 1. Complete and maintain pedestrian system Criteria: - Create funding strategies for pedestrian infrastructure improvements - Create funding strategies for pedestrian infrastructure maintenance 2. Public/Private investment (partnerships) Criteria: - Identify private funding sources for pedestrian infra- structure - Identify avenues for ventures - Identify and pursue available grants through intergov- ernmental co-operation PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 10
  • 13.
    PEDESTRIANS IN MILWAUKEE Thefollowing chapter is background information on pedestrian planning as it relates to Milwaukee. U.S. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING AND MILWAUKEE Cities like Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco all consistently rank among the most desirable cities to live and visit. Their ur- banism- multi-modal approach to transportation, economic vital- ity, and livability- is notorious Nationwide and often emulated in the planning profession. Among the various reasons for their de- sirability is the fact that these cities are extremely walkable. Since the early 1990’s, pedestrian planning has emerged as a form of transportation that progressive cities like Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco have incorporated into planning policies and pro- grams. In 1998 the City of Portland adopted it’s Pedestrian Mas- ter Plan. Even earlier, in 1996, Seattle drafted and adopted its first Pedestrian Master Plan which has now blossomed into an on- line interactive map highlighting walking routes, amenities, and multi-modal connections. One of the main reasons these urban areas are so successful is because they have taken a wholistic approach to transportation planning and created pedestrian plans for the 21st Century. The City of Milwaukee currently ranks as the 28th largest city by Population. Similar cities like Denver, Portland, and Louisville, Kentucky have all adopted or are in the process of adopting pe- destrian plans. Cities like Baltimore and Nashville have county or regional pedestrian plans which are used at the local level by each respective city to coordinate pedestrian planning. On the other hand, Milwaukee has just drafted its Bicycle Plan and does not have a strategic, City wide plan for its pedestrians. Walking is still very much a necessity in Milwaukee because of the safety and desirability factors which stem from its foundation. While the City of Milwaukee has in place the sidewalks it needs to encour- age walking, the City lacks a wholistic approach to pedestrian and transportation plans. Using studies like Seattle and Denver allows Milwaukee to see what an excellent pedestrian plan looks like. More importantly, it will allow Milwaukee to emulate an excellent pedestrian planning process. Data Source. US Census, 2010 Above: a comparison of similar sized cities in terms of areas and population. Source: City of Milwaukee Downtown Plan 13 PEDESTRIANS IN MILWAUKEE
  • 14.
    WALK SCORE Walk Score is an independent interactive mapping site launched in 2007. Inspired by the work of the Sightline Institute, its mis- sion is promote walkable neighborhoods by making it easy for the average Joe to evaluate walkability- or access to amenities and transportation- when deciding where to live. The Planning Group decided to utilize this free service to evalu- ate the two target areas because the Planning Group agrees with Walk Score’s identification of certain variables that make a place or neighborhood walkable. Walkable neighborhoods offer ben- efits to the environment, health, finances, and communities that sprawling, auto-dependent neighborhoods do not. Walking pro- duces zero emissions and provides an alternative to costly gas prices or bus fares. Additionally, studies show that for every ten minutes a person spends in a daily car commute, time spent in community activities falls by 10% (Sightline Institute). Final- ly, according to a Seattle Times report entitled 2 studies: Urban sprawl adds pounds, pollution, “the average resident of a walk- able neighborhood weighs seven pounds less than someone who lives in a sprawling neighborhood” In each target area section, there is an evaluation of the select- ed intersection and surrounding neighborhood using Walk Score. Walk scores are numbered between 0 and 100 with 100 being a “walker’s paradise” where daily errands do not require a car. The City of Milwaukee average Walk Score is 62, but it ranks 13th amongst the largest 40 U.S. cities. San Francisco is number 1. Above: Milwaukee’s most walk- able neighborhoods are ranked by Walk Score Bottom Left: A one mile radius in a compact neighborhood versus a sprawling neighborhood PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 14
  • 15.
    SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN REGIONAL PLANNINGCOMMISSION (SEWRPC) The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission’s (SEWRPC) planning report “A Regional Transportation System Plan for Southeastern Wisconsin: 2035,” states that their pedes- trian facilities plan element is a policy, rather than a system, plan. It proposes that the various units and agencies of government responsible for the construction and maintenance of pedestrian facilities in Southeastern Wisconsin adopt and follow recommend- ed standards and guidelines with regard to the development of those facilities. The guidelines, together with the recommended standards for pedestrian facilities, are designed to facilitate safe and efficient pedestrian travel within the Region. SEWRPC’s planning report further notes the importance of pedes- trian safety: “The standards and guidelines for pedestrian facilities in- clude recommendations that sidewalks be provided along streets and highways in areas of existing or planned urban development based upon identified criteria; that sidewalks be designed and constructed using widths and clearances appropriate for the levels of pedestrian and vehicular traffic in any given area; that landscaped terraces, curb lawns, or other buffer areas be provided between sidewalks and the roadways enhancing the pedestrian environment; and that efforts be made to maximize pedestrian safety at street crossings, including the timing of the “walk” phase of traf- fic signals to provide for safe pedestrian crossings, and the provision of pedestrian “islands” and medians in wide, heavily traveled, or otherwise hazardous roadways. The plan also emphasizes that all pedestrian facilities must be designed and constructed in accordance with the require- ments of the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act and its implementing regulations.” They also propose that local units of government prepare com- munity bicycle and pedestrian plans to supplement their regional plan. The local plans should provide for facilities to accommodate bicycle and pedestrian travel within neighborhoods, providing for convenient travel between residential areas and shopping cen- ters, schools, parks, and transit stops within or adjacent to the neighborhood. Lastly, SEWRPC recommends that local units of government consider the preparation and implementation of land use plans that encourage more compact and dense development patterns, in order to facilitate pedestrian and bicycle travel. 15 PEDESTRIANS IN MILWAUKEE
  • 16.
    MILWAUKEE’S EXISTING BICYCLE ACCOMMODATIONS Transportation comes in many forms. These forms sometimes work together and sometimes compete for users. Whether an individual decides to bike, walk, drive or otherwise, it is important to think about pedestrian planning as part of a larger transporta- tion network which supports the need and desire to have multiple modes of transportation. One area where Milwaukee has excelled thus far is in bicycle planning and accommodation. Incorporating the existing bicycle infrastructure into pedestrian planning will offer multiple benefits that a singular approach to transportation planning would otherwise miss. The following is an excerpt from SEWRPC Memorandum Report No. 197 Review, Update, and Reaffirmation of the Year 2035 Re- gional Transportation System Plan: This map (page 17) identifies those arterial streets and highways which provided bicycle accommodations through paved shoulders, bicycle lanes, or separate paths in 2009. The mileage of arterial streets and highways that provided bicycle accommodations through paved shoulders, bicycle lanes, or separate paths increased from about 633 miles in 2004 to about 650 miles in 2009, or about a 3% increase. Data is not available to identify those urban arterials with outside lanes of 14 feet in width which also accommodate bicycles. A multi-modal transportation system with high quality pub- lic transit, bicycle and pedestrian, and arterial street and highway elements which adds to the quality of life of Region residents and supports and promotes expansion of the Re- gion’s economy, by providing for convenient, efficient, and safe travel by each mode, while protecting the quality of the Region’s natural environment, minimizing disruption of both the natural and man-made environment, and serving to support implementation of the regional land use plan, while minimizing the capital and annual operating costs of the transportation system. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 16
  • 17.
    17 PEDESTRIANS IN MILWAUKEE
  • 19.
    BEST PRACTICE CASESTUDIES The best practice section of this report outlines several project, Case Studies are from the Pe- program, and policy best practices from around the nation that destrian and Bicycle Information deal with how to improve the pedestrian experience. They range Center Case Study Compendium, from simple project practices like lighting and stripping cross- July 2010 walks to programs designed to reinstitute the practice of walk- ing to neighborhood schools. Ultimately, these physical and insti- tutional changes are recommendations based on their success. They can only be fully successful in Milwaukee through a com- bined social change in the behavior of pedestrian, bicyclists, and motorists alike. PROJECT BEST PRACTICES The project section includes a collection of case studies cover- PROJECTS ing a broad array of topics from safety, walkability, accessibility, 1. UNCONTROLLED infrastructure improvements, planning, education and enforce- CROSSWALKS ment. These case studies will serve as a baseline for project im- 2. SPEEDING AND LACK OF plementation by providing ideas for potential methods Milwaukee VISIBILITY can undertake to improve pedestrian infrastructure and support 3. IRREGULAR ANGLES a walkable environment. Each case study provides a context in 4. LACK OF CURBS which the project takes place, a description of the pedestrian is- 5. ECONOMIC sues faced, as well as how the community sought to address DISINVESTMENT their concerns through various measures. Each case study then 6. ROUNDABOUT concludes with a solution describing the successes and lessons 7. MANAGING learned from the planning process or implementation. STORMWATER 8. CREATING SIDEWALKS 9. UNLIMITED AND CASE STUDY 1: UNCONTROLLED CROSSWALKS UNDEFINED ACCESS Location 10. TOTAL FACILITIES City of Santa Rosa, California OVERHAUL Problem The City of Santa Rosa reported an unusually high incidence of pedestrian/vehicle collisions due to uncontrolled crosswalks. Background Speeding on residential streets is cited as one of the most fre- quently expressed concerns by local citizens. To provide a solu- tion to the issue, three locations were selected for traffic calming and facilities improvements. The solution was tested, analyzed and monitored with funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). Solution Santa Rosa initiated a new proactive pedestrian warning system where a flashing device would be installed on the pavement sur- 19 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROJECTS
  • 20.
    face, along thecrosswalk lines facing traffic. The In-Pavement Flashing Lights Crosswalk Warning System’s purpose was to warn the vehicular traffic of the presence of pedestrians in the cross- walk at uncontrolled intersections. This was tested in the city with the permission of The California Traffic Control Devices Commit- tee. The experimental system consists of a series of flashing Below: In-Pavement Crosswalk light units which are embedded in the pavement adjacent to a lighting during the day and at marked crosswalk. The lights reflect toward the oncoming traffic night. to warn drivers of a pedestrian’s presence. Result and Application for Milwaukee The concept of flashing amber lights embedded in the pavement at uncontrolled crosswalks clearly has a positive effect in enhanc- ing a driver’s awareness of crosswalks and modifying driver hab- its to be more favorable for pedestrians. It is even more effec- tive during adverse weather conditions such as darkness, fog and rain. With continuous monitoring it has been found that after the implementation of the device the number of pedestrian/vehicle fatalities had been reduced in the City of Santa Rosa. Moreover, other cities like Lafayette and West Hollywood have also installed the crosswalk warning systems based on the success in City of Santa Rosa. CASE STUDY 2: SPEEDING AND LACK OF VISIBILITY Location Bellevue, Washington Problem Pedestrian crash data suggested increased fatalities on the resi- dential streets of the City of Bellevue. With the expressed con- cerns of the local citizens, the City needed to take some action. Two main issues which concerned the citizens were speeding on residential streets and reduced visibility due to close parking near school crosswalks. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 20
  • 21.
