Petaluma DATCreate ConnectionsConnectivity and reliability are paramount for makingwalking, bicycling, and transit trips more attractive thanSOV trips. Active transportation and transit should besafe, easy, convenient, comfortable, and direct.Reallocate space (road diet)To meet its goals, the City must expand its bikewaynetwork and enhance its Petaluma Transit systemoperations. However, implementation via roadwaywidening is often cost prohibitive and may not supportthe City's VMT reduction goals. In advance of fullroadway reconstruction, the reallocation of existingroadway space through restriping and pilot installationof low-cost materials can be an effective method toinstalling bike lanes, bus lanes, and queue jump lanes.Known as "road diets," roadway reconfiguration caninclude travel lane removal, parking lane removal, andlane narrowing to maintain existing curb-to-curb widthor existing right-of-way. A typical road diet convertsa road with four travel lanes to a street with two travellanes, a center turn lane, and bike lanes. Local examplesinclude Petaluma Boulevard South and Rainier Avenue.ImplementationThe City of Petaluma must reimagine how it allocatesspace on its arterials. The City should identify candidatesfor road diets, which are generally characterized by somecombination of the following: three or more travel lanes,travel lanes that are 12 feet wide or wider, underutilizedparking lanes, or average daily traffic volumes under15,000 vehicles per day. The City can then developshort-term concepts that can be implemented throughsimple resurfacing and long-term concepts thatnecessitate full reconstruction. The elements includedin the concepts should tie directly to City goals and mayinclude bus lanes, bike lanes, and crossing treatmentsin the short term and street trees, green infrastructure,shared-use paths in the long term.Critical Next StepIdentify and study streets that may be near-term orlong-term candidates for space reallocation.Reallocate space to prioritize the movement of people rather than the movement of cars.10
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