In 2018, Portland City Council approved an ordinance that lowered the speed limit on all residential streets to 20 mph, a change that resulted in reductions on 70 percent of the city’s street network. Oregon state law also allows the city to implement a 20 mph speed limit in business districts and to lower speed…
In 2016, the City of Cambridge lowered speed limits to 25 mph citywide and began implementing 20 mph safety zones in 2018. Cambridge—along with other cities and towns in Massachusetts—have the right to set speed limits for “thickly settled” areas under the state’s 2016 Municipal Modernization Act. Prior to this reform, the default speed limit…
New York City has worked for over a decade on comprehensively reducing speeds on streets across its five boroughs. In 2011, the City installed its first Neighborhood Slow Zone: a program that revamps small (about . square mile) residential areas with low traffic volumes and minimal through traffic, with 20 mph on-street markings, signs, speed…
In October 2016, the Seattle City Council passed an ordinance to lower the default speed limit from 25 to 20 mph on 1,250 miles of neighborhood streets and the default speed limit from 30 to 25 mph on arterials. This change was the result of a months-long legislative process initiated by Seattle DOT leadership. To…
As cities look to redesign their streets to provide more safe mobility and transportation options for their constituents, new maintenance and operations challenges and opportunities arise. The following case studies explore downsized street sweeping and snow plow equipment currently in use in Boston, Salt Lake City, Cambridge, MA, and Chicago. These case studies are an…
Project Length: 0.26 miles Right-of-Way Width: 66 feet Participating Agencies: Chicago Department of Transportation, Chicago Department of Water Management Timeline: 2012 – 2015 Cost: $4.8 million Goals Safety: Decrease traffic speeds and increase safety for pedestrians on this heavily-traversed (by foot) corridor. Placemaking: Create a strong sense of place with innovative streetscape design, providing a…
Project Area: 1.13 acres Drainage Area: 135 acres Right-of-Way Width: 100 feet Participating Agencies: LA Bureau of Sanitation (LASAN), Watershed Protection Division Timeline: Opened to public 2013 Cost: $3.4 million Goals Stormwater management: Capture all dry weather runoff from the project area. Improve water quality: Divert and filter polluted stormwater to mitigate the highest bacteria…
Project Area: 0.2 acres Drainage Area: 0.3 acres Right-of-Way Width: 42 feet Participating Agencies: Philadelphia Streets Department, Philadelphia Water Department Timeline: Opened 2014 Cost: $420,000 ($300,000 for street reconstruction, $120,000 for green infrastructure) Goals Stormwater management: Capture stormwater runoff from adjacent right-of-way. Improve water quality: Divert and filter polluted stormwater before it reaches the Tookany-Tacony…
Project Length: 1.4 miles Right-of-Way Width: 100 feet Participating Agencies: Chicago Department of Transportation; Chicago Department of Planning & Development; Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Timeline: 2009 – 2012 Cost: $14 million Goals Stormwater management: Divert 80% of stormwater away from gray water infrastructure. Demonstrate possibilities: Serve as a scalable model for future sustainable streets projects…
Project Length: 400 feet Right-of-Way Width: 47 feet Participating Agencies: Public-Private Partnership between Chattanooga Department of Public Works and Crash Pad Hospitality Timeline: 2012 – 2014 Cost: $350,000 Goals Stormwater management: Capture the first inch of runoff during stormwater events and decrease the peak runoff rate during extreme rain events. Flooding control: Eliminate nuisance flooding…