    Background The numerous concernsof local citizens- including increased fa- talities on the residential streets near schools- put this project into motion. Five different school locations were selected for fa- cilities improvements on the basis of high numbers of students living within walking distance. Initially, this program was created for traffic calming but infrastructure improvements were later im- plemented. Solution Design and infrastructure improvements included installing raised Above: A typical curb exten- crosswalks which doubled to reduce vehicle speeds while at the sion. Curb extensions are used same time improving pedestrian visibility by preventing vehicles to reduce the distance pedestrian from parking too close to the crosswalk. Curb extensions were have to cross. As a secondary also added, where feasible, to decrease the distance necessary to benefit, they can often reduce cross the road and improve line of sight. Bollards were installed the speed of traffic and provide room for additional sidewalk ele- in the curb extensions to prevent children from huddling near the ments like lighting, rubbish bins, curb. In several locations additional measures were also taken, and signage. such as a traffic circle for additional traffic calming, improved street lighting, and additional sidewalks to bridge gaps. The im- provements also included an educational component. ...through facilities Result and Application for Milwaukee At the selected locations within Bellevue for which data was avail- improvements the able, it has been noticed that through facilities improvements the average vehicle average vehicle speed is reduced by 3 mile per hour. The curb speed is reduced by extensions have effectively prevented parking next to the cross- walk, physically keeping parked cars at least 30 feet away. Com- 3 mile per hour... ments from parents and residents are extremely positive after the improvements and the city plans to implement these in future projects. CASE STUDY 3: IRREGULAR ANGLES Location Mulry Square, New York City, New York Problem The Mulry Square intersection in Greenwich Village was perceived to be an odd and dangerous intersection due to a continuously increasing number of fatalities. Speeding, obstructed views of on- coming vehicular or pedestrian traffic, irregular angles resulting in high speed irregular turns, improper and unidentifiable cross- walks were some of the reported issues that the community re- quested the City take actions on. Background Mulry Square, a wedge-shaped site, is currently owned by NYC Metropolitan Transit Authority. The site is used as a parking lot 21 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROJECTS
  • 22.
    and is locatedat the southwest corner of Greenwich Avenue and south of Seventh Avenue. Because of the ongoing reports of traf- fic related safety issues by concerned residents, the New York City Department of Transportation has worked with the local com- munity to assess the issues and provide solutions. Solution The community-based planning process resulted in recommen- dations for traffic calming techniques and the addition of ameni- ties in the surrounding area. These included sidewalk extensions, reconfigured crosswalks, and additional greening of the area. These improvements transformed this intersection, which was previously known for pedestrian accidents and high-speed turns. As a short term solution, sidewalk extensions were painted on the street and outlined with temporary bollards to test the impact of the recommendations on traffic flow. Once it was clear that the solutions worked, the project was built out in final form with slate pavers, granite curbs, new crosswalks, landscaping, bollards, and changes in traffic light phasing. Above: Mulry Square before and after pedestrian improvements Result and Application for Milwaukee were made. With the infrastructure improvements at Mulry square the num- ber of fatalities has been reduced by nearly 60%. The success of the project is evident in the positive community feedback. CASE STUDY 4: LACK OF CURBS Location Seattle, Washington Problem The sidewalks on Seattle’s southeastern streets were perceived to be unsafe and less pedestrian friendly without curbs. Due to a lack of curbs, cars were parked on the sidewalks and planting strips which left no barriers to traffic and made streetscaping maintenance impracti- cal. Furthermore, because cars were not parked on the street, the width of the street encouraged an unsafe driving at- mosphere discouraging pedestrians. Above: Mulry Square now offers Background a safer pedestrian experience The Seattle Department of Transportation identified the need to because of traffic calming efforts improve facilities in its southeastern quarter, a largely low income like sidewalk extensions and in- community of Seattle between the years 2001-2004. With the creased green space. plan to implement safer and more walkable neighborhoods in this quarter, this project was initiated. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 22
  • 23.
    Solution The Seattle Departmentof Transportation was committed to tak- ing numerous actions for this project including adding curbs, pro- moting on-street parallel parking, installing landscaping, traffic calming, and sidewalk repairs to support safer and more walk- able neighborhoods. However, the project faced several obstacles due to concerns raised by local residents. With concerns ranging from maintenance issues of planting strips to gentrification, and limited funds, the initial project was termed as a demonstration Below: Extruded curb technology project chosen to serve as a model for future improvements. is used to install curbs. By using this technology, the Seattle DOT One street segment with disintegrating sidewalks and high rates avoided costly street repaving of thru-traffic was chosen for the demonstration. After the im- and still accomplished its goal to provement was identified as having a positive impact, surveys formalize the street because ex- truded curbs can be freestanding. were carried out to further the work of revital- izing the neighborhood. Results showed that sixty-six of the ninety-five affected house- holds approve of the project. To incorporate the needs of the residents, a staff designer was assigned throughout the design and con- struction phase. Extruded curb technology was used rather than formed curbs, which would have required repaving the street to current standards. City landscape crews also worked with residents to plant trees and lay sod. Funding was obtained through two sources: a Community Development Block Grant- due to the status of the neighborhood as low in- come- and a small neighborhood grant of City funds. Since the funding source was limited in the long-run, it did not allow more than sev- eral thousand linear feet of improvements to be accomplished city-wide in one given year. “The three speed humps Thus, the project was carried out in phases over a number of years. installed and new parallel parking helped to slow traffic Result and Application for Milwaukee by an average of 12 miles per The results were widely appreciated by the southeastern quarter neighborhoods. Pedest- hour” rians have an unimpeded path beside the road that is now pro- tected by attractive plantings. The three speed humps installed and new parallel parking has helped to slow traffic by an aver- age of 12 miles per hour. Residents themselves appreciate the improvements and view it as public investment to bring adequate standards to their neighborhood. 23 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROJECTS
  • 24.
    Below: Reinvestment inthe CASE STUDY 5: ECONOMIC DISINVESTMENT pedestrian experience included Location new brick pavers, bluestone Washington, D.C. pedestrian crossings, a planting strip, new lighting, bike racks, Problem and trash receptacles. These improvements proved essential Barracks Row (8th Street SE) a ¾-mile, 6-block stretch between to new retail business growth on Pennsylvania Avenue and M Street SE, is one of the District’s old- this D.C. street est commercial corridors. The century old buildings in the oldest commercial strip give the street charm and character, but over the years it had experienced economic disinvestment. Vacant storefronts and loitering added to the perception that 8th Street was an unsafe place to be and shop after dark. Merchants com- plained that there was inadequate public parking. Time had taken its toll on the public realm which was left with cracked concrete sidewalks, inconsistent roadway-focused street lighting, inade- quate parking and weathered and unhealthy street trees. Background The Capitol Hill neighborhood began organizing for the revitaliza- tion of 8th Street years ago with the formation of a non-profit organization. It began by using materials and following the model provided by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street program. Continuous efforts to improve the public realm along the street fell short so the organization expressed concern to DDOT and a study of local streets was launched. DDOT con- tracted with a private transportation and landscaping firm to con- duct the study and prepare a concept plan. Solution The primary goal of the Barracks Row streetscape project was to create a safe and visually appealing pedestrian environment and address transportation concerns in order to foster business and retail growth in the area. The public realm on 8th Street and Barracks Row was completely reconstructed. New brick-pav- ers were installed within sidewalks, and key pedestrian cross- ings were visually enhanced with bluestone paving. A five foot planting strip was created along the curb to absorb surface runoff from sidewalks and to provide a continuous root zone for newly planted street trees. The project also provided for new globe lights, bicycle racks, and trash receptacles. Additionally, 92 new American Elm trees were donated and planted by a local “green” organization. Loriope was planted in tree boxes as edging and a public park was replanted and enhanced. In response to concerns regarding the neighborhood’s lack of adequate parking, angled parking was created along the street to replace the existing paral- lel on-street parking. The new configuration has increased the overall number of park- PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 24
  • 25.
    ing spaces- whichare short time meters to ensure a steady sup- ply of parking in front of retail uses. Additionally, a one block area was converted from one-way traffic to two-way, in order to pro- mote greater access to storefronts and increase traffic mobility. These changes were made to help revitalize the commercial area, one of the oldest in the District of Columbia. Result and Application for Milwaukee The Barrack’s Row revitalization effort has been highly successful. Since 1999, 43 new businesses have opened in the area (includ- ing business expansion through 12 new outdoor cafes), 51 fa- cades have been restored, 198 net new jobs have been created, and 3 new traditional buildings have been constructed. Pedestri- ans now have a safer and more welcoming environment in which to walk around. CASE STUDY 6: ROUNDABOUT Location Abita Springs, LA Problem Strange configuration of the main intersection of Abita Springs round- about area resulted in vehicles speed- ing and higher traffic during peak hours. Even with the Tammany Trace pedestrian and bicycle facility adja- cent to the intersection, the environ- ment of the Abita Springs historic dis- trict remained unsafe for pedestrians and other non-motorized traffic. Background Above: New sidewalk pavers, Abita Springs Historic District’s main intersection routes traffic bluestone pavers, trash recep- counterclockwise where Louisiana 59 and 36 meet with exits onto tacles, and other sidewalk im- Level Street as well as the two highways. The complex four-way provements transformed not only the pedestrian realm, but spurred intersection, which borders the town center and is close to Abita economic development in Wash- Springs Middle School, had been regulated by a traffic light. The ington D.C. current lighting system has created backups which extend onto the freeways. Solution With the consensus of the Mayor, Abita Springs Town Council and business owners in the vicinity, the transportation depart- ment committed to take actions to accommodate the needs of all stakeholders during the design and construction phases. The highway department measured traffic volume at the inter-section at about 14,000 vehicles a day pre-Katrina and 17,000 after the 25 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROJECTS
  • 26.
    storm. DDOT overcamethe challenges by selecting the smallest diameter roundabout possible to accommodate vehicles (about 20,000 vehicles a day). Also, they were able to purchase and raze a non-contributing building in the historic district to provide extra space for the roundabout. A section of the Tammany Trace was also shifted slightly to make it easier for pedestrians and bikers to cross the intersection. Landscaping and more directional signs, as well as a final layer of asphalt, were installed. Result and Application for Milwaukee Statistical data is not yet available for the project but studies indicated that roundabouts are safer for drivers and pedestrians than both traffic circles and traditional intersections. Because low speeds are required for traffic entering roundabouts they are not designed for high-speed motor ways. However, since speeding and congestion is high in the Abita Springs district, designing and implementing a roundabout is considered significant so the speed limit at the roundabout is 20 mile per hour. Above: A new roundabout- de- signed to fit the site specifically, CASE STUDY 7: MANAGING STORMWATER was used as a traffic calming device within a historic district to Location allow for easier pedestrian cross- Portland, Oregon ing. Problem The SW 12th Avenue now known as Green Street- located at Montgomery adjacent to Portland State University- needed to retrofit existing street space for pedestrians, on-street parking, street trees, landscaping, street lighting, and signage, while at the same time capturing and filtering stormwater run-off from 12th Avenue. All this within an eight-foot wide space. Background The retrofit project is the City of Portland’s first green street proj- ect and is based off of City’s commitment to promote natural sys- tems to manage urban stormwater runoff. Solution The streetscape project not only manages street run-off but also maintains strong pedestrian circulation and on-street parking. The project utilizes a series of landscaped infiltration planters to handle approximately 8,000 square feet of storm water runoff. The design provides water quality treatment and maximizes in- filtration of the runoff. Each facility can pond about 7 inches of stormwater runoff and retain it for infiltration. A 30-inch wide parking egress zone was dedicated for people to access their vehicles without infringing upon the stormwater planters. Perpendicular pathways were created between each PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 26
  • 27.
