title
Resolution approving the adoption of a Complete Streets Policy.
body
Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Pittsburgh as follows:
Section 1. The Mayor and the Director of City Planning, on behalf of the City of Pittsburgh, are hereby authorized to approve the Complete Streets Policy for the City, attached as Exhibit A and as adopted by the Planning Commission on July 26, 2016.
SEE ATTACHMENT
Attachment
EXHIBIT A - A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH COMPLETE STREETS POLICY
WHEREAS, the Mayor’s 2015 Executive Order, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission’s Long Range Plan and Allegheny County’s Active Allegheny Plan all reference or call for a Complete Streets network to connect the city;
WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh aims to be a livable community with enhanced mobility, equity and vitality in all neighborhoods through the design, maintenance, and use of Pittsburgh’s public rights-of-way;
WHEREAS, all residents should have access to safe, non-motorized mobility options;
WHEREAS, a robust, efficiently operated and well-connected transit, pedestrian and bicycle system is essential for the improvement of public health, safety, economic growth, and quality of life for all residents, visitors and patrons, including people with disabilities;
WHEREAS, streets form nearly half of Pittsburgh’s public space and therefore the City must consider the impact of right-of-way design on the public realm, given that many lack access to quality, accessible open space;
WHEREAS, building Complete Streets has the opportunity to facilitate daily physical activity through active transportation, given that 62% of all adults in Allegheny County were obese or overweight in 2010;
WHEREAS, encouraging regular physical activity reduces the risk of obesity, coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and some types of cancer;
WHEREAS, Complete Streets will incorporate accessibility for people with disabilities seeking to access medical, educational, employment or cultural services;
WHEREAS, the Complete Streets Policy would not be complete without giving recognition to persons with disabilities as full partners and stakeholders with the City in this undertaking; through the implementation of Complete Streets, the City understands and pledges to protect the civil rights of persons with disabilities as a protected class under the ADA and in ensures that improvements to the public realm complies with federal ADA standards;
WHEREAS, the proportion of fatal traffic crashes in Pittsburgh involving a person walking or biking has doubled in the last five years;
WHEREAS, worldwide, many crashes are preventable4 through a combination of design, education, and enforcement;
WHEREAS, Pittsburgh workers are highly multi-modal and comprise one of the largest non-auto commuting workforces in the country5 ;
WHEREAS, Pittsburgh has an aging population, resulting in nearly one-fifth of older residents in Allegheny County not driving regularly;
WHEREAS, greater mobility choices promote aging in place, equity, accessibility and independence for all residents, especially children, the elderly and the disabled;
WHEREAS, private automobile ownership can add thousands of dollars to an average resident’s annual household costs;
WHEREAS, Complete Streets create an opportunity for transportation equity for Pittsburgh’s most financially vulnerable households, a quarter of whom do not have access to an automobile5;
WHEREAS, those who travel on foot, with an assisted mobility device, on bicycle and on transit are significant users of the right-of-way and equally deserving of safe and adequate transportation infrastructure;
WHEREAS, Complete Streets are a sound financial investment in our community that, with sufficient planning and design, be incorporated into existing capital projects, provide long-term savings and reduce infrastructure costs in comparison to increasing road capacity for motor vehicles alone;
WHEREAS, Complete Streets promote increased use of sustainable modes of transportation (e.g., walking, using an assisted mobility device, bicycling, and transit), which are associated with environmental benefits related to greenhouse gas emissions, impervious coverage, storm water runoff, and air/water quality;
WHEREAS, our streets serve as important channels for stormwater flowing to the sewer system and the rivers, and therefore are important assets to combat issues with Pittsburgh’s ongoing challenges with combined sewer overflows, and are also conduits for utilities such as electricity, gas and drinking water;
WHEREAS, as a member of the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) and The Green Lane Project, a participant in the U.S. Department of Transportation Mayor’s Challenge, a finalist for the U.S. Department of Transportation Smart Cities Challenge, and the largest municipality in the Southwestern Pennsylvania region, the City of Pittsburgh values innovation in transportation planning and strives to be a leader in regional policy-making;
THEREFORE, THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH SHALL ADOPT A COMPLETE STREETS POLICY TO DEVELOP A SAFE AND ACCESSIBLE MULTI-MODAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM THAT WILL PROMOTE ENHANCED MOBILITY FOR ALL USERS REGARDLESS OF MODE OF TRAVEL, INCLUDING PEOPLE OF ALL AGES AND ABILITIES.
1 City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning (2013) Open Space PGH: Optimizing Pittsburgh’s Open Space, Parks, and
Recreation System. Map 3: Walksheds and Underserviced Areas.
2 Documét PI, Bear TM, Green HH (2012) Results from the 2009-2010 Allegheny County Health Survey (ACHS): Measuring the
Health of Adult Residents. Pittsburgh: Allegheny County Health Department, The Evaluation Institute.
