Walk Cycle Waterloo Region

Welcome!
Walk Cycle Waterloo Region
Public Workshop, November 2011
Agenda:
6:00 p.m.
6:30 p.m.
pm
6:50 p.m.
7:00 p.m.
8:30 p.m.
8 45 p.m.
8:45
9:00 p.m.
In association with
UrbanTrans
Nelson \ Nygaard
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Presentation
Questions about the presentation
Café discussions – your thoughts!
Summary
N t steps
Next
t
Adjourn
1
What’s this Study all about?
Walk Cycle Waterloo Region is:
the Region of Waterloo’s plan on how to make to walking,
biking and rolling easier in our community.
Why are we doing the study?
By promoting and integrating active forms of
transportation, Walk Cycle Waterloo Region will help us
achieve the Region’s vision to be…
“an inclusive, thriving, and sustainable community committed to
maintaining harmony between rural and urban area and fostering
opportunities for current and future generations”
and…
“plan and manage an integrated, accessible and safe multi-modal
transportation systems that provide transportation choice, and promote
sustainability, a healthy population and the effective movement of
goods”
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The Transportation Master Plan already
sets the framework with a vision for transportation:
Optimize the Transportation System: Make the most of what exists: preserve and
maximize the use of facilities and services – avoid or defer the need for new
infrastructure that does not support the other goals
Promote Transportation Choice: Provide and maintain a transportation system that
offers competitive choices for moving people and goods in an integrated seamless
manner while minimizing single occupancy vehicles trips
Foster a Strong Economy: Provide a transportation system that supports the
retention of existing businesses and attraction or sustainable economic activity
Support Sustainable Development: Propose and maintain a transportation system
pp
sustainable ggrowth in both urban and rural areas and reduces
that supports
transportation contributions to climate change
The Region has committed to ensuring that
the health and social benefits of an active
lifestyle direct transportation planning and
design decisions. Generally, priority will be
given in the following order:
1. Walking
2. Cycling
3 Public
3.
P bli ttransit
it
4. Carpooling and other smart commute
strategies
5. Driving alone (single occupant vehicles)
However, local context will influence
t
transportation
t ti design.
d i
2
We are just getting started!
3
Nine Action Plans will be developed within the Walk Cycle Waterloo Region plan over the next year.
Timeline
Winter 2011 / 2012
Action Plans
Consultation
Supplemental
Design
Guidelines
Initial Public
Workshop
Behavioural
and Education
Programs
Cycling and
Walking
Network
Focus groups
Stakeholder Meetings
Spring / Summer
2012
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Infill / Gaps
Public Consultation
Centres
Public Meeting of
Planning
g and Works
Committee
Fall / Winter 2012
Performance
Monitoring
Final Presentations
Local Projects
of Regional
Significance
g
Strategic
Signage
Signature
Projects
Winter
Network
Waterloo
The City of Waterloo
adopted their first Transportation
Master Plan in 2011. For
pedestrians and cyclists, it includes
the following key policies and actions:
¾ Complete Streets Policy:
Plan, design, operate and maintain
streets to enable all users of all ages
and abilities – pedestrians, cyclists,
transit riders and motorists – to safely
y
move along and across City streets.
¾ Linked Greenways Policy:
Create a network of trails that support
active transportation such as
parkland, natural areas, woodlands,
river
i
and
d creekk corridors,
id
stormwater
t
t
management facilities, utility corridors,
transit and rail corridors, etc.
¾ Pedestrian Charter: Create an
urban environment in all parts of
the city that encourages and
supports walking.
¾ Bikeways and Trails Master Plan
¾ Traffic Calming Policy
¾ Sidewalk Maintenance (winter
control)
For more information visit
www.waterloo.ca
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4
Davenport Road is a “Complete
Street’ with the City’s first bike box.
In 2011, the City opened a new bicycle-parking
shelter in the Uptown Waterloo Parkade.
Picture from The Record September 2011
Waterloobikes.ca August 2011
Kitchener
The City of Kitchener adopted a Cycling Master Plan and a
Community Trails Master Plan in 2011. The City also has a Pedestrian
Charter that aims to create an urban environment in all parts of the city
that encourages
g and supports
pp
walking.
g The City
y is currently
y developing
p ga
new Transportation Master Plan and finalized a Transportation
Demand Management Strategy.
For more information visit
www.kitchener.ca
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UrbanTrans
Nelson \ Nygaard
5
Cambridge
The City of Cambridge adopted a Cycling Master Plan in 2009 and a Community Trails
Master Plan in 2010. The City has been a lead sponsor of the successful annual Tour de Grand bicycle
ride for all levels for 14 years.
For more information visit
www.Cambridge.ca
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UrbanTrans
Nelson \ Nygaard
6
The Townships
The Townships of North Dumfries,
Wellesley, Wilmot, and Woolwich are supportive
of the Region of Waterloo’s efforts to encourage more cycling and
walking. A number of Regional roads have paved shoulders for
walking
cyclists, and local cycling clubs frequent the rural roads in the
region. North Dumfries has a number of hiking trails in
Conservation Areas and Agreement Forests, plus the multi-use
Cambridge to Paris Rail Trail. Woolwich boasts eleven trails
totalling more than 80 kilometre.
kilometre Wilmot promotes the 104
kilometre hiking Avon Trail from St. Marys to Conestogo. The 45
kilometre long Kissing Bridge Trail traverses Woolwich and
Wellesley. The Trans Canada Trail crosses through all of the
Townships.
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7
Walking and Cycling Travel Facts
The Regional Transportation Master Plan
Length of Trips:
– Moving Forward 2031(RTMP) approved by Council in 2010,
presented the following facts and trends .
From 1996 and 2006 Transportation for Tomorrow Survey
8
Although the
average length of
trips
i made
d b
by
residents has
increased since
1996, about 43% of
daily trips in 2006
were less than five
kilometres in length.
Mode of Travel:
From 2007 Ipsos Reid telephone survey of 365 residents
In 2007, walking was
the primary mode of
transportation for 10%
of residents; 20% of
residents typically
walked or cycled to
get around the region.
Existing Walking and Cycling Facilities:
Length on
Regional
Roads
Mode Share Targets:
Facility
Total
Length
(PM Peak Hour Person Trips) From RTMP (2011)
Major trails
252 km
N/A
Minor trails
561 km
N/A
Sidewalk (linear km on each side of the street, Cities only; not
available for Townships)
2,140 km
255 km
Subtotal: Walking Network (Sidewalks and Trails)
2,953 km
255 km
Bi l route
t signs
i
Bicycle
k
54 km
N/A
Marked shared-use lane
33 km
5 km
Wide lane
6 km
4 km
Bike lane
103 km
46 km
Paved shoulder
175 km
168 km
Subtotal: Cycling Network (Cycling Facilities and Major Trails)
623 km
223 km
Regional roads
705 km
N/A
2006
2031 Targets
Region
Region
Cambridge
Kitchener
Waterloo
Rural
Cycling
0.7%
3.0%
1.9%
2.7%
4.5%
1.4%
Walking
7.1%
9.0%
8.0%
9.2%
10.7%
4.7%
Local
Transit
3.8%
14.8%
11.8%
17.0%
18.0%
2.0%
Vehicles*
88.3%
73.2%
78.3%
71.0%
66.7%
91.9%
Mode
* Auto driver, auto passenger,
school
h lb
bus, other
th
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Over the next 20 years, the Region is aiming to increase
the number of trips made by walking by about 25%,
and more than triple the trips made by cycling. The
Region is also aiming for half of all trips around transit
stations to be made by bike and on foot.
Walking and Cycling Safety
The Region of Waterloo’s
2010 Collision Report
Nu
umber of Collisio
ons
150
125
100
Pedestrians
Cyclists
75
50
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Year
Safe Places to Walk
Studies show that streets without safe places to walk
put people at risk:
• Residential areas with no sidewalks had 23% of
the pedestrian collisions but only three percent of
the pedestrian traffic
• Local streets with no sidewalks had 2.6 times
more pedestrian collisions, and local streets with
sidewalks on only one side had 1.2 times more
pedestrian collisions than streets with sidewalks
on both sides
Sidewalks are needed on
both sides of the street in
urban / suburban areas
Pedestrian Collisions
Cycling Collisions
From 2006 to 2010:
• The highest number of pedestrian
collisions were in the 16 to 19-yearold age group.
• Pedestrians had the right-of-way
crossing the road in half of the
collisions; the driver of the vehicle
failed to yield the right of way in 45%
of the collisions.
• 63% of the collisions occurred at
signals, 31% occurred in the middle
of a block, five percent at stop signs,
and one percent at other locations.
From 2006 to 2010:
• The highest number of cyclist
collisions were in the 20 to 24-yearold age group.
• Cyclists were riding improperly in
73% of the reported collisions. The
most common actions were in 14%
of the collisions cyclists failed to
yield the right of way, and in ten
percent of the collisions they
disobeyed traffic control (signals,
stop or yield signs).
• 55% of the collisions occurred when
th cyclist
the
li t was iin th
the crosswalk,
lk
26% occurred when cycling on the
road, 12% when cycling on the
sidewalk, four percent when cycling
on the road against traffic, and three
percent when cutting through traffic
traffic.
Safety is Affected by
Traffic:
Vehicle speed increases the
risk of injury or death if a
collision with a pedestrian
occurs.
There is safety in numbers - a
motorist is less likely to collide with
a pedestrian or cyclist if there are
a high number of people walking
and cycling in your community.
Odds of Pedestrian Death*
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
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*From Killing Speed and Saving Lives, UK Dept.
of Transportation, London, England, 1994.
