Bicycle Austin forum

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,455

Website

"Shared Streets", or something

The City has a plan that's an alternative to sidewalks called "Shared Streets".  Not surprisingly (to me at least), they explain it rather poorly, and make the plan extremely hard to find.

The idea is that it would take 100 years to build out Austin's missing sidewalks (another City web page says 200 years, they can't make up their mind), while Shared Streets could be done within 20-30 years.  But what are "Shared Streets" exactly?  That's the obvious question, but  they're not bothering to answer it.  They don't provide what you'd expect to see: a diagram of what kind of user goes in which lane.

Based on a news report, it looks like it could be striping in a lane, protected by plastic poles, that would be used by both peds and cyclists.  If that's what it is, then I'm pretty underwhelmed.

I'd read about this yesterday when I skimmed the new 2023 draft Sidewalk Plan that was posted to Nextdoor.  Today I started from the City's website trying to find the plan, but it's is nowhere to be found.

(1) The Shared Streets page is vague, talking about traffic calming and a few specific measures, but being completely absent about who goes in what lane.

(2) Ditto for the two pilot pages linked from the Shared Streets page.

(3) The Sidewalk page on the City website does not bother to link to the draft 2023 Sidewalk Plan.

(4) It does link to a draft 2023 Mobility Plan, but that plan has *zero* mention of Shared Streets.

(5) KXAN's reporting (even though it included a video) was likewise vague.

I had to go back to Nextdoor to find the 2023 draft sidewalk plan.  Ridiculous.  Further, it's not even on the City's website (it's on "PublicInput.com", though they certainly could have (and should have) linked to it from the Sidewalk page.  Here I am doing what the City somehow could not, linking to the 2023 draft sidewalk plan.

But that still doesn't do us much good.  In that plan, they use the phrase "Shared Streets" a gazillion times but never bother to actually define it (unless I just missed it, but I don't think I did).

Your tax dollars at work.

Darron

Member

Registered: 2014-05-22

Posts: 131

Re: "Shared Streets", or something

Thanks Michael, are you giving this feedback directly to the city?  The comment period closes today, Mar 21, for the Urban Trail, Sidewalk and Bike Plans:  https://www.publicinput.com/atxwbr

Austin Outside (AO) just sent some collective feedback on ATXWBR.  Specifically on the draft Urban Trails Plan, Bicycle Plan, and Sidewalks,
Crossings, and Shared Streets Plan based on the drafts shared with the public during February-March 2023.

For Shared Streets, AO recommended some more specifics:

• In order to succeed, Shared Streets must offer safety benefits to pedestrians that are on par with what sidewalks offer. Sidewalks keep people safe by separating them from car traffic. To achieve a comparable level of safety in a Shared Street context where pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers are expected to encounter one another, car speeds must be slowed to the point where the risk of
  serious injury is extremely low.

• The target range for car speeds should draw on evidence about vehicle speed and the risk of severe injury. According to a 2011 study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Results show that the average risk of severe injury for a pedestrian struck by a vehicle reaches 10% at an impact speed of 16 mph, 25% at 23 mph, 50% at 31 mph, 75% at 39 mph, and 90% at 46 mph. The average risk of death for a pedestrian reaches 10% at an impact speed of 23 mph, 25% at 32 mph, 50% at 42 mph, 75% at 50 mph, and 90% at 58 mph.

• The Plan should establish clear, consistent metrics of success in order to determine whether a given Shared Streets configuration provides adequate levels of safety.

• The neighborhoods where this treatment is planned for should be able to repurpose the areas that are reclaimed from vehicle right-of-way, with vegetation, planters, and other desirable uses.

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,455

Website

Re: "Shared Streets", or something

No, I didn't share any feedback with the City.  I'm jaded and bitter.  The Chronicle had a whole cover story a while back about how awful the City website is and that didn't move the needle.  And if it doesn't occur to policymakers to even bother to even define what they're talking about, outside input seems pointless.

But based on your suggestion, I just tried to go comment, and found that the comment period is closed.  The comment period opened on Jan. 27, but who would know?  The draft plan isn't even on the City's website.  I would have known about the comment period had the City posted on Nextdoor way earlier, or even posted here, but the City never posts here, even though the email list for the forum has a couple hundred transportation-interested members (though few participate).  The City never even posted here back in the day when there were double or triple the number of members, and I begged them to post their news.  They said they were "too busy".

Appendix H, the "Shared Streets Manual", is ENTIRELY BLANK, yet this was the one and only comment period before the plan before they revise the plan and send it to boards and Council for approval.  Incredible.

Austin Outside's feedback was perfect.  In the absence of the City explaining exactly what the hell they're suggesting, then AO's comments are about whatever it might be.