3 PennDOT Crash Data 2011-2015 for the City of Pittsburgh
4 World Health Organization (2004) World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention: Summary.
5 Bike Pittsburgh (2015) Commuting Trends in Pittsburgh and Beyond A Decade of the American Community Survey Original dataset from the U.S. Census (2014 American Community Survey)
6 University of Pittsburgh (2014) State of Aging in Allegheny County http://ucsur.pitt.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/State-of-Aging-in-Allegheny-County.pdf
BACKGROUND ‘Complete Streets’ is a term coined by Smart Growth America in the early 2000s to describe a road network designed for everyone including pedestrians, people with disabilities, bicyclists, transit riders, motorists and freight carriers. Since Smart Growth America’s creation of the National Complete Streets Coalition in 2004, over 900 municipalities across the United States have adopted Complete Streets policies to reflect a change of thinking in the planning of their transportation systems. A Complete Streets network in Pittsburgh furthers the City’s land use, transportation, livability, economic, sustainability, equity and innovation goals by increasing workforce mobility options, encouraging compact development patterns, spurring improved health and safety, encouraging local economic activity, enhancing neighborhood character, improving the environment, and incorporating emerging technology. As the most utilized portions of the public realm, Pittsburgh’s streets should be designed to a high standard that serves multiple purposes and becomes a model for the region and state.
This represents a shift in the way that the City defines the role of its streets, particularly after decades of inequitable transportation decisions that have disproportionately impacted low income communities and neighborhoods of color in Pittsburgh. Enacting a Complete Streets policy can work to reverse this harm by deliberately investing in infrastructure that benefits the most disadvantaged in our city. A street should be seen as a public space that serves people and the environment in addition to moving freight and traffic. It is the intent of this policy to formalize the planning, design, operation and maintenance of Pittsburgh’s street network so that it accommodates all anticipated users, including pedestrians, people with disabilities, bicyclists, transit users, motorists, and freight carriers especially vulnerable populations such as senior citizens and children, regardless of age, ability, socioeconomic status or mode of travel. This initiative directs the City to consistently consider, plan, design, fund and construct projects that put pedestrians, people with disabilities, bicyclists and transit users on equal standing with motor vehicles. Thus, this policy calls for designing safer infrastructure for all of Pittsburgh’s road users, many of whom are disproportionately represented in the number of traffic fatalities in the city over the last five years7 . The Complete Streets Policy also aims to increase the number of people walking, biking and taking transit in the city by creating safe, comfortable spaces to travel via these modes, which are important and essential pieces of our transportation infrastructure.
The City of Pittsburgh recognizes that the planning and design of streets and corridors includes the whole right of way, defined as the entire area between building fronts or property lines on both sides of the street. A Complete Streets approach in Pittsburgh shall look holistically at the needs of people using this space. It shall also consider how streets can address the region’s environmental needs through the inclusion of green infrastructure and the air quality improvements that come from encouraging active transportation. In addition, this policy shall encourage innovation in mobility, including infrastructure elements which encourage the efficient use of our streets, such as smart infrastructure (i.e. sensors that allow for connected vehicle communication, transit signal priority, and pedestrian and bicycle detection). The quality of design and maintenance of projects is of utmost importance as the City takes on a ‘do it once, do it right’ mindset in regards to street improvements.
The desire for a Complete Streets approach stems from the need for greater safety and comfort for people walking, biking, and using assisted mobility devices in Pittsburgh’s compact, dense, and accessible downtown, as well as a desire to build upon the city’s strong transit culture and walkable neighborhood business districts. It also stems from a need to reverse decades of inequitable transportation decision-making that allowed some neighborhoods to prosper at the expense of others. Complete Streets approach can improve quality of life for all of Pittsburgh’s residents, visitors and workers through stronger development standards, better public spaces, access to open space, stormwater management, economic vitality, equity of investment among neighborhoods, and affordable, accessible and equitable transportation choices. As the city grows, it must ensure that the public realm is responsive to multiple generations regardless of age or ability - especially because people may have increased mobility needs over time. Complete Streets aim to eliminate barriers and encourage existing residents to age in place, while also creating a hospitable environment for new residents, workers and visitors.
VISION
The City of Pittsburgh’s Complete Streets Policy shall create a safe, accessible, and livable mobility network for users of all ages and abilities including, but not limited to, pedestrians, bicyclists, people with disabilities, motorists, transit riders and freight carriers. The City must consider all transportation improvement projects within the City’s public realm as opportunities for accessible multi-modal infrastructure that will enhance mobility, equity and livability for all people, integrating strategies from a palette of multi-modal street improvements. This palette includes an array of options including, but not limited to, Americans with Disabilities (ADA)-compliant curb cuts, crosswalks, audible signals with pedestrian countdown buttons, and adequate sidewalks, as well as bike lanes, runnels, adequate steps, green infrastructure, signage, sensors, street trees, exclusive bus lanes, enhanced transit stops, stations and wayfinding, and/or other streetscape and traffic calming elements such as bump outs and refuge islands, into ongoing transportation improvements as a matter of routine.
7 PennDOT Crash Data 2011-2015 for the City of Pittsburgh
Principles
The City of Pittsburgh outlines the following principles as forming the core of the Complete Streets policy. As