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Home My WebLink AboutComplete Packet_073019 GT The Main Street Safety Project is a collaborative effort between the City of Springfield and the Oregon Department of Transportation GOVERNANCE TEAM MEETING Tuesday, July 30, 2019 2:30 – 4:00 pm Springfield City Hall, Jesse Maine Room MEETING PURPOSE Hear project updates on community engagement and public meetings Discuss findings from the future (no-build) transportation conditions assessment and business and property owner impact literature review Provide guidance on project evaluation framework AGENDA 2:30 Welcome & Introductions Meeting Agenda & Purpose Group introductions Review previous meeting summary Mayor Christine Lundberg & Jeanne Lawson, JLA Public Involvement 2:45 Project Updates Project schedule & upcoming milestones Community group meeting highlights Molly Markarian, City of Springfield 2:55 Future Baseline (No-Build) Conditions Review transportation forecasts John Bosket, DKS Associates 3:10 Business & Property Owner Impact Literature Review Review findings Molly Springfield Main Street Safety Project Governance Team Meeting Tuesday, July 30, 2019 AGENDA – page 2 3:25 Evaluation Framework Review final project goals & objectives Review and provide feedback on draft solutions evaluation criteria Review and provide feedback on draft key principles and methodology for access management Facilitated Discussion 3:55 Main-McVay Transit Study Recommend Main Street build option for transit study analysis Kate Reid, LTD Board Member 4:00 Close Meeting Next Meeting: Late November Review Preliminary Alternatives with Analysis & Screening The meeting location is wheelchair-accessible. For the hearing-impaired, if you need a sign language interpreter to attend this meeting, please contact the City Manager’s Office at 541-726-3700 or cmo@springfield-or.gov or the ADA Coordinator Tom Mugleston at 541-726-3724 or tmugleston@springfield-or.gov. Please submit this request to the appropriate party at least five (5) days prior to the date of the scheduled meeting to allow enough time to fulfill your request. The meeting is open to the public to attend. No oral public comments will be taken at the meeting. Please submit comments via the project website at http://ourmainstreetspringfield.org/feedback/. Approved X/X/19 1 |Main Street Safety Project Governance Team Minutes Main Street Safety Project Governance Team (GT) Meeting Meeting Minutes March 21, 2019 – 2:30 to 4:00 pm Springfield City Hall, Library Meeting Room, 225 5th Street, Springfield Attendance Staff/Consultants: Emma Newman, Brian Barnett, Michael Liebler, Chip Decker (Intern), Molly Markarian, Bill Johnston, Jean Senechal-Biggs, Jeanne Lawson GT Members: Mayor Christine Lundberg, Councilor Marilee Woodrow, Kate Reid, Steven Yett, Niel Laudati, Frannie Brindle, Aurora Jackson Guests: Claire Roth, Mike Eyster, Carmel Snyder, Kevin Schaper CALL TO ORDER. Meeting was called to order at 2:30 p.m. Welcome/Introductions Introductions were made. Agenda and Purpose Jeanne Lawson stated that the fundamental purpose of the meeting is to review the findings in terms of the existing conditions and the input we gathered from the public outreach, all of which will feed into the goals and objectives. Jeanne stated that they would be presenting the comments that they have received from the Technical Advisory Committee, Strategic Advisory Committee, Planning Commission and City Council on the draft Goals and Objectives. The hope is to leave here today with some clear direction on substance. The team will then take that and begin building the overall evaluation framework. Jeanne stated that everyone has a meeting summary from the last meeting and asked if anyone had comments. In that meeting there were some refinements to the protocols and we want to note that those included an alternate for City Council and the Council is no longer using that so we adjusted that change in the protocols. Mayor Lundberg commented that she was unable to attend the prior meeting but had noticed that part of the discussion revolved around LTD and their role at the table. She went on to say that she was ok Approved X/X/19 2 |Main Street Safety Project Governance Team Minutes with LTD being a fully engaged member on the Governance Team. When the Main Street Safety Project was started she wanted to make sure that LTD participated. There have been many different projects on the corridor with a lot of money spent, so safety and transit should be coordinated. If you look at why accidents happen, sometimes it has to do with people trying to get to the bus. So, if we are trying to improve let’s make sure we aren’t making people come to more meetings than they have to and we come up with a seamless project. This is a safety-oriented corridor that includes all modes of transportation so I am happy to see that is included now. Jeanne stated that there is a newer issue regarding transit, and staff are working to try and figure out the next steps on that so we won’t be addressing that directly today in terms of what goes to FTA. But she went on to say that in the public outreach they did specifically have the question crafted with LTD about the enhanced corridor approach and that got support. Frannie Brindle commented that this was a hard conversation. She stated that she sits on the LTD Strategic Planning Committee as well as this one and there is this ARTS money that is looked at for improvements for safety and there is a planning process in order to provide guidance and then LTD’s planning process for which route it will take for transit planning so it is a matter of different funding and different timelines but thinks that bringing it together is the correct route to take. Kate Reid stated that one of the things that had been happening was that they were getting community pushback around LTD being a part of a conversation that wasn’t going to be based in transit. She just wants to make sure the Board shows up to do what the Board can actually do instead of being a fly on the wall. Additionally, she went on to say that they hadn’t really seen the MovingAhead project and the alternatives that were coming out of that but one of the main alternatives that had been proposed to the community is based on enhanced corridors. So, she thinks that what we will see in Springfield will be a very similar style of corridor as is being contemplated for some corridors in Eugene. Project Purpose Statement Molly Markarian began by reviewing the Purpose Statement which was last discussed about a year ago. She stated that the solutions will support economic viability of the corridor, accommodate current and future transit service and compliment safety education and traffic enforcement. She reiterated that the project area was between 20th and 72nd streets. She stated that they are currently in the “goals and objectives” phase of the project timeline. They have already completed the existing conditions analysis this fall and the intensive community engagement this winter. Molly stated that the engagement activities that were implemented in the fall and early winter were summarized into a Council Briefing Memo that was forwarded to the Governance Team in January. We would like to summarize again those efforts because that formed the basis of how we reached the community about the Online Open House that ran from November to December. There were two purposes for the Online Open House. One, it provided background on the project to the community and more importantly to solicit community input on values and key areas of concern. There were 450 new users and 177 comment submissions. Molly went on to state that they gathered feedback from traditionally underserved populations through focus groups and tabling at events. They went to the Approved X/X/19 3 |Main Street Safety Project Governance Team Minutes Briarwood Assisted Living Facility, Catholic Community Services, Downtown Languages and Willamalane’s Two50 Club. Values One of the key components of the focus groups and Online Open House was to seek input on proposed community values. A list of values was developed by looking at the previous visioning efforts that occurred on the corridor and work sessions with the City Council and Planning Commission. Jean Senechal-Biggs stated that at the Focus Groups people were given 3 coins and then placed them in the jars representing what was most important to them. The results clearly showed that safety was the most important. There was variation amongst the other categories. Jean explained that the Online Open House was a completely different way to allow people to weigh in on their values. In this focus group participants were given 21 points to divide up amongst the categories. Safety was also the most important in this study. Jeanne Lawson stated that transit is clearly still important. She went on to explain that this information is very helpful but to remember it is not a vote. It is not statistically valid, it is like a public meeting. The participants went on the online open house in lieu of a public meeting. Existing Conditions Molly Markarian explained that the Existing Transportation, Land Use and Environmental Conditions summaries were based on six technical memoranda that the consultant team put together and are available on the project website, www.mainstreetsafety.org. The data from the existing conditions analysis not only is being used to confirm the problems that need to be addressed but also to inform the goals and objectives. Molly went on to state that they looked at roadway characteristics. They also looked at freight. East of Bob Straub Parkway is considered a Reduction Review Route so there will be some additional ODOT procedures to comply with that. She also stated that there are bike lanes and sidewalks along Main Street but the condition varies. They looked at some different measures to determine how it feels as a pedestrian or bicyclist on the street. It was determined that both are not very inviting to do so safely. Molly continued that in terms of transit, Route 11 serves Main Street and has the 2nd highest ridership in LTD’s service area. However, there is a lack of safe and accessible routes for pedestrians and bicyclists to access it. Jean Senechal-Biggs stated that another piece of the data that they looked at was related to crashes along the corridor. They used ODOTs crash database which is comprised of police reports that are funneled to ODOT to process into a format that allowed them to look at the data in different ways. Jean went over the charts in the slide shows explaining the type of crashes and who is getting hurt along Main Street. She explained that over a 5-year period from 2012-2016 there were 653 crashes. About Approved X/X/19 4 |Main Street Safety Project Governance Team Minutes half are just property damage type. Fatal and severe crashes make up 4%. The map showed that the crashes were happening throughout the corridor and there wasn’t one area that was experiencing more than another. Jean went on to say that the pedestrians are more vulnerable than motorists and bicyclists to injuries. Pedestrians made up a little over 3% of the crashes on the corridor but were 75% of the fatal crashes and 10% of the severe injuries. Jean also stated that another trend that came out of the data was a lot of the turning movement and rear-end crashes due to the multiple driveways and side streets along Main Street. Additionally, we were asked about the role drug and alcohol impairment played in the crash data. It was found that of all the crashes impairment played a role in about 5%. That’s a pretty small percentage but when you start to look at their impact on the fatal and sever crashes the percentage goes up. Marilee Woodrow asked whether impairment is for drivers and bicyclists/pedestrians, and Michael Liebler clarified that it includes all those involved in the crash. Frannie Brindle stated that this analysis was really helpful since we are trying to get to the causes and conditions of the crashes and find the right counter-measures for those crashes. She added that lowering posted speed limits have been looked at but from the data here excess speed does not appear to be a significant contributor as compared to distraction and other factors. Molly noted that many GT members were engaged in the Main Street Visioning Process a number of years ago and we wanted to make sure that we develop with what the community shared in that process. We looked at existing land use conditions and possible opportunities for access consolidation to see if that may be a potential solution. The big take away here is that there are so many residential uses and community features along Main Street that it prompts a lot of pedestrian crossings. We do know that this project will most likely be constructed with federal funds so we will need to comply with federal environmental regulations. So, the consultant team did a high-level scan to let us know if there is anything we need to be aware of in the future for environmental compliance. The conclusion of that was there are no big problems to be aware of but we may have to do some extra effort when we get to the design phase. Goals and Objectives Jeanne Lawson stated that the Purpose Statement which was adopted in the previous meeting becomes the fatal flaw when we start evaluating alternatives. If a potential solution doesn’t meet the purpose of the study it cannot be an alternative. Jeanne went on to give the definition of a Goal and an Objective. Safety Jeanne stated that in terms of objectives under the safety goal we want to achieve a significant reduction in serious injuries as one, and overall achieve a significant reduction in the frequency of crashes along the corridor. Approved X/X/19 5 |Main Street Safety Project Governance Team Minutes Molly Markarian stated that the feedback we have received includes calling out all crash types not just fatalities and serious injuries, more specifically identify the reduction quantitatively and if there is a way to measure an increase in a desirable outcome in addition to or instead of a decrease in a less desirable outcome. Business Community Jeanne Lawson stated that from Day 1 there has been a strong concern from the business community about the viability of the businesses along the corridor. She then reviewed the goals and objectives proposed for this area. Molly Markarian stated that they have received quite a bit of feedback on this goal and some suggestions were a possible way to measure could be right-of-way impact from the possible solutions that are developed. We have heard that travel time is more valuable than travel distance for customers so that might influence the measurements. She also stated that there was a request to have the term “access” be clarified. They also heard from the Planning Commission it appeared from their review that there was some tension between the business community needs and interests and residential needs and interests in the community engagement but that was missing in the goals, so they suggested finding a way to highlight residential needs in some of the other goals. Frannie Brindle questioned whether visibility was being able to see the store front due to trees being in the way or cars? Jeanne responded that it represents the previous feedback that had been gathered as well as the early work that was done that a change in access could also change the visibility. Bill Johnston stated that trees are one concern that was mentioned and he has seen this concern on other corridors. With streetscape improvements some business owners are concerned that impedes visibility of the businesses. Mobility Jeanne Lawson reviewed the goal and objectives that were identified based on community feedback. Molly Markarian stated that they had received feedback to make sure and capture police, fire and life safety response times. Also, determine if we want to just maintain the efficiency or is improving it desired. Transportation Choices Jeanne Lawson read the goal and objectives for this category. Molly Markarian stated that they received feedback from every group on the first objective to stop the objective after “community” and in the metrics is where we can capture the specific groups. We also heard from City Council on the transit objective to provide “flexibility to accommodate” since we don’t Approved X/X/19 6 |Main Street Safety Project Governance Team Minutes really know what the future may be. Also, to try and capture a possible solution that can reduce gaps in sidewalks or bike lanes on the corridor. Vital Community Jeanne Lawson stated that for this one we wanted to explicitly refer back to the Main Street Vision Plan work, and she read the goal and objectives. Molly Markarian stated that this is the goal where we see addressing the question about residents and can capture resident access needs. They also received feedback about supporting the natural environment and water quality, which is a component of the Main Street Vision Plan. Feasibility Jeanne Lawson stated that they have heard clearly that we need to develop a plan with a clear and achievable approach to implementation. She noted that all objectives are prefaced with, “develop solutions that…and read through the goal and objectives. Molly Markarian stated that they had received quite a few requests to clarify what the intent of a number of these words and terms are. We are working on ways to refine that but some of the key issues are to make sure to capture both the initial construction costs and ongoing maintenance costs and the likelihood of foreseeable resources for both. Also, to find a way to possibly phasing projects and to have something implemented in the short term. Discussion Jeanne then asked for GT input on the draft Goals and Objectives. Mayor Lundberg stated that Council saw it on Monday night and we gave feedback there. Kate Reid stated that she thought they met the goals and objectives of LTD as an organization and what we are looking at for an enhanced corridor on Main Street. Transportation Choices with the mobility is the only place we will have input. The rest of it they are here to support and do what the community wants us to do with our transit corridor and coordinate that with the Safety Project. Jeanne asked Kate since one of the concerns was using the term “accommodate” if there was concern. This comes back to the idea of an enhanced corridor that is difficult for some people to grasp. So, accommodate the enhanced corridor caused a little concern so the recommendation was to change to provide the flexibility to accommodate. Does that feel like an acceptable approach? Kate Reid responded that her understanding of an enhanced corridor is taking it piece by piece and looking at how people interact with existing stops or access points. There were a couple around 42nd and 32nd and 28th that I feel like that is where we would look at safety pieces to create an enhanced corridor. Jeanne asked if it addresses Councilor Pishioneri’s concern from the Council Meeting. Approved X/X/19 7 |Main Street Safety Project Governance Team Minutes Marilee Woodrow stated that as you’re going down Main Street you are not going to want to take 10 feet away from the properties across the board but you might have another area that has more room and not have their store fronts right there on the sidewalk. There might be an opportunity to widen the street and make room for buses. That’s where the flexibility comes in and that where the identity and recognition of businesses and their needs and how we’re going to work with them comes in to play. The Mayor stated that it was very important to her. One of the iterations from the transit study was if you really drive down Main Street if you need to have “X” amount of space, there may be vacant land on one side so you could move it completely. So then Main Street isn’t exactly straight anymore which may help slow down traffic. It may actually create a safer environment anyway. Kate stated that there are a few places between 28th and 32nd where it may actually give some businesses frontage that don’t currently have it. The Mayor added that it would be a better scenario to try and work with the property owners if we go out there with the idea we will do the best that we can to try and move things around to create the best possible scenario for the businesses. She also stated that she had been out there walking by those planter boxes that got put in that took along time to get done. Or if it is a storage unit and you have a trailer behind you and you have to stop without much space and your trailer is out in the street. So, there are those type of situations that are quite specific that if we can stop and look at each one of them but it requires the flexibility. Jeanne stated that when you are looking at the results of the Online Open House a lot of the outreach was directly along the corridor there. So, it would not be surprising that you would get the kind of feedback that you did. It did focus a lot on the business viability. Marilee stated that she noticed in the minutes from the last meeting that was one of the comments that she had made. We have to look beyond Main Street and look what is on either side of it. It is important because if you are talking about having access to transit and getting people in and out in their cars, those are the people you have to consider. They have to have access to what’s immediately on Main Street and how they are going to use it to get to where they want to go. Molly stated that the places we considered adding “neighborhood” were in the environment consistent with the Vision Plan. Jeanne stated that we would modify those so that it is within the Vital Community goal that we specifically address neighborhoods. Frannie Brindle commented that you have this long corridor and then you have these goals and objectives that would apply for the whole corridor but at different segments of the corridor you have different goals that would be weighed more heavily. So, for the Vital Community she would think that for the neighborhood piece it would also be transit because people will want to have access. Jeanne responded that was how part of it came out in terms of the neighborhood, being able to get where they need to go including to access transit. Approved X/X/19 8 |Main Street Safety Project Governance Team Minutes Kate asked what the vision is in this context? Is it walkable neighborhoods, so they can get to the bus stop? Thinking of how we would be doing the enhanced corridor. She doesn’t think we would be blocking any of the current access, so would that just mean more stops along the way or built out stops that have bike racks? The Mayor stated that she was still waiting for the whole LTD study because there is such a basic core question in the operation piece. Do we want a further walk but more frequent service or do we want it to stop every block and it be much slower? There is a fundamental question about people that want to use the bus but you’re still in the process of determining what that is right now? Kate responded that at their Board meeting last night we took a vote on the Transit Tomorrow study. There is actually a design workshop happening today and tomorrow looking at options. The Board did decide to go with a higher ridership network. Specifically calling out using a percentage of the coverage for non-fixed route mobility options. Really looking at places to lose coverage and looking at other available options. If it’s like the Mobility on Demand Pilot in Cottage Grove or what’s going to happen in downtown Eugene with the electric vehicles. Just having an open mind on how to give the accessibility back to the areas that would lose coverage. The Mayor asked if you would walk a little bit further Kate responded that yes, you may walk a little further or you may have a different way of getting to the bus stop that isn’t necessarily your car or walking, but there is still a whole process to see what the community would want. Tom Schwetz stated that the question of longer walks or shorter waits, that’s going towards a ridership model especially for Main Street which is a frequent transit corridor. The Mayor stated that she thinks that is important for this discussion because that will affect how we want to plan for the corridor. Frannie asked if there was talk about extending the service into the evening hours. Kate responded that is correct. Evenings and weekends will be voted on at the next Board meeting. Jeanne stated that when she was thinking about the neighborhood and the residential piece she was thinking it was sort of a push back against it being so business-oriented and not transit but it feels very applicable to transit the way it was just brought up. The visibility issue versus tree lined, it comes up in a number of ways. She asked Molly how it came about at the Planning Commission. Molly stated that it was more of an observation. There seems to be a little bit of tension in the