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Elements of Complete Streets
MEDIAN ISLANDS Median islands are effective tools for narrowing the street at key locations and providing for pedestrian crossings and the inclusion of greenscape elements. Median islands are short medians parallel to the direction of travel and act as inverted mid-block neckdowns, reducing available street width from the middle rather than from the edges. Safety is improved by slowing speeds, providing a barrier to head-on collisions, and by limiting left -turns to locations where it is expressly permitted. Median islands that provide a pedestrian refuge should be at least six feet wide to be ADA compliant. Median islands can incorporate stormwater planters to collect and filter stormwater runoff.
CORNER EXTENSION / BULB-OUT Corner extensions or Bulb-outs are horizontal extensions of sidewalk into the street, resulting in a narrower roadway section. If this treatment is located at a mid-block location, it is typically called a choker or a mid-block neckdown as described on the previous page. When combined with on-street parking, a corner extension can create protected parking bays. This is an effective method for shortening pedestrian crossing distances, add queuing space at intersections, and help place people waiting to cross in the sight line of drivers. Extensions also create room for street furniture on otherwise narrow sidewalks, allow space for ADA-compliant curb ramps, and increase overall safety of an intersection by preventing vehicles from parking too close to the intersection and reducing sight lines.
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