Town of Stratford

TRAFFIC SAFETY STRATEGY

REPORT
FEBRUARY 2012

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IBI GROUP REPORT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. 2. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 1 APPROACHES TO ROADWAY DESIGN................................................................................ 2

2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5

3.

Conventional Road Design ................................................................................................................... 2 Complete Streets ................................................................................................................................... 3 Traffic Calming ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Shared Space......................................................................................................................................... 6 Advisory Walk / Bike Lanes .................................................................................................................. 6
DESIGN OPTIONS IN STRATFORD ....................................................................................... 8

3.1
4. 5.

Sobeys / Home Hardware ..................................................................................................................... 9

ROADWAY CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA............................................................................ 10 SPEED REDUCTION STRATEGIES ..................................................................................... 12

5.1

Recommendations to Address Speeding ......................................................................................... 12

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IBI GROUP REPORT

Town of Stratford
TRAFFIC SAFETY STRATEGY

1.

INTRODUCTION

The Town of Stratford through a community consultative process identified a number of traffic safety issues. A discussion of the issues, options to address them and a recommended approach as set forth by the Traffic Safety Committee are presented in their Interim Report dated October 17, 2011. Motorists speed in relation to that of vulnerable roadway users such as pedestrians and cyclists is the primary factor affecting residents perception of comfort and safety around traffic. The desire is to transform the culture from auto-dominated to that of public rights-of-way being shared by many people, including drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and people with mobility, hearing or visual impairments. The Traffic Safety Committees recommended approach includes the following: In local residential areas, low speeds are desirable so that the public road rights-ofway can be shared among users; Along collector streets, provide separate space within public rights-of-way for users such as sidewalks and bikeways where traffic speeds and volumes will be higher; and Introduce other strategies regarding speed enforcement and social marketing.

IBI Group was retained by the Town of Stratford to illustrate the roadway design options for the various types of streets in the Town that work towards the desired outcomes. Four classes of streets are promoted in the Town of Stratford: Local, Local Collector, Collector and Arterial. All roadways are under the jurisdiction of the Province and administered through PEI Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (PEITIR). The Town of Stratford had been working with PEITIR to upgrade some of the existing rural roadways to include sidewalks and paved shoulders (future bike lanes). Stormwater management in the Town of Stratford incorporates a combination of open ditch and piped flow. Thus maintaining the open ditches along one side of the Collector and Local Collector streets, and both sides of the Local streets is incorporated into the designs presented in this report.

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IBI GROUP REPORT

Town of Stratford
TRAFFIC SAFETY STRATEGY

2.

APPROACHES TO ROADWAY DESIGN

IBI Group considered the following approaches to roadway design in the Town of Stratford:: The typical existing conditions; The conventional approach to street design, such as standard travel lane widths, bikeways and sidewalks based on the Transportation Association of Canadas (TAC) Geometric Design Guide for Canadian Roads (1999); An alternative approach recognizing concepts such as complete streets, traffic calming and shared space. These design alternatives include the following: The complete streets approach to street design for the collector and arterial streets that have higher speeds and volumes of traffic, creating safe, comfortable space for pedestrians and cyclists. The primary guideline used for the development of these designs is the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive ApproachAn ITE Recommended Practice (2010); The traffic calming approach to street design on local collector streets, where traffic volumes and speeds are low enough that cyclists and motorists can share the road, and pedestrians are serviced by an accessible sidewalk network. The primary guideline used for the development of these designs is the Transportation Association of Canada and the Canadian Institute of Transportation Engineers Canadian Guide to Neighbourhood Traffic Calming (1998); and The shared space approach to street design on local streets, where the roadway space can be shared among residents in adjacent homes who drive, walk and cycle. The use of the street is governed by its design targeted at slow speeds instead of prescribed by traffic regulations. A recent guideline from the UK Department of Transport is Shared Space (Local Transport note 1/11, October 2011). The guidelines is targeted generally at high streets as opposed to local residential streets, however, many of the principles are the same.

