06 IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES

Introduction

The Action Plan presents a bold and ambitious vision for the future of walking and bicycling in St. Louis County. Bringing this vision to life will require a sustained commitment to active transportation for years to come, as well as the necessary leadership, resources, partnerships, and policy advancements to create a lasting impact on the County’s physical and cultural landscapes.

This chapter presents key strategies and considerations to implement the plan’s recommendations. Whether reviewing programmed projects for opportunities to incorporate plan recommendations, advancing progressive and flexible design criteria, or strengthening partnerships across County departments and with agency partners, St. Louis County will concurrently pursue multiple pathways to better support walking and biking as integral components of the multimodal transportation system.

The Implementation Strategies Chapter is comprised of the following sections:

• Early Actions

• Interdepartmental and Interagency Coordination

• Policy Recommendations

• Walking and Biking Programs

• Project Evaluation

• Project Programming

• Corridor Studies

• Funding the Plan

• Measuring Success

• Ongoing Maintenance

Early Actions

While the Action Plan is a long-range planning document guiding future investments in active transportation, early actions to implement the plan’s recommendations will be necessary to sustain momentum from the planning process and build a foundation for lasting change. St. Louis County will pursue the following early actions in 2021 and 2022 to initiate plan implementation and establish the foundation for long-term success.

1. PROJECT PROGRAMMING REVIEW

Project programming refers to the identification and scheduling of roadway improvements in the short-term, usually between one and five years. St. Louis County regularly revisits this project programming process to account for changes to pavement quality, funding availability, and other factors. The proposed improvements in the Action Plan represent a new and important factor for consideration. The Department of Transportation will actively look for opportunities to incorporate the Action Plan into newly programmed projects.

2. ANNUAL COMPLETE STREETS/ ACTION PLAN PROGRESS REPORT

While the Department of Transportation issues a semi-annual report to the County Council summarizing Complete Streets implementation activities and the status of relevant projects, the Department lacks a communications tool through which it can share its implementation successes with a wider audience, including County residents, local municipalities, and other community partners. The Department will develop a public-facing annual report highlighting efforts to advance the Action Plan and the Complete Streets ordinance.

3. POLICY EVALUATION AND UPDATES

The policies that guide investments in pedestrian, bicycle, and Complete Streets infrastructure design, programming, and construction have long-term ramifications on the built environment. Physical improvements made today based on current policies will likely remain in place for years. Therefore, the Department of Transportation’s review and updating of policies impacting pedestrian and bicycle safety, connectivity, and accessibility is imperative to support the implementation of this plan’s proposed improvements. The Policy Recommendations section of this chapter provides guidance for the evaluation and revision of current policies related to active transportation, including the Complete Streets ordinance, the road diet policy, the sidewalk policy, and the design criteria manual. Changes to these policies will promote best practices and consistency with national guidance from the Federal Highway Administration, NACTO, and other leading transportation agencies and organizations.

In addition to updates to current policy, St. Louis County will explore opportunities to advance pedestrian and bicycle mobility through new policies and procedures to guide mid-block crossing improvements, outreach, and communications.

4. IN-DEPTH PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE CRASH ANALYSIS

The pedestrian and bicycle crash analysis conducted as part of the Action Plan provides a high-level investigation of crash patterns, with a particular focus on highcrash locations and corridors and a systemic analysis of roadway characteristics on which crashes are most likely to occur. This analysis informed the plan’s bicycle and pedestrian network recommendations and will serve as a reference for County staff as it conducts more in-depth analysis of pedestrian and bicycle crashes on a project-by-project basis.

There are a variety of resources available to support the County in reviewing the analysis, including the Federal Highway Administration’s PEDSAFE and BIKESAFE Safety Guides and Countermeasure Selection Systems and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program’s Development of Crash Modification Factors for Uncontrolled Pedestrian Crossing Treatments

The Department of Transportation may identify specific treatments and design elements to advance pedestrian and bicycle safety that are not included or permitted in its current Design Criteria Manual. The Department will consider incorporating these treatments and design elements into future projects.

5. WALK AUDITS

Walk audits are public engagement tools to collect feedback about existing conditions along a roadway. Walk audits may be organized by County staff to hear from residents or they may be organized by local community organizations.

