AGENDA #1c

 

BUDGET WORKING PAPER

 

TO:                  W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

 

FROM:            Bruce Heflin, Public Works Director

 

SUBJECT:       Using Environmental Design Methods to Discourage Mid-Block Crossing

 

DATE:             April 2, 2003

 

 

This report provides information in response to a Council member’s question at a recent budget work session regarding the use of environmental design methods, including the installation of plantings, to discourage mid-block crossing by pedestrians in high traffic areas.

 

DISCUSSION

 

Environmental design methods can be used to influence the behavior of pedestrians in urban settings.  Streetscape elements including walls, planters, railings, bollards, street furnishings and plantings can be arranged to concentrate pedestrian flow on sidewalks and direct pedestrian movement to crosswalks.

 

A combination of these design techniques have been used in the recent reconstruction of sections of Streetscape.  In the 100 block of East Franklin Street, the installation of railings and retaining walls along with the concentration of bike racks, benches and other furnishings, have been used to discourage pedestrian movement between the sidewalk and the curb, and expanded open areas at crosswalks have been designed to encourage pedestrian flow into these areas.  Because there is on-street parking in most of this area, however, pedestrian movement between the sidewalk and the curb cannot be entirely eliminated and therefore some opportunities for mid-block pedestrian crossing remain.

 

On the University campus, a combination of plantings with stone bollards and chains has been used in several locations to discourage mid-block pedestrian crossing.  Most recently this combination of environmental design techniques has been used extensively along sections of Manning Drive adjacent to newly constructed residence halls.  In this example, where there is no on-street parking, continuous chains adjacent to the sidewalk and dense plantings of thorny compact hollies between these chains and the curb have effectively discouraged most mid-block pedestrian crossing in this area.  Discussions with University staff suggest that the success of this approach is dependent primarily on the height and continuity of the bollards and chains, with the shrub plantings functioning to improve aesthetics and to provide a secondary deterrent to pedestrian movements.  University staff noted that in their experience attractive and successful landscaping in exposed curbside sites is difficult unless plants are installed in newly developed irrigated locations where competition from existing tree roots is minimal.  They also noted that removing litter from thorny shrubs can be an ongoing problem and suggested that if the bollards and chains provide an adequate deterrent that less thorny plants may be suitable.

 

In some locations downtown, this combination of plantings with bollards and chains could be considered to discourage pedestrian mid-block crossing.  A possible location is along Franklin Street between Town Parking Lot 5 and the curb where there is no on-street parking and shrub plantings could be coordinated with the eventual replacement of the aging Bradford Pears.  Estimates of the cost of these improvements could be developed for specific locations if desired by the Council.

 

In areas outside of downtown, sidewalks are typically located behind a narrow grassed utility strip that affords little opportunity for effective control of pedestrian movement.  Along Airport Road for example, this narrow grass strip is generally less than 3’ in width, and therefore adequate space for successful plantings is not available.  In some of these areas, other environmental design methods, such as handrails and low fencing could be considered, but may not be permitted within NCDOT rights-of-way because of the State’s setback requirements from the traffic lanes.  In a few locations, notably on the north side of East Franklin Street near Hotel Siena, limited sections of sidewalk have been constructed farther back from the curb and therefore some opportunities may exist for improvements such as the combination of plantings with bollards and chains described above.  Because these areas are relatively short and not continuous, however, the overall effectiveness of these possible improvements in deterring mid-block crossing will likely be limited.  If desired by the Council, additional detailed information could be developed for specific locations where a wide enough utility strip exists to support plantings.

 

In general, we believe the environmental design methods selected to influence pedestrian movements are dependent on a range of site-specific factors.  In addition to the presence of on-street parking, competition from existing tree roots, the availability of irrigation, and the location of bus stops, fire hydrants and other site features would need to be considered in the design of improvements.  We believe that in most locations, particularly the heaviest pedestrian use areas downtown, a combination of environmental design techniques like those incorporated in the East Franklin Street Streetscape sections would likely be most successful.  We will continue to incorporate these techniques in future Streetscape projects unless otherwise directed by the Town Council.