    stormwater planter sothat a pedestrian would not have to walk Above: These two diagrams very far to access their cars or the sidewalk. A four-inch curb ex- depict how the new stormwater posure at each planter indicates to the pedestrian that there is a runoff planters work during drop in grade. Each curb cut which allows the street runoff to en- heavy rainfall ter the stormwater planters has an ADA accessible grate to allow Below: Birdseye view of new for unencumbered pedestrian flow along the parking egress zone. stormwater planters Result and Application for Milwaukee This was a successful “green street” project and it has won a National Award of Honor from the American Society of Landscape Architects. The project design does not pose safety issues for pedestrians or for people getting in and out of vehicles. Fur- ther, it has demonstrated how both new and existing streets in downtown or highly urbanized areas can be de- signed to provide direct environmen- tal benefits and be aesthetically inte- grated into the urban streetscape. CASE STUDY 8: CREATING SIDEWALKS Location Snohomish County, Washington Problem The Lake Serene Community was forced to walk in the travel lanes of Serene Way, a two-lane local access road. Walkers some- times had to jump into the ditches to avoid oncoming cars at certain blind turns. Background The road had minimal shoulders and drainage from the road col- lected into open ditches along both sides of the road. The existing right-of-way for the road was 60 feet and with a high number of pedestrian vehicle collisions, the Lake Serene Community Asso- ciation initiated the project by requesting a sidewalk be built. 27 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROJECTS
  • 28.
    Solution The project has several main objectives which include provision of a safe walkway, coordination with the Lake Serene Commu- nity association, minimizing impacts to adjacent properties, and minimizing modifications to the existing drainage system while avoiding the use of a detention pond/pipe design. To further the perception of safety, the 4,500 linear foot walkway was designed in such a way that the walkway is located behind the drainage ditches. This provides a buffer between cars, bicyclists, and pe- destrians. Additionally, the sidewalk connects with adjacent pe- destrian facilities and provides a safer route to school for students of a local elementary school. In order to minimize the impact on adjacent properties, an alignment within the existing right-of- way was chosen that would meander among existing project site features such as fences, trees and utility poles. Due to a lack of funding, the County used porous concrete as infiltrating material which doubled as a stormwater drain. Result and Application for Milwaukee There is anecdotal evidence of increased foot traffic since the Above: Before and After views installation of the walkway, particularly during night hours. Ad- of the new retention area and ditionally, there was a considerable cost savings because the use sidewallk of porous concrete material enabled the walkway to be built by eliminating the need for a detention system. CASE STUDY 9: UNLIMITED AND UNDEFINED ACCESS Location City of Des Moines, Washington Problem The existing SR-99 corridor is an undivided five-lane facility with a two-way left-turn lane (TWLTL) and paved shoulders. Significant segments of the roadside have unlimited and undefined access. The corridor has heavy traffic and creates an unsafe environment for pedestrians. Background The project was initiated to improve traffic congestion, opera- tions, and safety, provide facilities for transit and pedestrians, and encourage economic redevelopment along the SR-99 corridor through the City of Des Moines. Solution SR-99 will undertake a series of infrastructure improvements in- cluding the placement and type of intersection signals, pedestrian features, access control, and aesthetic treatments to increase ca- pacity and mobility and relieve congestion. One of the specific PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 28
  • 29.
    features that willbe considered in this project is a landscaped me- dian with a low profile concrete barrier which would eliminate the existing two-way left-turn lane and improve both pedestrian and vehicular safety. Additionally, curbs and gutters will be installed along the highway, and a six-foot landscaped planter will be built on each side of the street. The project will also install equipment needed to support transit signal priority. As a trial project, Des Moines and King County Metro have even considered the instal- lation of a High Occupancy Vehicle and Business Access lane in each direction of the route as well as bus pullouts and new transit shelters. To further enhance pedestrian activity, sidewalks will be installed on both sides of the highway with sidewalk lighting and a pedestrian-activated signal. Below: A conceptual rendering Result and Application for Milwaukee of the SR-99 corridor with road- The conditions for pedestrians along the corridor were greatly way improvements. Some im- improved and the efforts of the transportation department were provements include a landscaped median,HOV lane, left-turn lane, appreciated by the citizens of Des Moines. With the facility im- bus pullouts and transit shelters, provements, the frequency of walking was significantly increased. and paved crosswalks. 29 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROJECTS
  • 30.
    CASE STUDY 10:TOTAL FACILITIES OVERHAUL Location Cleveland Heights, Ohio Problem Severance Circle, surrounded by a high-use commercial and re- tail development in a vital suburb, is perceived to be unfriendly to pedestrians and bicyclists. Due to very little accommodation for pedestrians and bicyclists, at times it forces them to cut into vehicular lanes at the risk of their personal safety. Despite being enclosed by a shopping mall, Severance Circle was not properly connected to other surrounding land uses. Below: Bike lanes, mid-block Background crosswalks and signals, benches The Canyon Johnson Urban Fund purchased the land and rede- and bus shelters were added to veloped the center in 2002. They agreed to dedicate Severance Severence Cirlce to enrich the Circle as a public street and to build a complete sidewalk system. pedestrian experience and en- Funds were set aside by the buyer, the seller, and the City for courage walking, biking, and public transit instead of driving. road and sidewalk improvements. Solution With an array of goals formulated by the Department of Planning and Development, a variety of measures were implemented. These measures include provision of benches and bus shelters, sidewalks abutting build- ing facades to provide storefront displays, addition of pedestrian activated walk signals at busy intersections and at mid-block crossings, and the installation of light poles, shade trees, and awnings. One of the significant construction projects involved converting the four-lane road into two-lanes with a center left-turn lane and bike lanes on either side. As an added measure, enforcement of speeding and other dangerous driving was stepped up, and numerous tickets were issued. Result and Application for Milwaukee Completed in 2003, the street project has formed a com- plete and connected sidewalk system, created common spaces, and installed benches, bus shelters, pedestrian- scaled lights, trees, and other landscaping. Dedicated bicycle lanes were added and the four-lane road was reconfigured. With all these facility improvements it has been reported by city engineer that during the 2003 holiday shopping rush, vehicular traffic moved without significant delay, without speeding, and the new side- walks and crosswalks were also used by pedestrians. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 30
  • 31.
    PROGRAM BEST PRACTICES Theprogram best practices are short-term activities or events PROGRAMS designed to promote and encourage walking. They may have 1. SAFETY TRAINING long-lasting effects on the community or city where implemented, 2. “CROSS SAFELY, but they are designed to achieve short-term goals and address DRIVE SAFELY” specific problems. Many of the case studies have an objective of 3. EXTREME POSTER educating the public or encouraging walking as a viable transpor- CAMPAIGN tation option either in tandem with public transit and biking or as 4. PUBLIC TELEVISION an alternative to the automobile. Like the project best practices, SAFETY VIDEOS the programs are from around the country and provide a wide 5. WALK THERE! range of urban to suburban experiences. CHALLENGE 6. BILINGUAL SCHOOL CASE STUDY 1: SAFETY TRAINING EDUCATION Location Tucson, Arizona Background The safety training program was developed to improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. Arizona boasted the second highest fatality rate for pedestrians at 13% of total traffic fatalities (NHT- SA). Moreover, Tucson spent less than $1 per year per student on pedestrian and traffic safety education, with even less being spent on adults. In 2004, the City of Tucson requested federal transportation enhancement funds to improve pedestrian safety through public outreach and safety training. Below: A publication by the City Solution of Tucson and its partners for In order to reduce pedestrian and automobile roadway crashes, educating the public about rules, increase awareness of pedestrian responsibility and tolerance of regulations, activities, and safety all right-of-way users, the City of Tucson developed television measures for pedestrian and bicyclists and radio public service announcements. This was coupled with the creation of educational videos for police training as well as for student safety classes to be taught by police officers. Ad- ditionally, a traffic safety guide with pedestrian maps was created and handed out. A “share the road” ethic was promoted as the permanent result. Result and Application for Milwaukee The City installed 180 poster sized signs promoting the “share the road” ethic at bus shelters around the city. These signs were also displayed in forty (40) libraries and bike shops to reach a larger audience. Lastly, there was a monthly safety newsletter created and distributed. All handouts- mostly for bicyclists and motorists- were in both English and Spanish and available on- line. A separate Bicycle Ambassadors program was also created and has helped to install over seventy (70) HAWK (high intensity activated crosswalk) signals at high prioritization location in the Tucson-Pima County region. 31 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROGRAMS
  • 32.
    CASE STUDY 2:“CROSS SAFELY, DRIVE SAFELY” Location Amherst, Massachusetts Background There is heavy pedestrian as well as automobile traffic on the University of Massachusetts campus, but few pedestrian safety programs. In the late 1990’s, two pedestrians were killed when a car stuck them in crosswalks on the University campus. Addi- tionally, since 2000 an average of four pedestrians per year have been seriously injured by drivers. In the past, after a complaint was made about either a pedestrian or a driver not being safe an officer would be assigned to the area for a few days to patrol where the complaint was made. Recognizing the lack of safety between pedestrians and motorists, UMassSAFE- a partnership between the Governors Highway Safety Bureau and the UMass College of Engineering Transportation Center- and University Police partnered together and created the “Cross Safely Drive Safely”. Federal funding (NHTSA) allowed the program to include Above: The “Cross Safely Drive education, enforcement, and evaluation. Safely” Poster which was hung around the UMass campus Solution The program included an awareness campaign along with a judi- cial education component. Safety tips were placed on posters and bus cards and reinforced through media coverage to remind residents about safe pedestrian habits. For the first month of the program violators of either pedestrian or automobile laws (identified by a plain clothed decoy with a radio) were stopped Below: An officer discussing the by UMass officers and given a handout but not cited for any importance of pedestrian/ mo- violation. Each handout included push button hand operator torist safety on campus. Notice and pedestrian safety tips. For the second month violators were the “Cross Safely Drive Safely” cited and fined. Additionally, these efforts were publicized in the poster promoted on the side of local media. the bus Result and Application for Milwaukee Despite pedestrian crashes still occur- ring, it is evident that motorists are more aware of pedestrians. More motor- ists yielding the right-of-way to pedestri- ans is one noticeable results. Addition- ally, police officers have become more aware of crosswalk violations which has led to more consistent enforcement of the laws. The program was deemed so successful that UMass has continued the program despite running out of grant money. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 32
  • 33.
    CASE STUDY 3:EXTREME POSTER CAMPAIGN Location Ontario, Canada Background Ontario recognized a lack of safe habits instilled in its pedestrians when, in 2002, the City of Toronto reported more than half of all traffic fatalities were pedestrian fatalities (50). Due to the ex- treme nature of the information, the Injury Prevention Coalition created an extreme poster campaign for the City. Solution The Injury Prevention Coalition waged a media campaign with the slogan “Cross the Street as if Your Life Depends on it, Because it Does”. The Coalition sent posters and brochures to over 900 com- munity agencies and also had posters on the sides of over thirty buses. Additionally, a short safety slideshow was developed to be played in movie theaters for the audience to see while waiting for the show to begin. Funding was provided through a number of local contributions. Result and Application for Milwaukee The initial launch of the campaign was covered by local media outlets to help get the message out about both the campaign and the message. It is estimated that the slideshow in movie theaters reached an audience of 867,000 individuals. In 2009 the Coalition developed a website entitled iNAVIGAIT, dedicated to education and awareness for pedestrians. www.inavigait.com Above: The Injury Prevention Coalition poster created to make an impact in Ontario CASE STUDY 4: PUBLIC TELEVISION SAFETY VIDEOS Location Bethesda, Maryland Background Since 1996 a series of videos about pedestrian safety has been created for playing on public access channels in Maryland. These videos are designed to educate the public about barriers to pe- destrian safety. Solution Each month a specific issue or case study is highlighted in a twenty-eight minute episode. Issues are brought to light by ex- perts, advocates, planners, engineers, and public officials and in- terviews on topics have been conducted in all fifty states, Canada, five European countries, and Australia and New Zealand. Some issues include pedestrian infrastructure, planning in coordination with transit, and hazards confronting pedestrians. 33 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROGRAMS
  • 34.
    Result and Applicationfor Milwaukee Over 120 public access cable stations carry the episodes each month in addition to a DISH Network channel. Viewers include both citizens and public officials. Moreover, the videos are ar- chived online and the website received over 100,000 visitors per year. The program is now archived on Google Video at: http:// video.google.com/videosearch?q=%22Perils+For+Pedestria ns%22 CASE STUDY 5: WALK THERE! CHALLENGE Location Atlanta, Georgia Background It was noted that most citizens of Atlanta do not consider walking as a means of transportation for shorter, neighborhood trips. To promote health and sustainability, and reduce traffic congestion, Atlanta’s Downtown Transportation Management Association de- veloped an education program to encourage walking. Solution As part of the “Let’s Walk Downtown” plan, the “Walk There!” challenge was created. The challenge was for members of the State Legislature, City Council, and Mayor’s Office to walk instead of drive. Those elected officials who joined the team also par- ticipated in promotional events to raise awareness of the heath, environmental, and social benefits of walking. Free pedometers Above: The Walk There Challenge were given out to participants who then tracked the number of is an ongoing program through steps they took each week. In addition to the challenge, walking the City of Atlanta. maps with sites within easy walking distance to downtown were created and distributed. Result The challenge was taken by many elected officials with almost 2,000 pedometers being distributed. The challenge was also followed closely by the local media. It was so successful that an expansion of the challenge is currently being developed. CASE STUDY 6: BILINGUAL SCHOOL EDUCATION Location San Diego, California Background Though there was some pedestrian education already in schools, it was noted that this education was lacking and missing the target with English as a Second Language (ESL) students. A PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 34
  • 35.
    pedestrian child safetytraining program was created for a bilin- gual low-income school where the majority of the children walked to school. Solution A pedestrian education curriculum was developed, translated, and presented in both English and Spanish. Moreover, standard videos and images typically used for presentations were replaced with images from the students’ own neighborhoods making the presentation more interactive for students. Result and Application for Milwaukee Post-presentation survey and analysis (two weeks after) indi- cated that students retained the information better than when presentations were not retrofitted. The students’ notion that their parents, Safety Patrol, and siblings were responsible for their Above: A neighborhood image safety was overcome to help them realize they themselves must used in the school education pro- be responsible pedestrians. Moreover, the thought that “Cars will gram. The image shows students always stop for kids” was challenged and the students realized inappropriately crossing the street without looking for oncom- that this is not always the case. ing traffic 35 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES PROGRAMS
  • 36.
    POLICY BEST PRACTICES POLICIES The policy best practices are long-term solutions to enhance the 1. LOCAL COMPLETE pedestrian realm. Some policies take immediate action to impact STREETS the physical nature of a space or an entire municipality. Other 2. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL policies take aim at a social, behavioral problem that training, ed- EDUCATION ucation, and reinforcement of good practice is hopeful to change. 3. PEDESTRIAN AND Some solutions are directly applicable while others offer pieces BICYCLE TRAVEL POLICY which might be compatible in Milwaukee. While this list is not 4. CORRIDOR TRAFFIC comprehensive, these six policy case studies are intended to give CALMING an idea of the wide range of possible policy solutions the City of 5. TRAFFIC OFFICER Milwaukee must consider. TRAINING 6. INJURY PREVENTION CASE STUDY 1: LOCAL COMPLETE STREETS PROGRAM Location Throughout the nation Background Streets designed with only the car in mind limit the option of mode choice in mobility. These types of streets can be danger- ous for bicyclists and pedestrians due to their lack of amenities offered for these mode types. In order to plan for and fund all modes of transportation, the National Complete Street Coalition was formed and as a result, the complete streets policy move- ment has been adopted by municipalities nationwide. Above: The National Complete Streets Coalition is the founder Solution and all-knowing source for Com- One solution to an automobile oriented street construction policy plete Streets has been the introduction of “complete streets” policies. Complete Streets policies have been adopted throughout the nation at the state and local levels through ordinances and resolutions through quasi-public agencies, and through comprehensive plans and de- sign manuals. These policies ensure that all users of the streets are kept in mind when constructing or improving a street. The general policy framework for complete streets policies includes seven elements: a vision; specifics on all end users; a compre- hensive transportation network outside of the project area; ap- plicability for all agencies and all roads; applicability for all proj- ects; approval of exceptions; design criteria; context-sensitive solutions; performance measures and implementation strategies. This comprehensive approach ensures a complete policy in which all users are kept in mind and all departments know the approach as they work on individual projects. Above: A complete street in Port- land, Oregon accommodates the Result and Application for Milwaukee automobile, bicycle, and pedes- The passing of Complete Streets policies has resulted in several trian in the right-of-way. benefits which include: improved safety; easing of automobile congestion; help children; improved air quality and fiscal rewards. Specifically, the City of Seattle, WA adopted a complete streets PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 36
  • 37.
    ordinance requiring allSeattle DOT projects to implement com- plete streets and specifies all transportation funding sources be drawn from for the implementation of the policy. Seattle also includes critical elements of operations and maintenance in its policy so regular improvements can be made to the existing in- frastructure. CASE STUDY 2: ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EDUCATION Location Orange County, Florida Background After a series of crashes involving school-aged children, Orange County realized a lack of safe pedestrian training for students in its schools. A safety team was formed, comprised of the Sheriff’s Office safety specialist, staff from Police and Fire departments, engineering specialists, the local school board, and advocacy organizations to educate and train students Solution Within the elementary age, there was a big push to promote “Walk Your Child to School Day” to help facilitate parents to be a teacher to their children of safe pedestrian habits. Moreover, a pedestrian component was added to Safety Villages that were already in place. Safety Villages are opportunities for public figures such as police officers and firefighters to engage with students and teach them general safety around the house and when out in public. With older students of the Middle and High School age, safe pe- destrian habits were taught through different media formats and both active and passive teaching. These included direct in-class Above: Students attract attention curriculum taught by teachers, presentations by safety officials, to their new pedestrian training videos, and also posters. program by walking the streets Result and Application for Milwaukee The process to develop the curriculum took one and a half years. It was accomplished by education specialists, law enforcement, engineers, and emergency services. An accurate, balanced, and consistent message about safety and a clarification of vague pedestrian laws (i.e. “what constitutes jaywalking?”) was ac- complished. CASE STUDY 3: PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE TRAVEL POLICY Location The State of Kentucky Background After the USDOT passed “Design Guidance Accommodating Bicy- cle and Pedestrian Travel: A Recommended Approach,” the State 37 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES POLICIES
  • 38.
    of Kentucky createdthe Pedestrian and Bicycle Design Guidance Task Force. The goal of the Task Force was to help guide the Ken- tucky Transportation Cabinet by creating policies regarding when, where, and how to implement bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Solution The Task Force was able to have design guidelines signed in as official order, which took a year of monthly meetings to de- velop. The guidelines ensure that with all new and reconstruct- ed roadways pedestrians and bicyclists are kept in mind. These guidelines give designers specific criteria to consider for accom- modating pedestrians, including land use, existing transportation networks, transit stops, and public demand. Result and Application for Milwaukee Through the passing of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Travel Policy, not only has the safety of pedestrian and bicyclists increased, but so has non-motorized travel. In just three years the number of bicycle boarding’s on city buses in Louisville grew six fold. It is also expected that this policy will reduce vehicle miles traveled and improve air quality in the state. CASE STUDY 4: CORRIDOR TRAFFIC CALMING Location Albemarle, Virginia Background Residents in the Forest Lakes community of Albemarle were tired of the speeding cut-thru traffic on their major streets. A survey determined this concern was valid and indeed harming the community and a solution to the cut-thru speeding traffic was sought. A committee with a number of residents and representa- tives from the Department of Transportation, police department, fire department, and the school board was developed and tasked with generating a solution for the community. Solution As a solution to the cut-thru speeding, a number of improve- ments for the area were identified. These included speed bumps, white road edge markings, pavement markings, and pedestrian signs. School buses were also contributing to the speeding issue and the school board agreed to ensure that the posted speed limit would be followed by bus drivers. Result and Application for Milwaukee During an informal survey process evaluating the potential imple- mentation of the solutions, there was nearly unanimous support PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 38
  • 39.
    for the newimprovements. A DOT representative congratulated the initiative taken by community members to bring a pressing issue to light, saying the Department would not have made the improvements if the community had not spoken up. CASE STUDY 5: TRAFFIC OFFICE TRAINING Location Madison, Wisconsin Background It was recognized that traffic officers had not been trained on pe- destrian issues which included both safety and pedestrian laws. Additionally, there was a noted lack of discussion about pedes- trian issues during driver education courses. Solution A safety training DVD for officers was developed by a member of the traffic enforcement safety team within the Madison Police Department. After being used to train officers, the DVD was then modified appropriately for viewing by the general public. Copies of this DVD were distributed to high school and private driver education instructors and AAA. Additionally, training was developed to be presented by officers to companies that spend significant amounts of time on the road. Above: A training video from the Madison Police Department Result and Application for Milwaukee depicts a common confusing sce- Traffic officers are now more versed in both pedestrian safety nario for pedestrians and traffic and laws. Additionally, more time is spent by driver education instructors on pedestrian related issues. Due to the successful- ness of the DVD, the city is now working to create a training book which will help in training the public in the future. CASE STUDY 6: INJURY PREVENTION PROGRAM Location Miami-Dade County, Florida Background In the state of Florida, Miami-Dade County had the highest num- ber of pedestrian injuries. Moreover, it is the third highest in the nation. Recognizing this, and the associated costs of the prob- lem presented, the Florida DOT lookedfor the causes, effects, and then solutions to the high pedestrian injury rate. Solution The initial steps of the cause, effect and solution identification process was to analyze hospital records of those injured, conduct crash scene visits, speak with patients and their families directly 39 BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDIES POLICIES
  • 40.
    and conduct policeinterviews to find any commonalities between pedestrian crashes. It was discovered that many sites had issues regarding obstructed views and long distances between marked intersections. It was also noted that 293 of the crashes were with pedestrians under the age of 14. As a policy, Miami-Dade County developed an injury prevention program and implemented it in 184 elementary schools. The program was taught to students for a half-hour session once per week over a 4 week period. Result and Application for Milwaukee With the utilization of pre and post tests it was discovered that gains in pedestrian knowledge was maintained for at least a three month period- when the second post test was conducted. The Above: Children participate in a number of children admitted to a Level 1 trauma center in Miami- safe pedestrian program. Dade as a result of a pedestrian injury dropped from ninety-three to just fifty-two in a three year span. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 40
  • 43.
