Addressing Diverging Diamond Interchanges Critiques and Concepts
Design Co.
COPEN HAGEN IZE EU
copenhagenize design co.
copenhagenize design co.
01 Introduction © City of Long Beach. January 2017.
Addressing Diverging Diamond Interchanges - Critiques and Concepts January 2017. Copenhagenize Design Co. for the City of Long Beach
PROJECT TEAM CEO - Mikael Colville-Andersen Urban Planner - James Thoem Urban Designer - Michael Seth Wexler Mobility Intern - Joan Campos Design Intern - Kan Chen
Design Co.
COPEN HAGEN IZE EU
Copenhagenize Design Co. Trangravsvej 8 Copenhagen K. 1436 Denmark Copenhagenize Design Co. Canada 5333 Avenue Casgrain, Suite 1229 Montreal H2T 1X3 Canada
Over the past decade, Long Beach has made strides towards improving the conditions of both bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. Early infrastructure along Belmont Shore’s East 2nd Street put Long Beach on the map as a city serious about bicycle infrastructure. And with the City’s recently published Communities of Excellence pedestrian plan (CX3) and Bicycle Master Plan, Long Beach continues to turn heads as a leader in livability. However, eyeing infrastructure modernization and automotive efficiency, the state agency responsible for managing the state’s highway system, Caltrans, is proposing three new Diverging Diamond Interchanges (DDI) guiding automobile traffic from the I-710 on and off of Anaheim Street, Pacific Coast Highway, and Willow Street. Each of these streets, classified as a major avenue, a regional connector, and a boulevard, respectively, span large stretches of the city. Directed by the City to explore the suitability
of the Diverging Diamond interchange for vulnerable road users, Copenhagenize provides a critique of the proposed infrastructure, guided by best practice in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and reflective of Long Beach’s vision as a city of healthy, vibrant, attractive and safe neighborhoods. Our analysis finds the three proposed interchanges to pose serious concerns for the City, despite what proponents may suggest. Vulnerable road users are expected to follow pathways and spaces that do not align with the City’s stated goals and growing reputation as a bicycle and pedestrian friendly city. The proposed DDIs infrastructure are incompatible with the dense urban environment as observed in Long Beach, presenting conflicts on three scales: the individual, the neighborhood, and the city. Given these conflicts, we propose three conceptual additions to the proposed interchanges should they be realized.
Copenhagenize Design Company is a leading urban design & communications consultancy specializing in all matters relating to bicycle culture: planning, infrastructure, design and communications. When it comes to urban cycling and life-sized cities, we approach every job from a human perspective - using design, anthropology, sociology and rationality as our points of departure.
Figure i. West Long Beach’s Willow Street at Interstate-710 1
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copenhagenize design co.
02 The Diverging Diamond Interchange The DDI is an increasingly popular approach to managing motorized traffic flow from a non-freeway road onto a freeway. Contrary to more common interchange styles, DDI’s direct through-traffic to the left side of the road in order to reduce potential conflict points for motorized vehicles entering and exiting the freeway. To date, more than 70 DDIs have been implemented in the United States, integrating pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure in varying styles. After looking into 75 DDIs across the US we found a strong majority (63%) to be observed in suburban districts characterized by curvilinear street networks and strictly segregated land uses. 3% were observed to be in industrial areas
Diverging diamonds in the US and surrounding land uses
similar in characteristic to the Anaheim corridor. Meanwhile, only 2.6% were observed in areas comparable to the area surrounding Pacific Coast Highway and Willow, characterized by commercial corridors adjacent to residential uses, laid out upon a dense gridiron street network. In other words, there is little precedence to introduce a DDI in the urban settings observed in Long Beach. Of the 61 DDIs visible through Google Street View, 74% included some form of pedestrian infrastructure, while only 6% accommodated bicycle users by way of painted lanes. And though pedestrian infrastructure may be wide spread, it is far from ideal.ng the DDI’s built to date, there are two standard approaches to accommodating pedestrian traffic.
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Figure ii. DDI with center running pedestrian channel. Saint George, Utah. Photo: Traffex Engineers 2
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copenhagenize design co.
