New street manual in the works

December 9, a historic meeting brought advocates of walkable, transit-oriented streets together with the transportation establishment. It was a promising start on joint work on street design guidance for walkable communities. The meeting was organized by CNU and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), thanks in large part to their Smart Growth Task Force chair Brian Bochner. The meeting included members of CNU’s Transportation Task Force, board, and staff; representatives of the US EPA’s Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation; Brian Bochner, chair of the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ Smart Growth Task Force, and John LaPlante, principal author of AASHTO’s pedestrian and bicycle design manuals. Remarkably, the meeting also included officials of the Federal Highway Administration, members of AASHTO, representatives from the American Public Works Association committees, two past presidents of ITE, and people who work on the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. The meeting included presentations from Peter Calthorpe, Fred Dock, Brian Bochner, and John LaPlante. Discussions focused on what sort of design guidance CNU would produce with ITE — its size, its scope, and how it would gain acceptance. Participants generally recommended a small publication with extensive references to existing standards. There was no consensus, however, on what to do when recommendations went against the AASHTO Green Book. For scope, the EPA’s Geoff Anderson said, “We want guidelines for smart growth.” Adoption is not yet a pressing issue, but a few options are available. The groups involved can seek endorsement from respected, but slow-moving, bodies like AASHTO and ITE. Alternatively, we can push state and local governments to adopt our guidelines as official standards. Either way, the guidance will have a national scope and will be formatted to allow easy incorporation into state manuals, the AASHTO Green Book, and other existing systems. CNU’s initiative leader for ongoing work is Fred Dock. To get involved in this initiative, contact him at 612-379-3885.