Complete Streets Policy

1 | Preamble

As the region’s MPO, the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO) is responsible for regional transportation planning. The focus of this policy is to enhance safety and accessibility for everyone by promoting Complete Streets in current and future transportation projects. Complete streets are streets for everyone. Complete Streets is a strategy that aims to create safe and accessible streets for people of all ages and abilities, including pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and transit riders.

The CRTPO is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Charlotte Urban Area.  Federal legislation requires Urban Areas with populations larger than 50,000 to have an MPO, whose primary function is to carry out the transportation planning process among the member jurisdictions within its established planning area boundary and the allocation of federal transportation funds under the provisions of current federal transportation legislation.

Complete Streets is a process and approach to street design. A complete street may include: sidewalks, bike lanes (or wide paved shoulders), special bus lanes, comfortable and accessible public transportation stops, frequent and safe crosswalks, median islands, accessible pedestrian signals, curb extensions, narrower travel lanes, roundabouts, connections to greenways, and more.

2 | Background and Regional Vision

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) issued an updated Policy Statement on Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodation that calls for all transportation agencies “to improve conditions and opportunities for walking and bicycling and to integrate walking and bicycling into their transportation systems.” The USDOT encourages transportation agencies “to go beyond minimum standards to provide safe and convenient facilities for these modes.” The Policy Statement considers walking and bicycling equal to other transportation modes.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) adopted the latest version of their Complete Streets Policy in 2019. The policy directs NCDOT to consider and incorporate several modes of transportation when building new projects or making improvements to existing infrastructure. The benefits of this approach include:

• Making it easier for travelers to get where they need to go;
• Encouraging the use of alternative forms of transportation;
• Building more sustainable communities;
• Increasing connectivity between neighborhoods, streets, greenways, and transit systems;
• Improving safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.

The Complete Streets Policy states that transportation, quality of life, and economic development are all undeniably connected through well-planned, well-designed, and context-sensitive transportation solutions. To NCDOT, the designations “well-planned,” “well-designed,” and “context-sensitive” imply that transportation is an integral part of a comprehensive network that safely supports the needs of communities and the traveling public.

The CRTPO and NCDOT are committed to ensuring all roadway users are accommodated throughout our region. The CRTPO encourages its member jurisdictions to pursue roadways that utilize design standards consistent with NCDOT’s and/or local complete streets policies.

Ultimately, this policy seeks to support a safe multimodal transportation network throughout the CRTPO Planning Area through the CRTPO’s transportation planning processes. The CRTPO will incorporate Complete Streets principles when allocating funds for the construction of new projects or improvements to existing infrastructure to create a safe multi-modal network for all users. It will incorporate complete streets into all aspects of planning to support a safe and accessible multi-modal transportation network. Projects should be designed for all ages and abilities.

3 | Definitions

3.1 Complete Streets Definition

Complete Streets are streets, highways, bridges, and facilities that are planned, designed, operated, and maintained for the needs and safety of all users along and across the entire public right of way. This includes people of all ages and abilities who are walking; using powered, street-legal vehicles such as cars, trucks, motorcycles, or buses; bicycling; using transit or mobility aids; and freight carriers.

Complete Streets may integrate contextually appropriate green infrastructure techniques when appropriate.

3.2 Facilities

All Ages and Abilities refers to incorporating design principles based on designing for “All Ages and Abilities,” contextual guidance provided by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), and consistent with state and national best practices. A facility that serves “all ages and abilities” is one that effectively serves the mobility needs of children, older adults, and people with disabilities and in doing so, works well for everyone else. Design best practices for safe street crossings, pedestrians, and Americans with Disabilities (ADA) accessibility at transit stops, and bicycle/micromobility facilities on the Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) should be incorporated throughout the entire project.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design, or the “ADA Standards,” refers to the requirements necessary to make a building or other facility architecturally (physically) accessible to people with disabilities. The ADA Standards identify what features need to be accessible, set forth the number of those features that need to be made accessible, and then provide the specific measurements, dimensions and other technical information needed to make the feature accessible. Facilities should be built in accordance with ADA standards.

Bridges are public structures designed to carry traffic across natural and constructed barriers with spans that are greater than twenty feet.

Curbside management is the practice of analyzing and adjusting the uses and regulations of space around the structure of the curb so that it can more efficiently and safely serve different kinds of users.

Green infrastructure refers to stormwater control facilities that use nature-based solutions to expand the urban tree canopy and/or use native vegetation designed to sustain plants and mimic natural hydrology by storing, filtering, infiltrating, evaporating, or reusing stormwater. Green infrastructure will increase the resiliency of urban stormwater infrastructure by reducing the amount of wet-weather drainage and collection systems and prioritizing safety, comfort and well-being for pedestrian and transit users through reduction of extreme temperature variation and airborne pollutants.

Public Rights-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG) by the U.S. Access Board should be referenced during design.

3.3 Users

Cyclists refer to users of the street who are using small mobility devices intended to travel faster than common pedestrian speed, but slower than common automobile speed. These devices include, but are not limited to, bicycles, Class I and Class II e-bikes, other types of “cycles” (tricycles, handcycles) and e- scooters. The term “cyclists” shall not refer to any user with a mobility device that can obtain speeds above 20 miles per hour by throttle function alone.

