Chapter 14.10
COMPLETE STREETS
Sections:
14.10.020 Complete streets definitions.
14.10.030 Implementation of complete streets principles.
14.10.040 Performance measures.
14.10.070 Freight considerations.
14.10.010 Purpose.
The City of Airway Heights intends to provide transportation choices to citizens, offering opportunity for reduced commuter costs and healthy mobility options by providing connected, integrated, and safe alternative modes of transportation. This chapter confirms the City will maintain and operate appropriate facilities for the safe and shared accommodation of pedestrians, bicyclists, transit, motorists, emergency responders, and freight as appropriate for community need and context. “Complete street” designs ensure that decision-making processes consider all users of public right-of-way, addressing the previously noted range of travel modes for the network, as implemented with maintenance or widening projects, new or redeveloped land use developments, or new construction. In addition, complete street considerations should be addressed with transportation and land use planning studies; City guidelines, policies, and municipal codes; capital planning priorities; interjurisdictional and developer agreements; and construction plans as associated with street projects and land use developments. This chapter provides for the implementation of complete streets guiding principles emphasizing integration and for roadway users. (Ord. C-1033 § 2, 2024; Ord. C-720 § 3, 2010)
14.10.020 Complete streets definitions.
“ADA compliant curbs and curb bulb-outs” project into the street, usually for a distance equal to the depth of a typical parallel parking space, making it easier for pedestrians to see approaching traffic and giving motorists a better view of pedestrians.
“Average daily traffic” is the total traffic volume during a 24-hour period as recorded over a day or consecutive period of days, expressed as vehicles per day (vpd) or average daily traffic. Average annual daily traffic (AADT) refers to the average ADT recorded in the period of one year.
A “bicycle lane” is a portion of a highway or street identified by signs and pavement markings as reserved for bicycle use.
A “complete street” is a road that is designed to be safe for drivers; bicyclists; transit vehicles and users; and pedestrians of all ages and abilities. The complete streets concept focuses not just on individual roads but on changing the decision-making process so that all users are routinely considered during the planning, designing, building and operating of all roadways.
A “landscaped area” is a portion of the right-of-way outside the edge of pavement required for the growth and maintenance of grass, flowers, bushes, trees and other landscaping including swales, planter strips, and street landscaping.
A “multimodal level of service” refers to the pedestrian and bicycle performance measures provided with the City of Airway Heights Comprehensive Plan to assure the sufficiency of active transportation facilities.
A “pedestrian generator” is any public facility or land use origin that generates pedestrian and bicycle activities. Generators are divided into two types, primary and secondary. The primary generator is a starting point of an initial pedestrian trip in relation to parking facilities, train depots or bus stops. Secondary reflects the destination of the initial and succeeding pedestrian trip which may generate further movements, such as a workplace, retail outlet, or public facility.
A “planting strip” is a hard surfaced or landscaped area between travel or parking lanes and sidewalks, also called planting (planter) strips or swales.
A “public transportation feature” is any infrastructure that accommodates the implementation of a system of vehicles such as buses and trains that operate at regular times on fixed routes and are used by the public.
A “shared roadway” is a roadway open to both bicycle and motor vehicle travel. This may be a new or existing roadway/highway, a street with wide curb lanes, or a road with paved shoulders. In the state of Washington, as with most states, all vehicular lanes are shared lanes unless bicycling is explicitly prohibited.
A “shared-use path” is a facility physically separated from motorized vehicular traffic within the highway right-of-way or on an exclusive right-of-way with minimal crossflow by motor vehicles. Shared-use paths are primarily used by bicyclists and pedestrians, including joggers, skaters, and pedestrians with disabilities, including those who use nonmotorized or motorized wheeled mobility devices. With appropriate design considerations, equestrians may also be accommodated by a shared-use path facility. In certain locations with extremely high pedestrian and bicycle traffic, a shared-use path may include modal separation between bicycle and pedestrian traffic.
A “sidewalk” is a paved path for pedestrians at the side of a road.
“Street parking” is the practice of parking vehicles on the side of a public road or street.
“Streetscape furniture” is a collective term for items and structures that are installed or placed in public areas and other outdoor public spaces for various purposes. For example, seating, waste disposal and bollards and barriers.
A “street tree” is any public tree located in the public way between the curb and the edge of right-of-way on a street.
A “surface treatment” is a method for extending the lifetime of deteriorating road pavement.
A “swale” is a water feature located in street right-of-way meant to convey and/or treat and/or provide storage of storm water adjacent to roadways. In this context it is located outside the edge of pavement or back of curb within the street right-of-way.
A “traffic calming device” is a technique that has been shown to reduce traffic speeds and unsafe maneuvers. These techniques can be stand-alone but complete streets standards recommend treatments are considered in conjunction with complete streets application. Examples include vertical deflection (e.g., speed humps, speed tables, raised crossings), horizontal shifts (e.g., chicanes, lateral lane tapers), and design elements that encourage a driver’s perception of a lower speed facility (often referred to as “visual friction,” these features include lane narrowing, curb extensions, median islands, specific pavement markings, etc.). This list of examples of traffic calming features is not exhaustive.
A “traffic pedestrian control” refers to a class of devices used to control the movements of vehicle traffic in favor of pedestrian and bicycling activity at intersections and midblock crossings. The characteristics of these devices are activation by an active transportation user followed by yellow warning and then red stopping indicators, to control traffic, allowing for pedestrians and bicycles to cross vehicle rights-of-way. A pedestrian hybrid beacon (PHB), hybrid pedestrian beacon (HAWK), or pedestrian traffic signal is the typical control device used in practical application.
