Rural Roads Mobility Outreach TOOLKIT Thank you for joining this - - PDF document

2/17/2015 1

Rural Roads Mobility Meeting

Thank you for joining this conversation about pedestrian, bicycle, and equestrian mobility in Elk Grove’s Rural Residential Area.

Pleasant Grove High School January 29, 2015

Rural Roads Mobility Outreach

TOOLKIT WELCOME Meeting Plan for Tonight

• Presentation (6:00 – 7:00 PM)

– Welcome & Introductions (Abby Woods) – Background (Pam Johns) – Outreach Plan (Abby Woods) – Review of Relevant Documents (Pam Johns) – Project Specific Details (Abby Woods, Jeff Werner) – Surfacing Materials (Rick Carter) – Next Steps (Abby Woods)

• Volunteer Sign-Up & Surfacing Preference

Activity (7:00 – 8:00 PM)

Purpose of Today’s Meeting

• Share project updates and preview data that

will support our conversation going forward

• Explain the next phase of public outreach and

provide an opportunity for questions

• Recruit volunteers to participate
• Get input on surfacing materials for the rural

area

What is a Mobility Improvement?

• Any changes to or additions to existing

pathways or roadways that make it safer and easier for:

– Pedestrians: people transporting themselves by foot or wheelchair (e.g. wide shoulder). – Cyclists: people transporting themselves by bicycle (e.g. painted stripe) – Equestrians: people transporting themselves by horse (e.g. connected trails)

2/17/2015 2 Example of Need for Better Mobility

• Road leading to Pleasant Grove Elementary is

unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists – very few students walk or bike.

• Children unable to participate in annual “Walk

to School Day” because it is unsafe to encourage walking to school.

• Should we do something about this?

BACKGROUND Rural Residential Area Establishment of Rural Standards

• 2001: City’s first General Plan recognized

unique character of rural area; no standards

• 2006: Process started to establish unique

standards for rural roadways

– Community workshops, visual preference surveys – Traffic studies, visual simulations

• 2007: City adopted new Rural Road

Policy and Standards

Mail Survey

• Sent to all rural households in July 2014
• Gauge the level of support for mobility

improvements in the Rural Area

• 10% of recipients responded (160 of 1,600)

Community Forum

• August 12, 2014
• 70 people attended

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Survey + Forum Results

• 67% of survey respondents were supportive of

pedestrian and bicycle improvements.

• Strong desire to maintain the rural look and

feel.

• Off-street pedestrian and bicycle

accommodations preferred.

• Concern about roadside safety.
• Feedback at the forum as to whether to

continue with the outreach process was 50/50.

City Council Direction

• September 24, 2014: City Council directed

staff to conduct a second phase of outreach.

• Direction to continue the mobility

improvement outreach effort at the neighborhood level and to address the specifics of location and feasible solutions.

OUTREACH PLAN Outreach Plan

• Plan reflects significant input from rural area

community groups (GSREHA and SCA)

• Neighborhood-level engagement will:

– Be led by community groups in collaboration with City staff – Rely on volunteers to collect community input – Street teams will focus on specific road segments – Produce recommendations that are specific to each road segment

Neighborhood Engagement

• Divide along Bradshaw Road into two halves of

the Rural Area

– West of Bradshaw (including Bradshaw) led by GSREHA – East of Bradshaw (excluding Grant Line) led by SCA

• Volunteers will use toolkits provided by the City

to lead discussions and collect community feedback

• Monthly check-ins with City staff through

September 2015

Reporting Back

• City staff will aggregate and summarize the

data, share it with the community, and present to City Council.

• Possible second community meeting,

depending on results.

• Feedback will be used to develop pilot

projects for mobility improvements (if any are desired).

2/17/2015 4

Outreach Plan Timeline REVIEW OF RELEVANT DOCUMENTS General Plan

VISION FOR ELK GROVE—The Elk Grove of the future is a community in which the rural portions of the community are valued and retained as an important part of the city. These rural areas are envisioned as continuing to provide a scenic backdrop, where cattle and horses can be raised, and where reminders of the area’s past and its natural history are available to all residents.

• Establishes the boundary

for the rural area.

• Recognizes the importance
• f maintaining the rural

character of the rural area.

• Establishes “Guiding Goal

5: Preservation of the Rural Character of Elk Grove.”

Bicycle, Pedestrian and Trails Master Plan

• Updated in 2014
• Improvements in Rural Area shall

be consistent with the Rural Road Policy and Standards.

– Off street Improvements (.e.g. Class 1 trails) determined by the Bicycle, Pedestrian and Trails Master Plan – On street Improvements (e.g. bicycle lanes) determined by the Rural Roads Policy & Standards

Key Terms

• Class I Bikeway: Often referred to as bike paths or

multi-use trails, these facilities are completely separated rights-of-way for the exclusive use of bicycles, pedestrians, and in some cases, equestrians and other non-motorized travel such as roller skating, skateboarding, and so forth.

• Sidewalk: A walkway separated from the roadway with

a curb, designed for preferential or exclusive use by pedestrians.