30
50
65
Vehicle Speeds, km/h
9
Context Sensitive Design
The Region of Waterloo’s Context Sensitive Regional Transportation Design Guidelines 10
provides direction on how to design and plan Regional streets and roads in a manner that is site specific, while also considering the
transportation needs of the Region as a whole. One of the principles of the guidelines is to “enhance, develop, promote and integrate
sustainable and active forms of transportation (public transit, cycling and walking) by providing a comfortable built environment.” The
document provides a decision-making
decision making framework to determine the elements that make up the roadway and boulevard
boulevard.
Necessary
Landscaping and Site
Furnishing Zone
Necessary
Necessary
Important
Important
Important /
Optional
Optional
Land use Transition Zone
Land-use
Optional
Optional
Important
Necessary
Not Applicable
Optional
Multi-use Trail
Optional
Optional
Not Applicable
Optional
Optional
Not Applicable
y g Facilities
Cycling
Optional
p
Important
p
Important
p
Important
p
Important
p
Important
p
Mid-block Median Refuge
Optional
Important
Not Applicable
Important
Not Applicable
Optional
For more information visit
http://regionofwaterloo.ca/en/doingBusiness/guidelines.asp
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Pedestrian Clearwaay: Sidewalk
Land-use Trannsition Zone
Optional
Cycling Lane
C
Rural Village:
Main Street
Necessary
Travel Lanes
T
Rural Connecttor
Necessary
Transit Priority Lanes
Residential
Connector
Necessary
Sttreet Furniture and Landdscape Zone
Neighbourhoo
od
Connector:
Main Street
Necessary
Pedestrian Clearway: Muulti-use Trail
P
Neighbourhoo
od
Connector:
Avenue
Sidewalks
Landscapee Buffer Area
Community
Connector
See Regional Road Classification Map
Buffer Zone
The section below illustrates the corridor elements
that make up a Regional Transportation Corridor.
Design Ideas for Walking
11
Pedestrian Clearway includes:
Pedestrian Safety Enhancements:
•
Improving pedestrian safety looks at reducing types of crashes or
meeting certain objectives. For example, reducing vehicle speeds,
improving compliance with laws, encouraging walking, reducing
pedestrian exposure,
p
p
etc. Deciding
g on the set of treatments that will
provide the greatest benefits requires transportation and land-use
planners, engineers, law enforcement officials, and community leaders
to engage in problem-solving.
•
•
•
On both sides of the road where pedestrians are a
priority
Concrete with a broom finish preferred
C ti
Continuous
across d
driveways
i
Signs, street furniture and retail “spill-out” should
remain outside the clearway, in the landscape,
transition or buffer areas
1.8 metre width required
for wheelchairs to pass
each other
8
Accessible Sidewalks and
Street Crossings consider :
•
•
•
•
Sidewalk running-slope and cross-slope
Landings and ramps at street crossings
with proper running-slope and crossCross-slope
slope
Detectable warnings where the sidewalk
is level with the street (at ramps)
Audible traffic signals
g
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Examples of Enhancements:
Running-slope
Detectable warning at
bottom of curb ramp
Median Refuge
High visibility Crosswalk
Countdown Signal
Curb Extension
9
The location and alignment
of curb ramps is important
Design Ideas for Cycling
Conventional Bikeways:
New Ideas for Local Streets:
•
•
•
•
Lower speeds, lower volumes
Signed bicycle routes
Paved shoulders
Bike lanes
Boulevard multi-use trails
12
Bicycle boulevards, also known as local bike streets or
bicycle priority streets
New Ideas for Major Streets:
Higher speed, higher volumes
Separated bike lanes and cycle tracks
Painted Buffer
Mountable Curb
Photo: Richard Drdul
Landscaped Buffer
Marked shared-use lanes (“sharrows”)
Lower Speeds
Photo: Victor Gedris
Raised
Sidewalk Level
Delineators
Two-way on Oneway Streets
Retrofit Wide Lanes
Intersection Treatments
Short Sections of
Narrow Lanes
Beyond Door Zone
of Parked Cars
Intersection Markings
Crossing Areas
Photo: Michael Ronkin
Bike Box
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Two-stage
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Left-turn
Bicycle Lay-by at
T-intersections
Cyclists’ Push-button
Bicycle Loop Detector
How to get involved!
13
Here are some ways you can participate:
Get informed: read the display boards, take a handout, visit our web site
participate
p
in the workshop,
p, fill out a comment
Join the conversation: p
form, email us, chat with the project managers (see below)
Stay in touch: join our email list, follow us on Facebook or Twitter
We want to hear from you about any
changes or improvements you would
like to see that would make it easier
for people to walk, cycle or roll (inline skate, skateboard, mobility
devices) in the Region of Waterloo.
Next Steps
The Walk Cycle Waterloo Region study will take into
account the ideas submitted byy members of the p
public in
preparing preliminary action plans. Additional ideas will be
gathered through focus groups and meetings with
stakeholders. We will return in Spring 2012 to present the
draft action plans to the public for feedback.
In association with
UrbanTrans
Nelson \ Nygaard