Dutch Streetscape for North American Cities

Dutch Streetscape Design for North American Cities

“What attracts people most, it would appear, is other people.�

William H. Whyte

Introducing Mobycon At Mobycon, we believe movement is fundamental for individuals, businesses and communities to thrive. Our research, consulting and design is focused on sustainable mobility or more simply, providing people with transportation options so they can make the best possible decisions for today and tomorrow.

We have 30 years of experience designing bicycle routes and networks, complete streets and public spaces. We also have experience managing mobility demands by developing programs and policies that encourage the continuation of sustainable practices. We have been working to spread our knowledge of traffic, transportation and mobility through workshops and design projects in other parts of Europe and North America.

Our goal is not to apply Dutch solutions in a foreign environment but to share our way of thinking.

In order to develop successful solutions, our engineers, architects, geographers and planners all work in partnership with others who share our view on sustainable mobility. Our successful solutions are the reason clients return to us again and again.

Be inspired by some of the work we have done.

Our Vision If streets are the lifeblood of a community, then it is time

We also understand how to integrate the flow of people,

for streets to better reflect the needs of all the people who

goods and services into these high quality public spaces

make up our communities.

and into the greater transportation network.

This is what we believe at Mobycon where our work includes

Our expertise is in balancing public space and traffic flow,

designing streetscapes that make communities vibrant,

comfort and function, accessibility and safety – resulting

safe and accessible to people of all ages and abilities.

in streetscapes that contribute to a higher quality of life.

Our goal of providing Dutch inspiration to create North

We design and retrofit streets where people are invited

American solutions is to ensure safe, integrated and

to gather, engage with each other and support local

sustainable mobility in communities of all sizes.

businesses.

What is the Dutch approach?

The Dutch approach incorporates some striking aspects

traffic and place in Shared Space. We reach these goals by

which can lead to unexpected results. We use a solid policy

using an interdisciplinary, participative approach called

framework: our Vision Zero +. Besides that we focus on both

Functional Ambiance.

Vision Zero+ Dutch roads are consistently ranked as some of the safest in the world, due to years of implementing best-practice designs. Since the ‘90s the Sustainable Safety concept, also known as Vision Zero+, is the Dutch policy for road design. It is developed to prevent serious crashes and ensure freedom for all users. It resulted in a 30 percent reduction in fatal crashes in its first decade of adoption. Vision Zero+ acknowledges that people make mistakes and seeks to ensure those mistakes are not fatal. Going a step further than the original Swedish Vision Zero, the Dutch concept is based on the principles of a logical, hierarchical network and recognizable, safe and self explanatory street design.

Shared Space One design approach the Dutch have developed for creating people places in city centres and downtowns is Shared Space. Shared Space allows all types of road users to mix safely without the use of traditional traffic engineering measures. The emphasis is on place. In these high-quality public spaces, people are invited to linger but flow is still allowed. People feel like they are in a social space rather than a traffic space and this encourages people to behave in a way that is safe for all users.

Functional Ambiance Designing great streets is a challenge present across cultures and time zones. We use an open source design methodology called Functional Ambiance to help with this process. By introducing a common design language and uncovering shared interests, we are able to use Functional Ambiance to build consensus among users with diverse needs and interests. Functional Ambiance helps designers find a balance between a street designed for traffic flow and a street designed to provide people space.

Projects “If you plan cities for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic.

If you plan for people and places, you get people and places.�

Fred Kent

Shared Space and Mixed Use

Bierkade / Scheepmakershaven Old Beijerland, The Netherlands The main road, Bierkade / Scheepmakershaven, was once the quay of the port of Old Beijerland. Over time, this route through the town centre became a main thoroughfare. The spatial quality declined with the increase in motorized traffic.

The reconstruction was focused on giving the centre back to the people. The former thoroughfare now unfolds like a series of outdoor rooms featuring green space, access to the harbour quay and connection to the town centre. Large parking lots have been converted into small squares with trees and benches. Cars and cyclists are still allowed here, but they are guests. A bidirectional cycle track dissolves into the square so cyclists mingle with cars and pedestrians. Pedestrians are not confined to the walking zones at the streets edges but are encouraged to rediscover the whole public space, sitting on the edge of the sculpture in the centre or strolling along the water.

Facts:

Photo: municipality Oud-Beijerland

Type of project: p reliminary design, final design Realized: 2 013 Length: + /- 360 meters

N umber of vehicles: 7,500 / day

Shared Space and Mixed Use

Brouwerstraat Rijnsburg, the Netherlands The Brouwerstraat in Rijnsburg is a busy thoroughfare. The road had been enlarged and expanded over the course of time at the expense of safety and quality of life for area residents. There are few alternatives to rerouting traffic.

