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Safer Roadways: A Complete Streets Guide
People feel relaxed - People are more likely to walk or bicycle if they feel relaxed and find it enjoyable. Not too noisy - Motorized road traffic is a primary source of noise pollution in urban and suburban contexts. Clean air - Improving air quality benefits everyone while also helping to reduce health inequalities. The above healthy street indicators should be considered in typologies where pedestrian and bicycle users are high, including in Urban General (C4) contexts, Suburban (C3) contexts and Rural Activity Centers. Connectivity A well-connected active transportation network enables users to travel to their destinations safely and easily. Block length, street and pathway network density, number of intersections, connections to off-street pathways, and the presence of well-maintained and high-quality facilities are typical measurements of transportation network connectivity. These can impact how often an individual chooses to travel by active modes (bike, scooter, and walking). In contexts with higher proportions of expected bicycle and pedestrian users, connectivity should be encouraged. Connectivity can be broken down into four components, each of which contributes to a fully connected network: Completeness - The active transportation network should be well-connected to let users travel virtually anywhere they need to go. They should have access to all or most of the transportation network. Any gaps identified in the active transportation network should be prioritized, especially when connecting to key destinations. A traveler encountering an unexpected gap in the network is forced to either detour to a safer route, which often requires local knowledge, or to continue through potentially hazardous conditions. Directness - Users should not be required to go out of their way to safely access their destination. Providing direct routes that connect to key destinations will ensure that active transportation is competitive with motor vehicles in terms of convenience. Develop a network comprised of primary routes and supplemented with secondary routes providing connections between dedicated facilities. Density and Diversity - Users should have a range of route options. Small blocks with frequent intersections contribute to more convenient networks. Where large blocks exist, cut throughs/alleys can increase permeability. Research conducted by the Cycling in Cities Program at the University of British Columbia found that while comfortable cycling facilities are important, people cycling need to be able to access these routes quickly and easily. The study found that people cycling are unlikely to detour more than approximately 1300 feet to find a route with a bicycle facility 21 . As a result, the study concluded that a bicycle network with designated facilities spaced a minimum of every 1600 feet apart should be the goal. It has also been recommended that a dense bicycle
21 Meghan Winters et al., How Far Out of the Way Will We Travel? Built Environment Influences on Route Selection for Bicycle and Car Travel (Transportation Research Board, 2010).
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