Chapter 6.14
COMPLETE STREETS
Sections:
6.14.010 Vision.
6.14.020 Policy.
6.14.030 Applicability.
6.14.050 Plans and standards.
6.14.100 Exemptions.
6.14.120 Intergovernmental cooperation.
6.14.010 Vision.
The city endorses the concept of complete streets, which promotes roadways that are safe, convenient, and attractive for all users regardless of age and ability, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, freight haulers, and motor vehicle drivers. The vision of complete streets is a community in which all residents and visitors can safely and efficiently use the public right-of-way to meet their transportation needs regardless of their preferred mode of travel.
6.14.020 Policy.
A. The city will plan for, design, construct, operate, and maintain an appropriate and integrated transportation system that will meet the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, wheelchair users, transit riders, freight haulers, motorists, emergency responders, and residents of all ages and abilities.
B. Transportation system facilities that support the concept of complete streets shall include, but are not limited to: pavement markings and signs; street and sidewalk lighting; sidewalk and pedestrian safety improvements; Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and Title VI compliance; street trees; transit accommodations; bicycle accommodations, including signage and markings; and, as appropriate, streetscapes that appeal to and promote all modes of travel. The system’s design will be consistent with and supportive of local neighborhoods, recognizing that transportation needs vary and must be balanced in a flexible, safe, and cost-effective manner. Projects will therefore be assessed holistically to include the many considerations outlined above, as well as the future need for conduit for city-owned fiber optics communications, given the budgetary implications for provision of facilities.
6.14.030 Applicability.
The city will plan for, design, and construct all new city transportation improvement projects to provide appropriate and safe accommodation for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, freight haulers, motor vehicles, and persons of all abilities. Those city employees involved in the planning and design of projects within the public right-of-way will give consideration to all users and modes of travel from the start of planning and design work consistent with approved plans and standards. Transportation system improvements shall be viewed as opportunities to create safer, more accessible streets for all users, and as opportunities to improve city communication processes between relevant personnel, such as consulting city arborists on designs including street trees. This shall apply to new construction, reconstruction, and rehabilitation. The city may create a checklist that will assist in considering modes of travel in the planning and design of transportation system improvements. ADA-specific projects, such as the installation of ramps or other improvements required for improved accessibility, are exempt from complete streets consideration, as are ordinary maintenance activities such as mowing, sweeping, spot repair, joint sealing, pothole filling, and installation of raised pavement markers.
6.14.050 Plans and standards.
As city plans, guidelines, and standards are updated, consideration shall be given to complete streets concepts to ensure that new regulations and practices comply with this chapter and the latest in applicable complete streets research and best practices. Examples of plans and standards include, but are not limited to, the design and construction standards and the Transportation Master Plan. Resources to be referenced in developing these standards and plans shall include, but not be limited to, the latest editions of National Association of City Transportation Officials’ Urban Street Design Guide, Urban Bikeway Design Guide, Transit Street Design Guide, and the Federal Highway Administration’s Department of Transportation Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
6.14.100 Exemptions.
A. The mayor, after consultation with the public works director, the economic and community development director, and the parks and human services director, may determine that a project is exempt from any or all of the requirements of this chapter, based on the following circumstances:
1. The project would require the accommodation of street uses that are prohibited by law;
2. The accommodation of a specific use is expected to have adverse impacts on environmental resources such as streams, wetlands, or floodplains, or on historic structures or sites (eligible for listing in national, state, or local preservation registers), above and beyond the impacts of currently existing infrastructure;
3. Topographic challenges make accommodation of a specific use infeasible;
4. The establishment of complete streets facilities would be contrary to public safety;
5. The cost would be excessively disproportionate to the need or probable future use; or
6. The inclusion of complete streets facilities would create a disconnected section (less than 300 feet) of improvements where additional improvements at either end are unlikely to occur within 10 years.
B. Where the above exemptions allow complete streets facilities to be omitted from a roadway project, the city shall consider whether bicyclists, pedestrians, transit users, and persons of all abilities can be accommodated by nearby facilities, and shall strive to provide complete streets connections to those facilities.
6.14.120 Intergovernmental cooperation.
The city will cooperate with other transportation agencies, including the Washington State Department of Transportation, King County Metro, and Sound Transit, to ensure the principles and practices of complete streets are embedded within their planning, design, construction, and maintenance activities. The city will specifically cooperate to ensure the transportation network flows seamlessly between jurisdictions in accordance with local and regional road, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian plans.