SUSTAINABLE STREET NETWORKS FOR TRANSIT - CNU TRANSPORTATION SUMMIT WORKING GROUP

 SUSTAINABLE STREET NETWORKS FOR TRANSIT - CNU TRANSPORTATION SUMMIT WORKING GROUP

**Readings for this group, including a draft outline for our working group discussion, is included below. Please send any comments to Kate Rube (krube [at] pps.org)

The Sustainable Street Networks for Transit working group is charged with developing guidance to help transit agencies better understand street and network design, and for new urbanist designers to better understand the needs and parameters of transit. The working group will report results to the APTA Sustainable Urban Design SUDs) Committee and the CNU Board.

Sustainable street networks and well-designed streets are essential to making it easier for people to use transit systems and access stations by different modes, which boosts ridership and makes transit more efficient. Good street and street network design also helps capitalize on the presence of transit stations to incentivize appropriate land uses, creating vibrant and attractive neighborhoods around those nodes. When speaking of street design, we will address not only street engineering, but also the Placemaking and New Urbanism contribution to facilitating access to transit. 

This working group will build upon the 2012 CNU Sustainable Street Principles to create a document tailored for transit agencies and the areas around transit stations. Principle 7 of this document, which provides a helpful starting place, is:  “Create harmony with other transportation networks—The street network is a foundation for the design and evolution of other transportation systems, including highways, rail, freight, and air travel. A sustainable street network integrates these systems. It provides flexible mobility, easy and legible movement between modes, and helps turn transit meeting points into attractive and valuable civic places.”

The end product of this working group is not intended to be a comprehensive guide, but a series of principles that relate to existing guidelines and resources. We envision an image-heavy document that helps transit agencies and others more effectively navigate street design and transportation documents, such as:

o   ITE/CNU Urban Thoroughfares Guides

o   Smart Transportation Guide for Pennsylvania and NJ

o   PPS Citizens Guide for Creating Great Streets

o   CNU Sustainable Networks Guide

o   Model Design Guide for Living Streets