results of the Online Open House and the Focus Groups and they just did not see that reflected in the goals and objectives that seemed to be only focusing on the businesses not the residents. Kate stated that for them focusing on the corridor, specifically from 20th on, they would be looking at safety pieces for accessing the bus. She also stated that she thought that was addressed in the Approved X/X/19 9 |Main Street Safety Project Governance Team Minutes pedestrian network analysis which happened with the Transit Tomorrow original planning process. We do have some very good information for accessing those areas. Bill Johnston responded that one way that tension is formalized is in these goals. There are some competing goals like with the tree example, improve the appearance of Main Street. That could imply street treatments. So, the task for the decision makers will be to balance some of these competing goals. Marilee stated that as you present them in the future, we know based on data and statistics, that stuff helps slow down traffic when you have street trees and improved aesthetics. It makes things feel cozier and people just automatically slow to a measurable amount. If there is a possibility to find any data that would go with the implementation of the aesthetics it would be great to see so we can consider it. Jeanne stated that she believed that came out in one of the edits we were talking about in terms of we don’t always have things that will be measured as such but we can talk about treatments. The Mayor asked if we are going to look at what was in the Transportation System Plan discussion and that was moving bikes off of the street and onto the sidewalk. But then it became a driveway issue where bikes are going across driveways. She would like statistics because part of why we picked roundabouts instead of signalized intersections is that you reduce the risk of serious or fatal injuries. So, she would like to have the information about bicyclist involved crash and safety data as we go through the process. Because we have the fatalities when you have a car going 40 mph can we look at what those statistics are having bicycles on a sidewalk. Someone is doing it somewhere and has statistics on it. Kate stated that she also wondered about looking at what Portland is doing in some of their downtown areas, creating a protected bike lane with the cones, flexible delineators. The Mayor responded that they just bolt down, they are just plastic. They don’t block the driveways. Jeanne stated that there were a couple more that are potential edits. One is under mobility and there was the question, “why not improve?’, so we wanted to ask if you wanted to make it “maintain” or “improve” the efficiency and reliability of passenger vehicles? And “maintain” or “improve” the efficiency and reliability of transit operations. She also wanted to suggest based on the feedback that we add one specifically about emergency services. So, “meet police, fire and life safety standards for emergency response times. So, there were three edits there. Maintain or improve, at a minimum you want to maintain but it allows to measure if it’s also improved. Remember as you start doing this it might affect the liability but you are going to be balancing it against other things. Tom Boyatt asked if it is “maintain and improve”? Jeanne answered that it was “maintain or improve”. Tom asked if that applied to emergency services as well? Approved X/X/19 10 |Main Street Safety Project Governance Team Minutes Molly answered that emergency services would be “meet the emergency services standards for emergency response times”. Tom suggested that you would go with “maintain and improve” language since we already have places along the corridor where we don’t meet the national standard for response times. Some cases we exceed and some cases we don’t meet so he thinks that “maintain or improve” is better. Bill cautioned that the priority is addressing safety as we know from our other analysis that mobility is not a large concern, it’s not a heavily congested corridor. There is no harm in trying to improve mobility, but if we’re focusing on safety it’s not necessarily going to result in enhancements to mobility. Frannie asked if some of this corridor has different mobility standards? Bill responded that he wasn’t sure that it was but whether or not it is we have these alternate mobility targets. If there were congestion issues we could address it through that. Marilee stated that there is a congestion issue much more so than 5 years ago. But the statistics that we got the other night said that were expected to increase by 40,000 people by 2050 in Springfield. So that indicates were going to have a congestion issue somewhere in the next 30 years. Tom stated that the Alternative Mobility Standards is something that is going to the Oregon Transportation Commission and he believes that its 42nd Street and Hwy 126 and Main and it’s a slight lowering of the standard. Bill stated that he did not mean to complicate things and that at some of these intersections we would like to improve mobility, and roundabouts if that’s the selected solution that would accomplish that. He went on to say that his main point was that compared to other corridors congestion is not a big problem and unlike other projects where that might be the main goal of the project. It’s not here necessarily to improve mobility. Jeanne stated that she seemed to remember that ‘maintain and/or improve’ was directed towards the transit objective. Molly answered that they received the feedback from the Technical Advisory Committee on that as it related to transit but we subsequently have been talking about it is others. Jeanne stated that however this is worded it is going to drive the same criteria so there can be conflicts just as was said. It is nice to have something that builds reasonable expectations. So, if folks are generally good with that we really want to get to the remaining questions. She thinks the other one is feasibility and that is a really important one that the Council had a lot of feedback on as well. What we talked about on this one is that we have “can be implemented within 5 years” was a big question mark. The suggested edit was “that it can be implemented….” Approved X/X/19 11 |Main Street Safety Project Governance Team Minutes Molly stated that possible edits would be “it can be implemented and maintained with foreseeable resources”, that’s getting more at the cost part of it. But then a separate objective looks at “can be implemented incrementally“, with significant progress within a certain timeframe. Jeanne stated that one of the issues the Council raised is don’t give up one hard target for something recognizing it might be difficult to build the whole thing. So, breaking apart the resources and making it clear that it would be incrementally phased with significant progress made within a shorter timeframe. The idea here is that it be realistic solutions, that’s the goal. The Mayor stated that Franklin Boulevard is an example because when it was started it was one big project and now it’s three phases. If you go down Franklin it is beautiful, beautiful and then there’s nothing else. That was where reality hit the road and we could only build so much. You have to work with what is available. She went on to say we are hopeful that we can get a package out of the Federal government that we could in fact make some progress towards money that would help all of us improve the transportation system. Jeanne asked if everyone was good with the changes that were talked about. No comments were added. Next Steps Jeanne Lawson said that where we go from here is that we edit the goals and objectives. There will be a revised version that goes out to the Governance Team in advance of the next meeting but the guidance that was given today will allow the team to take this and start building the criteria and measurements. She thinks a good one to use as an example is the one that we pulled apart that really addresses equity for everyone in the community. There were those that said safety for everybody and said it should be safety for pedestrians, safety for bikes and safety for cars. The criteria will start getting in to some of the breakdown that will allow the team to bring evaluation to look at all the things separately. The next meeting is expected to be in June. We have the economic impact literature review; the baseline travel forecast and Key Principles and Methodology. Remembering that this is a Senate Bill 408 potential corridor. That deals with corridors where there are access changes and how that is dealt with. One of the things that has to happen is that there has to be a set of principles that the adjacent property owners are informed of and provide input on. It is really very akin to the goals and objectives process. We will be taking the feedback from this and using that as well to start forming those. Then the methodology for how things will be developed and evaluated. Bill Johnston added that in keeping with our theme of competing priorities the Key Principles will probably emphasize that there is a need to balance these competing priorities. He thinks that is the key thing that Senate Bill 408 wanted ODOT and local governments to look at in putting the plans together. Make sure that we’re not only concerned about safety or medians, we also need to respect the needs of business owners. That will be reflected in the Key Principles but as a preview to what the decision- makers will need to balance. Approved X/X/19 12 |Main Street Safety Project Governance Team Minutes Frannie Brindle stated that when we looked at the safety hot spots along the corridor in the pedestrian safety study they were tied to intersections, but we also saw that multiple driveways are contributing to the safety issues. She was wondering in the analysis if the team can look at where those things intersect. If the multiple accesses are occurring in the area of the intersections. The reason she would want to do that is to figure out if there is a way to focus our efforts on access management if we have to go there. Bill stated that is a very good thought. We have talked before that we have an economist on board to help look at the potential impacts to out of direction travel and the potential of a median on surrounding businesses. Looking at the big properties that are the big traffic generators and see if that will help us define where strategic breaks in the median might be. Part of that would also be looking at where the safety hot spots are. The access to businesses would need to be balanced with these other factors. Frannie stated that if we are finding that these hot spots are tied to something other than the intersection and when we have to balance those things we can at least use data to do that. Marilee Woodrow added that determining whether it is before or after one of those crosswalks because safety has changed since putting in the lighted crosswalks. It was a hot spot before it was put in. Frannie stated that the data was collected before it was put in. It may also change how we want to do bus stops around those things. Kate Reid added that especially when you look at schools and community centers that are right off of Main Street. Brian Barnett added that there are segments that are hot spots and not strictly intersection related. A lot of what is being described here is getting to that design level detail. Jeanne asked if there were any other comments. No additional comments were made. Meeting adjourned at 4pm. TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM #9: FUTURE BASELINE FORECASTS AND CONDITIONS DATE: May 20, 2019 TO: Molly Markarian | City of Springfield Bill Johnston | ODOT Region 2 FROM: Kayla Fleskes, Garth Appanaitis, Lacy Brown, Jean Senechal Biggs | DKS Associates SUBJECT: Task 6.5: Future Baseline Forecasts and Conditions Tech Memo #9: Final DKS Project 14180-023 This memorandum summarizes future baseline forecasts and transportation conditions for the Main Street (OR 126) corridor in Springfield, Oregon. The analyzed corridor includes 15 study intersections and is an approximately five-mile segment on OR 126 (also known as the McKenzie Highway or Main Street), as discussed in the Existing Transportation Conditions Memorandum (TM #6). The corridor extends from mile point (MP) 2.98 to MP 7.88, which is roughly from S. 20th Street to 72nd Street. The scope of the analysis was determined in conjunction with project team members and staff from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the City of Springfield. The analysis considered forecasted 2040 traffic volumes; future street network characteristics and intersection operations; future multimodal conditions; and future baseline corridor collision analysis. The analysis predicts a “no build” condition along Main Street for the year 2040 based on current conditions and anticipated projects. The analysis does not include any potential mitigations or roadway improvements that could result from the Main Street Safety Project. Instead, the analysis is intended to identify future conditions that should be considered as part of the planning process and inform decision-making for infrastructure solutions. The following sections of this memorandum address each of these topics and provide additional information on the following highlights: Traffic volumes traveling eastbound and westbound along Main Street are forecasted to increase 20 to 30 percent by 2040. The increase in traffic volume is expected to lead to an increase in intersection delay and travel times along the corridor. Final – May 20, 2019 | 2 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #9: Future Baseline Forecasts and Conditions Four signalized intersections are forecasted to exceed mobility standards and experience excessive delays, reflecting a worse condition from traffic operations today in which all the signalized intersections meet mobility standards. Most notable is demand at the intersection of Main Street and Bob Straub Parkway which is forecasted to exceed capacity during the p.m. peak hour by 2040. Vehicle delay at the signalized intersections when traveling eastbound during the p.m. peak hour is expected to nearly double from existing conditions, which will increase vehicle travel times through the corridor by nearly 30 percent. The impacts of delay at the intersections when traveling westbound along Main Street in the p.m. peak hour are less pronounced, with only a seven percent increase in travel times over existing. The increased signalized intersection delay will also impact freight and transit travel times through the corridor during the p.m. peak hour. With increased congestion and delay along Main Street in the future, transit travel times will increase by nearly five percent. This will reduce the transit level-of-service (LOS) from B/C to C (on an A to F scale). Improvements being evaluated through the Main-McVay Transit Study could potentially improve the transit travel times and LOS along Main Street. While there are a handful of expected spot improvements to the pedestrian and bicycle network near the study area that will improve safety and connectivity, much of the corridor will continue to remain a high-stress environment for pedestrians and bicyclists. As discussed in the Existing Transportation Conditions Memo (TM #6), multiple factors would need to be addressed to create a low-stress environment for multimodal travel. Increased traffic volumes along Main Street will also contribute to a degradation of safety performance. The study corridor as a whole is expected to see a 19% increase in total crashes by 2040, equating to nearly 19 more crashes per year. Individual intersections and segments are expected to see an increase in crashes of 10% to 135%. The magnitude of the increase is directly related to the forecasted increase in traffic volume and will affect all modes of travel. Along the Main Street corridor, the average access density is 75 access points1 per mile, with a range of 20 to 133 access points per mile, well exceeding ODOT access management standards. Research indicates that every additional access point above 10 per mile increases the risk of a crash by approximately 4%. This means that some segments of the Main Street corridor experience up to a 500% increased crash risk over a similar facility with an access density that follows ODOT access management standards. If the number of access points along Main Street remains the same, the combination of the existing access density and increased traffic volumes will continue to degrade safety on the corridor. 1 Access points are defined as driveways and side street intersections. Final – May 20, 2019 | 3 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #9: Future Baseline Forecasts and Conditions TABLE OF CONTENTS Future Baseline Vehicle Operations................................................................................................................... 4 2040 Vehicle Volumes ................................................................................................................................... 4 Mobility Standards ......................................................................................................................................... 7 Future Baseline Intersection Operations ........................................................................................................ 7 Corridor Travel Time ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Vehicle Connectivity and Access ................................................................................................................... 9 Freight Mobility............................................................................................................................................. 10 Future Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Transit Analysis ............................................................................................. 11 Pedestrian Conditions and Level of Traffic Stress ........................................................................................ 11 Bicycle Conditions and Level of Traffic Stress .............................................................................................. 12 Future Transit Conditions and Analysis ........................................................................................................ 12 Safety Analysis ................................................................................................................................................ 13 Safety Analysis Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 13 Safety Analysis Results ................................................................................................................................ 14 Appendix A: HCM 6 Reports ............................................................................................................................ 16 Final – May 20, 2019 | 4 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #9: Future Baseline Forecasts and Conditions FUTURE BASELINE VEHICLE OPERATIONS 2040 Vehicle Volumes Forecasted motor vehicle volumes were developed using the Lane Council of Governments (LCOG) regional travel demand model for the year 2040. Future year 2040 baseline volumes were post processed using National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) report 765 guidelines, as discussed in the Transportation Analysis Methods and Assumptions Memorandum (TM #4). Intersection vehicle turn movement volumes were forecasted at all 15 study intersections2 along the Main Street corridor for the p.m. peak hour and are shown in Figure 1. Also included in Figure 1 are the lane configurations and traffic control at the study intersections, which are assumed to remain the same as existing conditions. In addition to the intersection turning movement counts, daily traffic volumes were forecasted for each of the safety study segments based on growth rates from the regional travel demand model. In general, traffic volumes along Main Street are forecasted to increase by approximately 25 to 30 percent eastbound and 20 to 25 percent westbound by 2040 during the p.m. peak hour, which accounts for approximately 150 to 275 additional vehicles in each direction during the p.m. peak hour. The intersection of Main Street/Bob Straub Parkway would continue to experience some of the highest turning movements along the corridor, with over 1,060 southbound left-turning vehicles during the p.m. peak hour. 2 Traffic volumes are forecasted for all study intersections, including both signalized and unsignalized study intersections. However, the existing signalized intersections experience higher cross street traffic volume and are more impactful to operations along Main Street. Therefore, the traffic analysis for the future year focused on signalized intersections locations. Final – May 20, 2019 | 5 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #9: Future Baseline Forecasts and Conditions Final – May 20, 2019 | 6 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #9: Future Baseline Forecasts and Conditions THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY BLANK Final – May 20, 2019 | 7 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #9: Future Baseline Forecasts and Conditions Mobility Standards Agency mobility standards often require intersections to meet level of service (LOS) or volume-to-capacity (V/C) intersection operation thresholds. The intersection LOS is similar to a “report card” rating based upon average vehicle delay. Level of service A, B, and C indicate conditions where traffic moves without significant delays over periods of peak hour travel demand. Level of service D and E are progressively more congested operating conditions with more motor vehicle delay. Level of service F represents conditions where average motor vehicle delay has become excessive and demand has exceeded capacity. This condition is typically evident in long queues, vehicles failing to clear the intersection during one green phase, and delays. The volume-to-capacity (V/C) ratio represents the level of saturation of the intersection or individual movement. It is determined by dividing the peak hour traffic volume by the maximum hourly capacity of an intersection or turn movement. When the V/C ratio approaches 0.95, operations become unstable and small disruptions can cause the traffic flow to break down, as seen by the formation of excessive queues and vehicles failing to clear the intersection during one green phase. The entire Main Street (OR 126) corridor is located within the City of Springfield, serves as a regional route for the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area, and is an ODOT facility classified as a Statewide Highway. According to the 1999 Oregon Highway Plan (OHP), ODOT mobility standards are given as V/C ratios and are based on the highway category. The mobility standards3 for Main Street (OR 126) are listed in Table 1. The City of Springfield’s standards (which are based on LOS rather than ODOT’s V/C metric) are also listed in Table 1. Table 1. Main Street Intersection Mobility Standards Major Roadway Jurisdiction Mobility Standard Main Street (OR 126) ODOT (Statewide Highway) 0.90 v/c1 (0.95 for unsignalized side street approaches) Main Street (OR 126) City of Springfield LOS D or better 1 The intersection of Bob Straub Parkway and OR 126B is classified a Statewide Expressway, with a mobility standard of 0.85 v/c. Future Baseline Intersection Operations The future baseline performance of the intersections was evaluated using Synchro™ software, which employs methodology from the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) 6th Edition.4 The signalized study intersections were 3 City of Springfield and ODOT are in the process of evaluating and potentially approving alternative v/c mobility targets for the Main Street/42nd Street intersection and the Main Street/Bob Straub Parkway intersection that would allow for more motor vehicle delay than the 0.90 v/c mobility standard that is currently approved for those locations. 