Among the DDIs built to date, there are two standard approaches to accommodating pedestrian traffic.
Standard DDI design guidelines suggest three separate options for accommodating people traveling by bicycle through the interchange, dependent on a series of factors including expected traffic, expected behavior, and available right-of-way.
Routing pedestrian infrastructure along the outer edges of the DDI (figure iv), providing shorter crosswalks along a consistent side of the street, while at the same time directing the pedestrian across four free-flowing right turn movements and unintuitive traffic flow directions. Directing pedestrians through a center running channel (figure iii, v). While this option provides a physically separated space for pedestrians, it’s cluttered, atypical street design makes for winding, indirect routes. This approach appears to be preferred by Caltrans and will therefore be the focus of all subsequent analysis in this report.
Figure iii. A center running pedestrian channel
Figure iv. Standard DDI with pedestrian infrastructure along the outer edge.
A striped bike lane through the DDI, following the same route and signaling as motorized traffic. Pavement markings are expected to reinforce the space as a bike lane rather than a shoulder. The commonly identified conflict points for bicycle users passing through a DDI along this style includes two conflicts on the approach, four merging with traffic exiting the freeway, and four merging with traffic entering the freeway. Bicycle signals have yet to be integrated into any diverging diamond interchanges, citing the irrelevance of a dedicated signal when vehicular signals are present. A shared pedestrian and bicycle mixed-use space following through the entire interchange, expecting people traveling by bicycle to follow pedestrian signals. People traveling by bicycle along this approach are faced with the same conflict points with motorized traffic as pedestrians, described in the above section. Furthermore, this option presents a potential conflict between pedestrians a bicycle users, as they are two separate modes, traveling at different speeds. Federal guidelines call for the shared space to be at least 10’ wide.
Expecting bicycle riders to share the lane with fast moving, motorized traffic. In this case a painted sharrow is expected to ensure a safe passageway of a vulnerable road user along a highway interchange. This option is one continuous conflict point. What’s clear from both the proposed pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure facilities commonly integrated into DDIs, is that the vulnerable modes have been treated as an afterthought, squeezed in only once a sufficient solution for automobiles has been presented. This automobile oriented approach comes at the expense of healthy pedestrians, bicycle users, neighborhoods, and cities.
Figure vi. A bicycle rider opts for pedestrian pathway over painted bike lanes. Reno, Nevada.
Figure v. Standard DDI with pedestrian through a center running channel 4
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copenhagenize design co.
03 Critiques Individual Scale The City’s recently published CX3 document finds that many neighborhoods, including four located in West Long Beach, lack quality pedestrian environments. The conditions, the document finds, in these neighborhoods actively discourage residents from choosing to walk, calling for widespread investments. One key consideration ignored by empirical safety studies is the concept of perceived safety. The primary objective of channelizing pedestrians into the center running channel is to remove any unnecessary obstacles from the ramp, failing to consider the experience of people as they traverse the interchange. By presenting a single, walled, passageway flanked by moving traffic through the interchange, pedestrians are given one option, and one option only. If a real or perceived obstacle blocks the route, the pedestrian has no choice but to confront it or turn around. Crossing to the other side of the street is not an option. What’s more, the barrier walls only further encourage a sense of confinement while also reducing visibility of potentially vulnerable group by passing motorists. Given the improvements in the pedestrian realm slated in surrounding neighborhoods and corridors to address shortcomings, the implementation of three DDIs would be a step backwards. In the name of motor vehicle efficiency, DDIs neglect pedestrians in four key realms: directness, intuitiveness, safety, and comfort. 6
Directness - Of all modes, pedestrians are particularly sensitive to out-of-the-way travel, a characteristic that should be accommodated by infrastructure of all scales. By directing pedestrians to cross two signalized paths of automobile traffic into a center running lane, only to cross back again, the DDI treats pedestrian directness as a last priority.
Intuitiveness - Alongside directness, navigability is a primary factor in the success of pedestrian infrastructure. Even proponents of the DDI are admittedly hesitant of the intuitiveness the interchange. Focus groups of motorists consulted by the FHWA often reported it was common to observe confusion by other motorists at DDI interchanges. While North American drivers may be unfamiliar with left hand driving, the infrastructure design reportedly guides motorists through the intersections with ‘virtually no driver confusion’. The much more vulnerable modes, on the other hand, are provided with little more than signage at these unintuitive crosswalks.
