chapter 6: measurement and funding A few other cities have tied new transportation funding sources that were approved by voters to the accommodation of all users. Such funding streams guarantee that Complete Streets projects will move forward and offer important leverage for other funds (American Planning Association 2010, 72). Seattle’s nine-year “Bridging the Gap” transportation funding levy is a good example of a voter-approved initiative that is designed to fund Complete Streets projects.
A G UIDE TO COMPLETE STREET S
Getting the Most out of Your Dollars With proper planning and thought, communities can identify many effective Complete Streets improvements that can be accomplished at little or no extra cost, yet yield big results. For example, paint costs very little but can transform corridors from four-lane high-speed arterials to major bicycle routes. The Stone Way North and West Nickerson Street rechannelization projects in Seattle are a good example of how far a little paint can go. These “road diets” eliminated two of the four automobile travel lanes, added a center turn lane and provided bike lanes in both directions. The Seattle Department of Transportation has stated that the rechannelization of these corridors is to “make the street better for pedestrians and bicyclists, reduce vehicle speeds, and reduce collisions… narrowing the space for motor vehicles has been shown to reduce travel speeds, while not decreasing the capacity of the street” (Seattle Department of Transportation 2009). Portland and Seattle have also installed bike corrals—on-street bicycle parking in the space where a car would normally parallel park. Changing the prioritization and style of pedestrian crossings, installation of bike-only traffic lights, use of bus priority signals and other operational improvements is also an important aspect of Complete Streets. Simple but effective measures such as these make it apparent that all modes are not only expected but also welcomed (American Planning Association 2010, 68). Another important way to manage costs is to take an incremental planning approach to projects and take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves. For example, when signal detectors are moved in Seattle, the city also installs bike loop detectors to allow cyclists to activate the signal. In University Place, Washington, planners and engineers took advantage of
50 utilities projects to install the city’s first sidewalks, paying only the marginal cost of the sidewalk installation. This incremental approach means a community can focus on filling in the gaps of its transportation network as projects come to the table. Seattle’s ordinance specifically allows planners and engineers to view projects in an incremental way, a principle described by Barbara Gray, transportation system design and planning manager at SDOT, as “a powerful tool in both managing costs and expectations” (American Planning Association 2010, 70). One caveat, however, is that communities using this approach must have a clear system to achieve the needed improvements and should not simply put off improvements into the indefinite future. Putting Cost into Perspective It is important for city staff and elected officials to remember that when all is said and done, the cost of accommodating pedestrians and bicyclists— including better access to (and for) transit—represents a very small percentage of a city or region’s transportation budget. Full implementation of a Complete Streets policy, which can take decades, may actually cost less than a single bridge project or a handful of highway interchanges—projects that often only benefit one type of roadway user: automobile drivers. Communities that express a clear desire for adopting Complete Streets policies must accept that some projects will be more expensive than others. However, the costs are often tempered by the communities’ understanding that Complete Streets will benefit all users and the belief that non-motorized and transit improvements are necessary for the livability and sustainability of the community. Michael Ronkin, national bike and pedestrian expert, may have said it best when he stated, “That’s the whole beauty of the Complete Streets movement: it becomes normal. It’s like adding insulation to a house; people understand that it’s an upfront cost, but that it is absolutely necessary” (American Planning Association 2010, 77).