2.1 Conventional Road Design

Conventional roadway design recognizes design controls, design classification and design consistency. One of the main design controls is speed: the desired operating speed, the speed at which the roadway is posted, and the design speed. Although selecting a design speed for a roadway is not a simple procedure, simplified it is typically 10 to 20 km/h higher than the posted speed. The design vehicles, i.e., passenger car, trucks of various sizes, and buses, are also design controls, defining geometric elements of the roadway. TACs Geometric Design Guide for Canadian Roads focuses on geometric design for motorists; the pedestrian and cyclist as design vehicles are separate sections in the guideline and thus not integrated into many of the roadway design decisions. Design classification recognizes the function of the roadway in terms of traffic service and land service (mobility versus access). The main classifications are urban or rural; and local, collector, arterial or freeway.

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2.2 Complete Streets

Complete Streets are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users: pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities (including those with impairments) are able to move safely and comfortably along and across streets. The make-up of a complete street will differ from one street to another based on the desired characteristics of the roadway and the adjacent environment or land use. This approach is intended to shift us from the decades-long focus of providing streets to move cars, to providing streets where people can interact and move about whether they are on foot, on a bicycle, in a bus or in a car. Complete streets is really a convergence of a number of trends over the past couple of decades such as: walkable communities, pedestrian accessibility, traffic calming, safe and active routes to school, bikeway network planning, public space planning, shared space, context sensitive design solutions, smart growth, etc. This approach can be valuable in establishing a new ideal for street function and can be applied creatively to individual corridors and projects. Most streets need to accommodate pedestrians at a basic level with the provision of sidewalks, walkways or safe space. The needs of pedestrians with cognitive, mobility or visual impairments must be incorporated into the design of those pedestrian facilities. As the volume of motor vehicles, their speed and size increase, cyclists need separate space or alternative corridors. An efficient transit system will focus on a network of compatible streets and land-uses. Efficient truck routes are also required to ensure goods movement to and within the Town. And our car-dominated culture necessitates the provision of streets for motorists. All of those users needs must be provided for within the context of localized culture and physical form. The conventional approach to design typically starts at the centre of the roadway and works outward, adding travel lanes, etc. The complete streets approach typically requires starting at the edge of the public right-of-way or building frontage, and simultaneously at the centre of the roadway adding the basic space required for each user. Spaces leftover can then be assigned to enhanced needs such as traffic capacity (additional travel lanes), improved aesthetics (wider boulevards or medians with landscaping), pedestrian amenities, etc. Thus trade-offs are made only after the basic needs of all users are established first.

2.3 Traffic Calming

Traffic calming is defined in the TAC / CITE Canadian Guide to Neighbourhood Traffic Calming as: ...the combination of mainly physically measures that reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle uses, alter driver behaviour and improve conditions for non-motorized streets users. (ITEs Subcommittee on Traffic Calming) The physical traffic calming measures referred to can be used alone or in combination. When implemented properly, they can be effective in reducing motorists speeds, reducing cut-through traffic, and reducing conflicts between motorists and other street users thereby improving the immediate street environment. Measures that may be applicable in the Town of Stratford include: Vertical deflection: speed humps, and raised crosswalks or intersections Horizontal deflection: traffic circles, curb extensions, raised median islands, and chicanes Obstructions to traffic: intersection channelization

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Traffic signs are intended to regulate traffic movement and are not traffic calming measures. However, some signs can supplement the function of traffic calming features, such as yield or stop, turn prohibitions, maximum speed, and traffic calmed neighbourhood signs. In the Town of Stratford, traffic calming is recommended for the Local Collector and Local streets where lower traffic speeds are desired. Examples of traffic calming measures are shown in Figure 1. Figure 1: Examples of Traffic Calming Measures Vertical Deflections

Speed Hump

Rubber Speed Hump

Raised Crosswalk

Raised Intersection (photo credit: Thanh Ha Dang)