4 Highway Capacity Manual 6th Edition, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2016. Final – May 20, 2019 | 8 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #9: Future Baseline Forecasts and Conditions evaluated to determine intersection levels of service (LOS) and volume-to-capacity (V/C) ratios. The traffic analysis focused on the signalized intersections since they experience the highest cross-street traffic volumes and are most impactful to mobility along the corridor. Intersection signal timing parameters were optimized based on the forecasted future volumes, but no infrastructure improvements were assumed for baseline conditions. The results of the intersection operations analysis for the signalized study intersections are listed in Table 2. Under existing p.m. peak conditions, all the signalized study intersections meet City of Springfield and ODOT mobility standards.5 With the increase in traffic volume by 2040, three signalized intersections fail to meet ODOT mobility standards (0.90 v/c) and four fail to meet City of Springfield mobility standards (LOS D or better). When the V/C ratio approaches 0.95, operations become unstable and small disruptions can cause the traffic flow to break down, as seen by the formation of excessive queues, vehicles failing to clear the intersection during one green phase, and delays. Both 28th Street and 42nd Street have v/c ratios at or below 0.95 but the intersection at Bob Straub Parkway is expected to exceed capacity. HCM 6 reports are provided in Appendix A6. Table 2. Main Street 2040 P.M. Peak Hour Intersection Operations Intersection Control Type Average Delay (s) LOS V/C 21st Street Signalized 10.0 A 0.64 28th Street Signalized 62.1 E 0.95 S. 32nd Street Signalized 29.9 C 0.81 42nd Street Signalized 60.9 E 0.92 54th Street Signalized 39.8 D 0.54 Bob Straub Pkwy Signalized 95.5 F 1.16 58th Street Signalized 61.1 E 0.90 69th Street Signalized 9.8 A 0.52 For signalized intersections, results reported for the intersection as a whole. Bold/Shaded indicates not meeting ODOT/City of Springfield mobility standards. Corridor Travel Time The future baseline corridor travel time was estimated for the p.m. peak hour using the results of the intersection operations analysis. Intersection approach delay is a key component of delay along a corridor. HCM approach delay for each signalized intersection along the corridor was aggregated for both the 5 Note: The three intersections that failed mobility standards under existing p.m. peak hour conditions were all unsignalized. 6 Note: For signalized intersections, an intersection v/c ratio is not directly reported in Synchro but was calculated using HCM 6 Equations 19-30 and 19-31. Final – May 20, 2019 | 9 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #9: Future Baseline Forecasts and Conditions eastbound and westbound through traffic. The intersection delay was added to the free flow travel time to determine the overall travel time through the approximately five-mile study corridor7, as listed in Table 3 below. Vehicle delay at the signalized intersections when traveling eastbound during the p.m. peak hour through Main Street are expected to nearly double from existing conditions, which will increase vehicle travel times through the corridor by nearly 30 percent. The impacts of increased intersection delay are less pronounced westbound, with only a seven percent increase in travel times through the corridor over existing conditions. In 2040, evening travel times westbound are projected to be over two minutes faster than traveling eastbound along the corridor, in part due to the higher eastbound volumes during the p.m. peak hour. The four intersections that fail to meet the City of Springfield mobility standards (28th Street, 42nd Street, Bob Straub Parkway, 58th Street) account for 70 to 85 percent of the intersection approach delay when traveling through the corridor. The intersection approach delay traveling eastbound in the future is over double the intersection delay experienced today during the p.m. peak hour, which will lead to over a three-minute increase in travel time. Table 3. Main Street Corridor Travel Time (2040 p.m. peak hour) Westbound (mins) Eastbound (mins) Free Flow Travel Time 7.9 7.9 Intersection Approach Delay 3.8 6.1 Total Travel Time 11.7 14.0 Vehicle Connectivity and Access The 2035 Springfield Transportation System Plan (TSP)8 proposes a handful of new roadway connections, including connectivity to Main Street and a handful of limited parallel corridors. However, Main Street will continue to provide a crucial vehicle east-west route through Springfield and the region as traffic volumes increase. Multimodal connectivity and access in the study area will continue to be limited in the future if additional changes to the roadway network are not made (For further discussion of multimodal access, see the following Future Pedestrian, Bicyclist, and Transit Analysis section). As summarized in the Existing Transportation Conditions Memorandum (TM #6), there are numerous public and private access points along Main Street and much of the corridor does not meet ODOT access 7 This method provides a high-level summary of the change in travel time. However, it does not account for other operational characteristics that would require more rigorous analysis to quantify including delays from vehicles turning into or out of driveways, buses blocking a travel lane or merging into the center left turn lane. 8 2035 Springfield Transportation System Plan (TSP), Figure 10 Final – May 20, 2019 | 10 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #9: Future Baseline Forecasts and Conditions management standards.9 Based on the current number of access points per mile on Main Street, access spacing standards are not expected to be met under future baseline conditions for much of the corridor. Along the Main Street corridor, the average access density is 75 access points per mile, with a range of 20 to 133 access points per mile. Research indicates that every additional access point above 10 per mile (which equates to a spacing of 528 feet, roughly equivalent to the ODOT access spacing requirements on this highway) increases the risk of a crash by approximately 4%. This means that some segments of the Main Street corridor experience up to a 500% increased crash risk over a similar facility with an access density that follows ODOT access management standards. If the number of access points along Main Street remains the same, the combination of the existing access density and increased traffic volumes will continue to degrade the safety performance of the corridor. Freight Mobility Future freight use along Main Street was quantified using the ODOT Oregon Statewide Integrated Model (SWIM 2.5). Commodity flows for freight vehicles were estimated on Main Street east and west of the Eugene- Springfield Expressway/Bob Straub Parkway. Table 4 lists the estimated commodity flow for the average weekday in the future. The model estimates that on an average weekday in 2037, 17,000 tons of commodities are carried by freight east of Bob Straub Parkway, which is almost three times more than the estimated 6,000 tons of commodities carried by freight west of Bob Straub Parkway. Much of the freight traveling east of Bob Straub Parkway will continue to utilize the Eugene-Springfield Expressway (OR 126), accounting for the drop in commodity flows between Main Street/69th Street and Main Street/42nd Street. Machinery, precision instruments (such as electronics or medical instruments) and transportation equipment is projected to account for the highest share of value of commodities along the corridor, while forest and wood products continue to remain the largest commodity by tonnage. Compared to existing conditions, Main Street is expected to see a 20 percent increase in commodity flow tonnage based on a mix of local and regional economic growth. The value of commodities traveling along Main Street will also increase from existing conditions, with a nearly 30 percent increase in the value of commodities west of Bob Straub Parkway and a 60 percent increase in value east of Bob Straub Parkway. The largest driver in the increased value of commodity flows is the increase in machinery, instruments and transportation equipment in the future compared to existing conditions. 9 Oregon Highway Plan, Action 3A.1, 2015. The minimum access spacing is 500 feet for urban statewide highways with a posted speed of 35 mph. Final – May 20, 2019 | 11 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #9: Future Baseline Forecasts and Conditions Table 4. Future10 Estimated Average Weekday Commodity Flows, both directions Commodity Main Street (OR 126B) & 42nd Street Main Street (OR 126) & 69th Street Value Tons Value Tons Clay, Minerals & Stone 1% 23% 1% 24% Food & Kindred Products 12% 12% 16% 15% Forest & Wood Products 15% 52% 14% 44% Machinery, Instruments, Trans Equip. 36% 3% 32% 3% Other Misc. 9% 6% 12% 6% Petroleum, Coal & Chemicals 27% 4% 22% 7% Pulp & Paper Products < 1% < 1% 1% 1% Total (2019 dollars) $ 4,300,000 6,000 $ 11,400,000 17,000 FUTURE PEDESTRIAN, BICYCLE, AND TRANSIT ANALYSIS Expected bicycle and pedestrian facility improvements are documented in this section, along with an analysis of future pedestrian, bicycle, and transit conditions within the study area. The multimodal analysis includes a Pedestrian Level of Traffic Stress (PLTS), Bicycle Level of Traffic Stress (BLTS), and Qualitative Multimodal Assessment analysis for transit. Pedestrian Conditions and Level of Traffic Stress Under baseline conditions in the future, pedestrian access and facility conditions along the corridor will remain relatively unchanged. From the TSP, it is likely in the next 20 years an enhanced mid-block crosswalk will be added on Main Street near 38th Street and a signal will be added at Main Street and Mountaingate Drive, leading to enhanced pedestrian crossing opportunities at these locations. However, much of the corridor does not have any planned improvements to address pedestrian access or to improve the comfort of pedestrian facilities. Future PLTS was analyzed at segments, intersections and pedestrian crossings using ODOT Analysis and Procedures Manual (APM)11 methods. PLTS is measured on a scale from LTS 1 to LTS 4, as described in TM #6. The majority of the Main Street corridor will remain a PLTS 3 or 4 in the future (which indicates that it is not acceptable for the majority of users). The high speeds of the roadway combined with the limited physical buffers between narrow sidewalks and the travel lanes continue to lead to a high-stress environment for pedestrians under the future baseline. 10 Projected 2037 commodity flows 11 Analysis and Procedures Manual, Chapter 14, Oregon Department of Transportation, 2018 Final – May 20, 2019 | 12 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #9: Future Baseline Forecasts and Conditions Bicycle Conditions and Level of Traffic Stress In the future, bicyclist access along and near the corridor will improve slightly over existing conditions. It is expected that improvements to the parallel Virginia-Daisy Bikeway route will make biking safer and more comfortable between South 32nd Street and Bob Straub Parkway, providing an alternate route for bicyclists that will benefit longer distance bicycle trips. However, there aren’t any planned improvements to address bicyclist access or the comfort of cycling facilities directly along the Main Street corridor, which would improve access to businesses, residences and other land uses within the project area Bicycle level of traffic stress (BLTS) was analyzed at segments, approaches and intersection crossings using ODOT APM methodology. BLTS is measured on a scale from LTS 1 to LTS 4, as described in the TM #6. With no significant changes from existing, the future baseline BLTS for the Main Street corridor is expected to remain LTS 4 (representing a high level of stress) due to the many unsignalized intersection crossings and high vehicle speeds. In addition, the corridor has two lanes of traffic in each direction and bike lanes less than seven feet, leading to a high-stress bicycle environment. For the facility to provide an LTS 2 experience, a buffered bike lane (a bike lane physically separated from vehicle travel lanes by a painted buffer or vertical barrier) at least seven feet wide in total with adjacent vehicle speeds of 35 mph or less12 would need to be provided. Also, crossing treatments at intersections for cyclists accessing Main Street from north-south routes, as well as routes parallel to the corridor, would need to be considered to create low-stress bicycle crossings and reduce barriers to using the facility. Future Transit Conditions and Analysis Transit enhancements are anticipated along the Main Street corridor by 2040. The Main-McVay Transit Study is currently identifying service enhancements to Route 11. The potential enhancements advanced by the Main Street Governance Team for the Main-McVay Transit Study include: better amenities at ground level stops (such as trash receptacles, benches, shelters, automated fare collection); increased service in response to demand; and transit enhancements that would improve transit travel times, including transit signal priority or queue jumps, roundabouts, and stop consolidation13. However, no transit enhancements were assumed for the 2040 baseline operational analysis. By 2040, scheduled headways between vehicles are expected to remain ten to fifteen minutes during most of the day. Transit vehicles along Main Street are expected to primarily run in mixed-traffic in the future. Under the future baseline forecasts, transit vehicles were assumed to run only in mixed-traffic. Transit vehicles will likely be delayed by increasing congestion at traffic signals along Main Street. This will impact future transit travel times. Transit Travel Time Under the future baseline travel forecasts, conditions will worsen slightly for transit. As travel times increase along the corridor, the transit travel times are expected to also increase. Based on the additional intersection delay along the corridor discussed in the Corridor Travel Time section above, transit travel times will increase 12 The posted speed on Main Street is 35 mph west of 62nd Street and 45 mph east of 62nd Street. 13 Main-McVay Transit Study, Transit Design Options by Corridor Segments, http://ourmainstreetspringfield.org/transit- design-options-by-corridor-segments/ Final – May 20, 2019 | 13 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #9: Future Baseline Forecasts and Conditions by over three minutes eastbound during the p.m. peak hour and nearly one minute westbound during the p.m. peak hour. This is roughly a five percent increase in the total transit travel time during the p.m. peak hour, due to increased congestion at the signalized intersections. Qualitative Multimodal Assessment for Transit A qualitative multimodal assessment (QMA) was conducted for transit along the study corridor. QMA results in grades from A to F, similar to level of service (LOS) for vehicles14, as discussed in TM#6. Within the study corridor, it is expected that the future LOS for Route 11 would drop from LOS B and C to only LOS C due to increased travel times associated with increased congestion and delay15. Improving transit travel times and speed by reducing intersection approach delay (through roundabouts or traffic signal improvements) would improve the overall transit LOS along Main Street. Options that the Main-McVay Transit Study is currently investigating (such as queue jumps, transit signal priority, and stop consolidation) would help mitigate the impact of additional delays on transit vehicles. Increasing transit speed, along with implementing pedestrian improvements, would improve the overall transit LOS along Main Street. SAFETY ANALYSIS The Highway Safety Manual (HSM) Predictive Method, which was used to evaluate the existing safety performance of the corridor as summarized in Tech Memo #6, can also be used to predict future safety performance. The future baseline safety performance of the 15 intersections and 16 roadway segments is summarized below. Safety Analysis Methodology The future baseline safety evaluation accounts only for future traffic volume growth. No changes to infrastructure or traffic control were assumed. For existing conditions, the HSM Predictive Method provided a means for understanding the safety performance of a segment, intersection, or corridor compared to the expected safety performance of a facility with the same characteristics. For future conditions, it provides a means for understanding the expected change in safety performance over time, or the relative safety performance of different design alternatives. The HSM predictive method calculates two metrics of safety performance – the predicted and expected crash frequency of the study location. The predicted crash frequency is calculated using statistical models of similar facility types nationwide. The expected crash frequency goes one step further by evaluating site-specific crash history and takes into account the natural variation in crash patterns. The following section presents the net 14 QMA is qualitative and used for comparing between scenarios rather than for standalone analysis. 15 The method for calculating travel times through the corridor provides a high-level summary of the change in travel time. However, it does not account for other operational characteristics that would require more rigorous analysis to quantify including delays from vehicles turning into or out of driveways, buses merging into traffic, or alighting/boarding delays with increased ridership in the future. Final – May 20, 2019 | 14 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #9: Future Baseline Forecasts and Conditions change in expected crash frequency (future crashes minus existing crashes) that is anticipated as a result of the forecasted increase in traffic volumes in the study area. Safety Analysis Results Table 5 presents a summary comparison of the expected crashes for both existing and future (2040) baseline conditions. Table 5. Highway Safety Manual Analysis Results for Study Corridor As shown in Table 5, the study corridor is expected to see a 19.3% increase in total crashes by 2040, equating to nearly 19 more crashes per year, as a result of increased traffic volumes alone. Similar comparisons are provided for each individual study intersection and study segment in Table 6 and Table 7, respectively. Table 6. Highway Safety Manual Analysis Results for Study Intersections Cross Street Existing (2018) Expected Crashes Per Year Future (2040) Expected Crashes Per Year Net Change in Expected Crashes (Future – Existing) 21st Street 2.12 2.48 0.36 17.2% 28th Street 5.74 6.42 0.67 11.7% 30th Street 1.40 1.79 0.39 27.8% 32nd Street 3.53 3.96 0.43 12.1% 35th Street 1.24 1.39 0.16 12.6% 36th Street 0.32 0.44 0.12 38.8% 41st Street 0.73 1.06 0.32 44.2% 42nd Street 8.58 9.86 1.29 15.0% 48th Street 0.50 0.93 0.43 85.1% S 51st Street 0.34 0.79 0.46 135.3% 54th Street 2.69 3.26 0.57 21.2% Bob Straub Pkwy 5.98 6.82 0.85 14.2% 58th Street 5.62 6.22 0.60 10.7% 62nd Place 0.47 0.61 0.14 30.0% 69th Street 2.34 2.89 0.56 23.9% Crash Type Existing (2018) Expected Crashes Per Year Future (2040) Expected Crashes Per Year Net Change in Expected Crashes (Future – Existing) Multiple Vehicle 84.9 101.8 16.9 19.9% Single Vehicle 8.7 10.0 1.3 14.9% Pedestrian 2.7* 3.1* 0.4 14.8% Bicycle 0.8* 1.1* 0.3 37.5% Total 97.2 116.0 18.8 19.3% *The HSM analysis does not calculate the Expected crash frequency for bicycle and pedestrian crashes. The Predicted crash frequency is reported for those crash types in this table. Final – May 20, 2019 | 15 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #9: Future Baseline Forecasts and Conditions Table 7. Highway Safety Manual Analysis Results for Study Segments16 From To Existing (2018) Expected Crashes Per Year Future (2040) Expected Crashes Per Year Net Change in Expected Crashes (Future – Existing) S. 20th Street 21st Street 0.51 0.70 0.18 35.8% 21st Street 28th Street 3.90 4.95 1.04 26.7% 28th Street 30th Street 3.26 4.14 0.88 26.9% 30th Street 32nd Street 0.83 1.11 0.27 32.8% 32nd Street 35th Street 2.77 3.24 0.47 17.0% 35th Street 36th Street 0.69 0.83 0.14 20.6% 36th Street 41st Street 5.53 6.60 1.07 19.3% 41st Street 42nd Street 2.41 2.86 0.45 18.6% 42nd Street 48th Street 9.65 11.52 1.87 19.4% 48th Street S. 51st Street 2.47 3.05 0.58 23.3% S. 51st Street 54th Street 3.15 3.87 0.72 22.8% 54th Street Bob Straub Pkwy. 1.68 1.91 0.22 12.9% Bob Straub Pkwy. 58th Street 3.26 3.68 0.42 12.7% 58th Street 62nd Place 5.16 6.12 0.95 18.4% 62nd Place 69th Street 5.19 6.14 0.94 18.2% 69th Street S. 72nd Street 1.55 2.04 0.49 31.5% As shown in Table 6 and Table 7, individual intersections and segments are expected to see an increase in crashes ranging from 10% to 135% by 2040. The magnitude of the increase is directly related to the forecasted increase in traffic volume at that location. Without improvements, the safety performance of the Main Street corridor will continue to degrade as traffic volumes increase over the next 20-plus years. 16 Segment lengths vary. Segment analysis takes segment length into account in calculations. Final – May 20, 2019 | 16 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #9: Future Baseline Forecasts and Conditions APPENDIX A: HCM 6 REPORTS TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM #3: BUSINESS AND PROPERTY OWNER IMPACT LITERATURE REVIEW DATE: April 22, 2019 TO: Molly Markarian | City of Springfield Bill Johnston | ODOT Region 2 FROM: Matthew Kitchen | ECONorthwest Ryan Knapp | ECONorthwest SUBJECT: Task 3.2.1 Literature Review Tech Memo #3: Final DKS Project No. 14180-023 SUMMARY As part of the Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) Main Street Safety Project in Springfield, Oregon, ODOT and the City of Springfield contracted ECONorthwest to conduct a literature review of the potential effects possible infrastructure safety solutions for Main Street might have on nearby businesses and property owners. As a small part of the larger evaluation framework1, the purpose of this literature review is to summarize the potential economic impacts to businesses and commercial property owners from various kinds of possible corridor safety infrastructure solutions. Redesigning urban arterial streets to improve traffic and safety conditions is a common urban transportation investment strategy. A safety redesign may include a reconfiguration of motor vehicle traffic lanes along with other traffic management measures such as turn restrictions, raised medians, and crosswalks. The primary focus of most arterial redesigns is to improve safety, decrease travel times, and manage traffic speeds. In general, ex-post2 studies of arterial redesign efforts, which are based on actual results rather than forecasts, confirm such investments often reduce speeds and crashes while increasing typical travel times. The benefits from speed and crash reductions are often found to outweigh, in economic terms, the costs of increased travel times, but these net gains are subject to context-specific factors and conditions and are influenced by average 1 This refers to the larger framework for evaluating solutions being considered as part of the Main Street Safety Project. 2 based on knowledge and retrospection and being essentially objective and factual Final - April 22, 2019 | 2 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memorandum #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review daily traffic (ADT) levels. A Federal Highway Administration report3 specifically links such arterial reconfigurations with reductions in crashes and injuries. ECONorthwest reviewed the available literature4 on the business impacts of access management5 with a specific focus on identifying studies with an empirical basis. Such studies attempt to measure the direct effect of the redesign on businesses in the form of customer visits or sales information. Ideally, those studies also attempt to control for other factors influencing business performance by collecting information before and after the redesign is implemented and measuring similar business performance in other corridors where no design or operational changes were implemented. However, there are few studies that attempt to measure the effect of arterial street reconfigurations on retail sales and business performance, and are often survey-based and/or have been implemented in larger cities. Well-designed studies that control for a wide range of factors influencing business performance are difficult and expensive to implement. As a result, rigorous studies on this topic are scarce. Below is a summary of findings from a review of the available literature. The Impact of Raised Medians and Roundabouts A few studies focused specifically on the effects of new raised medians or roundabouts. These studies suggest impacts to businesses will likely not be significant6 and may be positive overall: Businesses near these types of investments performed (in terms of sales) as well as, or better than, their counterparts in corridors where no investments occurred. Business owner perceptions of roundabouts are generally positive; stemming in part from the impression of improved traffic flow. Business impressions of raised medians appear to be less positive, and harder to shift. Even in cases where sales data demonstrates business performance has improved, businesses perceive the raised medians as a potential impediment to customer and delivery access. 3 US Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration. 2004. "Evaluation of Lane Reduction "Road Diet" Measures and Their Effects on Crashes and Injuries." 