    MILWAUKEE SITE SELECTION TheMilwaukee Site Selection is the first step in the research pro- cess. It was conducted to decide which two focus areas the Plan- ning Group would focus on for pedestrian improvements. To Begin, data was gathered for the past three years of auto- pe- destrian crashes from the Milwaukee Police Department’s (MPD) interactive mapping website, “Compass”. This data contained populated fields that displayed detailed information about each crash. After analyzing the data it became apparent that the ad- dress locations of the crashes needed to be cleaned in order for ArcMap to geocode the crash locations. A customized address locator was created based-off of the Milwaukee DIME file roads layer from Map Milwaukee. After reviewing the geocoded results to ensure data location ac- curacy, a point density geoprocessing tool was utilized to gain fur- ther understanding of crash clustering effects over the last three years(essentially a hotspot analysis technique). Upon creation of this image, a summary output file was created that counted the number of crashes at the same location. Each location with a summary of greater than two crashes was analyzed to determine if it fell within an area that the hotspot image determined as a frequent crash location. If it did fall within this area it was further examined for such criteria as: number in intersecting streets, number of crashes, alternate transportation access, speed limits, and land use. If the location fell outside a hotspot, it was dis- missed from further analysis. After compiling the crash records, the results indi- cated that over the last three years, two sites had a total of five crashes and one with a total of four crashes. The two sites chosen were North 91st Street & West Silver Spring Drive, and at South 6th Street & West Lincoln Avenue. The reasons why these sites where chosen above the rest is because of their high crash counts, variety of uses, structures near the street, and the framework of these streets are typical throughout Milwaukee, making a model more adaptable to other parts of the city in future studies. Once the site selection process was complete, the group was able to conduct research on best prac- tice case studies to determine which projects, pro- grams, and policies were best applicable to the two Milwaukee sites. 43 MILWAUKEE SITE SELECTION
  • 44.
    PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BESTPRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 44
  • 45.
    45 MILWAUKEE SITE SELECTION
  • 47.
    TARGET AREA A 91STAND SILVER SPRING Upon completion of the GIS analysis, the intersection of N 91st Street & W Silver Spring Drive (CTH E) in the north side of Mil- waukee was one of the two sites used to conduct research on best practices. This site, along with the intersection of N 35th Street & W Capitol Drive (STH 190), was the intersection with the highest pedestrian crash rates in the City of Milwaukee. This intersection has an annual average traffic count of 19,700 and posted speed limits of 35 miles per hour on 91st Street and 40 miles per hour on Silver Spring Drive. This intersection has a similar framework as other intersections seen throughout the City of Milwaukee. SITE SELECTION Image from the Wisconsin De- The map to the right, titled “Crash Location: N. 91st St. and W. partment of Transportation’s Silver Spring Ave.” is an aerial view that displays the orientation 2009 “Wisconsin Highway Traffic and the land uses surrounding the intersection. Volume Data” The map on page 48 titled “Crash Frequency: N. 91st St. and W. Silver Spring Ave.” displays the crash frequency for the intersection of S. 91st St. and W. Silver Spring Ave. When cal- culating the frequency the ArcGIS program calculates the number of points (crashes) with in a 1/4 mile radius. The output of the point density tool is an image with a color ramp dis- playing greater number of crashes in the area as a darker color, i.e. blue. Because this inter- section has such a high number of crashes, and in tern a high number of points, a ratio of 1:1 (points to crashes), enabled this location to have a high density of crashes. 47 TARGET AREAS AREA A: 91st STREET & SILVER SPRING DRIVE
  • 48.
    PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BESTPRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 48
  • 49.
    WALK SCORE The WalkScore for the neighborhoods around the intersection of 91st and Silver Spring is comprised of the Silver Swan Neighbor- hood and the Valhalla neighborhood. The table on the right indi- cates where each of these neighborhoods ranks amongst Milwau- kee neighborhoods. The Silver Swan neighborhood score is 50. It has a population of 3,208 people which is .02% of Milwaukee’s population. Valhalla is ranked 135 and has a score of 46. It con- tains 0.7% of Milwaukee’s population, or 4,301 people. The overall Walk Score for the area is a car-dependent 38. The maps and charts below show a fifteen minute walk to the various services in the areas. Because of the low number of intersections in the area and long block lengths, this area is ranked negatively on pedestrian friendliness. While it does have high scores for walking distance to schools (Bryant Elementary only) and bank- ing (Chase ATM), it ranks poorly in terms of grocery stores and restaurant choices which are not fast food. Providing access to better food choices is one way Milwaukee can encourage walking and promote a healthier lifestyle for its residents. In addition, by locating smaller scale neighborhood services within shorter distances, the City can better connect people to other modes of transportation and increase the frequency of walking. Better urban design of block lengths and street amenities will provide a safer, less car- dependent walking experience at 91st and Silver Spring. 49 TARGET AREAS AREA A: 91st STREET & SILVER SPRING DRIVE
  • 50.
    STAKEHOLDERS The Planning Group conducted, or attempted to conduct, stake- holder interviews with the local Alderman, local business owners, and staff at the Department of Public Works. Although the pur- pose of all the interviews was to identify pedestrian issues, the format and focus of the questionnaires varied. The goal of each interview was to gain insight into their perception of the pedes- trian experience. We also wanted to know if they were aware of issues or if they had any suggestions for improvements. 2nd District Alderman Joe Davis The office of Alderman Joe Davis was contacted several times re- garding the pedestrian study of N. 91st Street and Silver Spring Drive. Every attempt for correspondence yielded no results. Gas Station Owner An interview was conducted with the owner of the BP gas sta- Above: Because of the placement tion at this intersection to obtain a better understanding of the mailboxes, cars dropping off mail pedestrian traffic, any general observations, and suggestions for pose a serious safety risk for pe- improvements. The owner of this particular gas station is also the destrians on the sidewalk owner of the gas station located on the northwest corner of the block. He expressed words of concern for the pedestrians cross- Below: Mid-block crossing was an ing the intersection in every direction. He mentioned that a lot observed problem. A pedestrian chooses to cross mid-block in- of people would seek shelter from the rain or snow under the gas stead of at the designated cross- station structure and would dart across traffic to catch the bus. walk at the intersection of 91st and Silver Spring Because he owns both gas stations at the intersection, he notices heavier foot traffic at the gas station located on the northwest corner and heavier vehicle traffic at the northeast gas station. When asked if he had any indication why he thinks this may be, he stated he wasn’t sure. He mentioned that his prices are the same at both gas stations. He was also asked if he had any sug- gestions or additional comments to which he replied that N. 91st Street needs surface improvements because there are many pot- holes- making the road unsafe for cars and people. Postmaster A questionnaire was conducted with the Postmaster of the US Post Office located at N 91st St. & W Silver Spring Ave. A syn- opsis of the postmaster’s answers concluded that there were not any real problems with the intersection, and no costumers have complained to the post office about the location of the office, or the locations of their drop boxes. The fenced parking lot does belong to the post office, but the Postmaster was unable to pro- vide an employee count of those that take an alternate form of transportation other than personal vehicle to work. Furthermore, the postmaster was also unable to provide us with the number of employees that live within a five mile radius of the office. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 50
  • 51.
    PUBLIC INTERVIEWS- FIELDSURVEY As part of the recommended plan, several group members went out in the field to perform a pedestrian survey to obtain a SWOT analysis. In order to do so, pedestrians were asked four ques- tions: do you generally feel safe crossing in this intersection, what do you like about the reconstruction and did it improve your accessibility, do you think there are problem areas when walking across or around this intersection, and if you could change or add something to the intersection, what might it be? The following is a summary of the field survey: Pedestrian Planning Public Interviews, N. 91st Street and W. Sil- ver Spring Drive 3:30- 5:00pm Wednesday April 6, 2011 Below: A very unfriendly pedes- General Observations trian experience While group members sought input from pedestrians, we also observed the following: Bottom: It was observed that - More people generally arrived in the vicinity right before the there is a heavy use of the Mil- bus arrived waukee County Transit System at - The majority of pedestrians (estimated 90%) used the conven- this intersection. ience store (northwest corner) - School buses drop off students at all corners of the intersection - MCTS driver said the intersection is always busy with pedest- rians and she has never experienced any complaints - There are a lot of police in marked and unmarked cars patrol- ing the area - One bike rider was seen during the duration of the interviews. He was riding north on 91st in the street. This is where there is no sidewalk along the west property line of Valhalla Memo- rial Park. Once he was north of Silver Spring, he moved onto the sidewalk - Around 75% (estimated) of pedestrians who used the intersec- tion were coming or going to the bus. A large percentage of the overall pedestrian total did not use the intersection but crossed midblock on both 91st north of Silver Spring and Silver Spring west of 91st. Nearly all trips were to and from the convenience store at the northwest corner - One (1) respondent who indicated they felt safe and the inter- section did not need any improvements did not use the inter- section to cross 91st street. After crossing Silver Spring travel- ing north, they crossed 91st midblock to access the BP - Pedestrians would dart in front of traffic to attempt to catch the bus - Pedestrians would have to reach a fast-pace walk to cross the entire block in either direction—north/south or east/west 51 TARGET AREAS AREA A: 91st STREET & SILVER SPRING DRIVE
  • 52.