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Horizontal Deflections

Traffic Circle

Curb Extension

Raised Median Island

Chicanes (photo credit: Richard Drdul) Obstructions to Traffic (Channelization)

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2.4 Shared Space

Shared space designs are intended to shift the dominance of motorists on our streets to an interaction of all users within the public space. The design of the space is such road users pay greater attention to their interaction with others. The street becomes a place for mobility, social interaction and leisure activity. A few key principles of shared space include: Motorists speeds are lowered (30 km/h or less), encouraging them to behave more accommodatingly towards pedestrians and cyclists; A hierarchy of streets is required within the network so that some can operate at low; speeds, while others accommodate the desire of motorists to travel at higher speeds; Lower motorists speeds are encouraged by the streets appearance that is influenced by the design of the street itself and the surrounding environment; and Comfort space, an area within the street predominantly used by pedestrians where motor vehicles are unlikely to be present, may still be needed within a shared space particularly for younger and older pedestrians and those with impairments.

2.5 Advisory Walk / Bike Lanes

An advisory bicycle lane is a bicycle lane into which motor vehicles may legally encroach. The line demarcating the lane is dashed instead of solid and it is oftenbut not alwaysused when no centreline exists. A typical application is on two-way, narrow rural roads with marked shoulders and a single travel lane. A lone motorist travels in the centre travel lane, outside the shoulder. When they meet a motorist traveling in the opposing direction, both yield to any bicyclists in the advisory lanes and then utilize the advisory lanes to pass each other. The Dutch Institute for Road Safety Research (SMOV) issued a SMOV Fact Sheet on Shoulders on rural access roads (August 2010). It recommends the use of advisory bike on all rural access (or local) roads that are 4.5 to 6.0 wide, a speed limit of 60 km/h or less, and with less than 2,000 to 3,000 vehicles per day. They have found a slight improvement in road safety, a decrease in the average speed by a few kilometres per hour, and a reduction in the risk of driving off the road and damaging the road shoulder. Peter Furth, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeaster University, Cambridge MA, has studied the interaction of cyclists and motorists. His premise is that advisory bike lanes define the comfortable space required by cyclists when motorists overtake them. This reduces the stress for the cyclist, and makes cycling appealing to a broader cross-section of the population. Advisory bike lanes are in use in the Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, and United Kingdom. In North America, advisory bike lanes are being used in cities in California, Oregon, Minnesota, Missouri, and Utah. Examples are shown in Figure 2. In the context of the Town of Stratford, they are recommended on the Local Collector and Local streets. The marked shoulders can be used as advisory walk / bike lanes, with cyclists travelling in the shoulders in the direction of traffic, and pedestrians walking in the shoulders against traffic. Along Local streets, the advisory lane provides comfort space within shared space, a concept discussed in Section 2.4. Along Local Collector streets that would have a sidewalk on one side of the street, the advisory lane provides pedestrian access to destinations on the side of the street, opposite the sidewalk.
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Figure 2: Examples of Advisory Lanes Rural road in the Netherlands Centreline stripe removed and advisory lanes added, Minneapolis MN

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3.

DESIGN OPTIONS IN STRATFORD

Cross-sections illustrating the existing conditions, conventional approach to design, and the complete streets approach for Stratfords Arterial, Collector, Local Collector and Local streets are provided in Exhibits 1A and 1B. Examples of the application of traffic calming measures to the Local Collector and Local streets are illustrated in Exhibits 2A and 2B. The following classifications and design speeds were assumed to reflect those roadways present in the Town of Stratford and guide the development of conventional roadway cross-sections: Arterial: Rural Arterial Undivided 80 km/h (RAU80)the Trans Canada Highway Collectors: Rural Collector Undivided 80 km/h (RCU80)roadways such as Stratford Road, Keppoch Road, Georgetown Road, and Mason Road Rural Collector Undivided 70 km/h (RCU70)roadways such as Rosebank Road, Governors Lane, and Bonavista Avenue