Mobycon’s redesign focused on slowing traffic. The road was narrowed and features were added to keep traffic at 30 km/h (20 mph). The road is now six meters wide, including rumble strips. This is large enough to accommodate heavy traffic, but results in increased safety. The sidewalks have been widened and are tree lined. Intersections have been retrofitted, removing the traffic lights and the right-of-way of the main route.

Although it seems to be a traditional design, it has transformed the village by creating an environment where traffic flows slowly and carefully. By intentionally designing a road suited for a smaller amount of traffic, through traffic is stimulated to use the highway, even though this is a detour. The livability for residents is improved, as is their quality of life.

Facts: Type of project: preliminary design, final design Realized: 2013 Length: +/- 700 meters

N umber of vehicles: 11,000 / day (old situation), 8500 / day (new situation)

Shared Space and Mixed Use

Old situation

New situation

Noarder Stasjonstrjitte Town of Zwaagwesteinde, the Netherlands Roads with speed limits of 50 km/h intersect in the small town of Zwaagwesteinde. The new eastern ring road will ensure that traffic calming on these roads is possible.

Mobycon, together with the Knowledge Centre Shared Space, reorganized all main routes in accordance with the Shared Space concept. Where the roads intersect, Mobycon designed a square that serves as a meeting place.

This square includes trees with sitting areas beneath that give people space to gather while also restricting access to cars. The design of the paving enhances the area, replacing the emphasis on traffic flow with a focus on the people and the space. The town has gone from being an intersection to a centre with a sense of place.

Facts: Type of project: preliminary design Realized: 2013 Length: +/- 230 meters

N umber of vehicles: about 3,500 / day

Shared Space and Mixed Use

Design (bosch-slabbers)

Bremer Strasse, Leverner Strasse Town of Bohmte, Germany In the town of Bohmte, too much motorized traffic was passing through the centre and public space was in need of improvement.

Mobycon, together with a number of partners including landscape architects Bosch Slabbers, prepared a preliminary design in which traditional traffic engineering measures were largely removed. The design proposed removing traffic lights and adding a square which can be used as a roundabout. Subtle differentiations in materials were proposed to direct different modes. The project complies with design standards and traffic guidelines and ensures traffic can flow while also adding unity to the streets and improving the quality of the town centre.

Facts:

Type of project: p reliminary design Completed: 2 008 Length: + /- 220 meters

N umber of vehicles: 12,500 / day

What does Shared Space look like in North America?

Photo: Chuck Szmurlo Existing Situation

New situation

Stephen Avenue Calgary, Alberta, Canada The City of Calgary had approved the bicycle network plan, opening up Stephen Avenue Mall for cyclists during the day. But not everyone in Calgary was in favour of the proposed changes to mix traffic modes.

Researching best practices from the Netherlands and North America, Mobycon analyzed the delicate relationship between pedestrians and cyclists and proposed a Shared Space on the heritage shopping street. Through a participatory heavy approach, using the ‘Functional Ambiance’ method, local support was gained and design elements determined. The designs show an emphasis on slowing down cyclists and encouraging pedestrians to make use of the whole streetscape. The street was opened as a Shared Space in the summer of 2015.

Facts:

Type of project: preliminary design, final design Realized: 2015 Length: +/- 450 meters

N umber of people on existing pedestrian mall: on average 450 ped/hour, with lunch hour peak of 1350 pedestrians

Protected cycle infrastructure

Kerkweg East Waddinxveen, The Netherlands Kerkweg East is an arterial road with a speed limit of 50 km/h (30 mph), and acts as an entrance to the town of Waddinxveen. Its previous layout prioritized motor vehicles, creating an uninviting entry to the town for cyclists and pedestrians.

Mobycon redeveloped the road to make it appropriate to its location in the village centre. Parking and trees now separate bike lanes from car traffic. The crossing has been converted into a small roundabout with rumble strips along its edges to slow the traffic but allow bigger vehicles to still have access. The traffic function and spatial form of the village entrance have both improved.

Facts: Type of project: preliminary design, final design Realized: 2012 Length: +/- 400 meters

N umber of vehicles: approximately 11,000 / day

What do Dutch cycle tracks look like in North America?

Existing Situation

New situation

New situation

Churchill Avenue Ottawa, Ontario, Canada The City of Ottawa wanted to improve cycling conditions on Churchill Avenue, particularly at crossings. At these intersections, the City questioned the best way to implement bicycle crossings. Should they continue straight on, or are there other design solution for crossing the street?

The City was also looking for insight into the safest, most efficient way to make a ‘left turn’ for cyclists at an intersection.

In the preliminary schemes, a bike box was used for this turn. Dutch experience shows there are other options that are more comfortable for ‘interested-but-concerned’ cyclists.