4 See Appendix A. 5 A suite of strategies that are designed to improve safety and traffic conditions by managing access to properties adjacent to the corridor, including: restricted turn movements, center turn lanes, raised medians, and roundabouts. 6 Most studies focus on near-term business results (within a year of the investments). Final - April 22, 2019 | 3 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memorandum #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review General Business Impacts The broader literature on business impacts of access management and arterial corridor redesigns is dominated by before-and-after studies and surveys of commercial businesses about their perceptions of business performance after access management treatments have been implemented. Key findings include: Overall, there is no clear indication from the literature that access management, safety projects, and corridor operational investments lead to declines in business performance. To the contrary, there is some evidence that such investments may improve business performance as a result of addressing underlying traffic congestion and safety deficiencies. The above finding does not suggest that no single business in a redesigned corridor could experience business losses due to changes in accessibility. There is some evidence that businesses in mid-block locations may be more susceptible to lower customer visitation as a consequence of access restrictions (restricted turn movements, limitations in sight lines, etc.). Also, businesses that more heavily rely on pass-by traffic (where the business is not a primary customer trip destination) may be affected by access restrictions should their business become less accessible to pass-by traffic. Some literature suggests business losses during construction may be the primary negative effect on business performance. However, such construction impacts would occur from any corridor re- construction, independent of the final configuration of the project. General urban economic theory78 dictates that should street investments change business site accessibility and gross sales, those changes should eventually be captured in the value of the underlying property as opposed to the profitability of a specific business9. So while changes in land values may be observed, those changes may not indicate business gains or losses in terms of sales or profits. Finally, investments that change how individual corridors perform, and influence business site accessibility within those corridors, are unlikely to have any influence on the broader regional economic productivity. As site values in the affected corridor change, they do so relative to site values elsewhere in the broader urbanized area. 7 Der Isolierte Staat in Beziehung auf Landwirtschaft und Nationalökonomie, oder Untersuchungen über den Einfluss, den die Getreidepreise, der Reichtum des Bodens und die Abgaben auf den Ackerbau ausüben, Vol. 1 8 Weber, Alfred “Theory of the Location of Industries”, Translated in 1929. 9 As site accessibility improves property owners will adjust lease rates until business profits return to what are considered “normal” economic profits. This in turn may result in business turnover, or other business adjustments. The time frame for such adjustments is subject to many local conditions, contractual commitments, and market constraints. Final - April 22, 2019 | 4 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review TABLE OF CONTENTS Summary .............................................................................................................................................................. 1 The Impact of Raised Medians and Roundabouts ............................................................................................ 2 General Business Impacts ................................................................................................................................ 3 Introduction and Purpose ...................................................................................................................................... 5 Methods ................................................................................................................................................................ 5 Factors that Influence Business Impacts .............................................................................................................. 6 Existing Business Mix ........................................................................................................................................... 9 Business Impact of Specific Investments ........................................................................................................... 12 Medians ........................................................................................................................................................... 12 Roundabouts ................................................................................................................................................... 14 Broader Literature on Business Impacts of Access Changes ............................................................................. 15 Access Management Changes ....................................................................................................................... 17 Before and After Studies ................................................................................................................................. 19 Case Studies ................................................................................................................................................... 20 Surveys and Opinion Research ...................................................................................................................... 21 Property Access, Business Performance, and Property Values ......................................................................... 22 Design Implications ............................................................................................................................................. 24 Effect of Short-term Construction Disruption on Business Performance ............................................................ 24 Long-term Economic Development Benefits ...................................................................................................... 25 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................................... 27 Appendix A: Literature Reviewed ....................................................................................................................... 28 Final - April 22, 2019 | 5 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE As part of the Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) Main Street Safety Project in Springfield, Oregon, ODOT and the City of Springfield contracted ECONorthwest to conduct a literature review of the potential effects that the range of possible infrastructure safety solutions for Main Street might have on nearby businesses and property owners. In this memorandum, we10 summarize the findings from a literature review of existing studies about the business impacts of street design changes that influence how businesses are accessed within commercial corridors. The purpose of the Main Street Safety Project is to select infrastructure solutions that will make Main Street safer for people walking, biking, driving, and taking transit. The selected safety improvements will provide for the movement of goods and people, support the economic viability of the corridor, accommodate current bus service and future transit solutions, and complement safety education and traffic enforcement. This memorandum focuses on only a small subset of those objectives: the potential impacts to corridor businesses from street redesigns (such as roundabouts or medians) that may impose restrictions on vehicle movements. This literature review is intended to contribute to the general understanding of potential economic impacts to businesses from various kinds of corridor safety infrastructure solutions, and in this manner is only a small part of a larger evaluation framework. METHODS In our review of literature, we sought evidence of the link between street redesign and business performance by focusing on the literature that reflected best practices in research design. An ideal analysis would isolate the effects of a policy or action by controlling for changes in factors unrelated to the policy or action of interest. This ideal is rarely achieved. Often, the many other factors that influence the outcome of business impacts cannot be isolated given available analytical tools and budget constraints. In the social sciences, the “gold standard” for experiments includes all of the following elements: An examination of results from settings with and without the policy or “treatment” (in other words, an experimental case and a control case). An examination of results both before and after the policy or “treatment” is applied. The collection of data that represents revealed behaviors. In cases where the above conditions are not practical, selected features of the ideal analysis may be retained while others are abandoned. For example, it is common for before and after studies to be performed when the 10 Throughout this memo, the terms “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to Matthew Kitchen, Ryan Knapp, and Emily Picha at ECONorthwest <http://www.econw.com/>. Final - April 22, 2019 | 6 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review researcher finds it is not feasible to identify a suitable control condition. In other cases, researchers use carefully designed survey methods in lieu of revealed preferences (or purchasing behavior) to understand perceptions, preferences, and other qualitative factors that help establish general magnitudes or relative magnitudes of effects. In our review of the available literature, we have looked for evidence of the means by which corridor safety and redesign projects (as characterized in more detail below) have effects on business performance. FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE BUSINESS IMPACTS Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of how street redesigns influence business performance. Street redesign investments change the performance of a corridor as well as dictate how vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians access specific business sites. These changes in accessibility are unique to each business location. Final - April 22, 2019 | 7 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review Figure 1: Street Redesign, Changes in Site Accessibility, and Business Performance Source: ECONorthwest Final - April 22, 2019 | 8 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review The above diagram shows employees, vendors and service providers and customers must access business sites during the normal course of business, and changes in accessibility will influence their willingness to do so. Changes in customer visits ultimately translate to changes in spending, business gross receipts, and profits. As individual sites become more or less profitable to businesses (due to the changes in accessibility), some or all of the changes in profitability will be captured in the underlying value of the property. Businesses choose locations that support their primary operational objectives. Employees must access business locations to perform their work tasks, and businesses with a strong customer focus (e.g. retail) choose locations that maximize their exposure to customers. Business accessibility operates at multiple geographic scales. Businesses care about broad access to their customer and labor markets (regional and sub-regional location), the performance of transportation infrastructure that provides connections to the business location (corridor location relative to final markets), as well as specific details of site accessibility (turn movements, site circulation, driveways, parking and transit stop locations). At specific sites, businesses make tradeoffs about these factors of accessibility. Traffic capacity, speeds, and reliability at one location may come at the expense of parking capacity, or a larger customer catchment area may be associated with more traffic congestion and slower arterial speeds. Different businesses (types and sizes) will have different preferences, and different willingness to pay for or accommodate various accessibility factors. In the context of the Main Street Safety Project, there are substantial safety concerns associated with the current roadway configuration. Like many communities, Springfield is considering a redesign of the corridor to meet broad community objectives of increasing safety, supporting the vitality of the community and its vision for Main Street, and creating a multimodal environment that connects people and destinations. Communities consider an array of facility improvements, including: turn restrictions; driveway consolidations; raised medians; pedestrian crossing controls; and roundabouts. Arterial redesign efforts may focus on supporting people walking, biking, and taking transit, or may emphasize improving safety, while at other times the emphasis is on traffic calming, or a combination of all three. Independent of the focus, specific features of an arterial redesign will influence how properties are accessed and also have some impact on how the broader corridor performs in terms of traffic volumes, speeds and reliability. There are several types of businesses that will have unique needs, including: Final - April 22, 2019 | 9 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review Destination businesses are businesses with a customer base familiar with the business and seeking its location as a destination. These businesses will be concerned about the general performance (e.g. travel speeds and perceived safety) of the transportation infrastructure. Opportunity businesses are businesses that rely on incidental patronage by customers passing by and will also be concerned about other, very localized, factors such as business visibility, ease of access to the specific site, parking, pedestrian accessibility and amenities. For any business, the general logic is the same: the higher the level of accessibility to a business, the more customers there are who may patronize that business, and the more easily businesses manage total transportation costs of their supply chain. Additional customers translate to additional business revenue and owner and employee income. However, if a specific location is made more accessible (or less), that location, or site, will eventually command higher (or lower) rents in the real estate market. In this manner, higher business revenue will, in part, translate into higher lease rates, and not entirely be associated with higher business profits. This final point is important – in competitive markets, any unique value associated with the characteristics of a specific parcel of land will eventually accrue to that land in the form of higher land values. Businesses that own the land upon which they are located will see direct gains or losses from changes in accessibility. Businesses that lease or rent their locations may, or may not, enjoy the benefits from changes in accessibility. This means that transportation’s influence over business performance is in part determined by whether the business owns the property on which it operates. EXISTING BUSINESS MIX Within the Springfield Main Street corridor, ECONorthwest acquired Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data to support the development of an inventory of existing businesses11. We summarized employment and average wages by business category12 within a quarter mile buffer of the Main Street corridor, as well as for a 500-foot buffer designed to capture businesses most directly affected by the corridor redesign. The larger buffer captures businesses likely impacted by accessibility from Main Street, while the smaller buffer captures businesses most impacted by visibility from the Main Street corridor. Figure 2 displays the corridor and the buffer geographies. 11 This process examines only the existing inventory of businesses in the corridor and does not reflect any expectation of future business mix. 12 Categorization of businesses are limited by non-disclosure requirements placed upon the distribution of QCEW data. Final - April 22, 2019 | 10 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review Figure 2: Springfield Main Street Business Mix Study Area Source: ECONorthwest Within a quarter mile of the Main Street corridor, there are 418 businesses employing 3,789 persons (14% of the citywide total employment). Total payroll in this area is 10% of the citywide total. Retail and leisure activities constitute about a quarter of the buffer area businesses and 40% of the area employment. Other primary employment sectors include government, healthcare, private education, and office services. Figure 3 displays employment and average wages by business category within the quarter mile buffer. Final - April 22, 2019 | 11 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review Figure 3: Employment and Wages by Category within ¼ Mile of Main Street Source: ECONorthwest, Oregon Department of Employment, and Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Data Within the 500-foot buffer of the Main Street corridor, there are 282 businesses employing 2,577 persons (9% of the citywide total employment). Total payroll in this area is 6% of the citywide total. Retail trade and leisure activities constitute about a third of the buffer area businesses and 55% of the area employment. Other primary employment sectors include office services, healthcare, private education, and government. Figure 4 displays employment and average wages by business category within the 500-foot buffer. Final - April 22, 2019 | 12 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review Figure 4: Employment and Wages by Category within 500 Feet of Main Street Source: ECONorthwest, Oregon Department of Employment, and Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Data. *ECONorthwest grouped businesses in several sub categories into the Office/Commercial Services and Industrial Sectors due to confidentiality requirements for the data. The inventory of current businesses confirms that those businesses (e.g. retail and leisure activities) most dependent on incidental passer-by customers self-select for business locations that are most visible and accessible (within the 500-foot buffer) to the arterial traffic. Those businesses are likely most susceptible to changes (both positive and negative) in business access that may result from redesigning the Main Street corridor. BUSINESS IMPACT OF SPECIFIC INVESTMENTS Medians Raised medians serve to control access to commercial properties by restricting left turn movements to select locations. Various turn movement configurations can be provided. The potential benefits from raised medians Final - April 22, 2019 | 13 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review are overall traffic flow in the corridor can be improved and intersections can be managed for more efficient movements and lower queueing conditions. If the general efficiency of the corridor allows for more volume of traffic, then businesses in the commercial district should benefit overall. Business concerns arise if restricted turn movements present challenges for vehicles when accessing specific business sites. Generally, medians with turn restrictions will result in improved performance at controlled intersections (i.e. signalized or roundabouts) and easier access to business sites that are located nearer to those intersections with U-turns available. Access to mid-block business sites could, under certain circumstances, involve more circuitous routing. Paired with roundabouts, raised medians may lead to improved access overall for most business sites within a corridor. In advance of implementation, however, many businesses may be concerned about access restrictions, sharing access points or allowing cross access with adjoining properties for effective circulation. As is true for the general literature, there were just a few specific studies found that involve the exacting standards necessary to provide empirical evidence of how raised medians affect business performance. South Carolina DOT, researchers13 studied the sales tax history of businesses in corridors where access management changes ((1) driveway consolidation, (2) providing sufficient corner clearance distance from an intersection, (3) access restriction near signalized intersections, and (4) raised median implementation) were implemented. The six corridors studied had average daily traffic volumes ranging between 17,000 and 37,00014. The study used both surveys of businesses and an examination of three years of sales tax records to evaluate the economic impacts of the changes in the corridor. While a majority of the businesses surveyed believe raised medians had a negative effect on customer visits and sales, the analysis of sales volumes indicated that the decrease in sales for the affected businesses was similar to the performance of businesses in the control group. The Utah DOT sponsored research15 examining corridors where raised medians were implemented as a safety and access management strategy. The research focused on three arterial corridors and examined before and after implementation taxable sales records. For each study corridor a suitable control corridor was identified. Taxable retail sales (measured both as a gross value and as a value per square foot of building space) in all three corridors increased post implementation of the raised medians. Additionally, all study corridors performed as well or better than the control corridors in terms of growth in retail sales. In Utah surveys of business’s impressions were also conducted. These surveys found businesses in the corridors where raised medians were built had a more negative impression, both pre- and post-construction, of 13 https://www.scdot.scltap.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/SPR-715_Final-Report-6_29_2018_V2-3.pdf 14 Approximately 20,000 vehicles per day use the Main Street corridor, of which truck traffic accounts for approximately two to four percent. 15 https://www.udot.utah.gov/main/uconowner.gf?n=4511209509821664 Final - April 22, 2019 | 14 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review customer access and delivery than did their counterparts in corridors where no raised medians were present. These impressions appeared to be in contrast with the taxable sales data collected during the study, highlighting the challenges associated with addressing strongly held business concerns about potential degradation of business access. A report by Eisele and Frawley found business perceptions of the effects of a new raised median were more negative, even during construction, than the actual effects.16 A study of raised medians for Texas Department of Transportation provides useful insights based on extensive application of business surveys across five separate street locations where medians were implemented. Specific findings include: Businesses perceived that after implementation of raised medians traffic volumes increased, property values increased, and the frequency of accidents decreased. Businesses generally perceived that gross sales increased after installation of medians within the affected corridor. Businesses overall perceived that customer visits increased after median installation, however gas stations and auto repair businesses were the exception – perceiving fewer customer visits. Roundabouts As with the case of the broader literature on business impacts of arterial redesigns, the literature on business impacts of roundabouts is limited and qualitative. Two reports17,18, summarizing a single effort at characterizing how roundabouts impact nearby businesses, involved a combination case study review and business surveys. The study concentrated on the literature, surveys to businesses, and case studies that showed roundabouts’ ability to move traffic more efficiently. Conclusions were based on the widely accepted assumption that businesses and business areas that have good vehicle and pedestrian access and traffic flow should prosper and grow and, conversely, businesses that do not have good access and good traffic flow will not. No empirical information on business performance was included in these reports, but rather survey tools were used to capture business impressions of their own performance across a number of locations throughout Kansas as well as Carmel, Indiana. Survey responses from nearby businesses were generally positive about roundabouts. Traffic simulation of converting a number of intersections in the Topeka business area to 16 Eisele, William and William Frawley. 2000. "A Methodology for Determining Economic Impacts of Raised Medians: Final Project Results." Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A & M University System. 17 Godavarthy, R. P., Mirzazadeh, B., Russell, E. R., and Landman, D. 2016. “Roundabout’s Impact on Nearby Businesses”. Journal of Transportation Technologies, 6, 181-191. 18 Russell, E. R., Landman, D., and Godavarthy, R. P. 2012. “A Study of the Impact of Roundabouts on Traffic Flows and Business.” Kansas State University Transportation Center; Report No. K-TRAN: KSU-09-10 Final - April 22, 2019 | 15 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review roundabouts confirmed substantial traffic flow benefits in the form of less vehicle delay and queueing at intersections. Based on this combination of findings, it was concluded that roundabouts have a positive impact on traffic flows and business activity. Without empirical substantiation, however, these conclusions must be considered qualitative. And the pairing of roundabout and raised medians may offer opportunities to provide good access to corridor business. This facility type also allows for reduced corridor cross-section width associated with wider turning movements at signalized intersections, thus preserving space for parking, circulation and business frontages. BROADER LITERATURE ON BUSINESS IMPACTS OF ACCESS CHANGES The relationships between traffic, traffic congestion, and economic performance are well documented. Street reconfigurations may affect business bottom lines in several ways: longer queues and slower travel times may lead some consumers to opt for a more accessible alternative; longer travel times and narrower lanes may make it more expensive for delivery trucks to deliver goods to a business and thereby increase the cost to the business; and traffic delays may increase the cost incurred by employees when traveling to work. As a result, street reconfigurations may lead to changes in transportation costs, which could change the cost of production and the quantities produced.19 Alternately, road reconfigurations designed to improve access and safety may result in overall improved performance of the corridor in terms of speeds and travel reliability. There are a couple of key conclusions from the literature: Business location and performance are linked to transportation costs, which is consistent with the basic principles of location theory.20,21 In the case of retail businesses, transportation costs are borne in part by customers as they access retail businesses.22 Researchers of Chicago and Philadelphia found that traffic congestion shrinks business market areas and reduces the chances of “agglomeration economies,” in turn raising production costs. This research, 19 The economic literature on this topic is summarized in Goodwin, Phil. 2004. "The Economic Costs of Road Traffic Congestion." ESRC Transport Studies Unit – University College London. 20 Thünen, Johann Heinrich von. 1783–1850. Der Isolierte Staat in Beziehung auf Landwirtschaft und Nationalökonomie, oder Untersuchungen über den Einfluss, den die Getreidepreise, der Reichtum des Bodens und die Abgaben auf den Ackerbau ausüben, Vol. 1,. and Der Isolierte Staat..., Vol II: Der Naturgeässe Arbeitslohn und dessen Verhältnis zum Zinsfuss und zur Landrente, Part 1 (Partial translation into English by Carla M. Wartenberg in 1966 as Isolated State. New York: Pergamon Press.) 21 Weber, Alfred. 1929. (translated by Carl J. Friedrich from Weber's 1909 book). Theory of the Location of Industries. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. 22 Hotelling, Harold. 1929. “Stability in Competition.” The Economic Journal, 39 (March), 41-57. Final - April 22, 2019 | 16 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review however, looked at large-scale, highway traffic congestion as opposed to increased traffic on a single, urban arterial street like Springfield’s Main Street.23 The general framework that treats transportation costs as an input into the production process is the basis for understanding the potential economic consequences of adopting arterial redesigns. If an arterial redesign impedes travel times for people driving then shoppers who travel by car may choose to patronize an alternative, more car-accessible retailer. Likewise, the accessibility of driveways through left turn lanes may increase visits to businesses. The direct empirical evidence for these effects on business performance is impeded by the challenges associated with accurately measuring the cause and effect of business performance given all the many other factors that contribute to business performance over time. A few studies use sales tax data to try to measure the effect of arterial reconfigurations on retail performance. For example, recent research in New York City attempted to develop new metrics to measure the economic impacts and effects of street reconfigurations. These studies found that protected bike lanes, dedicated bus lanes, and other traffic reconfigurations were positively associated with sales tax revenues and negatively associated with commercial vacancies.24 Oregon, unfortunately for research purposes, does not have sales tax data with which to complete this type of research. The empirical evidence for access management effects on traffic and safety has been systematically documented in the engineering literature. There is strong evidence from the literature that access management projects can produce safety benefits. The magnitude of these traffic and safety effects is typically modest for urban arterials with less than 20,000 ADT. There is also evidence that supports the use of access management as a tool for traffic flow management, improving speeds and reliability, but results are highly context- and design-specific. Traffic flow benefits may come with or without overall reductions in ADT. The specific design of intersections and management of turn movements will have an influence on traffic patterns. Adjusting infrastructure and amenities for people who walk and bike may change visits from pedestrians and bicyclists. There is some evidence that walk and bike trips are associated with different business patronage and spending behavior than is associated with vehicle trips. In a number of studies bike and walk trips are associated with more frequent business patronage but with smaller per trip expenditures25. 23 Weisbrod, Glen et al. 2003. "Measuring Economic Costs of Urban Traffic Congestion to Business." Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board 1839, no. 1. 24 New York City Department of Transportation. 2013. "Measuring the Street: New Metrics for 21st Century Streets." 25 In these studies per visit expenditures declined but frequency of visits increased leading to comparable total expenditures per patron independent of mode of access. Final - April 22, 2019 | 17 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review If automobile ADT is reduced by an arterial reconfiguration or implementation of access management policies, then visits to retailers along the street may also be reduced. Retailers may, however, sustain visits if ADT reductions are primarily amongst through-travelers or in the case where ADT reductions are matched by increases in bicycle and pedestrian visits26. Access Management Changes The implementation of access management strategies that support roadway and safety improvements, (such as speed zone changes that succeed in reducing observed travel speed, channelization, turn restrictions, and driveway consolidation) are increasingly common arterial street design elements in urban and suburban commercial settings. The primary objectives of the collection of access management strategies are to improve safety and traffic operations. The literature related to how property accessibility and access management directly influence business performance is limited by the challenge of isolating cause and effect associated with business performance. A report prepared for the Washington State Transportation Commission examined the relationship between business perceptions of access management and business perceptions of their own performance.27 Findings from this study include: Retail services28 establishments are less inclined than other retail establishments to perceive a relationship between access management and business performance. Businesses that already have good access from the main corridor are more likely to perceive a relationship between access restrictions and business performance. Larger businesses (more than 10 employees) are more likely to perceive a relationship between access management and business performance. Larger businesses are also more likely to be concerned about access restrictions. Two-way turn lanes, as compared with factors that directly affect site accessibility, such as turn restrictions and driveway removals, are not perceived to have an influence on business performance. The overall level of congestion within the corridor is perceived to be a more influential factor for business performance than site accessibility and access management. 26 This memo makes not claims about future trips, or model shares of trips after safety improvement are implemented. 27 Vu, Patrick et al. 2002. “Economic Impacts of Access Management.” Washington State Department of Transportation and TRAC. 28 Retail services are businesses with a retail customer orientation classified as part of the services sector. Final - April 22, 2019 | 18 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review A national study of left turn restrictions was conducted for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program29 and examined the economic effects of restricting left turns using survey methods and empirical based sales and revenue data from 9,200 businesses. The study found: Gas stations, non-durable goods retailers, and service businesses appear to be the most likely to be adversely affected; where restricted, these businesses showed the largest sales declines, and the highest rates of business failures. By contrast, grocery stores and restaurants appeared to benefit from the restrictions, showing increased sales and decreased business failures. The survey and interview results present a mixed picture. In some instances, business owners believed that the left-turn restrictions reduced access to their stores and resulted in lost business. In other cases, business owners reported the turn restrictions decreased congestion and improved traffic flow to the point where their market areas actually expanded. These business owners felt that customers were traveling to their stores from farther away than prior to the restrictions. Businesses at mid-block locations (i.e., away from intersections) perceived the left-turn restrictions as more detrimental than did businesses at intersections or other points where left turns were permitted. In some cases, left turn restrictions appeared to cause a portion of sales to shift from the restricted to the unrestricted business locations within the study corridor. For the North Carolina Department of Transportation, a research team undertook survey-based research30 on the effects of access management on North Carolina businesses. The team surveyed nearly 800 businesses located in “treatment” sites as well as “control” sites (similar locations where no access management treatments had been implemented). The research coincided with the 2007-09 economic recession within the state and the nation as a whole, so attempts were made to control for the broader economic conditions. The study concluded: There was no statistically significant difference in self-reported revenue changes between comparison and treatment sites, even when looking at individual treatment/comparison pairs. Within the treatment site locations over 70% of businesses felt that traffic conditions had improved or stayed the same as before the access management installations. And businesses in treatment site responded more favorably than control site businesses to questions of safety, traffic operations, and business access. 29 NCHRP Project 25-4, "Economic Effects of Restricting Left Turns.” Mr. Glen E. Weisbrod and Ms. Roanne Neuwirth. 30 Cunningham, C., Schroeder, B., Findley, D., Foyle, R., Katz, D., Smith, S., Carter, D., and Miller, M. 2010. Economic Effects of Access Management Techniques. The Institute for Transportation Research and Education; NCSU. Final - April 22, 2019 | 19 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review A study31 for the Iowa Department of Transportation studied three access management treatment sites in Iowa to understand how traffic, safety and business vitality were affected. Business trends at the treatment sites were compared with other similar commercial settings where no access management treatments were implemented: The case studies showed that access management projects are rather benign in terms of business impacts. Access managed corridors generally had lower rates of business turnover than other areas of their communities. They had more rapid growth in retail sales once projects were completed. Far more business owners, when surveyed, indicated that their sales had been stable or increased following project completion than reported sales losses. Before and After Studies Most studies of arterial reconfigurations focus on the traffic statistics on a stretch of road before and after implementation. And some studies attempt to describe the effects the arterial redesign had on business performance or economic conditions if all other things are held constant. In one study, qualitative and quantitative data allowed researchers to determine the effects from arterial reconfiguration on York Boulevard in Los Angeles. They found that there were no “meaningful linkages between the presence of a road diet and changes in economic conditions.”32 A report on the performance of Main Street in Ashland, Oregon found that the road reconfiguration outperformed what was projected in terms of traffic speeds, queue lengths and intersection Level of Service (LOS) and in many instances represented an improvement over the baseline conditions. 33 Stantec collected economic data of businesses along two corridors in downtown Vancouver, BC where single bike lanes were converted to separated bike lanes34. In each case, business owners reported reductions in sales (-10%, -4%) and customers reported similar reductions in visits to the area. The reasons customers reported for the reductions were traffic congestion, less parking, turning restrictions, and reduced pedestrian safety.35 The dense Vancouver downtown area is likely not directly comparable to Springfield Main Street but this study does illustrate the potential relationship between traffic volume, arterial design and business impacts. 31 Maze, T. and Plazak, D. 1999. Access Management Research and Awareness Program Phase IV Final Report. Iowa Department of Transportation. CTRE Management Project 97 -I, University of Iowa. 32 McCormick, Cullen. 2012. "York Blvd: The Economics of a Road Diet." University of California Los Angeles. 33 Faught, Mike. 2013. "Re: Post Road Diet Assessment - January through October." City of Ashland - Public Works. 34 To implement the separated bike lanes, road space was reallocated, parking spaces were moved or eliminated, the illegal use of some loading zones was eliminated, and turning restrictions were introduced. 35 Stantec Consulting ltd. 2011."Vancouver Separated Bike Lane Business Impact Study." Final - April 22, 2019 | 20 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review A Vancouver, WA study36 attempted to describe the economic impacts or effects of the arterial redesign project. The Vancouver study found that businesses along the redesigned street “faired [sic] no worse than its peer areas” in 2002-2003, when the city experienced a general recession. The reconfigured Fourth Plain Street had a 4.7% decrease in “taxable retail sales” compared to 9.8% and 25.0% reductions at two comparison commercial zones. The two customer complaints to the city that referred to the reconfiguration concerned traffic signal timing. Case Studies Much of the literature found detailing business effects from arterial redesigns was case studies. These case studies depicted robust business and job growth in relation to arterial redesign efforts. A cautious conclusion of these largely positive case study results is that investments in arterial reconfigurations can been shown to be part of broader area development initiatives that have ultimately led to more localized economic activity. Urban economies are complex and dynamic environments. An increase of jobs and businesses after the implementation of a street investment does not, by itself, give any indication of how much of that increase is attributable to any one specific investment. In addition, many of the case studies focus only on post-implementation benefits (e.g., new jobs or sales) and fail to describe the net benefits (is the value of the benefits greater than the value of the costs). While case studies are excellent tools to confirm or challenge a theory, or to investigate phenomenon with limited literature,37 only limited generalization of their results into implementable policies can be supported. In Barracks Row, Washington D.C., District Department of Transportation “made $8 million public investment in streetscape improvement in 2003–2004. [Through 2005], and an additional $8 million in private investment has been made in the corridor. Thirty-two new business establishments, including nine new outdoor cafes, have opened since the completion of the street enhancements and private investments have been completed.”38 In Lancaster Boulevard in Lancaster, CA, after a nine-block revitalization project, the area saw “50 new businesses” and “800 new jobs.”39 36 2004. "Nickerson Street Rechannelization before and after Report."; City of Orlando - Transportation Planning Bureau. 2002. "Edgewater Drive before & after Re-Striping Results."; City of Vancouver - Transportation Services, "Fourth Plain Boulevard Demonstration Re-Striping Project - Post Implementation Report.” 37 Tellis, W. 1997. “Application of a Case Study Methodology.” The Qualitative Record 3 (3). 38 Transportation Research Board. 2006. Linking Transportation and Land Use. Transportation Research Circular, Number E-C100. 39 National Complete Streets Coalition. 2013. “The Many Benefits of Complete Streets.” Final - April 22, 2019 | 21 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review In San Diego, after complete street initiatives, “a survey of tax receipts among 95 businesses along the corridor showed a 20 percent boost in sales. Numerous new businesses opened during construction, including a CVS with a 40-year lease40” A recent study found that pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure projects created more design and construction jobs than automotive-focused projects, as pedestrian and bicycle projects have a higher labor intensity (the ratio of labor to capital).41 42 We found no studies that tried to document a link between arterial redesigns and changes in regional incomes, or regional production. Such changes are a standard measure used by economists to measure the performance of a regional economy. Surveys and Opinion Research Other studies attempt to understand business’s performance through the use of business or consumer surveys. Surveys can be used to understand a respondent’s impressions of the usefulness of street improvements, business performance, and consumer behavior. A survey study of North Main Street in Ashland found that ¾ of businesses said that the road reconfiguration had no effect on their business. The majority of the remaining ¼ mostly reported that deliveries to their location were negatively affected.43 Eisele and Frawley found that business perceptions of what the effects of a new raised median improvement would be before the addition were larger than the actual effects of the new median.44 A survey study completed in the Portland, OR area found cyclists spent more than automobile consumers at restaurants, drinking establishments, and convenience stores. Motorists spent more than cyclists at supermarkets.45 Survey research completed in New York’s East Village found that pedestrians and cyclists spent more per capita per week than motorists.46 40 McCann, B, A Meyer, J Wood, C Morfas. 2012. It's a Safe Decision: Complete Streets in California. National Complete Streets Coalition, Local Government Commission. 41 Garrett-Peltier, Heidi. 2011. Pedestrian and Bicycle Infrastructure: A National Study of Employment Impacts. Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. 42 Some jurisdictions prioritize job creation, and would see this as benefit. Others would see the additional jobs as an additional cost. In either case, these results are primarily distributional. 43 Faught, Mike. 2013. "Re: Post Road Diet Assessment - January through October." City of Ashland - Public Works. 44 Eisele, William and William Frawley. 2000. "A Methodology for Determining Economic Impacts of Raised Medians: Final Project Results." Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A & M University System. 45 Clifton, Kelly et al. 2013. "Consumer Behavior and Travel Mode Choices." Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium. Final - April 22, 2019 | 22 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review A survey study of Polk Street in San Francisco found that motorists spent more per trip, but pedestrians and cyclists spent more per week by taking more trips to retailers than drivers.47 There is also some qualitative evidence of increased consumption after arterial reconfigurations.48 In several surveys, merchants who operate businesses in areas with arterial reconfigurations report that complete street- type policies had improved their bottom lines—although these feelings were not unanimous.49 Consumers may respond to improved urban streetscapes by viewing stores and products more positively, traveling and staying longer at stores, and by being willing to pay more for parking and products.50 A study that moved from the hypothetical behavior of surveys to observed behavior relating to street improvements in New York City found that “assessed collectively, street improvement projects do not detract from commercial activity at the site of implementation. They may contribute positively.”51 This study, however, did not answer whether these contributions were net increases or re-distributions from other locations. PROPERTY ACCESS, BUSINESS PERFORMANCE, AND PROPERTY VALUES Transportation investments influence property values as a result of changing the costs of accessing property. Property gets its value from being accessible to economically valuable activities that take place on that property. Arterial reconfigurations that address existing traffic congestion and safety deficiencies can reduce transportation-related costs for customers and employees as they access business sites. Lowering the costs of accessing property, all else being equal, will eventually translate into higher property values. Similarly, specific access management strategies may improve overall corridor performance even while restricting access to specific businesses. It is this complex interplay of factors, along with other factors in the broader economy that makes identifying the specific contribution to property values from changes in accessibility difficult to isolate. 46 Transportation Alternatives. "East Village Shoppers Study." 47 San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. 2013. "Polk Street Intercept Survey Results." 48 See, for example, the case studies of Transportation Research Board. 2006. Linking Transportation and Land Use. Transportation Research Circular, Number E-C100.; National Complete Streets Coalition. 2013. “The Many Benefits of Complete Streets.”; Bleier, A, K Ferrier, A Hamilton, G Konar, B Peterson, D Sorenson, and S Torma. 2012. Implementing Complete Streets in the San Diego Region. American Planning Association, WalkSanDiego. 49 Drennen, E. 2003. Economic Effects of Traffic Calming on Urban Small Businesses. Department of Public Administration, San Francisco State University.; Forkes, J and NS Lea. 2010. Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business - Year 2 Report: A Study of Bloor Street in Toronto's Bloor West Village. Clean Air Partnership. 50 Wolf, KL. 2005. “Business District Streetscapes, Trees, and Consumer Response.” Journal of Forestry 103 (8): 396- 400. 51 Lee, ES and B Sprung. 