Freight carriers refer to users of the street who operate a variety of vehicles to transport goods.

Motorists refer to users of the street who operate motorized vehicles capable of high speeds. These include automobiles, buses, trucks, motorcycles, mopeds, Class III e-bikes and any other mobility device that can obtain speeds above 20 mph by throttle function alone.

Pedestrians refer to users of the street who are walking and/or using assisted mobility devices at commonly accepted walking speed, such as, but not limited to, wheelchairs, motorized wheelchairs, strollers, walkers, and canes.

Transit users refer to people who use the public right-of-way to access public transportation vehicles.

3.4 Maintenance

The CRTPO typically does not fund maintenance and operations projects.

Maintenance refers to activities including mowing, cleaning, lighting, sweeping, pothole repair, and other regular upkeep activities.

Operations refers to activities including chip-seal and slurry-seal operations, pavement mill and overlay operations, encroachment agreements, and other regular operations activities.

4 | Policy Statement

The CRTPO seeks to achieve our vision of a connected and equitable transportation system that provides mobility choices for the region. The implementation of complete streets enables the establishment of a balanced and safe regional transportation system that supports equitable access, land use planning, safe mobility options, and environmental protection. The implementation of Complete Streets and context-sensitive solutions can help push this vision forward.

1. Application – This Complete Streets Policy applies to the following examples:
   1. All CRTPO planning activities that involve public rights-of-way, including the Metropolitan Transportation Plan and discretionary funding grants.
   2. Any non-exempt projects included in the Transportation Improvement Program that uses federal funds.
   3. Corridor plans, small-area plans, safety plans, mobility plans, comprehensive transportation plans, and cross-jurisdictional planning studies.

2. Requirements
   1. Planned and programmed projects shall provide safe accommodations along and across the public right-of-way for all users who have legal access to use the facilities, per the facility and user definitions set forth by this policy.
   2. To the extent practical, planned and programmed projects shall use green infrastructure techniques.

5 | Implementation

The CRTPO will follow these steps to incorporate the Complete Streets Policy into planning and programming at the regional level. All new and existing roadway construction and reconstruction projects selected for funding by the CRTPO should comply with this Complete Streets Policy unless the project receives an exception.

2A – Pedestrians

• Are accommodated along the right-of-way by paved, unobstructed facilities separated from motor vehicle traffic traveling above 15 miles per hour.
• Are accommodated across the right-of-way using dedicated crossings that are highly visible to motorists, which encourage motorists to yield to pedestrians, which are as narrow as practical to reduce crossing distances (or supported with crossing islands), and which are implemented between intersections as necessary to connect to goods, services, and other destinations. While crossing islands may be used on both wide and narrow streets, they are generally applied at locations where speeds and volumes make crossings prohibitive, or where three or more lanes of traffic make pedestrians feel exposed or unsafe in the intersection.

2B – Cyclists

• Are accommodated along the right-of-way using either low motor vehicle speeds or facilities that provide separation from motor vehicles or with reduced posted speed limits and enforcement. See FHWA on Bikeway Selection Guidelines.
• Are accommodated across the right-of-way using intersection treatments, approaches, and extensions which enable through and/or turning movements where dedicated bikeway facilities (including striped bike/mobility lanes, separated bike/mobility lanes, and shared use paths) are present, and which increase cyclist visibility to motorists.

2C – Transit users

• Are accommodated along the right-of-way using facilities at bus or rail stops that provide shelter, seating, or both. Regarding travel to stops, see pedestrian principles in section 5.2.A.
• Are accommodated across the right-of-way with intersection crossings using the pedestrian principles in section 5.2.A.

2D – Motorists

• Are provided street configurations which reduce conflicts with other users, encourage predictable movement, and are designed with target speeds to match the surrounding land use and reduce the chance of loss of life or property.

2E – Freight

• Are allowed loading/unloading space that minimally exposes workers to vehicle traffic, while minimizing disruptions with the flow of motorized and non-motorized traffic. Solutions for this mode may occur outside of the public right-of-way, or through a curbside management effort. See Exceptions (Section 6) and Encouragement (Section 8).

2F – Green infrastructure

• To ensure canopy coverage is provided along a project corridor by installing native and/or non-invasive drought tolerant vegetation and tree landscape treatments in existing right-of-way or as made available through reductions in setback, parking requirement, and street width.
• To ensure stormwater runoff is captured and controlled to sustain plants and mimic natural hydrology using green infrastructure.

1. Monitor all projects receiving federal transportation funding for compliance with this policy.
2. Engage project sponsors in evaluating projects for the Transportation Improvement Program that receive federal funding outside of the CRTPO’s programming processes.
3. Projects should include equity, environmental justice, and transportation disadvantaged and vulnerable user populations when considering project locations and prioritization.
4. Project sponsors shall incorporate an inclusive public engagement process into their selection process. The public engagement process shall meet or exceed the standards set by the CRTPO Public Involvement and Title VI and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) plans.
5. Re-evaluate this policy regularly — at least before adopting each new or updated Metropolitan Transportation Plan.
6. Roadway projects selected for funding by the CRTPO will expect project sponsors to comply with the Complete Streets Policy and shall follow the process described in this policy to evaluate requested exceptions to this policy.