Local: Local Undivided 50 km/h (RCU50)roadways such as Ferguson Drive, Cardiff Lane and Wren Drive

In the Town of Stratford, based on the description of roadway functions and types in ITEs Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach, the following street classifications are considered for the complete streets cross-sections: Arterial: Principal Arterial / Boulevardthe Trans Canada Highway through the Stratford Core Area in the future once lands are developed along it Collector: Collector / Avenueroadways such as Stratford Road, Keppoch Road, Georgetown Road, and Mason Road Local Collector: Collector / Rural Roadroadways such as Rosebank Road, Governors Lane, and Bonavista Avenue Local: Local / Rural Roadroadways such as Ferguson Drive, Cardiff Lane and Wren Drive

The shared space concept is considered in the Town of Stratford for the Local streets. These residential streets, in the context of shared space, have the disadvantage of widely spaced homes and long views. They have few, if any, physical differences that distinguish them from other streets within the Town or that make it difficult to drive quickly. The operational characteristics of shared space will not likely be achieved strictly based on the physical elements of the street. Promotional and enforcement efforts will be required to improve the interaction, comfort and safety of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists using these streets. Marked shoulders to be used as advisory bike lanes are recommended for the Local Collector streets in the Town of Stratford. For the Local streets where sidewalks are not provided, the marked shoulders can be used as advisory walk / bike lanes, with cyclists travelling in the shoulders in the direction of traffic, and pedestrians walking in the shoulders against traffic. This ties into the concept of providing comfort space within shared space, as presented in Section 2.4.

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3.1 Sobeys / Home Hardware

The Traffic Safety Committee and members of the public have highlighted the intersection of the accesses to Sobeys and Home Hardware on Kinlock Road as problematic. Traffic turning at this location conflicts with traffic accessing the left-turn lane on Kinlock Road northbound at the Trans Canada Highway. In addition, pedestrian and cyclists have difficulty traveling between the two commercial developments across Kinlock Road. A functional design solution limited to minor roadway construction and restriping is presented in Exhibit 3. A potential solution that would required significant reconstruction would be the introduction of a roundabout with splitter islands as pedestrian refuges at the access driveway to Sobeys and Home Hardware.

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4.

ROADWAY CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA

Criteria to classify the roadways within the Town of Stratford, i.e., Local, Local Collector, Collector and Arterial, is required in order to develop consistency in applying the various designs options. Suggested criteria are presented in Table 1 based on a combination of characteristics presented in the TAC and ITE guidelines previously noted, and an understanding of the conditions that exist in the Town of Stratford. Table 1: Suggested Roadway Classification Criteria Arterial Desired Operating Speed 1 Type of Land Use Served 60 to 80 km/h Commercial Industrial Public Service Institutional Mixed Use High to medium density residential Collector 50 to 70 km/h Commercial Industrial Public Service Institutional Mixed Use High to low density residential dwellings Schools Active and passive parks Arterials Other Collectors Local Collectors Locals (limited, cul de sacs, P-loops or crescents only) 3,000 to 10,000 Through route and access Local Collector 30 to 40 km/h Medium to low density residential dwellings Schools Active parks Water Access Local 30 to 40 km/h Low density residential dwellings Passive parks (playgrounds acceptable)

Connections

Collectors

Collectors Other Local Collectors Locals

Collectors (limited; cul-desacs, crescents only) Local Collectors Other Locals

Typical Range of Daily Traffic Volume (vehicles) Mobility versus Access

10,000 to 30,000 Through route; limited access

< 3,000 Through route between Collectors only and access For every connection onto Collectors, 30 or more dwellings accessed Sidewalk on one side in residential areas with boulevard; advisory bike / walk lanes both sides

< 1,000 Access only For every connection onto Collectors or Local Collectors, less than 30 dwellings accessed Advisory bike / walk lanes

Pedestrian Facilities

Sidewalks or multi-use trail (see below) preferably both sides as development in the Core Area proceeds

Sidewalk on one side in residential areas with boulevard Sidewalk on both sides where non-residential land uses exist on both sides with boulevard