We reviewed the proposed plan, cross-sections, and alternative intersection treatments. The use of space, safety for cyclists and motorists, and “logical use” – the idea that cyclists tend to use the most direct route, therefore an indirect route could lead to unexpected crossing locations of cyclists – were all examined. New recommendations for a typical four-way signalized intersection and a typical non-signalized T-intersection were developed. The new designs, adopted from Dutch standards and tweaked to fit the context of Churchill Avenue, resulted in intersections and crossings that are safer for all users.

Facts: Type of project: preliminary design Realized: 2014 Length: +/- 1250 meters

N umber of vehicles: about 13.200 / day

What do Dutch cycle tracks look like in North America?

Photo: Hans Moor

Map: City of Ottawa

Main Street Ottawa, Ontario, Canada The City of Ottawa wanted to improve cycling conditions on Main Street and its side street Lees Avenue to create a complete street. The whole length of the roadway was reviewed and redesigned according to Complete Street guidelines, and then enhanced to meet established Dutch traffic safety principles. Considerations like bike lane or cycle track right-of-way for cyclists at side streets, continuity of the cycle route, providing enough space for pedestrians and even possibilities for green boulevards were all met. At the intersection of Main Street and Riverdale Avenue, traffic light controlled intersections were investigated as well as safe roundabout designs. Mobycon reviewed the preliminary design in several stages, from more abstract concepts to concrete street plans and cross sections. Together with designers from Parsons, the result we came up with shows an innovative, high quality transport route for cars, cyclists and pedestrians.

At intersections, the common Dutch, but non-NACTO or ASSHTO solution to lead cyclists off the road to a separated cycle track, crossing with a dedicated cycle crossing in the same phase as the pedestrians crossing the road was proposed. This leads to a higher quality design than regular complete street or NACTO design.

Facts:

Type of project: preliminary design Realized: under construction (2015) Length: +/- 1650 meters

N umber of vehicles: about 1050 vehicle / hour Photo: City of Ottawa

City of Ottawa

What do Dutch cycle tracks look like in North America?

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Map: City of Calgary

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Cycling will also be allowed during daytime hours on Stephen Avenue and the Olympic Plaza block to connect the cycle tracks on 8 Avenue and 9 Avenue, however no physical barrier will be built.

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Photo: Google LEGEND

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Further to the decision by Calgary City Council in April 2014, the downtown transportation network will be expanded to include new cycle tracks on:

City Centre Cycle Track Network Calgary, Alberta, Canada

calgary.ca | contact 311

Onward/ Providing more travel choices to improve overall mobility in Calgary’s transportation system.

In 2011, the City of Calgary set a target of creating 30km of cycle tracks by 2020. The objective of this project is to plan, design, and implement the cycle track network in the Centre City that will further reinforce and support an increase in cycling in the City, but also allow for future cycling infrastructure investments, such as a public bike share system. The lack of comfortable bike facilities in the City Centre was identified as one of the key challenges to the implementation of a bike share system.

In order to create a comprehensive and integral network, we researched, together with Stantec, the travel activities and patterns in Calgary: trip origins, destinations, purposes, modes and users. This allowed us to provide a network that can accommodate cycling trips connecting homes, work places, shopping and recreation areas, from beginning to end in the most direct, comfortable and safe way.

This lead to a city center cycle network with 5 new bike corridors. Mobycon then reviewed the design of these protected cycle tracks. The network was opened in the summer of 2015.

Photo: Google

Photo: Google

What does a Dutch Junction look like in North America

Photo: City of Davis

Map: City of Davis (own adjustment)

Photo: City of Davis

East Covell Boulevard, Davis, California, USA The City of Davis, California, is renowned for its university life as well as its cycling culture dating back to the late 1960s. The Cannery is the City’s newest development plan, and it is no exception in the bicycle-friendly atmosphere of Davis. For this new development, the City of Davis was interested in Dutch bicycle planning solutions to help them determine the best way to connect the Cannery to downtown, and help cyclists cross the main road separating this development from downtown.

Mobycon delivered a third party review on the plan, as well as a network analysis to determine the best cycle routes to encourage cycling by all ages and abilities. One of the recommendations Mobycon made for connecting The Cannery with the rest of downtown was for a Dutch junction at J-Street. With a few adjustments to the standard Dutch Junction, we were able to create a conceptual design for the intersection. Cyclist cross the intersection from a protected location, on a segregated path. A left turn happens in two stages. In 2015 this was opened as the first protected cycle intersection in the US.