    - A pedestriantraffic count showed that most people would walk to the gas station located on the northwest corner of the inter- section versus the gas station on the northeast corner (see gas station stakeholder summary) Interview Totals - 22 successful interviews Below: Because of the auto-ori- - 7 declined to interview (people who were approached and in- ented nature of the intersection formed of our purpose and then declined) of 91st and Silver Spring, the - Roughly 76% of people responded (22/29 = 75.8%) short “walk” signals make it dif- ficult to cross the street. - 1.5 hours - 21 of 22 respondents were African American Notice the pedestrian cross signal - About half of respondents were female and the position of the woman in the two photos below. This par- Questions ticular woman only made it a few Do you generally feel safe crossing in this intersection? steps before the signal changed The overwhelming consensus answer for this question was yes, to “don’t walk” people generally feel safe when crossing this intersection. Of the twenty-two (22) respondents, two (2) felt that safety was an issue. Their main concerns were three fold: speed of drivers; amount of traffic during the day; and short walk signals. What do you like about the reconstruction and did it improve your accessibility? Around 50% of respondents (14) felt that the Silver Spring repav- ing, relining and new intersection features were an improvement. Of those that responded positively, the majority of responses were because of the pedestrian crosswalk push button signals that were put in. Other responses included that the road is much smoother so traffic seemed less hectic (2) the addition of bike lanes were an improvement along Silver Spring (1), and the cam- eras were a good deterrent for crime (1). Finally, one respondent felt that the new improvements made crossing easier and helped with safety of pedestrians who were being clipped by cars at the southwest corner of the intersection. Do you think there are problem areas when walking across or around this intersection? Around one third (8) of respondents said that they felt there were specific problem areas around the intersection. However, of those respondents, only half (4) named specific intersection issues. Those issues included three (3) problems with the cross- walk signals being too short and one (1) woman specifically indi- cated that the bus stop island at the southeast corner of the inter- section is never shoveled during the winter. The remaining four respondents indicated issues with the general intersection that were external. 2 said that drivers were driving too fast and driv- ers running the yellow and red lights were a common occurrence PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 52
  • 53.
    The other two(2) respondents said that the day driving was much more chaotic versus night when traffic was much calmer but lighting was dim If you could change or add something to the intersection, what might it be? A large number of respondents indicated that bus shelters would be a welcomed addition to this intersection to deal with snow and rain throughout the year. Another common response dealt with other street furnishings including garbage cans and benches. Two respondents also said they would like to see more mainte- nance when things break or in an effort to pick up trash. Inter- estingly, no one commented on landscaping or trees. Finally, one response dealt with the external factor that drivers needed to be educated on the presence of pedestrians in the area. The following is a summary of responses to this particular ques- Above: A noticeable improve- tion and the number of people with the response in parentheses: ment to the intersection has been - (5) Bus shelters the recent addition of pedestrian - At northeast corner of 91st St. and Silver Spring Dr. push-button cross signals. - (1) Make drivers more aware of pedestrians Below: Despite the addition of - (2) Add Bench(s) cross signals, walk timing re- - (1) Crossing guard for children mains inadequate so pedestrian - (2) More garbage cans must stand in small islands in the - Garbage can near the BP gas station middle of traffic - (2) Maintenance/clean up - (1) Security cameras - (1) Remove cameras - (1) Increased size for standing on corner. Larger Landing - (1) Go-kart or automated cross walk Additional comments? We concluded each questionnaire by giving the participants an opportunity to give any additional comments which may relate to their walking experience. The following is a summary list of the Below: Dead-end sidewalks im- additional comments: pede pedestrian mobility at the - (1) Respondent does not live in the area southeast corner 53 TARGET AREAS AREA A: 91st STREET & SILVER SPRING DRIVE
  • 54.
    RECOMMENDATIONS The intersection of 91st and Silver Spring is a common intersec- tion found throughout Milwaukee. That is, it has similar features - speed limits, number of lanes, surrounding land use - as other intersections around Milwaukee and thus acts as a perfect model for our research. The recommendations for this intersection deal with aesthetics, some of which the WISDOT has already begun to address, and pedestrian safety and comfort. Because of the high rates of speed, surrounding residential land uses, and high level of transit ridership, these recommendations focus on what can best be done to serve those that live in the vicinity and use public transit. Project It is the recommendation of this plan that based on the com- ments from pedestrians at N 91st St. & W Silver Spring Ave., the following projects be taken into consideration for implementation. The first and most prevalent is the conversion of bus stop pads to bus shelters. Overhauling these facilities will allow the pe- destrians to remain safe and comfortable at the bus stop during poor to extreme weather conditions. Best Practice Management (BPM) project case study number ten (10) better illustrates how a total facility overhaul can better improve a street intersection. Furthermore, controlling the crosswalk so that pedestrians have a safe and visible path to cross is a necessity. BPM case study one (1) is a prime example how instilling a crosswalk light and visible markers led to the reduction of pedestrian crashes. When interpreting these case studies there is an over arching theme that is identified, “complete streets.” “Complete Streets” is an ideal representation of all types of transportation, including non- motorized, when configuring and constructing the street design. Program “Cross Safely, Drive Safely” This program has the potential to work well around the 91st and Silver Spring intersection. Interviews with pedestrians in the area indicated two items that would make this program successful. First, pedestrians were concerned about the speed of drivers. On the UMass campus where this program took place, drivers were stopped when violating traffic laws, one of which was speed. The implementation of this program would allow for traffic officers to stop automobiles and educate the drivers, not just about the posted speed limit, but about the need to be aware of pedestrians at the intersection. The second item identified by pedestrians that makes this pro- gram applicable is the short (time) crosswalk signals. This issue is two fold. First, the timers need to be addressed to ensure ped- PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 54
  • 55.
    estrians a safeamount of time to cross. Second, the intersection creates an environment that encourages pedestrians to practice unsafe habits. When the lights are too short for the amount of time it takes to cross the street, pedestrians are more likely to jump-out in front of traffic when it is not safe to do so. With the implementation of “Cross Safely, Drive Safely,” pedestrians in the area will be educated about safe habits and the dangers of jutting out in front of on-coming traffic. Policy More frequent maintenance Interviews with pedestrians identified an issue with infrequent maintenance and a general lack of cleaning-up of the area. Many of the pedestrians interviewed indicated there is a clear lack of garbage cans, especially around bus stops. Respondents indi- cated they felt that if garbage cans were available it would help tremendously in keeping the area a bit more clean. Additionally, people felt there is a lag time between when something breaks and when it is fixed. Developing the goal of a faster response time to broken items will help ensure that both pedestrians and traffic move in the most efficient manner. Red light cameras During the reconstruction of the intersection red-light cameras were added. Interviews indicated that pedestrians liked the ad- dition and would like to see more. This was due to the perception that they helped reduce crime, increasing the perception of safety at night. Due to this, the continued use of the cameras is recom- mended. Moreover, if they break they should be replaced and not simply taken down. 55 TARGET AREAS AREA A: 91st STREET & SILVER SPRING DRIVE
  • 57.
    TARGET AREA B 6THAN LINCOLN AVENUE The intersection of S. 6th Street and W. Lincoln Avenue on the south side of Milwaukee was the second site used to conduct re- search on best practices. This site had the third highest number of pedestrian and vehicle crashes in the City of Milwaukee. Ad- ditionally, this intersection has an annual average traffic count of approximately 10,200 and posted speed limits of 20 miles per hour (when children are present) on 6th Street and 30 miles per hours on Lincoln Avenue. This intersection has a similar frame- work as other highly traveled intersections seen throughout the City of Milwaukee and thus was used as a local case study. Image from the Wisconsin De- partment of Transportation’s 2009 “Wisconsin Highway Traffic Volume Data” SITE SELECTION The map to the right, titled “Crash Location: S. 6th St. and W. Lincoln Ave.” is an aerial view that displays the orientation and the land uses sur- rounding the intersection. The most prominent use is the religious institu- tion on the southwest corner of the intersection, Basilica of St. Josaphat. The map on page 58 titled “Crash Frequency: S. 6th St. and W. Lincoln Ave.” displays the crash frequen- cy for the intersection of S. 6th St. and W. Lincoln Ave. When calculat- ing the frequency the ArcGIS pro- gram calculates the number of points (crashes) within a 1/4 mile radius. The output of the point density tool is an image with a color ramp display- ing the greater number of crashes in the area as a darker color, i.e. blue. Because this intersection has such a high number of crashes, and in tern a high number of points, a ratio of 1:1 (points to crashes), enabled this loca- tion to have a high density of crashes. This location has a high crash density rating and the frequency increases as one heads toward the northeast, i.e. the city center. 57 TARGET AREAS AREA B: 6TH STREET AND LINCOLN AVENUE
  • 58.
    PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BESTPRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 58
  • 59.
    WALK SCORE The WalkScore for the Lincoln Village neighborhood, which the intersection of 6th and Lincoln is part of, is 63. The table on the right indicates where the Lincoln Village neighborhood ranks amongst Milwaukee neighborhoods. Lincoln Village’s score of 63 means it is “somewhat walkable” and 46% of Milwaukee has a higher Walk Score. There are 12,190 people, or 2% of Milwau- kee’s population. For a transit score, Lincoln Village ranks good with a 52. There are seven bus routes nearby. The overall Walk Score for the area of 6th and Lincoln Avenue is a 67. There is a good number of intersections within a 1/2 mile ra- dius and the average block length is also good at 390 feet. Short block lengths and a large number of intersections makes walking more convenient, safer, and more visually interesting as there is more change for both pedestrians and automobiles, and a higher diversity of walking routes for pedestrians. The area also ranks well in food choices, parks, and schools. Sixth and Lincoln, while not among the top Walk Scores in Mil- waukee, shows how better urban design - smaller block lengths, good amenities and services, and a number of intersections makes walking better and more likely to occur. The density and diversity of uses in this neighborhood indicates that there is more to walkability than infrastructure improvements and programs. 59 TARGET AREAS AREA B: 6TH STREET AND LINCOLN AVENUE
  • 60.
    PUBLIC INTERVIEWS- FIELDSURVEY As part of our recommended plan, several group members went out in the field to perform a pedestrian survey to obtain a SWOT analysis. In order to do so, pedestrians were asked four ques- tions: do you generally feel safe crossing in this intersection, do you think there is a difference between day and night in regards to how the intersection operates, do you think there are problem areas when walking across or around this intersection, and if you could change or add something to the intersection, what might it be? The following is a summary of the field survey: Pedestrian Planning Public Interviews, S. 6th Street and W. Lin- coln Avenue 8:30- 10:00am Wednesday April 13, 2011 General Observations - More people generally arrived in the vicinity right before the bus arrives - There is a lot of police in both marked cars and on bicycle patrolling or driving through the intersection/area - There were several children with adults and students during the interview timeframe. Most were waiting for the bus Interview Totals - Thirty-Two (32) successful interviews - Twelve (12) declined to interview (people who were approached and informed of our purpose and then declined) - Two (2) did not speak English - Three (3) were police officers - Roughly 73% of people responded (32/44 = 72.7%) - 1.5 hours - There was a visually noticable diversity of races - 12 of 32 respondents were female Questions Do you generally feel safe crossing in this intersection? Just over half of the respondents (18) felt safe when crossing the intersection of 6th and Lincoln. Of the 32 respondents, right (8) said they do not feel safe and six (6) were unsure or said they feel safe only some of the time. The main issues outlined by the eight respondents who did not feel safe were that drivers did not obey the rules of the road, specifically speeding, turning right on red without stopping, and running yellow and red lights. All right (8) acknowledged that reckless or unobservant drivers were an issue. Additionally, many people said they did not feel safe because PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 60
  • 61.