Walk audits are an opportunity to collaborate across County departments and with other public agencies and stakeholders. This allows for a wide range of stakeholders’ perspectives early in a project’s planning process. Alternative formats to in-person walk audits may be developed to allow residents or others to participate individually at their own pace or via a web-based virtual walk audit. Multiple participation methods can increase the number of people who contribute opinions during the walk audit process. Walk audits should be inclusive of people with disabilities; for example, participants should know about the walk audit distance in advance. County staff contact information should be included in communications so that participants can request accessibility support, as needed.

6. ADA TRANSITION PLAN

As previously discussed in this plan, the forthcoming ADA Transition Plan will act as a strategic document to identify needed upgrades to St. Louis County’s pedestrian infrastructure to bring walkways and curb ramps to ADA compliance. The plan will consist of a self-evaluation to quantify infrastructure quality and establish policy for ADA compliance upgrades.

7. ASSET MANAGEMENT UPGRADES

The County is currently developing an asset management tool. When complete, the tool will enable County staff to better document the County roadway system conditions at the individual asset level, understand system needs, and efficiently allocate resources to better integrate pedestrian and bicycle enhancements into roadway improvements through a multi-modal, systematic approach.

Interdepartmental and Interagency Coordination

Realizing the Action Plan’s bold vision for a walkable and bikeable county will require continued coordination with the many state, regional, and local agencies that shape the built environment. Through its Action Plan for Walking and Biking, St. Louis County is charting a path for a longterm vision of walking and bicycling in the county. In addition to two committees established through the St. Louis County Complete Streets Ordinance, the Department of Transportation regularly coordinates with local agencies to address pedestrian and bicycle transportation.

Interdepartmental Advisory Team

Consisting of representatives of St. Louis County Transportation, Planning, Health, and Parks and Recreation Departments, the Interdepartmental Advisory Team (IAT) was established through the Complete Streets Ordinance to lead the institutionalization of Complete Streets principles and goals into County policies, practices, and projects. The IAT has and will continue to provide leadership for the County’s initiatives to advance active transportation. The team’s composition emphasizes the unique roles of each County department with regard to implementing the Complete Streets Ordinance and the shared responsibility of these departments to foster a safe, accessible, and connected multimodal transportation system for all county residents. The IAT will be responsible for implementing the Action Plan and delegating its recommendations among responsible departments and divisions.

Complete Streets Peer Advisory Committee

The Department of Transportation routinely convenes a committee of transportation agency representatives, advocacy groups, trade representatives, and other relevant stakeholders to provide biannual updates on plan, projects, and other activities advancing Complete Streets in St. Louis County. While this Complete Streets Peer Advisory Committee serves a valuable role, the IAT, responsible for the Peer Advisory Committee’s formation and coordination, should seek opportunities to solicit greater participation and dialogue from the committee’s membership, as envisioned in the Complete Streets Ordinance. With greater participation and defined responsibilities, the Peer Advisory Committee may better offer its collective insight and expertise to advance Complete Streets and active transportation in St. Louis County. The Peer Advisory Committee will be instrumental in supporting the interagency coordination, delegation, and implementation of the Action Plan’s diverse physical, policy, and programming recommendations.

ROUTINE COLLABORATION WITH LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND STATE PARTNERS

Regular meetings with state and local agencies keep all stakeholders apprised of developments within each agency. These meetings may happen informally, via the Complete Streets Peer Advisory Committee, or through another meeting. Regular coordination with local municipalities is necessary to coordinate upcoming and potential projects. County review of development plans and traffic impact studies adjacent to County roads would allow for interagency collaboration.

Policy Recommendations

Ordinances, policies, and standards establish procedures and parameters for decisionmaking. These policy tools play an important role in planning, developing, and designing pedestrian and bicycle projects. As such, the project team researched existing policies to support plan implementation.

As the Department of Transportation seeks to better support walking and bicycling activity through its Complete Streets approach to transportation systems and roadway design, it is important that the policies and standards in use by the department reflect its aspiration for a multi-modal transportation system. This chapter provides tools and strategies to update and implement existing policies and presents new policy considerations to better integrate walking, bicycling, and Complete Streets principles into daily transportation practices and decision-making.

