Midtown 4th Community Outreach by Rachel McQueen

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C O M M U N I T Y O U T R E AC H 4TH STREET | SANTA ROSA, CA

TEAM DESIGN/PROJECT MANAGEMENT Quadriga Landscape Architecture + Planning, Inc. PROJECT SPONSORS Attune Landscapes Old Town Fiberglass City Garden Doughnuts & Coffee Quadriga Landscape Architecture & Planning Wright Construction TLCD Axia Architects Todd Schapmire W Real Estate COMMUNITY PARTNERS Urban Community Partnership AIA Redwood Chapter

SOURCES Andersen, Michael, “Building Equity: Race, ethnicity, class and protected bike lanes: An idea book for fairer cities.” Alliance for Biking and Walking and People for Bikes, 2015. Andersen, Michael and Mary Lauran Hall, “Protected Bike Lanes Mean Business: How 21st Century Transportation Networks Help New Urban Economies Boom.” Alliance for Biking and Walking and People for Bikes, 2014. Anderson, Geoff and Laura Searfoss, “Safer Streets, Stronger Economies: Complete Streets project outcomes from across the country.” Smart Growth America National Complete Streets Coalition, 2015. March, Lynne. “Economic Impacts of Walking & Bicycling in Sonoma County.” Sonoma County Transportation Authority, January 2013. “Santa Rosa Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan 2010.” City of Santa Rosa, 2010

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ABOUT The Midtown 4th Community Outreach Campaign is a YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) effort Quadriga is pursuing, with the support of Urban Community Partnership, and other local design professionals and business owners to improve the section of 4th Street between Brookwood Avenue and Farmers Lane in Santa Rosa, California. The City of Santa Rosa’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan for 4th Street includes the addition of a Class II bike lane but does not address pedestrian or traffic calming measures. In an effort to encourage the City to adopt a more comprehensive and innovative approach, Quadriga is engaging in various tactical methods to draw attention to the needs present along this expanse, an area we have lovingly dubbed “Midtown 4th.” As design professionals we hope to help empower the local community to make 4th Street a better place to walk, bike, drive and patron.

W HY IMP ROVE 4T H STRE E T? SAFETY

80% 40%

of pedestrians struck by a car going 40 mph will die

200%

pedestrian crashes are more than twice as likely to occur in places without sidewalks

28% 56% 70%

reduction in pedestrian risk after installation of a living street

of pedestrians struck by a car going 30 mph will die

reduction in injuries after installation of a living street reduction in collisions after installation of a living street

EQUITY

39%

of the poorest quartile commute by bicycle

46%

is the number of pedestrian deaths with non-white victims while non-whites make up only 34% of the population

31%

of transit user households reported zero vehicle availability, 30% have access to one vehicle

57%

of Latino people and 54% of black people said they would like to ride a bike more often

T HE B E NE FI TS O F A L IVING STRE E T ECONOMIC IMPACT

24%

more is spent per month by people who traveled to a shopping area by bike than by those who traveled by car

20%

is the amount of increased property value for adjacent residences when traffic speeds are reduced by 5 to 10 mph

69Â˘

is the amount of retail revenue per hour per square foot of bike parking compared to 19 for on street auto parking

8yrs

is how long it would take for living street projects to pay for themselves in averted costs

H E A LT H

96%

is the amount of increased cycling activity after installation of a living street

92%

is the amount of increased pedestrian activity after installation of a living street

86%

is the amount of increased transit ridership after installation of a living street

is the amount of decreased healthcare costs a company saw after instituting incentives for bicycling to work

W HAT ABOUT S A N TA ROSA ? LO C A L S TAT S

.7%

decrease in cycling as a mode for commuting over a 10-year period

.5% .1%

decrease in walking as a mode for commuting over a 10-year period

3.3%

decrease in percent of total trips by walking over a 10-year period

of total collisions involved pedestrians and cyclists over a 5-year period

59%

of total collisions involving pedestrians the motorist was at fault

0.9

bicycle collisions/mile per year, or 8 collisions over a 5-year period occurred over a 1.75 mile section of 4th Street

94%

of trips made by Santa Rosans occur in an automobile

decrease in percent of total trips by cycling over a 10-year period

Personal safety and security concerns were the most common reason cited among respondents for not bicycling Time/distance to get to the destination was the most common reason cited among respondents for not walking

G EN E NE ERATIN R AT ING A LIV L IVING IN G STRE ST REE T

BIKE LANES

NARROW STREETS GATHERING SPACES FOR PEOPLE

AMPLE PLANTING

ALTERNATIVE PARKING SOLUTIONS UNIFIED PAVING TREATMENTS

LOCATION 4th Street begins in Downtown Santa Rosa and runs east where, less than three miles from where it originated, turns into Highway 12 transporting travelers to Sonoma. The half mile stretch of 4th Street from Downtown Santa Rosa to Brookwood Avenue is a local street with one lane in either direction, pull in angled parking and a 25 mile per hour speed limit. The character of 4th Street abruptly changes once it crosses Brookwood Avenue. Lanes widen and go from one lane in either direction to two, parking turns parallel and the speed limit increases by 10 miles per hour (although cars routinely travel above the limit). It is here where 4th Street morphs from a local street into a collector road. However, form does not follow function and businesses along this section of 4th Street accommodate those of a local street, similar in nature to Downtown. Restaurants, small office buildings, salons and banks line the road. Although the Memorial Hospital and McDonald mixed-use residential neighborhoods occupy the areas to the north and south, this segment of 4th Street itself lacks a neighborhood identity, belonging to neither. Car traffic that moves faster than the posted speed limit, insufficient dedicated left turn lanes, vast pedestrian crossings without refuges, narrow sidewalks, limited shade trees and vegetation and no dedicated bicycle lanes create a hostile environment for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.

Downtown - 4th Street @ E Street

4th Street @ Leland

Map of Northeast Santa Rosa

POP UP PARKLET The Midtown 4th Bike to Work Day Pop Up Parklet took place on May 11, 2017. This one day installation acted as a tool to engage with the community to find out how they would like to see 4th Street improved. As a pro bono effort, the budget for the parklet was very limited. Outreach to other local businesses was met with enthusiasm. Almost all design elements of the parklet were loaned or donated. Beverages were provided by a local cafe and parklet visitors were encouraged to patron one of the numerous restaurants within walking distance of the parklet. Visitors were asked to participate in a visual survey showing various â&#x20AC;&#x153;complete streetsâ&#x20AC;? approaches.

Midtown 4th Pop Up Parklet Rendering

W H AT WO U L D YO U L I K E TO S E E H A P P E N TO 4TH STREET? 14

TRAFFIC CALMING

DEFINED BIKE LANES

PROTECTED CROSSINGS

PLANTING

STREET TREES

STREET REPAVING

STREET & SAFETY LIGHTING

WIDER SIDEWALKS

TURN LANES

Parklet visitors were asked to participate in a visual survey by placing a sticker next to the improvements they thought were most needed on 4th Street. The 50 responses indicate that traffic calming measures are desired most by those polled.

26%

10% 18% 10% 12%

TRAFFIC CALMING DEFINED BIKE LANES PROTECTED CROSSINGS PLANTING STREET TREES STREET REPAVING STREET & SAFETY LIGHTING WIDER SIDEWALKS TURN LANES

Midtown 4th Pop Up Parklet

QUADRIGA landscape architecture + planning, inc. 1212 4th Street | Studio K Santa Rosa, CA 95404 707.546.3561 www.quadriga-inc.com @quadrigadesign