06/26/2002 Env Bd Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Better Site Design o Streets do need to be wider when they serve higher density developments. possible, eet parking. to design a relatively narrow street even when housing densi ties begin to require more o common solution is the use of queuing streets. In the queuing street design, only one traffic lane is used ed and parking lanes serve as queuing lanes 990eand oncoming Figure 1.2 for an llustration). pass by (Bray and Rhodes, Communities have a significant opportunity to reduce impervious cover by revising their street standards, so that streets are the minimum width to carry traffic and meet residential parking demand. PERCEPTIONS AND REALITIES ABOUT STREET WIDTH cernsabout parking, safety, fire Any effort to narrow residential streets will need to satisfy community concerns P truck access, congestion and other factors. Much of the s these concerns. available research profiled in Table 1.2, however, suggests that careful design of narrow streets can address Parking Demand The need for on- street parking is often used to justify wider residential streets. siont, 2 spaces can usually that 2 or 2.5 parking spaces be provided for each home. Depending on its d P be provided by the driveway which leaves at most one space seven feet wide. Providing a continuous on- street parking spaces need to be about 20 feet long and lane on both sides of the street, however, is a very inefficient a and ex empve way to seatisfy this relatively minor parking need. Each on- street parking lane f one or both of the on- street parking lanes also (Sykes, 1989) while creating unutilized parking capacity. serve as a traffic lane (i.e, a queuing street), both traffic movement and parking needs can be met by a narrower street. Street Width and Safety The potential for increased vehicle- pedestrian accidents is often ited for not safer than narrower streets. Many studies, however, indicate that narrow residential streets may Federal Highway Administration (1997) noted that narrow street widthhs tend 19o92 reduce her vehicle which drivers travel. This finding has also been ndte noted by t eotent�al accidents. Slower speeds also reduce the provide drivers with more fime to react p P severity of injuries sustained in accidents. Fire Safety Another common impediment is the perception emergency vehicles, particularly fire vehicles. needed to ensure access. However, a number eighteen feet (Table 1.3). that narrow streets do not provide adequate access fc The conventional wisdom is that very wide streets ar of local fire codes permit roadway widths as narrow a