Road Design

Susan Handy
TTP Orientation Seminar
October 2012
 Road Design in the U.S.
Level Agencies Primary Primary
concern role
Federal FHWA National Funding Manuals and Guidelines
FTA Highway Policy from FHWA and state
System DOTs, also from
AASHTO American
State DOT Highways Planning Association of State
outside Building Highway and
metro Operating Transportation Officials
areas ITE Institute of
Regional MPO Highways, Planning Transportation
Transit transit Engineers
within TRB Transportation
metro Research Board
areas
Local Planning Local Planning
Public streets Building
Works Operating
 Topics
Network design
Facility design
Plus others
 Network Design
What are the two main purposes of
streets/roads/highways?
Whats the main difference between streets
vs. roads vs. highways?
National Committee on Urban Transportation, 1958
City of Sunnyvale, 1957
ITE Street Layout Principles, 1984
City of Austin, Comprehensive Plan, 1994
 Benefits of grid?
More direct routes
Less distance
Less driving (?)
Less pollution, energy consumption, noise, etc.
More walking/biking
More exercise, less weight, better health, etc.
Better efficiency
Emergency response time
City services
Connectivity Measures
Source: Handy, Paterson, and Butler 2003
Source: Handy, Paterson, and Butler 2003
Source: http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/cul-de-sac.html
 Berkeley Diverters

Source: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/transportation/Bicycling/BB/BicycleBoulevardTreatments.html
 Village Homes, Davis

Source: Google Maps

Davis Greenbelt System
 Houten, Netherlands

Source: Google Maps

Source: Google Maps
 Facility Design
Responsibility Influence

Local Streets Cities and ITE

counties Institute of
Transportation
Engineers

Highways and State DOTs AASHTO

Freeways American
Association of State
Highway Officials
http://www.ite.org/bookstore/RP-011C.pdf
http://www.ite.org/bookstore/RP-011C.pdf
http://www.ite.org/bookstore/RP-011C.pdf
Source: http://www.ashland.or.us/Files/street%20standards_001.pdf
Source: http://www.ashland.or.us/Files/street%20standards_001.pdf
Source: http://www.ashland.or.us/Files/street%20standards_001.pdf
 Innovations/Trends
Traffic Calming
Skinny Streets
Road Diets
Complete Streets
Green Streets
Context-Sensitive Design
Others
 Traffic Calming

"Traffic calming is the combination of mainly physical measures that reduce the
negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behavior and improve
conditions for non-motorized street users."
- ITE Subcommittee on Traffic Calming
 Speed Control Measures
Horizontal
Vertical Deflection Horizontal Deflection Other Measures
Narrowing
Speed Humps Traffic Circles Neckdowns Examples
Center Island
Speed Tables Roundabouts
Narrowings
Raised Crosswalks Chicanes Chockers
Raised Intersections Realigned Intersections
Textured Pavements
Speed Lumps *
Speed Cushion *
Split Speed Hump *

Volume Control Measures

Divertive, Restrictive Other Measures
Full Closures Examples
Half Closures
Diagonal Diverters
Lateral Shift *
Median Barriers

http://www.trafficcalming.org/measures2.html
 Traffic Circles Roundabouts

http://www.trafficcalming.org/measures2.html
 Chicanes Neckdowns

http://www.trafficcalming.org/measures2.html
 Narrow Street Scenarios

http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~cpw/projects/pdf/featured/tgm_2003/powerpoints/285,13,Narrow Street Scenarios

 Narrow Streets

Canyon Rim Village, Medford

http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~cpw/projects/pdf/featured/tgm_2003/powerpoints/366,11,Narrow Streets
Road Diet

Fifth Street Road Diet

in Davis:
Coming Summer 2013
 Complete Streets

http://la.streetsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/10_06/10_8_08_complete_streets.jpg
 Green Streets

Marcy McInelly, SERA/Urbsworks

https://bookstore.transportation.org/item_details.aspx?ID=110
Context-Sensitive Design
Source: http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/oppd/context/main-streets-flexibility-in-design.pdf
 Riverfront Parkway and
Downtown Streets, Chattanooga, TN

Image: City of Chattanooga and River City Company

 Riverfront Parkway, Chattanooga, TN

Before Conditions

Image: City of Chattanooga and River City Company

 Reconstructed Riverfront Parkway

Image: City of Chattanooga

 Road Design Conundrum

Crash risks minimized Crash risks remain

but high speeds but low speeds
Parking
 Parking Problems
Minimum parking requirements for residential
and commercial development, in zoning codes
Excess parking
Free curbside parking in central business
districts
Excess driving cruising to find spaces
 Parking Requirements

Free parking isn't really free. In fact, the

average parking space costs more than the
average car. Initially, developers pay for the
required parking, but soon tenants do, and then
their customers, and so on, until the cost of
parking has diffused throughout the economy.
When we shop, eat in a restaurant, or see a
movie, we pay for parking indirectly because its
cost is included in the price of everything from
hamburgers to housing. The total subsidy for
parking is staggering, about the size of the
Medicare or national defense budgets. But free
parking has other costs: It distorts
transportation choices, warps urban form, and
degrades the environment.

Source: http://www.planning.org/bookservice/highcost.htm
 Traffic Management
Approaches:
Traffic control devices to
regulate behavior
Roadway design to shape
behavior
Goals:
Safety
Efficiency
Plus livability!
Source: http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/2003r1/pdf-index.htm
 MUTCD Principles

Purpose is to promote highway safety and

efficiency by providing for the orderly movement of
all road users throughout the Nation
The decision to use a particular device at a
particular location should be made on the basis of
either an engineering study or engineering
judgment
Not a legal requirement
Not a substitute for engineering judgment
 Speed Limits
MUTCD section 2B-10 (update: 2B-13) requires that
the numeric value be determined on basis of an
engineering study. The following factors should be
considered:
1. Road surface characteristics, shoulder condition, grade, alignment and
sight distance.
2. The 85-percentile speed and pace speed.
3. Roadside development and culture, and roadside friction.
4. Safe speed for curves or hazardous locations within the zone.
5. Parking practices and pedestrian activity.
6. Reported accident experience for a recent 12-month period.

For a discussion, see: http://www.motorists.org/speed-limits/safety-setting-limits

 Level of Service
TRBs Highway Capacity Manual

LOS = f (volume/capacity) How to increase LOS?

Result: Massive Intersections
Next up: Pavements!