Updating Existing Policies And Standards

Complete Streets Policy

Communities across the county use a Complete Streets-focused approach to transportation planning and design. Complete Streets is a planning philosophy that enhances mobility for people using transit, walking, and bicycling, as well as driving. In 2013, St. Louis County adopted a Complete Streets Ordinance. St. Louis County continues to advance Complete Streets principles through the application of this ordinance to transportation planning, programming, project development, and system maintenance and operations.

Since then, the Complete Streets movement has evolved to focus more on implementation and equity. Many current model policies and policy frameworks include updated language to account for the needs of the most vulnerable road users. The Elements of a Complete Streets Policy scoring document and other resources from Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition can serve as reference guides for St. Louis County staff to update internal policies and procedures to strengthen the County’s commitment to Complete Streets and multimodal transportation.

Road Diet Policy

Road diets reallocate travel lanes to improve safety and provide space for other uses and travel modes. Road diets increase safety by decreasing conflict points, speeding, and weaving behavior while creating space for multimodal improvements such as bike lanes, transit lanes, curb extensions, median islands, and other infrastructure. The most common type of road diet converts a fourlane undivided roadway with two through lanes in each direction to a three-lane road with one through lane in each direction and a center two-way left turn lane. Under the right conditions, five-lane roadways may also be good candidates for repurposing the curbside lanes for other uses and modes.

diet by allowing the clear demarcation of new lane striping.” It is recommended that the Department of Transportation add an implementation section to the existing Road Diet Policy to clearly state that the current practice of evaluating the feasibility of a road diet for a particular road is done during the planning or design process for resurfacing projects and is part of the Complete Streets checklist process. The Department will continue to examine current practices for road diet implementation and design.

Mid-Block Crossing Policy

St. Louis County’s existing Road

Diet

Policy states it “will be applicable to County maintained multilane roadways which, upon review, are considered potential candidates for possible road diets.” While the policy does not explicitly state when road diets are to be implemented, it does provide that resurfacing projects “provide the best opportunity to implement a road

Pedestrian safety is a concern at midblock crossings. The installation of uncontrolled marked crosswalks should be done judiciously at points of pedestrian concentration that have a demonstrated need for pedestrian guidance. The Department of Transportation will continue to examine current practices for midblock crossing identification and design.

Sidewalk Policy

The current Sidewalk Policy determines which projects qualify for the sidewalk program and which funding source is appropriate for each, and prioritizes the pedestrian projects. While the Complete Streets Policy encompasses pedestrians and sidewalks, the Sidewalk Policy is important for specifically identifying projects and categorizing them for funding and implementation where they otherwise may not surface as a Complete Streets project if no other planning or design work along the roadway is occurring. However, if a roadway is undergoing planning or design and it has sidewalk gaps, the Complete Streets ordinance will apply and the sidewalk gap should be scored with the sidewalk policy ranking system and help to elevate the need for project implementation and funding. With the data and information generated as part of this planning process, particularly with regard to health and equity, St. Louis County should consider updating the sidewalk project ranking system to include new metrics that reflect the larger values and goals of the plan.

Design Standards and Criteria

The Department of Transportation’s Design Criteria Manual and related standards for capital transportation projects include guidance and requirements for the design of sidewalks, on-street bikeways, shareduse paths, and other active transportation infrastructure. These evolving documents are updated regularly to incorporate and reflect standards and guidance from AASHTO, FHWA, and other leading national agencies and organizations.

As the Department of Transportation updates the Design Criteria Manual and other documents guiding the design of transportation facilities, it will explore opportunities to integrate national standards, guidance, and best practices to institutionalize innovative and contextsensitive pedestrian and bicycle facilities and treatments and support implementation of projects recommended in the Action Plan.

New Policy Recommendations

Communications and Outreach Strategy

Planning, design, and construction of County roadway projects benefit from clear communication. This is especially true in the case of introducing roadway designs that have not yet been used in the county. St. Louis County can build public trust and implement the Action Plan Pedestrian and Bicycle Networks through honest and open dialogue.