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Comfort - Given the vulnerability of pedestrians and bicycle users, it’s crucial for infrastructure to go beyond safety, acknowledging the importance of comfort. Considerations such as personal space, trip hazards, lighting, and exposure should guide active transportation infrastructure investments. By design, DDIs ignore pedestrian and bicycle user comfort. For aforementioned reasons, the center running pedestrian channel common to DDIs raises personal comfort concerns. Recessed lighting embedded within the pedestrian barrier walls provide an uninspiring environment.
“Diverging Diamond Interchanges are complicated for cyclists and especially for pedestrians, and should therefore be avoided in cities.” -Marianne Steffensen, Danish Road Directorate
Safety - Linked closely to the concept of intuitiveness is personal safety. As they exist right now, each of the three bridges have been identified by community members during outreach for the forthcoming Bicycle Master plan as difficult sections to cross. By reducing the severity of potential conflict points, the Diverging diamond presents a theoretically safer interchange, though given the relatively few cases built to date, little factual evidence has been collected. In fact, safety studies are rarely conducted on DDIs, and of the three cases that had undergone a study, none bear environmental similarities to the three proposed corridors in West Long Beach.
But perhaps most concerning, is the level of exposure DDIs present to pedestrians and bicycle users. Traversing a DDI, vulnerable road users are exposed to shadeless expenses as well as noise and air pollution from passing traffic at grade and along the sunken freeway. While pedestrian oriented features such as tactile warnings can quite easily be implemented on standard DDI designs, it’s worth taking a step back to question how the larger design of the infrastructure accommodates pedestrians and bicycles users of all ages and abilities.
Diverging Diamond Interchange Traffic Pathways
Figure vii. Visualizing pathways exposes the mobility priorities behind the DDI.
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What’s more, the DDIs represent a missed opportunity in embracing the neighboring environmental assets: The Los Angeles River, adjoining recreational routes, and the upcoming Drake Park Greenbelt. The long term discussions to renaturalize the Los Angeles River opens up incredible opportunity for Long Beach to emerge as a leader in pedestrian connectivity to the newfound resource and tourist attraction.
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Through a series of engagement campaigns and studies, local residents and policymakers alike have charted the path forward as laid out in the Livable West Long Beach Plan. In fact, local residents have ranked clean air, water, improved streetscaping, bike and pedestrian improvements, high on their list of investment priorities. The plan identifies a set of livability criteria set within broader livability categories of economy, environment and health, and community, safety, and access. In fact, when evaluated based on the above mentioned categories, the proposed DDIs conflicts with the very values guiding West Long Beach forward as a more livable community.
Wardlow Road
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Containing each of the three proposed DDIs and adjoining corridors, West Long Beach’s ‘West Zone’ presents a relevant collection of neighborhoods. Bounded generally by the I-405 to the north, Anaheim Street to the south, City of Long Beach border to the west, and Daisy Avenue to the east, this administrative zone includes the neighborhoods of Arlington, Upper Westside, Westside, Lower Westside, Westside South, Wrigley Heights, North Wrigley, South Wrigley, and Magnolia. These western neighborhoods carry a disproportionate share of the environmental and health impacts resulting from the operation of the I-710 motorway.
Economy - Residents from neighborhoods west of the I-710 hoping to travel by foot or bike eastwards will be forced to traverse the indirect, uncomfortable, and unintuitive interchanges. It’s difficult to imagine how the three proposed interchanges increase access to jobs, goods, and services, particularly within a community where household vehicle access is below the neighboring areas (figure viii). An interchange in your neighborhood isn’t much use if you don’t have access to a car.
Santa Fe Avenue
Long Beach prides itself in being ‘a city of neighborhoods’, and for good reason. From Houghton Park to the East Village, Belmont Heights to Wrigley, the city of Long Beach offers a diverse mix of people, places, and opportunities. West Long Beach is no exception.
