2001-03-19 Special Called Regular Meeting and Public Hearing

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e ~ ,'..." 2----- -PL:\~fNl~rC-08J[CTIV[~rOn-REStBBffIALS~ proceed accordingly. But collectors and major streets also are home to residents in many communities. Along these streets, the relationship of street space to buildings, and sucr features as setbacks, landscape treaunents, building orientation, construction materials, and ground floor uses can be major determinants of whether residents will consider traffic a serious concern. There are many cases of multiple dwelling units along streets with heavy traffic where appropriate building design and construction have been used and residents are not troubled by traffic. Similarly, there are cases where single-family homes are lo- cated along busy streets, but are set far back from the road and protected from traffic by fencing and landscaping. On the other hand, there are many ex~ples in which land use and street use are poorly matched, for example, where modest homes line a busy street and are assaulted daily with noise, fumes, and other adverse traffic impacts. Thus residen(traf- fic problems can and do arise on collectors and major streets, and may require special ef- forts to balance residents' needs with those of the traveling public. Hereafter in this chapter, when we speak of residential streets we will mean local streets unless we specifically state otherwise. This leads us to set forth some additional principles about the appropriate uses of local residential streets: frr-p <g tP/D t1 f.\ ) L J P . (Local) residential streets should be protected from through traffic; vehicles travel- 1'__ ' ,I].." f\ Ib:l ing on these streets should have a trip origin or destination in the area served by l\J-.lD lRYIAf" ~~. them. ' ~ tl...t Ru (L ~L (?ESt DEt-:r'\I\t.Residential streets should be protected from vehicles moving at excessive speeds '. (greater than 25 to ~O niph (40 to 45 km/hr)). 1:> 'j D E ~ ; h I <t-1 U'h-. · . ~~i.dential streets should be protected froin parking unrelated to residential ac'. lJ {f\ ~ eO ~ \..5 ~ tlVlbes. ~ In order to attain these results, the following planning concepts apply: · Street layout, design, and control should express and reinforce street function. . The overall street network should, include s~ts designed to accommodate through traffic, as well as residential streets. . ' . Residential streets should be linked to'traffic-carrying streets in a way that simul- taneol1!ly provides good. access to other parts of the community and region and minimiies the chances of the residential streets'. use by through traffic. ,. Land uses along streets intended to carry through traffic should be selected and '-~-------'-deSlgned to muwmze thell" seDSluvifY. to adverse iiaHiCimpacts; when possfbfe,--'- uses that can benefit from the greater aCcessJ."ility and public exposure that major streets can provide should be the ones located on such streets. · Strategies for reducing auto dependence both by residents and by others are legitimate tools of traffic management for residential streets. .,. . A.pplying-these planning concepts may raise questions about the role of transporta- tion profesSionals and others in the processes through which traffic management plans are initiated, developed, approved, and implemented. We take the view that residents have a right tolivable neighborhoods, and that transportation professionals have an obligation to help assure that streets are designed and managed to support that end. More specifically: . Residents in existing neighborhoods should have a say in the design:' function, and operation of the stteets on which they live; they should be able to participate in Planning for more livable neighborhoods and have a right to make their pre"feren- ces known to decision-makers. At the same time, other interests often will be af- fected by residential traffic controls-business and industry, commuters, even neighboring communities. These interests also should'be considered in, and given access to, the planning and design process.