The Department of Transportation will collaborate with other County departments and will develop and utilize a communications and outreach strategy to develop clear communications objectives that support meaningful community dialogue during project planning, design, and construction. The following communications objectives and project messaging will be considered for bicycle and pedestrian projects, depending on project scale and complexity and on available capacity and resources. While smaller projects may not require the level of communication and engagement described below, larger projects can benefit from frequent communications and opportunities to build a shared understanding of project benefits, impacts, and relationship to broader transportation objectives like Complete Streets and Action Plan implementation.

Communications objectives change with each stage of a project:

• Planning: Report existing conditions, safety concerns and problems to be addressed in design process

• Design: Describe how the design solution(s) addresses safety

• Short-term Pilot Demonstration (if applicable): Project duration, how to use the temporary infrastructure

• Construction: Communicate construction schedule, design changes, and construction mitigation measures

• Completion: Celebrate success while continuing to communicate mobility solutions, benefits, and process

• Post-Completion: Address negative and positive responses to project after completion

Throughout every project stage, messages should include answers to the following questions:

• Why is this project happening?

• What has been the process and progress to date?

• What is coming next?

The following are best practices for project messaging:

• Put projects in broader county/ community context.

• Report metrics clearly and concisely and compare metrics to other roadways.

• Use person-first language: put the person before the adjective and describe what the person ‘has’ not what the person ‘is’. Examples include discussing people experiencing homelessness or people with disabilities.

• Clearly identify when and how people can provide project input.

• Provide guidance for individuals to look up additional information and a designated contact person.

• Use plain language and avoid jargon.

• Use consistent language from start to finish to describe project purpose, benefits, solutions and focus.

• Keep decision-makers informed about project background/context, events, and project status updates.

• Avoid soliciting input just for the sake of engagement.

Both the message and the means of communication should be tailored based on the target audience. Potential audiences include residents who live in the project area or regularly travel there, adjacent businesses, chambers of commerce, elected officials and public agency staff, utility and emergency service providers, and community organizations.

9th Ave N Safety Improvements

Supporting a thriving urban street in South Lake Union

Fall 2016 FACT SHEET

PROJECT BACKGROUND

South Lake Union (SLU) is rapidly becoming the gateway to Downtown Seattle. As the area attracts major employers and residents, we have to create a flexible transportation system that gives people real travel choices.

Over the last year, we’ve worked with the South Lake Union community to upgrade existing bike lanes throughout the neighborhood. With the Westlake Protected Bike Lane fully open and operating, we are ready to implement protected bike lane connections from Westlake to Denny Way.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Ninth Ave N is a desirable location for people to bike because it is relatively flat and south of Mercer St has a low volume of vehicles. The project maintains a travel lane in each direction on 9th Ave N. All onstreet parking will be consolidated to the east side of the street. The project upgrades existing bike lanes to include a 3-foot buffer with white plastic posts and fills the gap between Westlake Ave N and Roy St, creating a family friendly facility. Ninth Ave N will remain a reliable option for other modes (driving and walking).

WHAT IS A PROTECTED BIKE LANE?

Protected bike lanes combine the comfort of a multiuse trail with a conventional bike lane. These lanes physically separate people riding bikes from people driving and are distinct from the sidewalk. Learn more at www.seattle.gov/transportation/pbl.htm

Project Features And Benefits

Upgrade bike lanes to include a painted buffer and white plastic posts for a safer, more comfortable connection to SLU that is away from the streetcar tracks

Benefits: Supports more affordable and flexible transportation options by expanding the citywide bike network and connects people biking from the Westlake Ave protected bike lane to downtown

Organize streets by clearly defining space for people biking, walking, driving, and parking

Benefits: Improves predictability for all travelers

Improve intersections by reducing the distance people have to cross the street using paint and white posts

Benefits: Increases safety and mobility for pedestrians crossing the street

What You Need To Know

• Construction of phase 1 will happen late 2016 or spring 2017 and includes installation of a protected bike lane on 9th Ave N from Westlake Ave to Mercer St and along Roy St between 9th Ave N and Dexter Ave N.

• Construction on phase 2 will begin in 2017 and includes implementation of a protected bike lane on 9th Ave N from Mercer St to Harrison St.

• During the same timeframe, a separate project will install upgraded signal systems at the Mercer St and Denny Way intersections.

www.seattle.gov/LevytoMoveSeattle.