Though this district of Long Beach struggles with environmental and health issues, the West Zone celebrates cultural diversity, unique neighborhoods, and a variety of land uses deserving of investments in mobility, environment, and active transportation. The prospect of three new DDIs represent a turning point for the community, to further prioritize the automobile or pursue a more life-sized city.
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LONG BEACH CALIFORNIA
Population (2013) Households with children Number of pedestrian collisions Number of bicycle collisions Number of schools CalEnviroScore/Percentile Range Households with no vehicle Households with just one vehicle Households below poverty level
LiNC 1/West Zone 30,272 36% 45 82 5 48/91-95% 4.4% 11.9 12%
LiNC 2/North Zone 33,798 34% 47 51 8 40/76-81% 3% 8.3% 11%
LiNC 3/East Zone 54,195% 32% 148 151 8 48/91-95% 2% 5.9% 14%
February 2007
Figure viii. Visualizing pathways exposes the mobility priorities behind the DDI.
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copenhagenize design co. Environment and health - By their very design, DDI’s discourage healthy, complete neighborhoods. Their inherent function is to efficiently usher automobiles on and off of motorways. While this may be understandable in more suburban or rural environment, they forego the idea of fostering neighborhoods worth staying in, potentially even creating the opposite. While proponents of the DDI may fly under the banner of efficiency, they only serve as yet another case study of induced demand. We’ve seen this the world over, make traveling by car more convenient, and more people will do so, contributing to further congestion and the negative side effects associated. The direct and indirect consequences of three new DDIs along the I-710 will only facilitate increased vehicle miles traveled (VMT) within the local neighborhoods and beyond. An increase in VMT is directly at odds with the City’s Livable West Long Beach plan, and could facilitate worsening air and noise pollution and the health and well being impacts associated. Community, safety, and access - The I-710 and the Los Angeles River already stand as a significant physical barriers cutting off the residents of Arlington, Upper Westside, Westside, Lower Westside and Westside South from accessing the amenities
copenhagenize design co. present in Long Beach’s downtown and beyond. The effects of these, are felt by local residents, as shown through CX3 consultations in which an overwhelming number of community members identified ‘West Long Beach connectors’ as their top infrastructure investment priorities. And while current and upcoming projects throughout West Long Beach aim to improve active transportation infrastructure, the implementation of DDI interchanges along Anaheim Street, Pacific Coast Highway, and Willow Street would only further reinforce the real and perceived barriers felt by the Westside. Although the current infrastructure offers little in the way of reliable pedestrian and bicycle access, the proposed interchanges offer no real improvement. This is especially true for the latter, as people traveling by bike are typically expected to brave a painted bike lane sandwiched between fast moving traffic and a concrete barrier designed to shield pedestrians. The typical approaches for accommodating pedestrians and bicycles through the interchanges appear as an afterthought, limiting any real options in mobility choices for residents of all ages and abilities looking to cross the I-710.
Figure viii. West Long Beach’s Cabrillo neighborhood, sandwiched between two proposed DDIs. 10
City Scale The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The neighborhoods of Long Beach offer a diverse selection of people, places, and opportunities, but together they make Long Beach the unique beach side community that continues to attract new talent and creativity. As a vibrant, safe, and healthy city known for prioritizing pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, Long Beach must ensure an equal access to direct, intuitive, safe, and comfortable facilities throughout. The repercussions associated with the proposed DDIs along Anaheim Street, Pacific Coast Highway, and Willow Street extend beyond the pedestrian and neighborhood scale, raising questions of spatial and environmental justice while weakening existing plans for active transportation investments along these very corridors. The proposed DDIs encourage car use in Long Beach twofold. First by narrowing mobility choices, they prioritize the automobile as the status quo of connecting the city, particularly along east-west passage ways. And secondly, the promise of a more seamless and efficient experience for drivers will only attract more of the same. A classic case of induced demand. As with the neighborhood scale analysis, the livability categories guide our critique of the proposed DDIs, offering a different set of explanations. When evaluated based on the livability categories of Economy, Environment and Health, and Community, safety, and access, the proposed DDIs conflict with the very values guiding Long Beach’s livability goals. Economy - The economic arguments surrounding improved pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure often revolve around spurring healthier commercial
corridors into destinations where people want to spend time. And as investments in the pedestrian realm along the eastern and western corridors in order to spur commercial activity are underway along Willow Street and discussed for Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach can further capitalize off these improvements by reducing the gaps and barriers. The ongoing Willow Street improvements provide upgrades in the pedestrian realm from Signal Hill to the LA River. Meanwhile, long term plans to have Pacific Coast Highway transformed into a Complete Street, with enhanced pedestrian environment and transit improvements could help spur economic activity along this arterial spanning the city of Long Beach. Physically interrupting the opportunity to have a continuous, comfortable pedestrian environment along these two important city connectors diminish the availability and access to jobs, goods, and services for those traveling by foot or bicycle, especially in already disconnected, disenfranchised western neighborhoods.