A “user” means all individuals, vehicles, or transportation devices that use the transportation network, including but not limited to pedestrians, bicyclists, freight vehicles, conventional and self-driving vehicles, motorcyclists, public transportation riders and vehicles, school buses and riders, and devices that propel individuals of all ages and abilities. (Ord. C-1033 § 3, 2024; Ord. C-720 § 4, 2010)
14.10.030 Implementation of complete streets principles.
The following implementation steps will be taken to ensure that complete streets policies are integrated into existing and future roadway facilities:
A. Airway Heights shall review and revise zoning, subdivision standards, and public works standards to incorporate complete streets guidelines and/or policies for application with land development or related actions to public roadway projects to improve connectivity for all users.
B. Roadways will be completed or retrofit as complete streets within Airway Heights. However, context should dictate the style and extent of adaptations, as determined through project planning efforts, entitlement processes, and designs in relation to existing facilities, existing and future development, right-of-way, new or improved construction, maintenance, and safety projects.
C. Roadway projects should implement complete streets elements if the safety, convenience, and connectivity of the transportation network can be improved for all users within the scope of construction funding efforts.
D. Pedestrian and bicycle improvement may be implemented through the development permitting processes. Developers will be required to install frontage improvements, including sidewalk or shared-use path, as defined by Airway Heights Transportation Public Works Standards Section 1.5 H and L; Chapter 17.22 AHMC, Landscaping; and the City Comprehensive Plan Volume I, Chapter 2, Transportation Plan Element “Multimodal Level of Service” Standards.
E. If a nexus occurs for complete street design and development impacts, pedestrian level mitigations proportionate to the development impacts could be applied under the State Environmental Policy Act, multimodal levels of service, concurrency under Chapter 14.09 AHMC.
F. Complete streets as part of roadway reconstruction or preservation projects shall be programmed through the Six-Year City of Airway Heights Transportation Improvement Plan (six-year TIP) and the Transportation and Capital Facilities Elements of the City of Airway Heights Comprehensive Plan.
G. Interjurisdictional coordination should occur to promote or coordinate complete streets projects with adjacent and vested agencies such as, but not limited to, Spokane County, the City of Spokane, the Kalispel Tribe of Indians, the Spokane Tribe of Indians, and WSDOT.
H. Coordinate with Spokane Transit Authority and the Spokane Regional Transportation Council to support route planning for transit, pedestrian, and bicycle corridors.
I. This summary does not preclude other guiding City documents that should be updated as a result of this policy. (Ord. C-1033 § 4, 2024; Ord. C-720 § 5, 2010)
14.10.040 Performance measures.
The application of the City complete streets policy shall be evaluated for success on an annual basis to determine progress and effectiveness, as well as opportunity for improvements. Evaluation should include qualitative and quantitative data categorized by mode. Miles of bike lanes, linear feet of pedestrian accommodations, tally of controlled crossings, citizen compliments and complaints, frequency and severity of motorized and nonmotorized incidents, and exemptions approved from this policy, etc., are examples of appropriate measures.
Attempts shall be made to quantify the workforce housing and historically disadvantaged populations served with complete street or multimodal projects. (Ord. C-1033 § 5, 2024)
14.10.050 Best practices.
The City Council or designee shall periodically modify public works design criteria, associated standards and guidelines to be consistent with the recognized best practices in complete street design, construction, and operations. Resource information includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the latest relevant editions of the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), and National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) manuals, and also information available from the Washington State Department of Transportation, while reflecting the context and character of the surrounding built and natural environments. (Ord. C-1033 § 6, 2024; Ord. C-720 § 7, 2010)
14.10.060 Exceptions.
Except in unusual circumstances, complete streets principles may not apply to the following. Routine maintenance and repair of the network does not alter roadway geometrics or operations, as confirmed through the Public Works Director or a designee.
A. For new construction, reconstruction or widening, the cost of added complete street infrastructure does not establish sufficient community benefit for fiscally constrained projects, as confirmed through the Public Works Director or a designee and as approved by City Council as part of the project funding.
B. As requested by design deviation through an engineering analysis that reduced facilities would meet public need, as confirmed through the Public Works Director or a designee. (Ord. C-1033 § 7, 2024)
14.10.070 Freight considerations.
Because freight is important to the economy of the City and has unique right-of-way needs to support that role, freight will be a priority on streets classified as a designated freight route (by WSDOT or the City). Complete street improvements that are consistent with freight mobility but also support other modes may be considered on these streets. (Ord. C-1033 § 8, 2024; Ord. C-720 § 6, 2010. Formerly 14.10.040)
14.10.080 Funding.
Complete streets may be achieved through roadway or intersection construction projects, as a dedicated project, or in limited fashion through maintenance activities over time. It is the City’s intent that all sources of transportation funding be drawn upon to implement complete streets, which includes private development contribution as feasible. Maximum financial flexibility is important to implement complete streets policy/design. (Ord. C-1033 § 9, 2024; Ord. C-720 § 8, 2010. Formerly 14.10.060)
14.10.090 Severability.
Should any section, paragraph, sentence, clause or phrase of this chapter, or its application to any person or circumstance, be declared unconstitutional or otherwise invalid for any reason, or should any portion of this chapter be preempted by state or federal law or regulation, such decision or preemption shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this chapter or its application to persons or circumstances. (Ord. C-1033 § 10, 2024)