2013. Bike and pedestrian street improvements and economic activity in NYC. State Smart Transportation Initiative, New York City Department of Transportation. Final - April 22, 2019 | 23 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review There are case studies that demonstrate investments in access management and streets redesigned for safety and efficiency increase property values,52 but the analysis tends to be simple before-and-after studies, with little control for other causal variables. Many studies are specific to pedestrian and transit accessibility. A report53 cited often examined the relationship between the sale prices of houses and their walk scores54 in 15 different cities; after controlling for housing and neighborhood characteristics, the study found property values rose with walkability. One needs to be careful, however, about inferring arterial reconfigurations that improve walkability will increase property values. Such studies seldom control for self-selection or account for other factors contributing to both walkability and property values. Improving transit and walk accessibility will not yield benefits uniformly in all settings. For example, making a five-lane road servicing commercial strip more walkable may have little effect on walking, transit, and auto travel, while making a desirable shopping district more walkable could raise property values. Ultimately, if people demand various street amenities (bicycle infrastructure, street trees, setback sidewalks, traffic calming), then we would expect properties served by these streets to have somewhat higher property values when compared to properties that are other-wise identical but served by a less complete transportation system. One study found that when traffic calming restraints reduced vehicle volume by several hundred per day, property values increased by 18% on average.55 Other studies have found similar results.56 Similarly, several studies suggest consumers are willing to pay more for properties that are walkable, low-traffic, quiet, have bicycle infrastructure, etc.57 Some analyses make inferences about the unique effects of complete streets difficult by not controlling for other public funding.58 While the literature on the property value impacts of street redesigns is modest, general urban economic theory dictates that should investments change business site accessibility and gross sales, those changes should eventually be captured in the value of the underlying property rather than the profitability of a specific 52 See, for example, National Complete Streets Coalition. Complete Streets Spark Economic Revitalization.; Rush, N, L Actman, P McMahon, H Renski. Street Redesign for Revitalization: West Palm Beach, FLA. Accessed June 27, 2013, from http://pedbikesafe.org/PEDSAFE/casestudies_detail.cfm?CM_NUM=5&CS_NUM=16; National Complete Streets Coalition. Economic Development. Accessed June 26, 2013. 53 Cortright, J. 2009. Walking the Walk: How Walkability Raises Home Values in U.S. Cities. CEOs for Cities. 54 A “walk score” is one index of walkability. It awards points based off the distance between a property and nearby destinations. Shorter the distances produce higher the walk scores, and, as the logic goes, greater walkability. For more information, see http://www.walkscore.com/methodology.shtml 55 Bagby, DG. 1980. “The Effects of Traffic Flow on Residential Property Values.” Journal of the American Planning Association 1: 88-94. 56 Litman, T. 1999. Traffic Calming Benefits, Costs and Equity Impacts. Victoria Transport Policy Institute. 57 Synder, R. The Economic Value of Active Transportation. 58 See, for example, Street Redesign for Revitalization: West Palm Beach, FLA. Accessed June 27, 2013, from http://pedbikesafe.org/PEDSAFE/casestudies_detail.cfm?CM_NUM=5&CS_NUM=16. Final - April 22, 2019 | 24 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review business5960. But if consumers shift demand toward properties on redesigned streets, property values elsewhere must decrease. Additionally, increases in property values are a mixed bag: a benefit to some, a cost to others. Increased property values are a benefit to landowners, but would be a cost to currently operating businesses, that do not own the underlying property, in the form of higher lease rates. DESIGN IMPLICATIONS The arterial redesign literature is largely silent with respect to guidance on specific design implications that will minimize impacts to nearby businesses. There is clearly a potential trade-off between various arterial performance objectives such as safety and site accessibility. Achieving other performance objectives while minimizing any accessibility restrictions to properties will be most likely to support business visibility and accessibility. In other words, business performance is tied to the general transportation (speed, reliability, traffic flow) and site accessibility performance of the arterial redesign. Designing individual projects and investments to achieve those transportation and accessibility objectives will also support continued business vitality. The most common business concerns relate to restricted turn movements, delivery accessibility, reduced business visibility from the arterial, and potential restrictions to circulation or business frontage associated with corridor rights-of-way expansion. All of these factors can be addressed in some manner during the design process. For example, the impacts from turn restrictions can be minimized through careful design of U-turn opportunities both at intersections and mid-block where right-of-way is sufficient. Florida DOT Median Handbook evaluated the midblock U-turn, which can serve as a reference61. And right-of-way needs can be kept to a minimum through a comprehensive corridor design. Combining roundabouts with medians may reduce the cross-section of street segments; thus preserving more property for fronting businesses, parking spaces, and site circulation. EFFECT OF SHORT-TERM CONSTRUCTION DISRUPTION ON BUSINESS PERFORMANCE The general literature on how infrastructure construction affects nearby business performance is fairly extensive and is beyond the scope of this review. Typically, larger infrastructure projects will develop a detailed construction staging and business impact mitigation strategy. Features of such strategies may include: Staging and phasing strategies that maintain access to businesses during primary business hours. 59 Der Isolierte Staat in Beziehung auf Landwirtschaft und Nationalökonomie, oder Untersuchungen über den Einfluss, den die Getreidepreise, der Reichtum des Bodens und die Abgaben auf den Ackerbau ausüben, Vol. 1 60 Weber, Alfred “Theory of the Location of Industries”, Translated in 1929. 61 “2014 Median Handbook, Florida Department of Transportation,” 2014 Final - April 22, 2019 | 25 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review Rerouting of traffic and pedestrian access to maintain best access to the most affected businesses. Communication and advertising campaigns to prepare businesses for disruption and alert customers of businesses still in operation. Signage and wayfinding to assist customers as they access business locations. It is still often the case that disruptions during construction will have some detrimental influence over customer visitation and sales on businesses that are most impacted by the construction activities and road restrictions or closures. In the literature on street redesigns that address safety and congestion deficiencies, only the study by Eisele and Frawley62 examined the construction impacts as well as the post completion impacts on businesses. Based on their survey of affected businesses even as the median installations were seen to lead to increases in customer visits and gross sales after completion, the construction impacts were considered to be universally negative. The reviewed literature suggests construction impacts will be experienced most profoundly by businesses dependent on passer-by traffic (e.g. retail as opposed to services). LONG-TERM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BENEFITS Long-term gains to the economy reflect some underlying change in the productivity of resources available to advance economic activities. Investments in transportation can make other resources (labor and other inputs) more productive and can lower the costs of acquiring goods and services. The reconfiguration of arterial streets to address underlying safety and congestion deficiencies are no different from any other investment in transportation infrastructure. If the value of the safety and mobility benefits of the investments is greater than the costs of implementation, then there will be gains to the economy. Those gains may be capitalized in the form of income, business product, and property values. Unless street redesigns alter productivity functions63 in some material way, these kinds of changes will be primarily distributional. Areas that have been redeveloped (such that speeds, reliability, and safety are improved) may see more consumer activity and spending, but the total spending in the region is unlikely to change in any measurable way. 62 Eisele, William and William Frawley. 2000. "A Methodology for Determining Economic Impacts of Raised Medians: Final Project Results." Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A & M University System. 63 An example could be increases in extra-regional tradable production. Final - April 22, 2019 | 26 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review We found nothing in the literature we reviewed regarding how businesses outside of a redesigned arterial area are affected by the implementation of the transportation infrastructure investment (the distributional issue). Our conclusion, based on a substantial literature in urban economics, is that unless regional economic conditions are changed in a sudden and notable way, then local policies that affect business operations lead to effects that are primarily distributional. Locations that receive new investment will probably do better economically than those that do not. Unless new development is of a scale and type that draws investment from outside the region, then the economic gains will be economic activities that would otherwise have gone elsewhere in a region. In terms of consumers and consumption patterns, for arterial redesigns to change aggregate consumption they would need change the number of consumers, their incomes, preferences, rates of spending/saving, or the cost of goods. On the one hand, the cost of consuming goods may decrease because the transportation costs to the consumer of purchasing the good may decrease. On the other hand, higher densities and land values may work in the direction of higher rents and higher prices. Based on the literature it is unlikely that arterial redesigns decrease consumption overall, or to any substantial degree. Some types of arterial redesigns lead to modest changes in mode of access. Some literature reviews the consumption patterns of customers that use different modes (auto versus bike or walk) of accessing businesses. “When demographics and socioeconomics are controlled for, mode choice does not have a statistically significant impact on consumer spending at convenience stores, drinking establishments, and restaurants.”64 In fact (excluding supermarkets) pedestrians and cyclists may consume more. “When trip frequency is accounted for,65 the average monthly expenditures by customer modes of travel reveal that bicyclists, transit users, and pedestrians are competitive consumers and for all businesses except supermarkets, spend more, on average than those who drive.”66 The land development impacts of arterial redesigns are also very difficult to evaluate or predict. Even if a redesigned street produces notable gains from addressing congestion and safety issues, leading to increased consumer spending and gross business receipts, and finally higher land values – the development outcomes are still not necessarily obvious. Higher land values result in a higher residual value of land in the property development process. This can represent a barrier to redevelopment. Often investments in infrastructure alone are not sufficient to induce new property development and other factors such as zoning, development 64 Clifton, K. J., Muhs, C., Morrissey, S., Morrissey, T., Currans, K., and Ritter, C. 2012. Consumer Behavior and Travel Mode Choices. Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium. 65 Previous studies that did not control for trip frequency found that automotive-based consumers spent more per trip. Though automotive consumers spend more per trip, non-automotive consumers have greater frequencies of trip. Clifton et al., 2012. 66 Clifton, K. J., Muhs, C., Morrissey, S., Morrissey, T., Currans, K., and Ritter, C. 2012. Consumer Behavior and Travel Mode Choices. Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium. Final - April 22, 2019 | 27 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review regulations and parking regulations must be altered before the dynamics of the development process are altered sufficiently to result in changes in the built environment. CONCLUSION The literature reviewed consisted of studies that attempt to measure the effect of arterial street reconfigurations on retail sales and business performance. Well-designed studies that control for a wide range of factors influencing business performance are difficult and expensive to implement and, as a result, are scarce. A review of the available literature concluded that there is no evidence that the implementation of access management strategies, and raised medians and roundabouts in particular, result in broad negative impacts to businesses. To the contrary, a number of studies identified positive business outcomes. Improved business performance results from addressing underlying traffic congestion and safety deficiencies. General urban economic theory dictates that should investments change business site accessibility and gross sales, those changes should eventually be captured in the value of the underlying property rather than the profitability of a specific business. While changes in land values may be observed, those changes may not indicate business gains or losses in terms of sales or profits. There is some evidence that auto-oriented businesses (e.g. gas stations, auto servicing) and businesses in mid-block locations may be more susceptible to lower customer visitation as a consequence of access restrictions (restricted turn movements, limitations in sight lines, etc.). Also, businesses that rely upon opportunistic visitation (where the business is not a primary customer trip destination) may be affected by access restrictions should their business become less visible to pass-by traffic. And some literature suggests that business losses during construction may be the primary negative effect on business performance. Such construction impacts would occur from any corridor construction, independent of the final configuration of the project. Final - April 22, 2019 | 28 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review APPENDIX A: LITERATURE REVIEWED This appendix contains the literature cited in the memo above as well as literature reviewed and considered throughout our research process. Appendix A: Literature Reviewed Final - April 22, 2019 | 29 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review Title Author(s) Year Summary Nickerson Street Rechannelization Before and After Report (see DKS report) 2004 DKS Case Study. Speeding and collisions down significantly after the road diet. Change in total average weekday volume was negligible, about a 1% reduction. No business impacts are discussed. The Relationship of Transportation Access and Connectivity to Local Economic Outcomes: A statistical Analysis Alstadt et al 2011 This article asks the right question: how does transportation infrastructure affect delivery of product inputs, labor market access, and customer access? But the analysis is on a county-level rather than street or neighborhood level, so it isn't useful when looking Main Street. Complete Streets American Planning Association 2010 200-page review with excerpts from several sources The Effects of Traffic Flow on Residential Property Values Bagby, DG 1980 This article presents an empirical study of the effects of traffic flow on residential property values in the community of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Residential values in two identical neighborhoods are compared over a 25-year period. One neighborhood serves as a control for the measurement of the impact of changes in traffic flow upon residential values in the other. The results show that residential property values exhibit a surprisingly high elasticity with respect to reductions in traffic flow. Trends in Local Business Sales, Building Values, and Office Rents at NYCDOT Street Improvement Project Sites Bennett Midland N.d. Evaluated the effects on business sales following various types of street improvements including medians, bike lanes, traffic pattern alterations, and creation of new public spaces. At 8 of 11 sites (73%) business sales increased at a greater rate than at comparison areas. At 9 of 11 sales increased in the first year after improvements. The projects may have promoted economic growth. Commercial building values increased at 4 of the 6 sites with available data. From Policy to Pavement: Implementing Complete Streets in the San Diego Region Bleir, A., Ferrier, K., Hamilton, A., Konar, G., Peterson, B., Sorenson, D., and Torma, S. 2012 Mostly advocating for Complete Streets in San Diego, but this article does lay out the range of benefits that stem from Complete Streets including branding and revitalization of commercial districts Final Report for Secretary Department of Transportation and Burk-Kleinpeter, Inc. 2010 Summarizes the costs and benefits of complete streets. Economic benefits: houses with higher walkability command higher prices; 66% of San Fran Mission District businesses believed that bike lane had positive Appendix A: Literature Reviewed Final - April 22, 2019 | 30 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review Title Author(s) Year Summary Development impact on business or sales; bike friendliness Edgewater Drive Before & After Re-Striping Results City of Orlando - TPB 2002 DKS Case Study. 34% reduction in crashes. 68% reduction in injuries. Significant reductions in speeding. 9- 12% reduction in daily traffic volume (depending on segment). Pedestrian traffic increased by 23%, bicycle by 20%. Side street traffic reduced by 4%, on average. Travel times increased from about 3.3 minutes to 4.2 in the AM, and a mix of increases and decreases depending on direction in the PM. Fourth Plain Boulevard Demonstration Re-Striping Project - Post Implementation Report City of Vancouver - Transportation Services 2004 DKS Case Study. A study was commissioned to estimate "taxable retail sales" in the area. The study found that the area faired no worse than its peers and in 2002-2003, the last year of the study, the area faced a 4.7% decline in revenues versus 9.8% and 25.0% declines in other nearby commercial zones. 2 consumer complaints were made that regarded traffic signal timing. The Path to Complete Streets in Underserved Communities Clifton et al N.d. Conducted four case studies about getting complete streets in underserved communities. Consumer Behavior and Travel Mode Choices (see also, Clifton et al Business Cycles….) Clifton, K. J., Muhs, C., Morrissey, S., Morrissey, T., Currans, K., and Ritter, C. 2012 Research based in the Portland metro area. Supermarkets had the highest share of private vehicle use, 86%. Drinking places have the lowest, 43%. High-turnover restaurants, 64%. Convenience Stores, 59%. Automobile consumers were found to spend more per trip, but not statistically different amounts on a monthly basis (fewer trips). Bikers spend more each month than automobile drivers at restaurants, drinking establishments, and convenience stores (table 4-2). Several other useful results relate to directness and connectivity as significant predictors of someone choosing bicycle mode of transportation. Complete Streets Spark Economic Revitalization Complete Streets Steering Committee Organization N.d. 2-page summary pamphlet of the economic revitalization that many areas have experienced after implementing complete streets programs Portland's Green Dividend Cortright - CEOs for Cities 2007 Makes the argument that Portlanders save money by not using cars as much, which leaves them with more money to spend in the local economy. Car and Gas money also leaves Oregon immediately. Walking the Walk: How Walkability Raises Home Values in U.S. Cities Cortright, J. 2009 In this report, Cortright linearly regresses property values against a measure of walkability and finds that properties with higher walkability scores are associated with higher property values. As explained in our white paper, though this is an encouraging finding, we are reluctant to rely on it to understand the potential effects of complete streets. We bring it up, in part, because in our survey of the literature, Cortright’s article was widely Appendix A: Literature Reviewed Final - April 22, 2019 | 31 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review Title Author(s) Year Summary cited. Economic Effects of Access Management Techniques Cunningham, C., Schroeder, B., Findley, D., Foyle, R., Katz, D., Smith, S., Carter, D., and Miller, M. 2010 This study employs a perception-based survey technique with the use of comparison sites to create a pseudo before-after study. Owners of businesses along treatment corridors viewed access management techniques in a more positive light than the perceptions of those on comparison sites. Their similar performance in terms of business revenues indicates that there is no direct evidence of negative economic impacts due to access management installations. Road Diet Seminar Daisa N.d. Provides an overview of road diet practices, where the policies are best implemented, and the typical effects on traffic patterns and accidents. Not much on businesses Economic Effects of Traffic Calming on Urban Small Businesses Drennen, Emily 2003 Drennen interviewed 27 merchants in the Mission District about Valencia Street bike lanes. 44.4% said economic revitalization was "Better", 0% said it was "Worse." 46.2% said reduced auto speeds had a "Better" effect on sales, 7.7% said it was "Worse." 37% said sales were "Better," 0% "Worse" .... and several other useful results (page 46). 65.4% said it had a better general impact on business and sales, 3.8% said worse. Categorizes the benefits that small businesses get from "traffic calming" efforts and provides examples from the literature for each: Economic Revitalization and Property Values; Attractiveness and Safety; Sales and Attracting Customers; Parking; Impact on Employees; Construction and Costs. Customers who drive less have more disposable income. Economic Impact of the Public Realm ECOTEC 2007 Includes several case studies of public realm projects and their economic impacts in Europe. A Methodology for Determining the Economic Impacts of Raised Medians: Final Project Results Eisele, William and Frawley, William 2000 Survey-based research. Found that business perceptions of business impacts prior to the project were worse than actuals. There were negative impacts during the construction phase Re: Post Road Diet Assessment - January through October Faught, Mike 2013 A post implementation assessment of the engineering outcomes of a road diet investment as well as a survey of household attitudes about the road reconfiguration; showing slightly positive attitudes overall. Appendix A: Literature Reviewed Final - April 22, 2019 | 32 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review Title Author(s) Year Summary Evaluation of Lane Reduction "Road Diet" Measures and Their Effects on Crashes and Injuries FHWA 2004 Looked at 24 comparison sites in California and Washington. "On average, crash frequencies at road diets in the after period were approximately 6 percent lower than at the corresponding comparison sites." Road diets, however, did not have an effect on crash type or crash severity, but this study did not account for speed at the time of crash. A Comparative Analysis of Bicycle Lanes Versus Wide Curb Lanes: Final Report FHWA 1999 Summarizes the trade-offs between wide sidewalks and bike lanes. Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business Forkes, J. and Lea, NS 2009, 2010 Survey research of drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists to a commercial neighborhood in Toronto. Mostly focuses on the transition from parking spaces to bike lanes and/or sidewalk space. Finds that most businesses and customers consider the shift towards more walkability and bikability to be advantageous. Post Road Diet Assessment - January through October Fraught, Mike 2013 North Main St in Ashland, OR. Mostly a traffic and crash analysis, but also surveyed 552 residents and interviewed 38 of 50 businesses. 