An economic cost benefit analysis of bicycle infrastructure investments in Denmark found physically separated bicycle lanes, intersection redesigns, and bicycle bridges to far outperform conventional automobile infrastructure in terms of internal rates of return. Beyond comparing the actual cost of the infrastructure, the study considers the environmental, health, and productivity factors associated with reliable, dedicated bicycle infrastructure. Consider conducting cost benefit analyses of pedestrian, bicycle, and automobile investments to strengthen public debate and stakeholder discussion.
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copenhagenize design co. Environment and Health - Long Beach is known for it’s scenic beach front paths popular among a wide range of mobility users both recreational and utilitarian. But beyond the beach, the city’s access to the San Gabriel and LA Rivers offer untapped recreational and natural services that could benefit the entire city. The City’s vision for the LA River is one of a river that provides aesthetic, recreational, and ecological benefits, in addition to serving its flood control purposes. The City continues to connect neighborhoods to the river by providing new pedestrian entry and exit points. The proximity of the proposed DDIs to the LA River not only oppose the City’s vision of improved connectivity and aesthetics along the LA River but also CalTrans goal to “Provide a safe transportation system for workers and users, and promote health through active transportation and reduced pollution in communities.” The City’s concern for the public health impacts carried by noise, visual, and air pollution won’t be addressed by facilitating easier auto mobility. Acknowledging that facilitating alternatives to the private automobile helps reduce emissions, resulting in a positive impact on air quality and associated respiratory health concerns, is an important first step. Long Beach has already made strides in improving public health through the built environment. This spirit must continue in order to improve the environmental and public health of West Long Beach.
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copenhagenize design co. Community, safety, and access - Transportation systems are the foundation of each city, linking members of society and driving economic vitality. The City of Long Beach strives for a healthy transportation network offering residents a range of options. Instead of aiming attention towards absolute car efficiency, the City aims to improve public transport, pedestrian, and bicycle networks in order to give each resident, no matter their social status, the freedom of choice in how they get around. Many of the City’s plans and projects revolve around connecting neighborhoods and linking residents to their communities by offering reliable mobility options; in turn promoting physical activity, healthy nutrition, and social engagement through accessibility. The three DDIs proposed by CalTrans, on the other hand, threaten to further disconnect already underserved communities in West Long Beach. When it comes to road safety, Long Beach has witnessed an increase in pedestrian involved collisions, up more than 25% since 2011. In response, the Mayor’s Vision Zero challenge, and a growing number of complete streets, bicycle boulevards, and neighborhood connectors are moving the city forward. But a network is only as strong as it’s weakest link. A safe and comfortable connection over the LA River and the I-710 would not only improve real and perceived safety, but make strides in integrating the Westside. With the State open to the discussion of infrastructure updates, the City must lobby for what’s best for the vulnerable modes, pedestrians and cycling.
04 Concept Design Criteria While the proposed DDIs present conflicts at the individual, neighborhood, and city scale, the heart of the issue lies in the infrastructure’s incompatibility with dense urban environments as observed in Long Beach. In an effort to counteract the negative impacts associated with the implementation of three inner-city DDIs along the I-710 corridor, we present three conceptual alternatives. Guiding each of these three alternatives are a set of principles developed in response to the above multi-scalar critique of the DDI. Mobility Choice - Solutions must facilitate and encourage a wider range of mobility options by providing legitimate, more appealing infrastructure.
