Designing Pedestrian-Friendly Streets Quiz

Designing Pedestrian-Friendly Streets: Key Points

• Pedestrian traffic includes cyclists, the physically handicapped, transit users, and all ages on foot.
• Pedestrian-friendly streets have narrower vehicular traffic lanes and yield or queuing streets, and parking density helps control movement.
• Pedestrian-friendly streets are a popular design strategy for creating walkable neighborhoods and reducing accidents and environmental impact.
• Context is the most important factor in determining the suitable width for a pedestrian-friendly street, and several factors influence the dimensions.
• Parking should be allowed on both sides of the street to reduce speeds, keep the driver alert, and accommodate activity between the public and private realm.
• Federal, state, and local authorities have design techniques that recognize the importance of narrower lanes, wider sidewalks, and transit and access design criteria for pedestrians, bicyclists, and the physically handicapped.
• Jurisdictions should adopt standards by law for pedestrian-friendly streets to preserve governmental immunity through the adoption and enforcement of design guidelines.
• Narrow, pedestrian-friendly streets are best suited to mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods.
• Building enclosure—the relationship of street and buildings—defines urban space and informs street design.
• The aesthetic of a pedestrian-friendly street relies partly on how the public space is defined by buildings.
• Building ratios of 1:1 to 4:1 generally require narrower streets, and ratios approaching 6:1 may lose a perceptible sense of enclosure and should be avoided.
• Clear establishment of the public right-of-way as public property, along with design criteria adopted by ordinance, may avoid ambiguities and potential legal battles.