3/4 of business said that the reconfiguration had no impact on business. For most of the other 1/4, deliveries to their location were negatively affected. Businesses were evenly split on whether they wanted to keep the new configuration or go back to the 4 lane configuration Pedestrian and Bicycle Infrastructure: A National Study of Employment Impacts Garrett-Peltier, Heidi 2011 In this article, Garrett-Peltier uses IMPLAN to evaluate the direct, indirect, and induced employment that is created through the design, construction, and materials procurement of bicycle, pedestrian, and road infrastructure. She found that these projects created more design and construction jobs than automotive projects, and attributed this to pedestrian and bicycling projects’ higher labor intensity. Roundabout's Impact on Nearby Businesses Godavarthy, R. P., Mirzazadeh, B., Russell, E. R., and Landman, D. 2016 A folio summarizing the results of the 2012 study. See Russell. The Economic Costs of Road Traffic Congestion Goodwin, Phil 2004 An economic text outlining the economic consequences of road congestion, including the role of travel time unreliability. Stability in Competition Hotelling, Harold 1929 Theoretical text on the role of product differentiation on the optimal location of firms. Appendix A: Literature Reviewed Final - April 22, 2019 | 33 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review Title Author(s) Year Summary How Much Do You Lose When Your Road Goes on a Diet? Huang et. al. 2003 Focuses on crashes. Finds no significant impact on crash rates Maximizing the Economic Returns of Road Infrastructure Investment. Chapter 3:The Relationship Between Road Infrastructure Investment and Economic Development Joynt, Hubert 2009 Theoretical, as described in the title. Economic Impact of Traffic Incidents on Businesses Khattak et. al. 2008 Focused on North Carolina's interstate highways. Found a significant cost per hour of delay for accidents, but this cost varied by type of business. Did not focus on demand-side delays, just supply-side. Retail cost was $156/hr of delay. RE: Fire/EMS Input on "Road Diet" Projects Kingsbury, Dwight 2013 Kingsbury is the FDOT Safety Officer in Tallahassee, FL. This memo argues that a 3-lane reconfiguration may improve EMS response over 4-lane configurations. Urban Minor Arterial Four- Lane Undivided to Three- Lane Conversion Feasibility: An Update Knapp et. al. 2003 Researches the traffic effects of 4-3 lane conversion. Based on simulations, recommends that areas with peaks under 750 vphpd will see few impacts. Those from 750-875 require caution in implementing a conversion. The authors express a lot of concern for those about 875 vphpd. Most simulations had a significant reduction in speeders. The Economic Impact of Investments in Bicycle Facilities: A Case Study of the Northern Outer Banks Lawrie et al - NCDOT 2004 Survey research to measure the impact of significant investment in bicycling infrastructure. Investment in bicycling infrastructure has paid dividends. Mostly focuses on tourists and found that bicycle access was much of the reason some tourists visited an area Bike and pedestrian street improvements and economic activity in NYC Lee, BS and Sprung, B. 2013 In this study of New York City street improvements, Lee and Sprung find that the improvements—which included bicycle infrastructure, street trees, sidewalk improvements—in some cases led to higher sales tax revenues, which indicates greater consumption. In other cases, the revenue was lower or was not significantly different than it was previously. Appendix A: Literature Reviewed Final - April 22, 2019 | 34 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review Title Author(s) Year Summary Walk this Way: The Economic Promise of Walkable Places in Metropolitan Washington, DC Leinberger & Alfonzo 2012 Findings start on page 9 with summary table. Found that a 1-level increase in the walkability index (IMI) resulted in higher average office and retail rent per sq. ft., higher retail sales, higher res rents, and average home values. Evaluating Transportation Economic Development Impacts Litman, Todd 2010 Mostly theoretical guidance on how to measure the economic impacts of transportation projects. On page 52 is the "Impacts on Specific Industries and Businesses" section. This discussion includes how "old" industry tends to favor automobile traffic and "new" industry does not. Since new industry tends to be where expansion is possible, public policy should support programs that support newer types of industries. Page 78 has an example of shift from vehicle spending to general consumer spending that occurs if there's a shift from car travel to other types of travel. Generated Traffic and Induced Travel Litman, Todd 2010 See other Litman articles. This mostly is about how to value consumer surplus of transportation shifts and does not touch on the effect on businesses. Evaluating Complete Streets Litman, Todd 2013 Mostly advocacy, but Table 7 provides a guide to quantification of often overlooked impacts, which the city might be interested in seeing at some point. Traffic Calming Benefits, Costs and Equity Impacts Litman, Todd 1999 Provides a framework for doing a cost benefit analysis or road diet projects. Monetizes many costs and benefits (e.g. crashes) that aren't monetized elsewhere. Provides an example of Bridgeport Way where tax revenues increased in the years after a road diet relative to tax revenues from the whole city. Unfortunately, doesn't cover this topic anywhere else in the paper. Safety and Operational Analysis of 4-lane to 3-lane Conversions (Road Diets) in Michigan Lyles et. al. 2012 Finds that diets for areas with ADTs over 10K face significant delays, but this mostly applies to sites with peak hour volumes above 1000. 4L4W doesn't point this out. Nor do they point out that the study said all the effects are almost entirely corridor-specific. 4L4W also neglects to point out that the study found that road diets resulted in lower crash frequencies, but again have a lot of site-to-site variation. One appendix has a detailed literature review. Access Management Research and Awareness Program Phase IV Final Report Maze, T. and Plazak, D. 1999 Case studies. As seen with previous case studies in this series, these two projects had positive impacts on traffic safety and operations and do not appear to have adversely impacted the vitality of businesses along the managed corridor. Appendix A: Literature Reviewed Final - April 22, 2019 | 35 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review Title Author(s) Year Summary It's a Safe Decision: Complete Streets in California McCann, B., Meyer, A., Wood, J., and Morfas, C. 2012 This report compiles complete street case studies in California to argue that their implementation should be more widespread. The case studies collectively provide a fairly comprehensive picture of the effects of complete streets. However, in discussing economic activity, other factors are not controlled for. York Blvd: The Economics of a Road Diet McCormick, Cullen 2012 York Blvd, Los Angeles. Relies on qualitative and quantitative data. Most businesses presumed that their customers arrived by car, but these notions were mistaken. Business turnover road diet v non-road diet 55% v 62%; did not find statistically different property values; non-road diet areas had a higher growth rate in revenues, but road diet portions had a higher absolute increase in revenues. In sum, "The quantitative analyses in this report do not reveal meaningful linkages between the presence of a road diet and changes in economic conditions." Willamette Street Traffic Analysis McKenney Engineering 2001 Previous evaluation of improvement alternatives for same stretch of Willamette The Many Benefits of Complete Streets National Complete Streets Coalition 2013 A communication piece outlining the benefits of complete streets without a discussion of the costs or tradeoffs. Complete Streets Spark Economic Revitalization National Complete Streets Coalition N.d. This brief on complete streets argues that complete streets lead to transformative economic changes. Though much of it is informative, it operates as advocacy, and not rigorous analysis. We cite it as such. Economic Development National Complete Streets Coalition N.d. In this article, the National Complete Streets Coalition argues that complete streets lead to transformative economic development, raising property values and investment. We cite it as advocacy, and not as rigorous analysis. Washington's Complete Streets and Main Street Highways Program: Case Studies and Practice Resource Nicholls et. al. 2011 Mostly advocacy and general description of what the WA Complete Streets program does. Measuring the Street: New Metrics for 21st Century NYDOT 2013 Meant to be a pamphlet. For the first protected bike lane in the US, 8th and 9th avenues in Manhattan, says that locally-based business on 9th from 23rd-31st had "up to 49% increase in retail sales" compared to a 3% Appendix A: Literature Reviewed Final - April 22, 2019 | 36 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review Title Author(s) Year Summary Streets increase borough wide. There was also "49% fewer commercial vacancies" compared to 5% borough-wide. Dedicated lanes for buses and bike on 1st and 2nd Avenues in Manhattan: 47% fewer commercial vacancies compared to 2% borough-wide. The Economic Benefits of Sustainable Streets NYDOT 2013 Follows up on the 2012 Measuring the Street study to update metrics to accurately measure the impacts of street revitalization. Has a good lit review and makes the case that street improvements and traffic calming increase the number of shoppers, revenue, and property values. Also points out that businesses are typically opposed to projects beforehand. Provides a summary of the biases present in the 2011 Stantec report. NYDOT, with consultants, developed their own metric which includes retail sales tax filings, commercial leases and rents, and city-assessed market value. Methods included paired comparisons between sites and boroughs, and other comparisons between sites other similar sites within the neighborhood. Evaluated the addition of street corridors and plaza on retail trade and food businesses over two years before and after a project. Offers several lessons for doing this type of research in the future. Includes 3 Manhattan, 2 Bronx, and 2 Brooklyn Case studies New York City, New York Municipal Forest Resource Analysis Peper et. al. 2007 Mostly irrelevant - cited in NYDOT 2013 paper - but p. 59 has a discussion of the effect that additional trees have on property values and other factors. People are willing to pay 3-7% more for properties with ample trees versus no trees. Road Diet Handbook - Overview Rosales, Jennifer N.d. Provides a number of case studies of road diets. Does not include much information on effects on businesses, but does cite a Vancouver case where sales increased when compared to similar, non-road diet sites in the area. Bikenomics: Measuring the Economic Impact of Bicycle Facilities on Neighborhood Business Districts Rowe, Kyle 2013 Concludes that the addition of bicycle lanes did not have a negative impact on business districts. Street Redesign for Revitalization: West Palm Beach, FLA Rush, N., Actman, L., McMahon, P., and Renski, H. N.d. This case study of West Palm Beach Florida attributes the area’s transformative economic change to complete streets, but fails to control for other factors (i.e., it does a before/after analysis, where a with/without would be more telling). A Study of the Impact of Roundabouts on Traffic Russell, E. R., Landman, D., 2012 This study reviewed the literature and all sources where national data or reliable case studies addressed the issue of the impact of roundabouts on business to serve as a basis for Kansas studies. The most relevant Appendix A: Literature Reviewed Final - April 22, 2019 | 37 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review Title Author(s) Year Summary Flows and Business Godavarthy, R. P. study found in the literature was a study of South Goldman Road in Golden, Colorado, where four roundabouts were built in a business corridor with many positive results which led to the conclusions that “yes, roundabouts are good for business.” Survey results were generally positive albeit mixed. The simulation study of the Topeka business area, assuming several intersections were replaced with roundabouts, showed significant reductions in delay and queuing for most all significant traffic movements. Based on the authors’ assumption that better traffic flow and access are good for business, it was concluded that the addition of roundabouts in this corridor would have been good for business. The overall conclusion of the study was that roundabouts have a positive impact on traffic flows and business. Transportation and The Economy SACTRA N.d. 298-page document that provides a lot of theoretical guidance. Euro-centric, but still useful. Chapter 7 is all about how traffic reductions may affect economies, some highlights. Unfortunately, it focuses on taxation and other policies as means to reduce congestion "The external costs arising from road transport provide a rationale for traffic reduction, insofar as this arises from the alignment of marginal benefit with marginal social cost." (p 129) Polk Street Intercept Survey Results San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency 2013 Focuses on consumer spending by mode of transportation to the region. Cars spent more per TRIP than cyclists, pedestrians, and transit, but had lower per WEEK spending than all three types. Curbing Cars: Shopping, Parking and Pedestrian Space in SoHo Schaller Consulting 2006 Conducted 1000 interview, pedestrians and motorists. Concluded that most visitors, residents, and workers wanted less parking space and more pedestrian space. Also asked respondents about spending patterns. 38th Avenue Corridor Plan Implementation Showalter, Sarah 2012 38th avenue in Wheat Ridge, CO. At the very end does a simple before and after measure of sales tax revenue The Economic Value of Active Transportation Snyder, R. N.d. In this fact sheet, Snyder reviews the literature and finds that homeowners are willing to pay more for walkable, bikable, low-traffic, quiet streets. The author supports his conclusions largely with case studies. Since this is a fact sheet, it does not lend itself to great scrutiny. Vancouver Separated Bike Lane Business Impact Study Stantec Consulting 2011 Collected business economic data to measure impacts of 2 bike lanes. The net impact on sales at business adjacent to the bike lanes was -10% and -4%, respectively. Business owners estimated losses to be between - 6% to -9%. These loses were found to be insufficient to create persistent vacancies. Customers reported comparable reductions in visiting the two areas; the reasons for these reductions were traffic congestion, less parking, turning restrictions, and reduced pedestrian safety. Provides a list of recommended mitigation Appendix A: Literature Reviewed Final - April 22, 2019 | 38 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review Title Author(s) Year Summary measures, but many of these are specific to a dense downtown area. Methodology for Determining the Economic Development Impacts of Transit Project TCRP - TRB 2012 Focuses on travel time savings, costs of construction, environmental impacts, effects on land development, and effects on agglomeration economies. It is one of the first studies to look at the later, or so it claims. Does not focus on business impacts Application of a Case Study Methodology Tellis, W. 1997 A methods document on the design, role and limitations of the case study approach to research. Der Isolierte Staat in Beziehung auf Landwirtschaft und Nationalökonomie, oder Untersuchungen über den Einfluss, den die Getreidepreise, der Reichtum des Bodens und die Abgaben auf den Ackerbau ausüben, Vol. 1 Thünen, Johann Heinrich von Translated in 1966 Classic text in economics on land rents and transportation. Der Isolierte Staat..., Vol II: Der Naturgeässe Arbeitslohn und dessen Verhältnis zum Zinsfuss und zur Landrente, Part 1 Thünen, Johann Heinrich von Translated in 1966 Classic text in economics on land rents and transportation East Village Shoppers Study Transportation Alternatives 420 surveys with pedestrians. Pedestrians and bikers spend more per capita per week at local businesses and visit the neighborhood more often than car and subway users. Recent additions of bike lanes increased bike use dramatically. 73% of respondents said the lanes had a positive or very positive impact on the neighborhood. Linking Transportation and Land Use Transportation Research Board 2006 State of the evidence on the relationships between lane use and transportation. This report is essentially a compilation of case studies of transportation and land use projects. Though none of the projects examined are explicitly complete streets, the projects share many things with complete streets (traffic calming, streetscape improvements, etc.). Many of the case studies describe increased retail and consumer activity after a project, Appendix A: Literature Reviewed Final - April 22, 2019 | 39 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review Title Author(s) Year Summary though these descriptions are too brief to lend themselves to greater scrutiny New Tool for Estimating Economic Impacts of Transportation Projects: Transportation Project Impact Case Studies TRB 2012 Like the study above, focuses on highway expansion. Not relevant to impacts of changes to city streets. Economic Impacts of Access Management Vu, Patrick 2002 A report prepared for the Washington State Transportation Commission examined the relationship between business perceptions of access management and business perceptions of their own performance. Theory of the Location of Industries Weber, Alfred Translated in 1929 Alfred Weber formulated a theory of industrial location in which an industry is located where the transportation costs of raw materials and final product is a minimum. Progress and Challenges in the Application of Economic Analysis for Transport Policy and Decision Making Weisbrod & Alstadt 2007 Discussion paper on the interaction between transportation and economic modeling. Economic Effects of Restricting Left Turns Weisbrod, Glen E. and Neuwirth, R. 1998 The objective of this research was to determine the economic effects on adjacent businesses and property owners because of restricting left-turn movements. The statistical analyses conducted with the available data indicate that left-turn restrictions affect different types of businesses differently. Gas stations, non-durable goods retailers, and service businesses appear to be the most likely to be adversely affected; where restricted, these businesses showed the largest sales declines, and the highest rates of business failures. Businesses at mid-block locations (i.e., away from intersections) perceived the left-turn restrictions as more detrimental than did businesses at intersections or other points where left turns were permitted. In some cases, left turn restrictions appeared to cause a portion of sales to shift from the restricted to the unrestricted business locations within the study corridor. Measuring the Economic Costs of Urban Traffic Congestion to Business Weisbrod, Glen et. al. 2003 Uses data from Chicago and Philadelphia, and is explicit that their findings are specific to "large urban areas." Each sector if affected in different ways by congestion, as each relies on freight, customer, etc. road use to different degrees. Impacts also depend on location (e.g. industrial v. downtown). Losses are not put in a /minute drive time or /daily visits measure. Appendix A: Literature Reviewed Final - April 22, 2019 | 40 Springfield Main Street Safety Project | Technical Memo #3: Business and Property Owner Impact Literature Review Title Author(s) Year Summary Raised Median Economic Impact Study Utah DOT; Matt Riffkin, C. Allen, M.Baker, C.Richman, J. Dorwart 2013 In this study businesses sales tax records in three corridors (plus control corridors) where raised medians were implemented were examined to evaluate the economic impacts of the corridor operational changes. The affected businesses performed as well as, or better than, the control group corridors. Business perceptions were also assessed through surveys. In spite of no evidence for poorer business performance business perceptions of raised medians was that they impeded customer access. Operational and Economic Analysis of Access Management South Carolina DOT 2018 This study examined both operational and economic impacts of access management in six corridors in South Carolina. The perception of customers and businesses located along corridors with raised medians were surveyed. Economic impacts were examined using data about sales volumes over a three year period. Analyses indicated that the sales volume decrease of the affected businesses was similar to that of businesses in the control group. This finding suggests that the installed raised median was not the reason the affected businesses experienced a reduction in sales volume. Business District Streetscapes, Trees, and Consumer Response Wolf, KL 2005 In this study, Wolf surveyed consumers to examine how they respond to forested urban streetscapes. She found that on forested streetscapes, consumers viewed stores and products more positively, travelled and stayed longer at stores, and were willing to pay more for parking and products. PPS Right Sizing Case Studies There are several case studies here. None address economics. They all address volumes, crashes, etc. TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM #10: GOALS & OBJECTIVES DATE: June 10, 2019 TO: Molly Markarian | City of Springfield Bill Johnson | ODOT Region 2 FROM: Jean Senechal Biggs, Kayla Fleskes, Garth Appanaitis and Lacy Brown | DKS Associates Jeanne Lawson and Allison Brown | JLA Public Involvement SUBJECT: Task 7.1 Problem Statement, Goals & Objectives Tech Memo #10: Final DKS Project 14180-023 This memorandum describes the project purpose, goals and objectives for the Springfield Main Street Safety Project. To develop the purpose, goals and objectives, the project team reviewed previous planning studies in the corridor and gathered the input of agency stakeholders and community members. As work on the project continues and infrastructure solutions are developed for the corridor, the goals and objectives will be used to evaluate each and help guide decision-making. The goals will shape the actions and transportation improvements that will be recommended to create a safer Main Street. Project Purpose Statement The project team developed the project purpose statement in spring 2018 to describe the overarching problem the project seeks to address and a vision for the plan outcomes. The project team reviewed the City’s Transportation System Plan (TSP) and previous corridor-specific studies to ensure consistent goals and objectives. Previous studies along the corridor include the Main-McVay Transit Study (MMTS) and the Springfield Main Street Corridor Vision Plan (MSVP). Some goals that consistently appeared within these documents include: Safe and efficient vehicle travel including access to properties fronting the street (MSVP) Multi-modal transportation balance appropriate to the land use environment (MSVP, MMTS, TSP) Address the mobility and safety needs of motorists, transit users, bicyclists, pedestrians, freight, and the needs of emergency vehicles when planning and constructing roadway system improvements (TSP) June 10, 2019 | 2 Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #10: Goals & Objectives Support economic development, revitalization and land use redevelopment opportunities for the corridor (MMTS, TSP) Improved pedestrian safety crossing of Main Street (MSVP, MMTS) Reduced vehicle speeds (MSVP) The Springfield City Council provided input on a draft purpose statement and the Main Street Governance Team provided further refinement. The final purpose statement endorsed by the Governance Team reads as follows: Springfield’s Main Street is consistently ranked as one of the most unsafe city streets in Oregon based on the severity and frequency of traffic crashes. ODOT and the City must address this problem to save lives, reduce injuries, and lessen property damage due to crashes. The purpose of the Main Street Safety Project: Planning Phase is to select infrastructure solutions that will make Main Street safer for people walking, biking, driving, and taking transit. The selected safety improvements will provide for the movement of goods and people, support the economic viability of the corridor, accommodate current bus service and future transit solutions, and complement traffic safety education and enforcement. Community Values In fall 2018, the project team conducted four focus groups and held an online open house to gather input on a set of six values derived from City’s TSP and prior corridor studies. Participants were asked to vote on or rank the values, and those results were used to develop a framework for the project specific goals. The values presented to participants were: Safety: I value solutions that reduce the risk of fatalities and serious injuries Local Business Access: I value solutions that support the viability of the businesses on Main Street by providing access and minimizing other impacts Traffic Mobility: I value solutions that minimize congestion and maintain the flow of traffic Cost: I value solutions that are cost-effective and make good use of public funds Main Street Character: I value solutions that improve the appearance of Main Street and make it a vibrant place for those who live, work, shop, and travel through the corridor Transit: I value solutions that support reliable and frequent transit service that is accessible from destinations along Main Street June 10, 2019 | 3 OR 126 Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #10: Goals & Objectives Focus Groups The project team did targeted outreach to four community groups in November-December 2018 and heard input from community members who access the corridor, including youth, seniors, low-income individuals, and Spanish-speaking individuals. Summaries of each of the four focus groups (Downtown Languages1, Briarwood Senior Living2, Catholic Community Services3 and Willamalane Two50 Club4) provide further detail about each activity and are posted on the project’s website5. As part of each meeting, participants were given three plastic coins to ‘vote’ on their top three values by placing them into labeled ‘values’ jars. Staff clarified that participants could put multiple coins into one jar, if they felt strongly about that value. A total of 86 individuals participated and Table 1 shows the number of participants in each focus group. Table 1: Focus Group Participation Community Group Environmental Justice (EJ) Population # of Values Exercise Participants Downtown Languages Latinx/Spanish-speaking 26 Catholic Community Services Low-income 24 Briarwood Senior Living Seniors 20 Willamalane Two50 Club (youth) n/a 16 Figure 1 summarizes and provides a comparison of the results across each of the four focus groups. Safety was the highest ranked value across all groups. Transit and traffic mobility scored well across all groups, with cost, local business access and main street character nearing the bottom of the rankings. 