Cal Walks footPRINTS

October 2014

News from Around the Network

Save the Date! | Nov. 8-9, 2014 | Oakland

Mark your calendars for the Best Foot Forward Summit! With generous support from America Walks, Cal Walks and our partners are convening a broad base of walk, health, equity, & sustainability organizations & advocates to forge a shared action agenda that each of our organizations in different sectors can pursue at the local, regional, and state levels to move the dial on walkability in the Golden State. We hope you'll be able to join us! More details to be announced in the next few weeks!

Victory at the CTCDC! Pedestrian Safety

Gets a Boost in the 2014 CA-MUTCD

Last week, the California Traffic Control Devices Committee (CTCDC) unanimously adopted long-overdue changes to the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA-MUTCD) championed by Cal Walks. Engineers across California rely heavily on and rarely deviate from the CA-MUTCD for standards and guidance on street markings and traffic control devices.

Cal Walks and the California Alliance for Retired Americans provided testimony to the Committee underscoring straightforward, commonsense, and cost-effective nature of the modifications for improving pedestrian safety--especially since people walking make up over 1 in 5 traffic fatalities statewide.

The adopted changes (See Agenda Item 14-15, pages 32-40) will be included in the 2014 edition of the CA-MUTCD and will go a long way to improving pedestrian safety all across the state!

Click here for more information on all the changes adopted by the CTCDC.

Caltrans Releases
Sixth Edition of Highway Design Manual

The latest edition of the California Highway Design Manual contains key guidance changes for pedestrian facilities on the State Highway System, including:

Reduction in the minimum setback for curb extensions (from 4 feet to 2 feet), meaning larger permitted curb extensions. See Index 303.4 and Figures 303.4A and 303.4B.
Reduction to a 30 mph design speed for State Routes in downtowns and city centers and a reduction to a 30-40 mph design speed for rural and suburban main street State Routes. See Index 101.1 and 101.2.
Acknowledgement of the use of sources for additional guidance not covered in the HDM, other than those developed by American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). See Index 82.3.

For a complete listing of changes to the Highway Design Manual, click here.

New Caltrans Sustainable
Transportation Planning Grant Program! Applications Due Oct. 31

Caltrans has issued a call for applications for its new Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant program! $1.5 million is available in the Strategic Partnerships category, and $8.3 million is available in the Sustainable Communities category. Multimodal transportation planning projects, including pedestrian master plans, are eligible for these funds, as well as any project meeting the requirements of the former Environmental Justice and Community-Based Transportation Planning grant programs.

Applications are due to Caltrans no later than October 31, 5 PM. Visit Caltrans' site for more information

New Resources

NCHRP Report 770, Estimating Bicycling & Walking for Planning & Project Development
This guidebook for practitioners contains a range of methods for estimating biking and walking for transportation and land use planning, as well as plug-and-play tools for use at the regional, corridor, project or destination level, including a GIS Walk Accessibility Model and spreadsheets.

ITE Trip Generation Handbook, 3rd Edition
The latest edition of the ITE Trip Generation Handbook provides important guidance--for the first time ever--on estimating person-trips in addition to car & truck trips, as well as guidelines for doing so urban infill, mixed-use, transit-related, and even suburban settings.

When used along with ITE's Trip Generation Manual, this revised Handbook will enable planners to better evaluate the transportation effects of new development projects and to ensure that the needs of all travelers are addressed, not just those in motor vehicles.

First Mile, Last Mile: How Federal Transit Funds can Improve Access to Transit for People who Walk & Bike
This new report from Advocacy Advance examines how federal transit funds can be used to better integrate walking and biking with transit through walking and biking projects and programs.

Where the Needs of Principals & Safe Routes to School Programs Intersect
This issue brief, prepared by the California Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center (TARC), provides insights and recommendations for those who want to work more effectively with school administrators on Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) programs.

Pedestrian Crossing: 50 State Summary
This new resource catalogues how all 50 states approach the pedestrian right-of-way at crossings, including applicable state laws.

FHWA Handbook for Designing Roadways for the Aging Population