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Intersections and Mid-Block Crossings
from one lane to another. It is made larger by the presence of parking and bike lanes which require vehicles to make wider turns around a corner. In situations where a minimum actual curb radius is desired, but a larger effective radius is needed to accommodate frequent trucks or buses there are several solutions available to allow access while maintaining a safe environment. To accommodate larger turning needs
with tight curb Radii, the following elements should be considered:
Add a parking and/or bike lane to increase the effective radius. Recess the stop bar on the receiving street to allow vehicles to take wider turns. Use pavement textures or colors to create a smaller actual curb radius while allowing larger vehicles to turn through that space (note this space will not be appropriate for waiting pedestrians).
Curb Radii Retrofit, Strongtowns.org
CURB RAMPS Curb ramps provide a transition between the sidewalk and the street. They allow people in wheelchairs, pushing strollers, wheeling bikes, and towing suitcases to easily use crosswalks. They are equally as important as making streets easier for people with less mobility, for whom stepping off a six-inch curb may be physically difficult or impossible. Curb ramps should be aligned with the most direct path of travel to channel pedestrians crossing an intersection to the proper and most useful path. Curb ramp configuration should be selected based on the specific corner conditions and volume of pedestrians to be accommodated. On typologies where high pedestrian volumes are expected and wider sidewalks are provided, the width of the curb ramp should match the wider of the sidewalk or crossing. CURB EXTENSIONS Curb extensions play a similar traffic calming role at intersections and can be used as effective means of reducing curb radii. Curb extensions as shown in Figure 5-2 can also be used as a transition element where two different typologies meet. For example, a street in a Suburban Town Center (C3T) meeting or crossing a Suburban Neighborhood Connector (C3R) would benefit from curb extensions as a gateway feature that physically alerts drivers of a different environment.
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