Boston Complete Streets Design Guidelines

2013·197.5 MB·English

by  Boston Transportation Department

Boston
Mayor Thomas M. Menino
City of Boston
Commissioner Thomas J. Tinlin
Complete
Boston Transportation Department
Streets
Design Guidelines
2013
www.bostoncompletestreets.org

iv BOSTON COMPLETE STREETS GUIDELINES 2013 BOSTON TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT
BOSTON TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT 2013 BOSTON COMPLETE STREETS GUIDELINES v
Acknowledgements
City of Boston
Boston’s Complete Streets initiative is a unique collaboration
between policy makers, community leaders, neighborhood
residents, city agencies, transportation advocates and profes- Boston Transportation Department
sionals, and the public at large. Since 2009, participants have Thomas J. Tinlin, Commissioner
been conducting workshops and public meetings to assess James Gillooly
existing design guidelines and processes, examine relevant Vineet Gupta
national best practices, evaluate ongoing pilot projects, and John DeBenedictis
explore new innovations in street designs. These Guidelines Gina Fiandaca
are the result of their hard work and dedication. Charlotte Fleetwood
Don Burgess
Coleman Flaherty
Mayor’s Complete Streets
Tracey Ganiatsos
Advisory Committee Rachel Szakmary
Carl McKenzie
David Black Patrick Hoey
Kate Bowditch Bill Conroy
Guy Busa Joseph Fluery
Andrea d’Amato Robert D’Amico
David Dixon
Roseanne Foley Boston Public Works Department
Michael Halle Joanne Massaro, Commissioner
Kate Kennan Para Jayasinghe
John Kelly Bob Astrella
Wendy Landman Glenn Cooper
Carlo Ratti Bill Egan
Jeffery Rosenblum Zachary Wassmouth
Sanjay Sarma Matthew Mayrl
Kishore Varanasi
Environmental and Energy Services
Brian Swett, Chief
Carl Spector
Mayor’s Complete Streets Compliance Advisor Boston Parks and Recreation Department
Jane Garvey Antonia Pollak, Commissioner
Kris Carter (Mayor’s Office) Bernie Lynch
David Dederer
Mayor’s Office Liza Meyer
Mitchell Weiss, Chief of Staff Aldo Ghirin
Michael Kineavy, Director of Policy and Planning
Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services
Jay Walsh, Director
vi Boston Complete streets GuiDelines 2013 Boston transportation Department
Boston Bikes Office of Budget Management
Nicole Freedman Karen Connor, Director
Alice Brown Abi Vladeck
Johanna Bernstein
Inspectional Services Department
Bryan Glascock, Commissioner Boston Landmarks Commission
Ellen Lipsey, Executive Director
Boston Water and Sewer Commission
Henry Vitale, Executive Director Mayor’s Office of Food Initiatives
John Sullivan Edith Murnane, Director
Boston Redevelopment Authority Coordinated Street Furniture Program
Peter Meade, Director Michael Galvin, Chief of Public Property
Kairos Shen Peter O’Sullivan
Prataap Patrose
Jill Zick
Jim Fitzgerald
Guidelines Project Team
John Read
Jonathan Greeley
Peter Gori Boston Transportation Department
John Dalzell Vineet Gupta, Project Director
Lara Merida Charlotte Fleetwood
Rachel Szakmary
Boston Public Health Commission
Barbara Ferrer, Executive Director Toole Design Group
Ann McHugh Jennifer Toole Bill Schultheiss
Daisy De La Rosa Nick Jackson Michelle Danila
Jessica Mortell Christina Fink
Mayor’s Commission for Persons with Peter Robie John Dempsey
Disabilities
Kristen McCosh, Commissioner Utile, Inc.
Tim Love Meera Deean
Department of Innovation and Technology Corey Zehngebot Ryan Sullivan
