DEPARTMENT: Transportation & Capital Improvements
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Razi Hosseini, P.E, R.P.L.S.
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT: Proposed Complete Streets & Vision Zero Training
SUMMARY:
On August 13, 2019, Councilmember Shirley Gonzales issued a Council Consideration Request to immediately develop and implement a formal, year-round, sustained training program that focuses on innovative best practices by prioritizing safety, walking and biking to be implemented by the city’s Complete Streets and Vision Zero policies for all transportation and SA Tomorrow planning, projects and programs.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
San Antonio adopted a Complete Streets Policy in 2011 and Vision Zero initiative in 2015. Additionally, San Antonio became a member city of the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) in 2016. NACTO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit association whose mission is to build cities as places for people, with safe, sustainable, accessible, and equitable transportation choices that support a strong economy and vibrant quality of life. The City’s Complete Streets and Vision Zero initiatives have since been reinforced by a number of public and private sector trainings. These trainings have been supported by NACTO, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Vision Zero Network, and other local agencies.
ISSUE:
The Council Consideration Request included the following eight items for consideration:
Item 1: Immediately develop and implement a formal, year-round, sustained training program that focuses on innovative best practices for fully implementing the City's Complete Streets and Vision Zero policies for all transportation and SA Tomorrow planning, projects, and programs.
Transportation & Capital Improvements (TCI) has provided an emphasis on Complete Streets since the inception of the policy. Within TCI, the Transportation Planning & Programming team provides transportation planning input and recommendations as part of the design process. This team consists of both planners and engineers to ensure “an interdisciplinary approach that combines best engineering practices with best planning practices to maximize the outcome of the investment for the community” as stated in the 2011 Complete Streets Policy. Additionally, the following internal and external trainings have been hosted since 2017.
NACTO Roadshow December 2017
FHWA Complete Streets Design Workshop January 2018
NACTO Private Sector Urban Street Design Training May 2018
Vision Zero Forum June 2018
Vision Zero Crash Review Task Force Workshop July 2018
Planning Cities for Pre-K and Grey Seminar June 2019
The most extensive trainings were provided through a partnership with the City of San Antonio, Women Transportation Seminar (WTS), and the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (AAMPO). Developing a year-round training program would require funding and additional staff to sustain a continuous educational program.
Item 2: Ensure that all city employees, consultants and contractors involved in implementing Complete Streets and Vision Zero mandates, including the budgeting, planning, engineering, designing, constructing, maintaining, managing, and enforcing these policies are included in this training.
Complete Streets and Vision Zero initiatives guide in the usage of all applicable design and guidance manuals, but do not mandate prescriptive design elements. This is mostly because each design is location specific based on the type of roadway and surrounding land use. As stated in the 2011 Complete Streets Policy, “To be ‘Complete’, not all streets must be the same. The function of the road (e.g. local, collector, and arterial) and the level of vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic will be considered.” Therefore, it would be difficult to enact blanket mandates that demand adherence to all guidance.
Item 3: Conduct a systematic review and revision of all policies, procedures, implementation manuals and departmental organization structures to ensure that Complete Street and Vision Zero principles are fully integrated into ongoing planning, budgeting and implementing operations and the development of UDC amendments.
Many policy updates such as the Micromobility Policy Document, Pedestrian Master Plan, and Bicycle Master Plan have been proposed to strengthen the focus on safety, complete streets, and feasibility/implementation. Additionally, TCI has previously provided briefings to the Comprehensive Plan Council Committee on SA Tomorrow policy barriers that should be reviewed in future City of San Antonio Unified Development Code (UDC) updates.
Item 4: Conduct a systematic review of land use policies that impact or are interrelated with Complete Streets and Vision Zero mandates and assess land use policies as well as corresponding zoning designations and UDC applications that should be updated to achieve Complete Streets and Vision Zero mandates.
TCI will coordinate with the Planning Department to review land use policies that impact or are interrelated with Complete Streets and Vision Zero.
Item 5: TCI to Revise City of San Antonio Design Guidance Manual and supporting materials to
a) reflect the safety principles and goals of Complete Streets and Vision Zero as the highest priority for transportation system design and operation,
b) Institutionalize the use of National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), Vision Zero and National Complete Streets Coalition design, implementation and operational guides.
In 2017, Councilmember Shirley Gonzales issued a Council Consideration Request requesting TCI formally adopt NACTO design guidelines as a requirement for 2017 Bond Projects and to revise the City San Antonio Design Guidance Manual (DGM) to incorporate NACTO and Vision Zero policies.
There are a variety of guides and manuals that assist the transportation engineering industry in implementing the safest and most effective projects. TCI uses the resources found in the American Association of State Highway Transportation and Officials (AASHTO) design standards, the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), as well as the UDC. The continued inclusion of AASHTO and MUTCD direction in design is a requirement for all federally funded projects. The references approved in the UDC, including NACTO, are based upon input by experts in transportation planning and engineering that understand the design and safety requirements of project development.
The City of San Antonio Design Guidance Manual (DGM), most recently revised in 2017 to include updated information for the delivery of the 2017 Bond Projects, provides an outline of required deliverables that must be provided to TCI when engineering designs or studies are completed. The DGM also explains how each element is vital to a complete design. The DGM serves as a reference book to existing design codes and outlines the steps of project preparation for capital improvement projects. The DGM does not specifically prescribe design values or operational calculations needed on a roadway. It is a guide on what information to include in the preparation design plans and what deliverables are required.
NACTO design guides are not technically a design and operational manual. The guides serve more as a guidance of possible iterations of street layouts and possible examples of their uses. Additionally, NACTO is already cited in the UDC as a transportation reference. TCI is currently in the initial stages of planning amendments for the 2020 UDC update that better reflect the design elements encompassed in the Complete Streets and Vision Zero policies.
Item 6: Provide briefings on the best practices policy revisions and corresponding training to council members and their staffs as well as members of boards and commissions that address planning, zoning, housing, transportation, public safety and development matters.
TCI will provide informational briefings on transportation items related to Complete Streets and Vision Zero polices upon request.
Item 7: Propose metrics for Transportation Committee approval that assess and report progress toward assimilation of NACTO, National Complete Streets Coalition and other design guides and practices that prioritize safety, walking and cycling into transportation planning and project delivery, and demonstrate progress toward the elimination of traffic fatalities. Include approved metrics in city budgets and the budgeting process.
As indicated above in the response to Item 5, NACTO design guides are not technically a design and operational manual. The guides serve more as a guidance of possible iterations of street layouts and possible examples of their uses. As part of the proposed Micromobility Policy Document (Bike Master Plan update), TCI will review best practices to determine if there are applicable metrics to measure progress of Complete Streets beyond tracking mileage of sidewalks and micromobility facilities.
Currently, the nationwide measure of Vision Zero progress is tracked through a reduction in fatal and incapacitating crashes. However, this measure does not adequately account for additional lives saved as a result of Vision Zero program efforts.
Item 8: Provide monthly dashboard reports to the appropriate council committees and quarterly to City Council B Sessions.
TCI frequently presents to Council Committees and City Council B Session and can incorporate updates upon request.
ALTERNATIVES:
There are no alternatives associated with this briefing.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this briefing.
RECOMMENDATION:
TCI recommends continuing to utilize AASHTO and FHWA guidelines as the primary technical resource for transportation engineering and incorporating the guiding principles of NACTO’s Urban Street Design Guide into the ongoing updates of the City of San Antonio Design Guidance Manual (DGM) for the delivery of the 2017 Bond projects, programs and studies. It is the intent of TCI to implement all practicable NACTO recommendations that can be accommodated by the available right-of-way or construction constraints.