1 http://ourmainstreetspringfield.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Downtown-Languages-Summary_FINAL.pdf 2 http://ourmainstreetspringfield.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Briarwood-Summary_FINAL.pdf 3 http://ourmainstreetspringfield.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/CCS-Summary-_FINAL.pdf 4 http://ourmainstreetspringfield.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Youth-Focus-Group-Summary_FINAL-.pdf 5 http://ourmainstreetspringfield.org/main-street-safety-project/ June 10, 2019 | 4 OR 126 Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #10: Goals & Objectives Figure 1: Focus Groups Values Rating Online Open House The Online Open House launched on November 7, 2018 and a total of 450 new (first-time) users viewed the site and provided input. A summary of the results6 are on the project website7. The open house included a values exercise; participants were given 21 points and asked to assign up to six points to each of the various community values based on priority – the highest number of points indicates the highest priority, while the least amount of points indicates the lowest priority. A total of 170 people participated in this section of the Online Open House. Participants showed the strongest support for safety which garnered over twice the number of participants assigning six points than the next highest ranked values, local business access, and traffic mobility. The community value with the least support for Main Street was transit. Figure 2 illustrates how participants assigned their points (0-6 points) to each community value and are listed based on the aggregate total of the assigned points. For instance, while one less person assigned six points to local business access than to traffic mobility, the total number of points for local business access is greater than that for traffic mobility. 6 http://ourmainstreetspringfield.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Online-Open-House-Outreach-Summary_FINAL.pdf 7 The project team also received 26 total inquiries/comments related to the project from 25 individuals outside of the online open house, focus groups, and SAC Meeting #1 forums and documented them in a summary that can be found on the project website. http://ourmainstreetspringfield.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Other-Comment-Submission- Summary_FINAL.pdf 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Transit Safety Cost Local BusinessAccess Main StreetCharacter Traffic Mobility Downtown Languages Catholic Community Services Briarwood Senior Living Willamalane Two50 Club (youth) June 10, 2019 | 5 OR 126 Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #10: Goals & Objectives Figure 2: Online Open House Values Responses Project Goals and Objectives With the results of the values exercises, the project team further refined applicable goals and objectives from the City’s TSP and prior corridor studies into a set of goals and objectives specific to the project. A goal is an overarching principle or a broad statement of intent that informs the range of possible transportation solutions and guides decision-making. Objectives are specific, measurable, and relevant steps that are taken to meet the goal. As transportation infrastructure solutions are developed, these six goals and associated objectives will be used to evaluate each solution. Safety – Increase the safety of Main Street for all users Objectives: Identify infrastructure solutions that: Have been demonstrated to result in reducing fatalities and serious injury crashes so that Main Street is not on the statewide high crash list Have been demonstrated to result in reducing the frequency of all crashes so that Main Street is not on the statewide high crash list Note: The primary purpose of the Main Street Safety Project is to improve safety. For a design solution to advance, it must demonstrate an improvement to safety above all other goals. 46 35 26 24 8 6 19 19 15 14 11 6 22 21 26 21 25 4 26 35 38 27 50 11 21 22 14 23 31 25 9 17 19 24 9 31 27 21 32 37 36 84 Transit Main Street character Cost Traffic mobility Local business access Safety 0 (least important)1 2 3 4 5 6 (most important) June 10, 2019 | 6 OR 126 Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #10: Goals & Objectives Business Community – Support the viability of existing and future businesses Objectives: Identify infrastructure solutions that: Provide viable ways for customers and deliveries to patronize/serve businesses along Main Street corridor Support the visibility and economic viability of Main Street businesses Support the potential for future businesses to locate on Main Street Mobility – Ensure people and goods travel efficiently and reliably through the corridor Objectives: Identify infrastructure solutions that: Maintain or improve the efficiency and reliability of passenger vehicle operations through the corridor Maintain or improve the efficiency and reliability of transit operations through the corridor Maintain or improve emergency response times for police, fire and life safety operations Meet ODOT’s freight vehicle mobility standards along Main Street Transportation Choices – Create a multimodal environment that connects people and destinations Objectives: Identify infrastructure solutions that: Ensure access to services and destinations along Main Street for all members of the community. Create safe, comfortable, efficient, and continuous pedestrian and bicycle travel and access along Main Street. Support existing transit service and provide flexibility to accommodate Enhanced Corridor transit service in the future Vital Community – Support the vitality of the community and its vision for Main Street Objectives: Identify infrastructure solutions that: Enhance the built and natural environment and stimulate implementation of the Main Street Vision Plan to make it a vibrant place for those who live, work, shop and travel through the corridor Connect neighborhood residents to Main Street destinations and services; and transportation options to access the broader region June 10, 2019 | 7 OR 126 Main Street Safety Project | Tech Memo #10: Goals & Objectives Feasibility – Develop a plan with a clear and achievable approach to implementation Objectives: Identify infrastructure solutions that: Can be implemented starting within five years and maintained with foreseeable resources Can be implemented incrementally as funding is secured Ensure the cost-effective use of resources Note: For a solution to advance, it must be feasible to implement along Main Street. Table 1: Proposed Solutions Evaluation Criteria 7/23/19 Main Street Safety Project Page 1 of 2 Goals Objectives Identify infrastructure solutions that: Solutions Evaluation Criteria Safety – Increase the safety of Main Street for all users Have been demonstrated to result in reducing fatalities and serious injury crashes so that Main Street is not on the statewide high crash list Potential to reduce the number of crashes resulting in fatalities and serious injuries Potential to improve safety for people walking and biking along and across Main Street Potential to reduce vehicle speeds Number of All Road Transportation Safety (ARTS) and Safety Priority Index System (SPIS) locations addressed Have been demonstrated to result in reducing the frequency of all crashes so that Main Street is not on the statewide high crash list Potential to reduce the number of crashes Number of ARTS and SPIS locations addressed Business Community – Support the viability of existing and future businesses Provide viable ways for customers and deliveries to patronize/serve businesses along the Main Street corridor Change in travel time to access Main Street businesses by customers driving, walking, biking and taking transit Availability of routes to businesses that are appropriate for truck traffic Support the visibility and economic viability of Main Street businesses Potential to maintain or enhance property values or economic potential of sites along Main Street Potential impacts on business signing visibility Support the potential for future businesses to locate on Main Street Potential to maintain or enhance property values or economic potential of sites along Main Street Mobility – Ensure people and goods travel efficiently and reliably through the corridor Maintain or improve the efficiency and reliability of passenger vehicle operations through the corridor Average corridor travel time Travel time reliability Intersection delay Maintain or improve the efficiency and reliability of transit operations through the corridor Average corridor travel time Travel time reliability Intersection delay Maintain or improve emergency response times for police, fire and life safety operations Average corridor travel time Travel time reliability Intersection delay Delay caused by traversable and non-traversable obstructions Meet ODOT’s freight vehicle mobility standards along Main Street Potential to meet vehicle-carrying capacity requirements for a Reduction Review Route (east of Bob Straub Pkwy) Meet Main Street’s functional classifications in the Springfield Transportation System Plan Consistency with the functional classification of major arterial east of Bob Straub Pkwy and minor arterial west of Bob Straub Pkwy Table 1: Proposed Solutions Evaluation Criteria 7/23/19 Main Street Safety Project Page 2 of 2 Goals Objectives Identify infrastructure solutions that: Solutions Evaluation Criteria Transportation Choices – Create a multimodal environment that connects people and destinations Ensure access to services and destinations along Main Street for all members of the community Frequency of enhanced pedestrian crossing opportunities of Main Street Frequency of enhanced bicycle crossing opportunities of Main Street Continuity of pedestrian and bicycle facilities along Main Street Create safe, comfortable, efficient, and continuous pedestrian and bicycle travel and access along Main Street Pedestrian level of traffic stress along Main Street Bicycle level of traffic stress along Main Street Opportunity to relocate obstructions (e.g., utility poles, sign posts) out of the walkway Support existing transit service and provide flexibility to accommodate Enhanced Corridor transit service in the future Compatibility with existing and potential future transit service Vital Community – Support the vitality of the community and its vision for Main Street Enhance the built and natural environment and stimulate implementation of the Main Street Vision Plan to make it a vibrant place for those who live, work, shop and travel through the corridor Potential for streetscape improvements to be incorporated into the corridor, such as landscaping, stormwater planters, inviting bus stop amenities and other distinctive amenities Potential to reduce vehicle speeds Connect neighborhood residents to Main Street destinations and services; and transportation options to access the broader region Alignment of enhanced pedestrian and bicycle crossings with active transportation travel routes to neighborhoods to the north and south Continuity of pedestrian and bicycle facilities along Main Street Directness of routes between neighborhoods and Main Street destinations and services Feasibility – Develop a plan with a clear and achievable approach to implementation Can be implemented starting within five years of Facility Plan acknowledgement and maintained with foreseeable resources Degree to which recommendations can be implemented Consistency with Springfield’s TSP and LTD’s Community Investment Plan. Ability to maintain improvements with reasonably anticipated resources Can be implemented incrementally as funding is secured Potential for initial phases to be eligible for ODOT transportation safety funding (All Roads Transportation Safety), or other funding sources that may become available Ensure the cost-effective use of resources Benefit/Cost ratio of safety-focused improvements Table 2: Proposed Key Principles and Access Management Methodology 7/23/19 Main Street Safety Project Page 1 of 1 1 The functional area of an intersection is the area of the physical intersection plus the area upstream and downstream of the intersection that is needed for decision and maneuvering distance, plus any required vehicle storage length needs. Key Principles (same as project Goals) Methodology Safety – Increase the safety of Main Street for all users Define the width of undefined accesses within open frontage using guidance from the Oregon Highway Design Manual to a width that will serve the existing and planned uses of the property Reduce the number of potential conflict points within the functional area1 of public street intersections Mitigate access configurations that require backing across the sidewalk onto the highway Consider adequate sight distance for accesses, as well as ability to accommodate safe egress and safe and unobstructed ingress Consider the relationship between accesses and historical crash records and mitigate accesses where it would resolve a recurring crash pattern Business Community – Support the viability of existing and future businesses Consider the level of direct access to Main Street that is appropriate for the type of development that exists and would be allowed according to the Comprehensive Plan Locate and design accesses to adequately serve the volume and type of traffic reasonably anticipated to enter and exit the property, based on existing and planned uses Maintain the ability for businesses to receive freight/deliveries Consider site circulation and parking affected by proposed access modifications and closures Mobility – Ensure people and goods travel efficiently and reliably through the corridor Move in the direction of meeting ODOT’s adopted standards for spacing of accesses along Main Street Transportation Choices – Create a multimodal environment that connects people and destinations Modify or relocate accesses as necessary to allow for the construction of ADA-compliant pedestrian facilities Reconstruct or modify accesses as needed to provide continuous sidewalk along property frontages Vital Community – Support the vitality of the community and its vision for Main Street No unique methodology identified. Methodology that would support the Vital Community Key Principle is already identified under other Key Principles that support Safety, Business Community, Mobility, and Transportation Choices. Feasibility – Develop a plan with a clear and achievable approach to implementation Ensure that existing accesses are consistent with the properties’ access rights (both deeded access rights and permit status) M E M O R A N D U M Main-McVay Transit Study Date: To: From: Subject: Background Issue Statement Recommended Action Next Steps Attachments M E M O R A N D U M Main-McVay Transit Study Date: To:COMMUNICATION From:PACKET MEMORANDUM Subject: INFORMATION SHARE: Issue Background Coordinating Safety and Transit     Transit Mode Choice Next Steps 8% 24% 18% 33% 17% 0%5%10%15%20%25%30%35% Not sure None of these improvements are… No, FEWER improvements are… Yes, this list makes sense No, MORE improvements are… Main Street Enhanced Corridor Transit Mode Choice Responses AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY DATE OF MEETING: April 17, 2019 ITEM TITLE: MAIN-MCVAY TRANSIT STUDY (MMTS) PRESENTER: Tom Schwetz, Director of Planning and Development DIRECTOR: Tom Schwetz, Director of Planning and Development ACTION REQUESTED: None. Information Only PURPOSE: To share the MMTS project team’s recommendation to advance the Enhanced Corridor mode option as the preliminary preferred mode for the Main Street and McVay Highway corridors and remove the EmX mode option from further consideration in MMTS, as a near term transit solution. To update the Board that the team will make an alignment recommendation after additional technical information from the City of Springfield’s Main Street Safety Project becomes available. The transit alignment decision will be brought to the Main Street Governance Team (GT), City Council, and LTD Board as part of the locally-preferred solution (LPS) transit decision. This step will align with the Draft Plan and Policies step in the Main Street Safety Project Planning Phase process, which is shown on the current project schedule occurring in winter 2020. HISTORY: Phase 1 of the MMTS was initiated in April 2014 and completed in December 2015 with the GT determining which mode options to advance to Phase 2 for further study and approving the Phase 2 process to select a LPS. Phase 1 used a community-based Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) to develop a corridor vision for high capacity transit and evaluate mode and alignment options. This committee provided progress recommendations to the GT. Phase 1 included other community engagement activities, such as focus groups, an active website, open houses, E-news updates, door-to-door canvassing, media updates, public attendance and written comments accepted at all SAC meetings, updates to governing bodies and the Chamber, tabling at community events, and 12,000+ corridor mailings. In December 2015 the GT recommended advancing Enhanced Corridor Alternatives for both corridors and an EmX Alternative for the Main Street Corridor. The recommendation included key features to include in the definition of the options. Phase 2 of the MMTS began in January 2016 and completed a High Level Constraints Summary (April 2016) that defined the options advanced for further study including roadway cross sections, service space and frequency, station locations, queue jump locations, other capital and operational improvements, and alignments. Six criteria were used to evaluate the options (capital and operating costs, bus and auto travel times, right-of-way impacts, and safety for pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles). Based on the assessment, the GT advanced both mode and alignment options for further study. In April and May 2016, the MMTS project team met with property and business owners along the Main Street Corridor and began the more detailed technical analysis. In April 2016, GT removed the EmX Alternative for the McVay Corridor. LTD REGULAR BOARD MEETING April 17, 2019 Page 112 of 201 Agenda Item Summary – Main-McVay Transit Study Page 2 of 3 Q:\BOARD OF DIRECTORS\Board & Committee Meetings\Board Meetings\2019\2019-04-17\28-AIS - Main-McVay.docx On May 25, 2016, based on community feedback, the GT modified options to avoid and minimize property impacts and directed the MMTS project team to conduct additional outreach and complete the technical analyses needed for a September 2016 selection of a LPS. On July 15, 2016 the MMTS project team held a workshop to finalize mode and alignment designs, resolve technical analyses issues, and prepare for work sessions with the City Council (July 18) and LTD Board of Directors (July 20) and the GT (July 25). Subsequent to the July 15, 2016, project team work session, all decision-maker meetings about the project were cancelled. The MMTS project team was directed to complete the technical analyses for fall 2016 LPS decisions. In August 2016, at the request of the City of Springfield, the MMTS project team was directed to stop work while the City initiated the Main Street Safety Project. In coordination with the Main Street Safety Project, the Main-McVay Transit Study engaged the community in providing additional input on the transit mode choice for Main Street through an online open house that was open for community input in November and December 2018. In summer 2018, LTD staff began monitoring the progress of the City’s Main Street Safety Project through our role as a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) member and in regular meetings with the City’s project manager. CONSIDERATIONS: Enough technical analysis was conducted during Phase 1 and Phase 2 to determine that the most viable mode option for the Main Street and McVay Highway Corridors is an Enhanced Corridor option. Feedback from the outreach and engagement process aided in defining the community’s vision for high capacity transit in the corridors including desired key features such as stop / station locations. Based on the feedback received, the majority of business and property owners along the Main Street Corridor are opposed to EmX and any high capacity transit features that adversely impact property, access, or freight and auto travel times. Given the recent input received in November/December 2018, it is clear that the Springfield community does not broadly support pursuing EmX improvements along the Main Street Corridor in the near future. By removing EmX from consideration as a near term transit solution, the transit mode choice for Main Street’s LPS would be Enhanced Corridor. Through further work on transit options over the past four to five years, such as Transit Tomorrow and MovingAhead, LTD has been able to better define the Enhanced Corridor mode and implementation options such that this mode option can cost effectively advance the community’s vision for high capacity transit while minimizing adverse impacts to the built and natural environment. Enhanced Corridor projects can be implemented incrementally as funding becomes available which means that those improvements can happen more readily and in coordination with other significant investments being considered. The community’s transit vision as developed through the MMTS process, will build on and be merged with the larger community’s vision for Main Street. As the Main Street Safety Project progresses, it will inform the options for transit improvements on Main Street. The MMTS analysis and LPS decision would be coordinated with the Safety Project timeline. LTD REGULAR BOARD MEETING April 17, 2019 Page 113 of 201 Agenda Item Summary – Main-McVay Transit Study Page 3 of 3 Q:\BOARD OF DIRECTORS\Board & Committee Meetings\Board Meetings\2019\2019-04-17\28-AIS - Main-McVay.docx In consideration of the above, it makes most sense in terms of efficient use of funds, to respond to the community’s feedback and remove the EmX option from further consideration in the MMTS. ALTERNATIVES: Discuss MMTS team recommendations and take feedback/suggestions for refinements to the preferred mode(s) advanced in the MMTS. NEXT STEPS: Based on GT, LTD Board and community feedback, determine any necessary refinements to the preferred mode; MMTS team will obtain and use technical information and analyses from the Main Street Safety Project - combined with previously prepared MMTS technical and community information - to aid in the high level identification of a preferred transit alignment, key features, and design elements, as coordinated with the Safety Project’s deliverables and schedule. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION: N/A PROPOSED MOTION: N/A LTD REGULAR BOARD MEETING April 17, 2019 Page 114 of 201