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Arterial Bikeways Multi-use trail if not more than one driveway or intersection every 300 m preferably both sides as development in the Core Area proceeds Segregated bike lanes on both sides as development in the Core Area proceeds 2 to 4 Yes with established stop locations Yes No

Collector Bike lanes

Local Collector Advisory bike / walk lanes

Local Advisory bike / walk lanes

Travel Lanes Transit Service Goods Movement Traffic Calming

2 Yes Yes At intersections with Local Collectors

1 to 2 Potentially limited service No Yes

1 No No At intersections with Local Collectors; and where speeds are high (85th percentile exceeds the posted speed) and cannot be mitigated by other means Yes Yes

Shared Space Driveway Access NOTES

No No 1.

No Yes

Yes Yes

A thorough review of the posted speeds and the existing conditions in the Town of Stratford is required to establish reasonable limits within each classification

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5.

SPEED REDUCTION STRATEGIES

Mitigation measures to manage travel speeds are typically categorized as engineering, enforcement or education initiatives, or combinations of any of these. The City of Edmonton reviewed the research available on the effectiveness of these initiatives in their study Speed Limit Reduction on Residential Roads: A Pilot Project (April 5, 2011), as summarized below. Engineering initiatives to manage speed are primarily focused on making changes to the road to encourage drivers to comply with the speed limit. These typically include traffic calming or lane reduction measures. Traffic calming measures have been shown by various sources over the last two decades to have a significant impact on average and high speeds, and the frequency and severity of collisions. Speed limit reductions are most effective if implemented in combination with traffic calming measures. Enforcement initiatives penalize offenders who do not comply with the posted speed limits. A variety of enforcement equipment, either stationary or mobile, is typically used to manage speed. These include photo radar detectors, speed display boards, and dynamic messaging signs. Generally, enforcement is expensive and is impractical on low volume streets. In cases where resources are available and speeding is a major source of collisions, effective enforcement has been proven in some studies to reduce speeding. Educational initiatives to inform the public of the dangers of speeding and the need to comply, and the resulting effect on speeding have not been studied on their own. However, when used in conjunction with both engineering and enforcement initiatives, educational campaigns improved speed reduction at specific sites. In terms of the impact of changing posted speed limits on residential roads, the evidence is contradictory, with some studies showing no effect, and others showing significant results. Generally, it is suggested that supplementary measures should supplement speed limit changes to improve compliance.

5.1 Recommendations to Address Speeding

For the Town of Stratford, it is recommended that the posted speed limits be reviewed with respect to the various classifications of the roadways and their designs in order to improve the motorists recognition of the appropriate travel speeds through consistency. Collector and Arterial roadways are probably suitable for higher speeds of 50 to 70 km/h. Local Collectors and Local streets currently posted at 30 km/h are recommended to remain at 30 km/h where traffic calming measures and advisory walk / bike lanes are introduced. Local Collectors currently posted at 50 km/h should be reviewed for the potential to lower the posted speed to 40 km/h so as to be closer to that of other Local Collectors in the Town. Lower cost enforcement initiatives for the lower volume roadways, that is, the Local Collector and Local streets in Stratford, are recommended, such as movable speed display boards. Higher volume roadways, such as the Trans Canada Highway and the Collectors, would require the RCMP to target compliance. It is also recommended that the Town of Stratford, in co-operation with PEITIR and the RCMP, develop a traffic safety marketing program with messaging around the importance of speed reduction on the perceived safety and comfort of residents, and on the actual risk and severity of collisions. It could be coupled with efforts to attract more people to active transportation, promoting the benefits of walking and cycling. Community-based social marketing plans can target specific population cohorts or neighbourhoods to influence travel behaviour. Transport Canada has
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produced a resource, Changing Transportation Behaviours: A Social Marketing Planning Guide (November 2010, http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/programs/environment-urban-menu-eng-2054.htm) that provides a strategy for putting together such a plan.

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