Directness - In planning for people traveling by foot or by bicycle is understanding he desire to follow the most direct path from A-to-B with as few impediments as possible. Safety - Avoiding the potential conflict synonymous with a highway interchanges comes first and foremost. Perceived safety is also critical here, ensure spaces that are not only safer, but feel safer and more welcoming as well. Access - Solutions should address the importance and strengths of linking previously disconnected neighborhoods to employment opportunities, parks and recreation facilities, schools, and other amenities.
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Concept One: DDI Improvements Given the very few urban DDIs realized to date, there has been little opportunity to observe and improve upon the design of accompanying pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. However, there still lies potential improvements taking inspiration from more pedestrian and bicycle friendly intersection design. In order to improve upon the often negligent pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure associated with DDIs, we present a collection of six design and signaling suggestions to improve upon the ‘best practice’ suggestions laid out by the FHWA. While these design and signaling principles carry significant benefits to a standard urban intersection, they will likely have marginal improvements on interchange design as the automobile focus persists
copenhagenize design co.
Prioritized signaling - Traversing a DDI is not a pleasant experience. Help facilitate ease of travel for pedestrians by implementing fully-actuated signals. Slightly reshift the interchange priorities by implementing automatic detection signals to accommodate uninterrupted travel from one end to the other. Separated bike lanes - Following the design languages established on Artesia Boulevard, separate bicycle traffic from automobile traffic with Bike Buoys. Striped mid-block bike lane markings help draw attention to the dedicated space.
Final output Green bike crossing Thermoplast bikestandard Leading Cyclist Intervals - Capitalize on dedicated 1. One- graphic withgreen the two crossings through intersections serve With doublestop dutylinesbicycle routing pathways. for signals by implementing a leading cyclists by guiding those travelling by for bikebikes. through the intervals, giving those traveling by bike a head start cars. nothing intersection while also drawing attention to the on traffic and, more importantly, increasing visibility. 2. The after graphic. Only inner pathpathways where drivers can expect vulnerable way. bicycle traffic. Crossings - Highly visible continental crossing /Add bike lanes. make them 2 meters are the least that can be done in this situation. /make pathways through intersection Bicycle signals - Be the first DDI to integrate Prompting citizens to “Look Right/Mira derecha/ same width 2 meters dedicated bicycle traffic signals into the streetscape មើលទៅខាងស្តាំ“ with displays at eye level and on /add bouys . the“green circles” design. Place smaller dedicated signals at eye level, the crosswalk could help improve the infrastructure’s /add bike pictorgrams onto green bike alongside the stop line. Dedicated bicycle signals intuitiveness. Though these are only superficial should be placedlane on the near side of the intersection design solutions for a physical problem. /add pulled back stop l ine for cars as opposed to the far side. 3. Don’t use yield, using stop line and walking man icon instead. Update Zebras to only the centre runnign pathway.
Standard Traffic Light Dedicated Bike Traffic Light Bicycle Buoy Striped Bike Lane Marking Green Bicycle Crossing
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copenhagenize design co. Atlantic Avenue
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Concept Two: Alternative Active Transportation Bridges A preliminary review of the potential new linkages takes into consideration a series of factors. Tapping into already proposed investments in pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure on either side of the I-710/LA River corridor while also providing increased access to public and private amenities.
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Building on the already planned Hill Street pedestrian bridge, we proposed adding new similar facilities along 32nd Street, Spring Street, 28th Street, Burnett Street, and 15th Street.
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The second concept acknowledges the inherent pedestrian and bicycle conflicts of the proposed DDIs, by providing quieter alternative connectors. A series of pedestrian and bicycle bridges running the lengths of the I-710/LA River corridor could facilitate much needed social, economic, and recreational connections to the Westside. The City has already planned for a similar facility along Hill Street, and should consider expanding this concept up and down the I-710/LA River corridor.