    there is alot of traffic and cars move quickly - they must be alert at all time. Finally, it is interesting to note that one respondent who felt safe said so only because her children were not with her. She acknowledged that having her children makes her feel unsafe because of the chance of them being struck by an automobile. Do you think there are problem areas when walking across or around this intersection? When asked whether there were specific problem areas at the in- tersection of 6th and Lincoln, 15 respondents indicated that there are no problem areas that stand out. Of those 17 respondents who indicated there was a problem, 5 people indicated that it was not the intersection, but drivers being reckless or not obeying the rules of the road - specifically, turning right on red without stopping or running yellow and red lights. Three (3) respondents said that the right turn only lane onto Chase, going east on Lin- coln was an issue because it is poorly marked and drivers don’t see it until they are about to turn and then cut back into traffic. Three (3) people also indicated that the lights at both Chase and Lincoln were confusing and caused people to speed to beat the lights or stop in crosswalks. Additionally, two (2) people said that the crosswalks around Chase and Lincoln are difficult to cross because of cars turning right onto Chase from Lincoln and cannot be seen or did not look for pedestrians. There were four (4) other concerns which included maintenance issues and cracks in pave- ment being problems for the elderly, the crosswalk lines are hard to see, and cross signals are too short. Do you think there is a difference between day and night in re- gards to how the intersection operates? When asked if there was any difference between how the inter- section operates during the day or at nights, the responses were very evenly divided. The majority (13) of respondents did not have an answer. Of those thirteen, five (5) respondents said they do not go out at night in the neighborhood. Ten (10) of the 32 respondents said that there is no difference between day and night with one person sighting that drivers don’t care either way. Nine (9) of the 32 respondents said that there was a difference between day and night at the intersection. Of those nine (9) re- sponses, 3 said that there is less traffic at night while five (5) said that night time drivers were more hectic including one response which mentioned drunk driving. Overall, two respondents com- mented on the presence of gangs, prostitution, or drugs in the area. If you could change or add something to the intersection, what might it be? The largest number of responses to the question pertained to the 61 TARGET AREAS AREA B: 6TH STREET AND LINCOLN AVENUE
  • 62.
    crosswalk markings. Respondentssuggested repainting of the directional and crosswalk lines in the roads (7). Other responses that received a high rate of response were to add more bus shel- ters or benches (4 each), make drivers more aware of pedestri- ans (3), and to increase the walk signals for pedestrian (5). One respondent indicated that not only would longer crosswalk signals be beneficial, but timed walk signals that pedestrians can visually see would be useful. The following is a summary of responses to this particular ques- tion and the number of people with the response in parentheses: - (4) Add Bench(s) - (1) Repave roads - (7) Repaint street and crosswalk lines - (2) More signs for Right turn onto Chase from Lincoln - (4) Add Bus shelter(s) - Every corner with bus stop - (1) Traffic Calming- Slow Traffic - (1) Add Trees - (1) More lighting - (1) More police patrols - (3) Make drivers more aware of pedestrians - (5) Longer walk signals - Add Timed Walk signals (numbers counting down) - (1) Pick up garbage Additional comments? The Planning Group concluded each questionnaire by giving the participants an opportunity to give any additional comments which may relate to their walking experience. The following is a summary list of the comments: - (1) Like the intersection - (2) Does not live in area - (1) Lincoln is bad for speeding all the way North to 6th St. and Beecher St. intersection - (1) The fountain at northeast corner is nice in the summer - (1) Was hit by driver at one point on northwest corner of intersection PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 62
  • 63.
    PUBLIC PARTICIPATION OPENHOUSE The public open house, held on April 19th, was an attempt by the planning group to actively engage the public in planning for the intersection of 6th Street and Lincoln Avenue and the surrounding area. The meeting was attended by three people- one member of the general public and two local business owners. The informa- tion below is a summary of activities and feedback from the open house. Public Open House Tuesday, April 19th, 2011 6-8pm St. Josaphat Basilica Attendance: 3 Safety concerns The first activity, after the planning group presentation and out- line, was to identify safe and unsafe areas around the 6th and Lincoln intersection. The results of this activity conclude that par- ticipants feel there are more unsafe areas (13 total) than safe Above: The Public Open House areas (7). All of the safe areas identified were either on the side- flyer which was distributed to walks or in the park. Of the unsafe areas indicated, only four (4) 300 people. were on sidewalks while nine (9) were in the road. Generally, turn lanes around this area were deemed to be a problem both for au- tomobile traffic and pedestrians alike. One issue that was raised is the speed of drivers traveling west- bound on W. Lincoln Avenue. The two local business owners identified one specific area which is particularly dangerous and concerning to them because of a bottleneck at the intersection caused by a parking lane. As vehicles travel westbound on W. Lin- coln Ave., the drivers are abruptly cut-off in the right lane as they cross 6th St. due to a parking lane on the north side of the 600 block of W. Lincoln Avenue. They say that this causes the drivers to accelerate rapidly and speed around or cut-off other vehicles in the main travel lane. Another issue that participants mentioned is that they believe W. Lincoln Ave. is a “wide load” street for construction equip- ment and semis. Such large vehicles on a narrow 4-lane street can cause visibility issues for vehicles trying to pass and in turn, raises pedestrian safety issues with being unseen and speeding vehicles. All participants agreed that it should be a goal to slow traffic, spe- Above: After a formal presenta- cifically westbound traffic, west of 5th Avenue. tion by the planning group, meet- ing attendants participated in a hands on activity 63 TARGET AREAS AREA B: 6TH STREET AND LINCOLN AVENUE
  • 64.
    Aesthetics The second activity of the open house asked participants to “get their hands dirty” by applying various streetscape elements and infrastructure improvements to planametric illustrations of the in- tersection. This was done utilizing cut-outs of elements- bench- es, trees, trash receptacles, pavers, planters, and hanging bas- kets- and markers to draw other elements- bike racks, public art, pavement markings, sidewalk extensions, signage, and banners. Each element was designated a certain point value based on the unit and installation cost. Participants were allowed an unlimited budget for placing these items where they felt appropriate. The result of this activ- ity was clear; aesthetic im- provements are more than welcomed in order for the intersection to be “dressed up a bit”. New items like planters, hanging baskets, and trees were placed on the site in an effort to make the aesthetic appearance of the intersection more inter- esting and inviting. Partici- pants also indicated that in- frastructure improvements like curb-bump outs and new pavers, instead of re- painting crosswalks, would help to slow traffic while better defining the pedes- trian right-of-way. However, Top: Meeting attendees partici- these improvements, they argued, would not be welcomed at pate in placing streetscaping ele- the expense of on-street parking spaces. Other maintenance is- ments on 6th and Lincoln maps sues like trash pick-up and repairs to road surfaces were desired. Above: Three planning group Participants mentioned the wish for more aesthetically appealing members listen intently as com- trash receptacles to connect any streetscape improvements. munity stakeholders discuss some issues with the intersection Because speed of drivers was a “hot topic”, it was asked if par- of 6th and Lincoln. ticipants ever observed pedestrians darting into traffic to cross the street more quickly instead of crossing at the corner. Both business owners replied “not really”, and felt the situation with speeding and pedestrians was a combination of driver careless- ness and unawareness and the pedestrian’s occasionally crossing when they shouldn’t. In other words, there was a general dis- connect between pedestrians and drivers and the speed of traffic makes it more unsafe for both parties. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 64
  • 65.
    A final issuearose with one participant who indicated that be- cause of the presence of the Basilica, focus of drivers is up in the air rather than at the pedestrian or ground level. Additionally, because traffic approaching the intersection is generally moving at a high rate of speed, and there are a limited number of visual or physical barriers to reduce this speed, the intersection not only felt unsafe, but was unsafe. This participant felt it was important to slow traffic approaching the intersection, specifically where the Basilica was most visible- westbound and southbound traffic. It was suggested by the participant that adding improvements such as lighted crosswalks to focus driver attention on pedestrians and not the Basilica would help pedestrians feel more safe and slow traffic. Image preferences Finally, participants had the opportunity to indicate their prefer- ence of various streetscaping and infrastructure improvements. This was done through an image preference survey. While there was a limited number of participants, a few results stood out. In the vegetation/tree board, all three stickers were placed on the photo which had a full planter bed with trees and pavers on the corner. Additionally, two participants preferred the crosswalk photo with lights at night to indicate the presence of a pedestrian. The other boards had split results with each participant voting for a different image. Additional Participant Comments Presentation was well prepared and informative Above: Two of the five image boards from the open house. The other subjects were pedes- trian signage, curb bump-outs and activation/use of sidewalk right-of-way. 65 TARGET AREAS AREA B: 6TH STREET AND LINCOLN AVENUE
  • 66.
    Right: The resultsof the first hands-on participant activity show where there are safe and unsafe areas within the intersec- tion and surrounding context. The yellow stars indicate safe areas The red stars indicate unsafe areas Above: A participant places stars on what he believes are safe and unsafe areas at 6th St. and Lin- coln Ave. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 66
  • 67.
    Left: The resultsof the second hands-on pedestrian exercise revealed the desire for many aesthetic and physical changes to the pedestrian realm and infra- structure. Above: A participant places street elements on his board while a Planning Group member observes 67 TARGET AREAS AREA B: 6TH STREET AND LINCOLN AVENUE
  • 68.
    RECOMMENDATIONS The recommendations for the 6th and Lincoln intersection revolve around creating a more aesthetically pleasing pedestrian envi- ronment and education. By refocusing on the pedestrian realm - through the addition of benches, hanging baskets, walk timers, curb bump outs- pedestrians will feel safer. These improvements will also serve to make drivers more aware of “the street” as a shared space instead of a thoroughfare. Special focus should also be given to the idea of view corridors and vertical elements. Because of the presence of St. Josaphat Basilica drivers are more likely to be focused up at the impres- sive structure, rather than at pedestrian level. Improvements like crosswalk lighting and more frequent maintenance of road lines Below: This image is a render- will help return attention to the road and at not the Basilica. It ing of what the 6th and Lincoln intersection could look like if the may even prompt more drivers to park and walk to see the Ba- project recommendations were silica and the neighborhood surrounding the 6th and Lincoln in- implemented. tersection! Project There are many recommendations for the 6th and Lincoln intersection. To begin, speed plays a large factor in pedestrian safety. Best Prac- tice Management (BPM) project case study two (2) aids in reducing pedestrian crashes by imple- menting curb-cuts and on-street parking, nar- rowing the street width. Both case studies one (1) and three (3) also deal with pedestrian safety and are methods of reducing pedestrian crashes at the intersection by introducing better signage such as: walking timers; early pedestrian release signs and an increase in the time in which the pedestrian can cross the street; and retrofitting sidewalks with traffic calming techniques as in BMP two. Slowing traffic and making the pedestri- ans pathways more visible will reduce pedestrian crashes. Again, as in the 91st and Silver Spring intersection, “Complete Streets” is an ideal for- mat for all modes of transportation. BPM case studies five (5) and ten (10) identify methods to reduce pedestrian crashes by overhauling the facilities and beautifying the area by implement- ing vegetation as a buffer between the sidewalk and the road. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 68
  • 69.