Photo: City of Davis

Facts: Type of project: design review of preliminary design Realized: 2015 Length: +/- 1200 meters

N umber of vehicles: about 19.000 / day

Our Consultants and Designers

Lennart Nout MSc. Environmental & Infrastructure Planning Urban Mobility consultant Email: l.nout@mobycon.nl Lennart is an urban mobility design specialist with six years of experience in infrastructure design, transport and land-use planning. He specializes in the design and planning of bicycle networks and street design in urban areas. His combination of Dutch education and international

Dick van Veen

experience make him ideally suited for designing cycle facilities in car dominated cities.

MSc. Architecture, MSc. Engineering Senior Consultant and Designer, Traffic Engineering, City Planning Email: d.vanveen@mobycon.com

Alex Roedoe MSc. Engineering

Lead designer Dick has over 12 years of design experience. He has been involved in many

Senior Consultant, Traffic Engineering

traditional design projects, often focused on traffic flow and safety. More often, he pushes

Email: a.roedoe@mobycon.com

the limit of design to incorporate the ‘sense of place’ through the innovative Shared Space concept. Dick also has extensive experience with sustainable mobility and bicycle planning

Alex has over 15 years of consulting experience. He is an experienced project leader for large

projects. He is an experienced public speaker and has done many trainings and workshops in

and complex infrastructural projects, or public space designs, serving clients like the Dutch

both North America and many European countries.

provinces or the Ministry of Transport and Traffic.

Lars Matthijssen B.A. Traffic Engineering

Otto Cazemier

Consultant, Traffic Engineering & Public Management

MSc. Social and Economic Geography

Email: l.matthijssen@mobycon.com

Senior Consultant, Transportation and Traffic Email: o.cazemier@mobycon.com

Lars has experience on projects related to parking, accessibility, design of public space, spatial planning and traffic policy. He believes all solutions do not have to be physical, and in

Otto has special expertise in demand responsive transport systems and accessibility of

fact, some problems are best solved by communications campaigns or better enforcement of

(public) transport systems. He also works at an international level on European Commission

traffic laws.

projects on innovation in public transport and for the national government on light rail development.

Angela van der Kloof

Elizabeth Allingham

MSc. Human Geography

Community Economic Development, BA. Sociology

Senior Consultant, Sustainable Mobility

Director Mobycon North-America

Email: a.vanderkloof@mobycon.com

Email: e.allingham@mobycon.com

Angela is an enthusiastic consultant, speaker and trainer with over 20 years of working

An enthusiastic team player on the path to more liveable cities, Elizabeth enjoys working with

experience. Working on projects at local, national and international level, she specializes in

a variety of stakeholders to implement action on sustainable mobility. She has more than 10

sustainable mobility and behavioural change, advising clients in the fields of cycling, travel

years of experience managing projects, building partnerships and developing programs.

plans and road safety.

Johan Diepens

Mary Hudson Elbech

ir. Traffic Engineering

Environmental Infrastructure & Urban Planning

Business Management

Project Coordinator, Integrated Mobility Consultant - North America

Email: j.diepens@mobycon.com

Email: m.embry@mobycon.com

For more 30 years, Johan has helped shape mobility patterns in The Netherlands. He combines

As a sustainable mobility consultant, Mary is experienced in managing large-scale planning

expertise in traffic, transport and mobility with sound business sense. By watching changing

studies, teaching best practices in active transportation, and designing communications

trends, Johan is able to provide advice that fits the needs of changing societies.

campaigns.

Martijn van de Leur Higher Business Management Senior Consultant, Sustainable mobility Email: m.vandeleur@mobycon.com Martijn is passionate about innovation and smart solutions in the field of urban planning, whether it be devising a way to extend the impact of a European Commission funded project, finding new ways to connect the public and private sector, or leveraging technological tools in a creative way.

About Mobycon “It always seems impossible until it’s done�

Nelson Mandela

For 30 years, our multimodal transportation planning and design company has been developing integrated and sustainable mobility solutions enhancing quality of life in the Netherlands. Since 2012, we have been engaged in sharing Dutch knowledge about bicycle and pedestrian planning, urban design and traffic safety in North America. Engineers, architects, geographers, economists and planners all collaborate at Mobycon to create holistic solutions for traffic, transport and p eople.

Our successful solutions are the reason clients return to us again and again.

Mobycon is a trusted partner!

Contact Head office Delft

Office Den Bosch

Hooikade 13

Europalaan 28d

2627 AB Delft

5232 BD ‘s-Hertogenbosch The Netherlands

P.O. Box 2873

Phone: +31 73 523 10 65

2601 CW Delft The Netherlands

Office Ottawa

Phone: +31 15 214 78 99

1 Rideau Street, Suite 700 Ottawa, Ontario

Office Zwolle

Canada K1N 8S7

Hanzeplein 11-27

Phone: +1 61 321 62 332

8017 JD Zwolle The Netherlands Phone: +31 38 422 57 80

WWW.MOBYCON.COM

Email: info@mobycon.com