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The City of Copenhagen minds the gaps. Over the past decade, Residents have witnessed radical changes in the connectivity of Copenhagen, a city bisected by a harbour. Residents have watched as thirteen bridges have popped up (with four more on their way), connecting previously cut off neighbourhoods while facilitating a 13 km recreational path, the Harbour Circle. Mobility and bicycle user experience are both high priorities on the City’s agenda, and these bridges are only a part of a greater plan. But most notable of all, each and every one of these new bridges are off-limits to automobiles, saying loud and clear that this is a city for people. A Life-Sized City.
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Potential Alternative Active Transportation Bridges Routes Amenities within a one mile radius Corridor
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Muir Elementary, Webster Elementary, Pacific Baptist K-8, Stephens, Intellectual Virtues Academy, Robinson, Signal Hill OFL, Holy Innocents, Lafayette, Hudson, Los Cerritos, Hughes Longfellow
Silverado, Wrigley Heights Dog Park, Tanaka, Veterans
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Muir Elementary, Birney Elementary, Oakwood Academy Elementary, Stephens Middle, Robinson K-8, Webster, Holy Innocents, Signal Hill OFL, Lafayette Elementary, Intellectual Virtues Academy, Hudson, St Lucy, S.E.A Charter, Smith, Los Cerritos, Hughes Longfellow
Veterans Park Community Centre, Willow Springs, Silverado, Wrigley Heights Dog Park, Tanaka Park, Hudson Park, Admiral Kidd Park
Wardlow Station, Willow Station
Long Beach Memorial Medical Center
27th St. retail center
Bret Harte Neighborhood Library
28th Street
Stephens Middle, Birney Elementary, Robinson, Oakwood Academy Elementary, Holy Innocents, Signal Hill OFL, Lafayette Elementary, St Lucy, Reid, Garfield, S.E.A Charter, Smileth, Cabrillo, Intellectual Virtues Academy,
Veterans Park, Hudson Park, Admiral Kidd Park
Willow Station
Long Beach Memorial Medical Center
27th St. retail center
Bret Harte Neighborhood Library
28th Street
Hudson, Lafayette Elementary, St Lucy, Holy Innocents, Smith, S.E.A. Charter, Signal Hill OFL, Garfield, Reid, Cabrillo High, Robinson, Stephens, Birney, Muir
Hudson Park, Admiral Kidd Park, Willow Springs Park, Veterans Park, Silverado, Chittick Field
Willow Station
Long Beach Memorial Medical Center
Anaheim St. retail center
Bret Harte Neighborhood Library, Burnett Neighborhood Library
East of Earl St.
15th Street
Hudson, St Lucy, Reid, Garfield, Cabrillo, Bethune, EPHS, PAAL, Washington, Regency
Seaside, Admiral Kidd
Anaheim Station
Long Beach Memorial Medical Center
Anaheim St. retail center
Bret Harte Neighborhood Library, Burnett Neighborhood Library
East of Earl St.
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‘low comfort’ bike route
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Proposed ‘pipeline facility’ east of Daisy to Del Mar Ave., ‘backbone facility’ east of Del Mar Ave.
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Concept Three: The Converging Bicycle Bridge Anaheim Street, Pacific Coast Highway, and Willow Street are each vital corridors in their own right, offering many strong arguments for facilitating a continuous pedestrian and bicycle access from east to west. Spanning the lengths of Long Beach, these corridors, if any, should provide continuous, uninterrupted options for people traveling by both
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foot and bicycle. Tapping into these strengths, we propose a bridge reserved for people, rather than cars, that goes above the Diverging Diamond and the mobility hierarchy it represents.
Visual markings delineate space reserved for pedestrians and those travelling by bike.
Raised above interstate ramps by 16 feet, automobile traffic can comfortably pass under.
Pedestrians and bicycle users are given an uninterrupted pathway from end to end, removed from automobile traffic.
Curves indirectly encourage descending bicycle riders to reduce their speed. Thermoplastic rumble strips prompt bicycle riders to be alert as they rejoin a streets with automobile traffic.
copenhagenize design co. Ramps seamlessly guide pedestrian and bicycle traffic onto the bridge, avoiding the DDI all together. A 3% initial grade transitioning to a 1.5% grade makes for a comfortable and accessible incline.
Ramps connect pedestrians, runners, and bicycle users along the LA River recreational path to East-West corridors and adjacent neighbourhoods. 21
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