Improved Analysis Methodologies and Strategies for Complete Streets

Complete streets movement is a national effort to return to traditional streets in cities to enhance livability, safely, accommodate all modes of travel, provide travel choices, ease traffic congestion, and promote healthier communities. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and several local agencies in the State have developed implementation plans for complete streets. In this project, the authors developed and tested improved strategies and analysis methodologies for complete streets, taking into consideration the emerging advances in technology on control devices and data availability from multiple sources. The proposed improvements to the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) methodology for bicycle level of service (LOS), accounts for protected bicycle lanes, traffic exposure, bicycle delay and pavement quality index. A survey was also used to calibrate the proposed bikeway evaluation models. Signal control strategies for complete streets were developed and tested, including signal optimization for pedestrians, bicycles and Transit Signal Priority (TSP) along major travel corridors in San Francisco.