6 | Exceptions

Maintenance, projects that are not “streets”, such as diesel engine retrofits, alternative fuel vehicle purchases/fleet replacements, compressed natural gas fueling stations, other Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program eligible projects that do not involve adding vehicular capacity to a roadway, off-street bicycle/pedestrian trails, Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) programs and initiatives and others, are exempt from the Complete Streets Policy.

Any exemption to this policy requires approval from the CRTPO Director, or their designee, and documenting it with supporting information that indicates the basis for the decision. Such documentation shall be publicly available.

The following are exempt from the Complete Streets Policy:

1. Where using specific modes of travel is prohibited by law, such as bicyclists and pedestrians on some sections of interstate highways or axle and weight limits for freight trucks on local streets.
2. Where accommodations for non-motorized travel conflict with the purpose of high-speed motor vehicle facilities, particularly limited-access highways and/or freeways. In these cases, a CRTPO staff member may inquire about the provision of separate facilities, especially if the corridor’s general alignment appears on a local or regional planning product.
3. In cases where the provision of facilities for pedestrians and cyclists of higher comfort and/or greater separation from motorized traffic would be inappropriate due to factors such as rural character or high cost (exceeding 20% of total project costs per federal guidance), sponsors of planned and programmed projects may provide facilities of lesser separation from motorists and freight shippers, though providing no consideration for all users would remain discouraged.
4. Where accommodations for a mode are best provided using solutions outside of the project right-of-way. Such instances shall be clearly explained and documented.
5. Where emergency service providers have indicated that providing for all modes will conflict with operations. Such instances shall be clearly explained and documented.
6. Where a transit route does not exist or is not planned, a project does not need to accommodate transit users with corresponding facilities (boarding pads, shelters, etc.).

The CRTPO may grant exceptions to this policy. Exceptions to this policy will be documented by a designated CRTPO staff member.

7 | Performance measures

The CRTPO will collect data and reports on performance measures related to the development of complete street networks. Examples of data to be collected:

• Miles of Complete Street Projects awarded by year
• Miles of Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities awarded by year
• Pedestrian and Bicycle Fatalities and Serious Injuries
• Transit Ridership by year
• Location of projects awarded by year

Annual Performance Measures will be uploaded to the CRTPO website.

The performance measures will assess the progress made in implementing the Complete Streets Policy. The number of exceptions to this policy will also be tracked and reported.

8 | Encouragement

Numerous aspects of successful Complete Streets implementation fall beyond the scope of this policy. The CRTPO encourages member jurisdictions to adopt the Complete Streets paradigm in all aspects of their transportation and land use planning work.

1. Member jurisdictions are encouraged to:
   • Adopt Complete Streets policies. In drafting these policies, they should consider third party scoring and criteria such as those from the National Complete Streets Coalition.
   • Adopt ADA Transition plans and PROWAG.
   • Consider development that features a greater variety of housing types and mixed uses so that development is more feasibly served by public transit, walking, and cycling.
   • Should require private development projects to comply with Complete Streets policies.
   • Consider zoning and development codes that make goods, services, and civic uses more readily accessible to pedestrians from the public right-of-way.
2. To reduce conflicts and make streets more complete for freight and local delivery service, off-street loading and curbside management solutions are encouraged.
3. Complete Streets policies for municipalities should reference third-party design guides that provide best practices or adopt their own design guides that will use best practices for accommodating all modes. Adoption of these design guides may make it easier to provide for the comfort and safety of all modes of transportation, and to comply with the CRTPO’s Complete Streets Policy. Design guides are listed in Appendix A.
4. Emergency services are not listed as a modal user by the definition of Complete Streets, but input and cooperation from emergency services should always be sought during the planning of Complete Streets projects.
5. Project sponsors are encouraged to assess nearby watershed management opportunities to manage transportation runoff offsite while creating additional community amenities. They are further encouraged to review green infrastructure plans with public works, planning and parks departments for feasibility and alignment with neighborhood, land use, and watershed plans.
6. Complete Streets are encouraged as a means of congestion management. Improvement to the viability of other modes of transportation is encouraged in the CRTPO’s Congestion Management Process.
7. The CRTPO may assist communities in understanding the importance of complete street networks, and may provide technical assistance and recommendations when requested, both for project design and for development of community-specific complete streets policies.
8. The CRTPO may conduct outreach and education efforts both independently and in cooperation with local agencies and organizations to increase awareness of the importance of complete street networks.

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Appendix | A: Resources

Complete Streets Support

• 10 Elements of a Complete Streets Policy (National Complete Streets Coalition/Smart Growth America)
• NCDOT Complete Streets Policy
• USDOT/FHWA Complete Streets Guidance
• Complete Streets Ordinance Template
• Comprehensive Transportation Plan Report

Transportation Design Guides

Green Infrastructure

• Urban Street Stormwater Design Guide (NACTO)