    Program Driver education A majorconcern at this intersection was both the speed and recklessness of drivers. Additionally, it was stated that due to the street grid, often times the traffic lights are confusing to drivers. A program revolving around the education of drivers will help de- ter this behavior. Businesses in the area provide a great av- enue to reach out to drivers about slowing down and the need to be attentive. Pub- lic Service Announcement brochures and pamphlets would be developed and handed out to drivers. These materials would be dispersed through the businesses by giving each customer one when they visit a store. Additionally, the Basilica provides a great opportunity to reach a large number of visi- tors. Lastly, these informational items could be placed on parked automobiles in the area on a weekly basis. Education in nearby schools There are a number of schools within close proximity to the intersection. Developing a few lesson plans pertaining to different pe- destrian issues should be developed for each grade level. The information would stress the importance of safe pedestrian habits and the need to be at- Above: This image is a render- tentive. As the case studies indicated, many young children think ing of what the 6th and Lincoln intersection could look like if the and assume that traffic will stop for them if they enter the street. project recommendations were Additionally, when a consistent curriculum was developed, there implemented. was a higher and longer retention rate of safe habits versus those done individually or by teacher. Policy More frequent maintenance Interviews with pedestrians in the area identified a number of issues with the currently worn out pavement markings. It is rec- ommended that there is a developed plan to ensure a consistent rotating basis of when the pavement markings are repainted. From discussions, it was clear that the worn out markings have caused confusion on the part of drivers who then drive recklessly once they realize they are in the wrong lane. 69 TARGET AREAS AREA B: 6TH STREET AND LINCOLN AVENUE
  • 70.
    This page containsbefore and after photomontage renderings of existing conditions and pedestri- A an streetscaping improvements. The improvements include the Planning Group’s recommenda- tions for project improvements based on case study research and public input. Read as A:A = before:after, etc. A: 6th Street looking south B B: Looking northeast from the steps of St.Josaphat Basilica C C: Lincoln Avenue looking east PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 70
  • 71.
    A B C 71 TARGET AREAS AREA B: 6TH STREET AND LINCOLN AVENUE
  • 73.
    CITY WIDE RECOMMENDATIONS CITYOF MILWAUKEE The City of Milwaukee has an opportunity to improve on its pe- destrian infrastructure through education and a comprehensive, complete streets approach. By introducing the street as a shared space, or a “complete street”, Milwaukee can better serve the pe- destrian and motorist. This approach will create safe, enjoyable walking routes which encourage people to walk and capitalize on unique, local experiences and partnerships. It will also encourage safer driving habits and enhance multi-modalism in transporta- tion. However, a transition to a more walkable Milwaukee will take public outreach, education, and good implementation. Project The base framework for a City of Milwaukee Pedestrian Plan, implemented city wide, must begin with the idea of “Complete Streets”. Making the pedestrians visible by decreasing the time frame for which crosswalks are repainted, adding lighting, or a change in material will greatly reduce the number of pedestrian crashes throughout the city. Also adding other elements such as signage will contribute to the reduction of pedestrian crashes, making the drivers more aware of their surroundings. The final project to be used as a base technique is traffic calming. Slowing the traffic near areas of high pedestrian use will reduce crashes by making the drivers more aware of their surroundings and, al- low for an increase in reaction time if a pedestrian were to walk into the path of an oncoming vehicle. Program Safety training sessions It is recommended the City develop pedestrian training sessions to be presented to the public. These would be sessions in which traffic officers would teach commonly violated rules to the public. These sessions could either be taught by themselves or as part of other outreach events put on by the Milwaukee Police Depart- ment throughout the city and year. An opportunity would be to be stationed around busy intersections during events, engaging pedestrians in conversations about safe habits. These sessions would then also be taught at specific events when officers have other community outreach events. PSA pamphlets and posters The development of public service announcement pamphlets and posters is a recommendation as a city-wide project. Pamphlets would be small, 1/3 sheets of paper the would have diagrams and text relating to safe pedestrian habits. Additionally, one would be created to discuss the need for drivers to be attentive to ped- 73 CITY WIDE RECOMMENDATIONS
  • 74.
    estrians. These pamphletscan easily be handed out by officers during the educational sessions. Driver educational pamphlets can easily be placed on automobiles during large events. In addition to these two types of pamphlets, safe pedestrian hab- its can be incorporated into the material passed out to visitors by the Downtown Ambassadors. Downtown Ambassadors should also be taught safe habits and how they can engage visitors to discuss this information when they are helping individuals. Lastly, the information in the pamphlets should also be developed into posters. These posters can then be placed in business’ win- dows and at bus shelters. Bus shelters provide a great opportu- nity for people to read the information while they are waiting for the bus. Moreover, a poster should be developed for placement on the bus. Walk There! Challenge This program in Atlanta, Georgia challenged local and state of- ficials to walk instead of drive. It is recommended that a simi- lar challenge takes place in Milwaukee. This challenge could in- clude city employees and the rest of the downtown businesses. It would be important for each participant to track the number of steps walked each day to reach a combined goal of all participants when the challenge ends. Along with the challenge, it should be kicked-off with a large event, perhaps the walking of the Milwau- kee Riverwalk and ended in a similar fashion. Moreover, it should coincide with a “walk to work week” challenge, formulated around “bike to work week.” Policy K-12 curriculum for MPS The City of Milwaukee should work with Milwaukee Public Schools to develop a consistent, across-the-board curriculum revolving around safe pedestrian habits. These lessons would be developed to ensure that teachers are in fact teaching the subject to stu- dents and that the information is correct and consistent city-wide. Lesson plans would be developed for each grade level and tailored in such a way as to be the most effective for that age group. In Orange County, Florida the information was presented differently for different grades. For younger kids an active teaching envi- ronment was used while a more passive, in the form of posters around the school, was used for high schools. Miami-Dade Coun- ty was able to see a decline in the number of pedestrian crashes for students under the age of 14 with just four weeks of half-hour lesson plans once a week. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 74
  • 75.
    Pedestrian travel policy Thispolicy would create design guidelines that would need to be followed anytime construction on a street occurs. This policy would ensure that when construction happens, pedestrian ele- ments are included and are done in such a way to be accessible to all pedestrians of the street. The State of Kentucky implemented this policy and has concluded that not only has pedestrian safety increased, so have other forms of non-motorized transportation. Corridor traffic calming Neighborhood residents are the best at recognizing pedestrian is- sues in their area. The corridor traffic calming policy would take advantage of this local knowledge. A system by the City should be setup to develop an avenue for local residents to get the sig- nage needed for the neighborhood. The City should work with neighborhood associations in not only identifying where signage is needed, but also with the funding. The neighborhood associa- tion would raise funds to help subsidize the cost of the signage it feels it needs. As a result, the City would expedite the purchase and installment of the signs neighbors feel are needed. Training of traffic officers The training of traffic officers is needed. Often times pedestrian laws are convoluted, resulting in infrequent or incorrect enforce- ment. The Milwaukee Police Department should either develop a video series or train a few officers to teach pedestrian laws to all traffic officers. This would create a consistent message ensuring that all officers were trained on the same ordinances. This would guarantee consistent enforcement when on the streets. Addition- ally, this training would allow for officers to educate pedestrians about safe habits and ordinances pertaining to pedestrians when they see a violation occur. The City of Madison, Wisconsin created a video series for their po- lice department and it was seen as a huge success. These were so helpful that the videos were then edited to create a message for the education of the public at outreach events and in schools. 75 CITY WIDE RECOMMENDATIONS
  • 76.
    OTHER CONSIDERATIONS These ideas provide some preliminary brainstorming ideas which the City of Milwaukee might consider in generating new alterna- tives for improving Milwaukee’s pedestrian experience. New Ideas Fun theory Making things fun makes people want to do them. If you make walking fun, by whatever means, people will want to do it. One example would be to station a traffic officer at an intersection with existing crosswalks, signals, etc. That officer would be re- sponsible for administering jaywalking tickets to offenders. The officer would also be responsible for recording the information of a predetermined number of those people who follow the rules. Ultimately, the money generated from jaywalkers would be dis- tributed to those that follow the rules. See www.thefuntheory. com, “The Speed Camera Lottery” as an example. Walk to work day Once a year provide incentives for businesses and government departments to encourage walking to work. This voluntary ap- proach would help promote a healthier lifestyle and increase the social capitol of the area in which it is implemented. Since 2004, cities across the nation have participated in National Walk to Work Day on the first Friday of April. Walking weekend Close a neighborhood to walking only for a weekend or Friday work day. Public transportation should be allowed to continue its usual routes. This idea allows for more social interaction, increase safety, compliment a community event, promote a healthier lifestyle, and generate support for walking as a realistic approach to transportation; or at least a multi-modal approach. Riverwest, Bay View, and Lincoln Village might be some areas of consideration for implementation. Sheboygan County, Wisconsin is launching its first ever Bike and Walk to Work Week in June of 2011. See http://www.co.sheboygan.wi.us/bwtww/ for more details. Existing Policy Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) Busing Policy Work with MPS to reduce the number of students bused, there- by increasing the number of students walking to neighborhood schools. Use the money saved in busing costs to provide better or equal services at all neighborhood schools so demand for bus- ing to schools with better choices is mitigated. PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 76
  • 79.
    APPENDIX RESOURCES City of DenverPedestrian Master Plan http://www.denvergov.org/TabId/395511/default.aspx City of Seattle Pedestrian Master Plan http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/pedestrian_masterplan/ Complete Streets Resource Toolkit http://www.sacog.org/complete-streets/toolkit/START.html Federal Highway Administration Safety: A Resident’s Guide for Creating Safe and Walkable Communities http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/ped_cmnity/ped_walk- guide/suc_stories.cfm Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center: Compendium, July 2010 http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/ Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center: Image Library http://www.pedbikeimages.org/ Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center: Walking Info http://www.walkinginfo.org/ National Complete Streets Coalition http://www.completestreets.org/changing-policy/policy-ele- ments/ Walk Score http://www.walkscore.com/ 79 APPENDIX
  • 80.
    6TH AND LINCOLNNEIGHBORHOOD/BUSINESS CONTACTS David Arias El Salvador Restaurant 2316 S. 6th Street 414.405.4386 Luis Barbosa BMR Architects and Design 503 W. Lincoln Avenue 414.384.2996 Chris or Nara Colton Guarding Your Angels Daycare Center 2338 S. 6th Street 414.383.3400 Rick Petrie Urban Anthropology 707 W. Lincoln Avenue 414.271.9417 John Rozga Owner/Operator Rozga Funeral Home 703 W. Lincoln Avenue 414.671.5200 rfh1@milwpc.com Jim Tarantino Committee Coordinator Lincoln Village Business Association 1133 W. Lincoln Avenue 414.672.2249 Maria Vargas Divas Hair Salon 616 W. Lincoln Avenue 414.899.7895 Brad Zwieg Owner/Operator Studio Z 606 W. Lincoln Avenue 414.645.4900 PEDESTRIAN PLANNING: MILWAUKEE BEST PRACTICE’S FOR PEDESTRIAN POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS 80