Bill Oates, Chief Information Officer Siqi Zhu Chelsea Edgerton
Jim Alberque
Charles River Watershed Association
Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics Kate Bowditch
Chris Osgood Pallavi Mandi
Nigel Jacob
Dana Conroy All photographs have been taken in the City of Boston ex-
cept where specified elsewhere. Photographs have been
Commission on Affairs of the Elderly provided by Kathy Lynch, Paige Mazurek, Jessica Mortell,
Emily Shea, Commissioner Nick Jackson, Charlotte Fleetwood, Vineet Gupta, Kris
Carter, and Jessica Parsons.
BOSTON TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT 2013 BOSTON COMPLETE STREETS GUIDELINES vii
viii BOSTON COMPLETE STREETS GUIDELINES 2013 BOSTON TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT
Introduction xiv
Vision
Chapter 1 2
Street Types
Chapter 2 16
Sidewalks
Chapter 3 96
Roadways
Chapter 4 136
Intersections
Chapter 5 210
Smart Curbsides
Chapter 6 246
Implementation
BOSTON TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT 2013 BOSTON COMPLETE STREETS GUIDELINES ix
Letter from the Mayor iii Tree Siting and Spacing 59
Acknowledgements vi Root Environment for Street Trees 60
Open Tree Trenches 61
Covered Tree Trenches 62
Raised Tree Beds 63
Vision
Tree Pits 64
Boston’s Complete Streets xiv Street Tree Species and Heights 66
Why Streets Matter xvii Vegetated Stormwater Management 69
Using the Manual xviii Stormwater Planters 70
Acronyms xix Rain Gardens 72
Street Furniture 75
Seating 76
Bollards 78
Street Types
Trash Compactors and Recycling Bins 79
Street Type Principles 3 Bicycle Parking 80
Functional Classification and Boston’s Street Types 5 Bicycle Racks 81
Downtown Commercial 6 Transit Stops 83
Downtown Mixed-Use 7 Bus Stops 84
Neighborhood Main Street 8 Bus Shelters 86
Neighborhood Connector 9 Street Lights 89
Neighborhood Residential 10 Street Lights 90
Industrial 11 Light Fixtures 92
Shared Streets 12 Lighting Elements (Lamps) 94
Parkways 13 Siting and Clearances 95
Boulevards 14
Using Street Types in Complete Streets Design 15
Roadways
Roadway Design Principles 98
Sidewalks
Safe Speeds 99
Sidewalk Design Principles 18 Optimizing Use of Street Space 100
Sidewalk Zones 20 Minimum Lane Widths in the City of Boston 102
Preferred Widths for Sidewalk Zones 22 Design Features that Reduce Operating Speeds 105
Preferred and Minimum Widths for Sidewalk Zones 23 Mid-block Neckdowns 106
Sidewalks by Boston’s Street Types 25 Chicanes 107
Features to Activate Sidewalks 31 Center Islands 108
Vibrant Street Wall 32 Speed Tables 109
Green Walls 33 Paving Treatments 110
Plazas 34 Neighborways 111
Sidewalk Cafés 35 Travel Lanes 113
Driveways 36 Three Lanes with Center Turn Lane 114
Building Entrances 38 Peak Time Restricted Parking Lanes 116
Sidewalk Materials 41 Routes with Frequent Heavy Vehicles 117
Materials and Sidewalk Zones 42 Fire Department & EMS Accommodations 118
Permeable Paving Materials 44 Reversible Lanes 119
Greenscape 47 Transit Lanes 121
Benefits of Street Trees 48 Curbside Bus Lanes 122
Benefits of Vegetated Stormwater Management 50 Median Bus Lanes 123
Soils Selection and Management 52 Contra-Flow Bus Lanes 124
Street Trees 55 Median Protected Busways 125
Street Trees and Urban Design 56 Bicycle Facilities 127
Street Trees and Street Types 57 Cycle Tracks 128
Choosing the Right Tree 58 Bicycle Lanes 129
x BOSTON COMPLETE STREETS GUIDELINES 2013 BOSTON TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT