2.Define Success: Curbside Management Goals, Guidance, & Performance Measures
Comprehensive planning establishes a vision for the jurisdiction’s land uses and transportation system. Planning curb space proactively identifies strategies to connect the use of this space to sustainability, equity, economic development, recreation, and other core city responsibilities.
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Below are (1) important components to consider when drafting curbside management program goals and guiding principles; and (2) example curbside management program goals and objectives:
Performance:
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Safety: Operates safely & ensures accessibility for emergency response
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Accessibility: Accommodates people with special needs
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Mobility: Optimizes person movement at the curb, including use of bike and transit priority lanes, & shared mobility
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Street Function: Reflects modal priority(s) of the street
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Seamlessness: Serves the adjacent tenant’s needs
Community:
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Culture: Complements the community environment
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Equity: Balances revenue generation of this valuable space with equitable access for people that require the access to essential services but reside in disadvantaged communities
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Economic Development: Allows for safe and reliable access by ecommerce
Example goals and Guidance:
Goal:
Ensure a safe curbside environment including priority access for emergency response vehicles
Guidance:
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Highest priority in all environments:
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Direct access for emergency response vehicles
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Optimal location for fire hydrants; parking prohibited within 15 feet of fire hydrant locations
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Buffers for sight distance and / or intersection traffic operations
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Bulbouts for pedestrian crossings and intersection safety
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Fire lanes (private streets where applicable)
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Minimize conflicting movements between all modes of travel.
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Eliminate curbside safety hazards such as vehicle parking in bicycle and transit lanes.
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Arrange curb space realm components (sidewalk landscape amenity panel / furnishing zone, curb space, curb running lane) to function in a manner that maximizes the safety of the users.
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When necessary, use road diet techniques to narrow road curb-to-curb distance to (a) reduce the distance for pedestrians to cross the street; or (b) align the street’s target vehicle speed with the observed prevailing (85th percentile) vehicle speed. Adding on-street parking / docking capacity for adjacent uses may also be a technique to calm traffic speeds.
Goal:
Maximize accessible opportunities for people with special needs to have priority access to curb space
Guidance:
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After curb space reservation for safety, parking / docking for people with special needs is the next highest priority.
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Consult local design guides for accessibility requirements in activity centers. For example, in Tysons VA, at least one accessible parking space must be provided for every 25 at grade parking spaces, or at least one accessible parking space must be provided for a full square city block (typically 400’-600’ in length), even if there are fewer than 25 parking spaces on that square block. (Tysons Urban Design Guidelines)
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On-Street Parking: On-street non-residential parking must have designated accessible parking spaces sized so that a person with a disability may exit a parked vehicle and maneuver to the sidewalk without entering a vehicular way. Standard size designated accessible on-street parking spaces must be situated near an existing crosswalk with curb ramps.
Goal:
Optimize the movement of people along the curb
Guidance:
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With safety and accessible spaces reservations in place, prioritize person movement based on the modal priority of the street and community needs.
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Provide the necessary curbside accommodations to increase transit use, comfort, and convenience.
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Coordinate the curb space realm’s use with the modal priority of the street to accommodate bicycle lanes and priority transit lanes.
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Identify opportunities to offer flexible curb space use for short-term docking of shared mobility and ecommerce vehicles and passengers.
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Support micromobility use with conveniently located corrals / stations / racks.
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Optimize the use of parking space for tenant patrons, encouraging turnover at an interval that aligns with tenant needs. Long-term private vehicle storage should reside off-street.
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Include treatments such as crosswalk bulbouts to enhance the safe movement of people (as within Goal 1).
Goal:
Align the use of the curb with the tenants’ needs
Guidance:
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Balance the following competing demands for block-level curb space based on time-of-day / day of the week capacity
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ecommerce / shared mobility docking
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commercial loading
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patron parking
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public space and parklet
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Use survey tools to listen to resident property managers and business owners
Goal:
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Allocate the curb space realm in a manner that reflects the community needs and city priorities
Guidance:
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Apply an equity lens when prioritizing curb space use, minimizing barriers for disadvantaged community members, particularly for access to essential services.
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Price space to manage demand, enforce priority uses, and generate revenue. Encourage short-term parking use for access to local businesses and essential services. Discourage long-term parking in activity centers near mobility hubs such as Metrorail stations.
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Seek opportunities to align the use of the curb space realm for purposes beyond transportation such as parklets for businesses and public space for the community.
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Balance the productivity of the curb space realm with environmentally friendly treatments such as landscaping and sustainable stormwater management. Leverage such treatments to create a safety buffer for pedestrians as well as improving the livability of the community.
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Support local businesses with curb space realm uses that facilitate economic development.
Goal:
Promote sustainable activities and uses
Guidance:
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Encourage sustainable multimodal travel options such as the docking of non-single occupant auto travel modes.
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Integrate sustainable environmental infrastructure such as progressive stormwater management into the curb space realm.
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Minimize vehicle emissions during curb space docking.