• Walkway: A pedestrian street, path, sidewalk, or paved

shoulder built for use by pedestrians, including persons in wheelchairs.

• See handout for more key terms

Existing and Proposed Class 1 Bikeways

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Rural Road Policy

• Established a value based

approach for incremental road improvements

– Improvements respond to actual traffic impacts – Periodic evaluations – Improvement criteria includes traffic counts, safety criteria, and tolerance for delay – Public workshop

Rural Road Standards

• Established unique road

improvement design standards for rural area

• Includes standards for street

and intersection design, lighting, signage, screening, and noise attenuation

Rural Road Standards: Street Design

• All roads will have minimal lane width with open

drainage and native landscape

• Roads will not include curb, gutter or sidewalk
• Where informal paths are necessary or desired,

surface shall be decomposed granite or similar surface

• Bike routes and bike lanes will have limited

locations

Existing Rural Roadways PROJECT SPECIFIC DETAILS Road Segments

2/17/2015 6 Existing and Proposed Off- Street Trails

Area Amenities Property Lines & Easements Capital Improvement Projects Major Development Projects Trees

2/17/2015 7 MOBILITY & SURFACING MATERIALS Alternative Surfaces in the Rural Area

• Rural Roads Policies and Standards establish that

Alternative Hardscape Surfacing can be used in the rural area, but do not specify which alternative surfacing to use.

• Alternative Hardscape Surfaces includes materials

with specialized properties such as increased porosity, specialized binders, and or colored aggregates Opportunity to let your preference be known!

Surfacing Objectives

• Safe
• Durable
• Stable
• Easy to maintain
• Accessible and safe for people with disabilities

– Must comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards

• Appropriate for intended modes (pedestrian,

bicycle, equestrian)

Traditional Materials

Surfacing Material Description Portland Cement Concrete Composed of coarse aggregate (crushed stone and gravel), fine aggregate such as sand, portland cement and water. Hot Mix Asphalt A combination of stone, sand, or gravel bound together by asphalt cement, a product of crude oil.

Surfacing Options

• Identified five alternative hardscape materials

for consideration

• Each surface has been rated according to:

– Construction & Maintenance Impacts – Permeability – ADA Compliant & Slip Resistant Surface – Context Sensitive – Construction Cost – Maintenance

Alternative Surfacing Materials

Surfacing Material Description Porous Concrete Porous concrete pavement has a 15-25% void structure, allowing 3-8 gallons of water per minute to pass through each square foot. Porous Asphalt Standard hot-mix asphalt with reduced sand or fines allows water to drain through it.

2/17/2015 8

Alternative Surfacing Materials

Natural-Pave Natural-Pave resin pavement binder is mixed with aggregate material to produce a durable and flexible surface, similar to asphalt, but without petroleum products. Gravel-Pave A system that uses a plastic grid to contain compacted sharp edged aggregate in place. It is a porous material allowing drainage. Stabilized Decomposed Granite Decomposed granite or DG is crushed granite particles, often a byproduct of granite quarries. A binding agent is required to reduce the loose material on top.

Funding Improvements

• State and Federal grants fund most

improvements

• City sources fund some improvements

– Roadway Fee – Measure A sales taxes – Gas Tax fund

• Mobility improvements would not increase in

property taxes or similar property fees

• New development pays costs for their frontage;

added mobility improvements would increase those costs

NEXT STEPS Volunteer for a Street Segment! Volunteer Responsibilities

• Organize and lead meetings for your assigned

street segment

• Use toolkit to record community input
• Canvass your neighborhood to gather

additional details on property owner preferences and significant trees

• Report back on community input as requested

Feedback Collection Toolkit

• Toolkits will be distributed to each volunteer street

segment leader at a facilitated training session in late February 2015. Toolkits will include:

• Project information, timeline,

contact info

• Street segment data and

maps

• Set of questions to answer
• Example outreach activities
• Recording and reporting tools

2/17/2015 9

Questions to Answer

• Who might benefit from improved pedestrian, bicycle or equestrian

infrastructure?

• How could your street segment contribute to bicycle, equestrian and

pedestrian access to community destinations?

• Within your street segment, what would mobility improvements look

like?

• Within your street segment, which property owners would potentially

be affected? Of those property owners, who is supportive of a potential mobility improvement? Who is not?

• Are there any trees or other property features (e.g., fences, utilities,

etc…) to consider?

• Based on property owner feedback, do you have new

recommendations for where mobility improvements would be appropriate?

• How should the City prioritize the mobility improvement

projects you support?

Sign Up to Volunteer

• Review large-scale map of road segments
• Ask outstanding questions
• Sign up to be a volunteer for a road segment!
• City staff will collaborate with GSREHA and

SCA leadership to finalize volunteer assignments.

Surfacing Materials Activity

• Review the surfacing material options
• Ask outstanding questions
• Vote for your preference!
• The results of the surfacing activity are only

meant to better understand community preferences – as a direction for additional research.

THANK YOU!

Contact us: Pam Johns pjohns@elkgrovecity.org 916-231-2237

Project information can be viewed online at:

http://www.egplanning.org/rural_roads/