At its simplest, walkability measures how friendly an area is to walking, taking into account such factors as sidewalks, pedestrian rights-of-way, street and road conditions, landscaping, safety features, and the types of land uses and form of development in the community.

WSDOT has a good breakdown of the characteristics and safety features of walkable communities, including several local examples.

An example of where the City of Shoreline is trying to establish a walkable community is the City’s Town Center.  Some of the major elements that a walkable community should have include:

• Human scale design
• Denser, mixed use development near neighborhood services and transit
• A distinct urban or town center
• A variety of connected transportation options
• Unique and identifiable public spaces
• Lower speed streets
• Universal design - accessible design (Design that is accessible to all user groups, including the disabled, and easy to use and understand.)
• Connected, grid street pattern

In addition, there are resources such as walkability checklists and sites that rate the walkability of individual neighborhoods.

Residents can participate in the City’s Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program and work closely with city staff to evaluate the current conditions on their street and implement a variety of measures designed to address any specific traffic and pedestrian safety concerns that they may have. The City has also undertaken an extensive effort over the past several years to work closely with communities to develop Neighborhood Traffic Action Plans for the various neighborhoods throughout the city. These plans list recommendations for future improvements that address priority traffic and pedestrian safety concerns as identified by residents.

Traffic calming refers to measures which aim to reduce or manage the negative effects of motor vehicle use and improve conditions for non-motorized street users. The following diagram from the US Department of Transportation includes a number of traffic calming measures that have been or may be implemented in Shoreline.

Source: United States Department of Transportation

The City of Shoreline website has a map of traffic calming devices (as of May 2009) located throughout the City. Some of the more common types of traffic calming devices and measures include:

Types of Curb Extensions: Chicanes, Neckdowns, and Bulbouts

Curb extensions placed mid-block can be used to create a chicane, a series of bulbouts on alternating sides of the street, which are used to calm traffic by narrowing the street and requiring motorist to reduce their speed in order to maneuver through the device. Curb extensions can also be used at intersections or mid-block to provide visual distinction and reduce pedestrian crossing distances at established crosswalk locations. Bulbouts help to provide a clear visual signal to drivers that a crossing is approaching and makes waiting pedestrians more visible. Neckdowns are often longer than bulb-outs and often line up with and help to define parallel street parking areas. They narrow the appearance of the street and can be attractive, especially when landscaped. Incorporating swales or bioretention areas into curb extensions can help to capture or reduce storm water runoff within green streets (see discussion below).

Bulbout on 25th Ave NE near Kellogg Middle School

Speed Humps

Speed humps are traffic control devices that help to reduce speeds on residential streets with a speed limit of 25 mph or less by creating an elevated street surface (typically 3-4 inches) that requires vehicles to slow down. They differ from speed bumps found in parking lots in that they are wider (the standard width is 12 feet) and flatter, and do not require vehicle traffic to slow down quite as much (10 to 20 mph is typical, depending on the length and height of the speed hump). Speed humps have been shown to reduce traffic speeds by up to 7 mph. Speed humps are not used on arterials or primary emergency vehicle routes.

Speed humps on N 179th Street

Traffic Circles

Traffic circles are raised islands placed in intersections in residential neighborhoods only on local streets that help calm traffic by circulating vehicles through the intersection around the traffic circle, which causes vehicles slow down as they approach the intersection to check for opposing traffic. Traffic circles are appropriate on neighborhood streets where traffic volume is not a concern, but traffic speed is. Larger traffic circles that are placed on higher volume streets and include crosswalks and yield control are known as roundabouts. Roundabouts are discussed in further detail on the Alternative Street Design Page.

Traffic Circle at Stone Ave N and N 183rd Street

Landscaping / Street Trees

Landscaping and street trees have been shown to reduce traffic speeds by creating a more pedestrian friendly and enclosed environment. Vertical elements such as street trees serve to alert vehicles to the presence of pedestrians, and cause them to reduce their speeds. Street trees and landscaping are often used in conjunction with other traffic calming techniques such as diverters and chicanes. Street trees and a landscaping strip are required by code between the sidewalk and curb to provide a buffer for pedestrians from travel lanes.

Diverters

Diverters are physical barriers placed diagonally across an intersection that block through movements and effectively create two L-shaped streets. The diverters are landscaped, resulting in an additional traffic calming measure.

Source: http://www.trafficcalming.org

Street Closures

Street closures involve the installation of bollards or other types of barriers to block through access by vehicles, while maintaining access for pedestrians and bicyclists. They have been shown to be quite effective in reducing traffic volumes, while the use or removable bollards allows access by emergency or maintenance vehicles. Street closures can be either full closures (blocking vehicular access in both directions) or half closures, which limit vehicular traffic to either entry or exit, but not both.

A Bicycle Boulevard is a street that, while open to vehicular traffic, has been modified and optimized for bicycle safety and convenience. Such modifications typically have the added benefit of calming traffic and improving pedestrian safety. The City of Berkeley, CA has implemented a comprehensive bicycle boulevard system, including wayfinding signage.

Source: City of Berkeley, CA

Shared lane pavement markings, or “sharrows”, are bicycle symbols that are placed in the roadway lane indicating that motorists should expect to see and share the lanes with bicyclists. Unlike bicycle lanes, they do not designate a particular part of the roadway for the use of bicyclists.

Both motorists and bicyclists are expected to follow the rules of the road as if there were no sharrows. In addition, motorists should give bicyclists three feet of space when passing, while bicyclists should use the sharrow to guide where they ride within the lane, and should not ride too close to parked cars. 

Source: Seattle Department of Transportation

 

Priority Sidewalks
Throughout the years Shoreline residents and Council have identified adding sidewalks as a priority, and the previous TMP included a list of priority routes identified by the community. The City implemented a Priority Sidewalk Routes program in 2006, and since that time has added over 1.3 miles (7,000 lineal feet) of sidewalks and nearly five miles (25,000 lineal feet) of pedestrian walkways, including the Interurban Trail. Funding for the City’s sidewalk program is negligible. Funding programs and sources will be addressed in the updated Transportation Master Plan.