Streetscape Enhancements & Beautification

While the provision of dedicated facilities for walking and bicycling are critical to network connectivity and access to destinations, there are many additional factors that shape the walking and bicycling experience. These factors include pedestrian-scale lighting, shade trees, landscaping and vegetation, and street furniture like benches and trash receptacles. Incorporating these features into roadway projects can support placemaking objectives for commercial corridors and contribute to an area’s sense of uniqueness and sense of place. Landscaped buffers between the sidewalk and the roadway can add to pedestrian comfort while also incorporating stormwater best management practices like bioswales and raingardens.

The Department of Transportation can explore opportunities to incorporate these features into future roadway reconstruction projects, where financially feasible, and through collaborative partnerships with local municipalities that envision these streetscape enhancements as vital components of future plans for commercial districts and corridors.

Cost Participation

Creating cohesive, complete networks for walking and biking requires cooperation across agencies. Agencies can create efficiencies by working together to install improvements on County and local roads simultaneously. The Department of Transportation should develop a cost participation policy and related program to support bicycle and pedestrian improvements on local roadways.

Work Zone Mobility Policy

The County should provide for continuous bicycle and pedestrian travel through work zones. Internal policy for work zones should prioritize the safety of people walking and biking through work zones over parking and vehicle throughput and require that temporary traffic control plans include pedestrian and bicycle access. For pedestrians, first attempt to preserve the existing route and protect it from the work zone. If this is not possible, create a temporary pedestrian space physically protected from traffic, using parking or vehicle travel lanes. As a last resort, provide a pedestrian detour route.

For bicyclists, first attempt to provide a temporary bicycle lane of the same or better quality as the original bicycle lane by shifting, narrowing, or removing vehicle lanes or parking lanes. If this is not possible, bicyclists may be directed to merge with vehicle traffic (only if speeds and volumes are low) or with pedestrians in a temporary shared use path space. As a last resort, provide a bicycle detour route. Work zone policies developed by Portland, Oregon and Oakland, California should be consulted for reference.1

Temporary Demonstration Projects

Demonstration projects are short term, low-cost, temporary roadway projects used to pilot potential long-term design solutions to improve walking, bicycling and public spaces. Demonstration projects allow public agencies, community partners, and people walking, bicycling, taking transit, and driving to evaluate potential infrastructure improvements before investing

1 https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/ article/648243 and http://www2.oaklandnet.com/ oakca1/groups/pwa/documents/memorandum/ oak062315.pdf in permanent changes. Improvements like bicycle lanes, crosswalk markings, curb extensions and median safety islands can be installed as demonstration projects.

The County should develop a process for planning, installing, and evaluating temporary demonstration projects. MnDOT’s Demonstration Project Implementation Guide should be consulted for reference. 2

2 http://www.dot.state.mn.us/saferoutes/documents/ mndot-demonstration-project-implementation-guidefinal.pdf

Walking and Biking Programs

In order to realize the vision of a safe, connected, and equitable transportation system that values and supports walking and biking, it will be necessary to support infrastructure investments and policy change with education, encouragement, and engagement programming strategies. New or expanded education and encouragement programs for youth and adults will invite more people to consider walking and bicycling by empowering them with the tools, resources, and experiences necessary to feel confident walking and bicycling in their communities. Additionally, targeted evaluation programs like active transportation counts programs and regular crash data analysis can support continued planning for bicycle and pedestrian network and safety improvements.

In addition to conducting a scan of current programmatic offerings in St. Louis County and the surrounding region, the County reviewed programming offerings in five peer counties, each of which are part of the Bicycle Friendly Community program at the Bronze level or higher. Most comparison counties include suburban and urban land development patterns similar to those of St. Louis County:

• Tucson-East Pima County Region, Arizona

• Arlington County, Virginia

• Dane County, Wisconsin

• Fairfax County, Virginia

• Hennepin County, Minnesota

The following table presents recommendations for walking and bicycling programs. These programs were selected based on a review of current programmatic offerings, opportunities for improvements, and success stories from peer communities. Included with each program recommendation are a brief description and suggested departments, agencies, or organizations to lead that effort. These breadth of recommended programs and the diversity of programming partners highlight the importance of interagency relationships and shared responsibility in supporting and encouraging walking and bicycling as valued, viable, and enjoyable means of transportation and recreation.