ROADS Services Training Group LOCAL AUTHORITY ROADS CONFERENCE 2014

1. ROADS Services Training Group LOCAL AUTHORITY ROADS CONFERENCE 2014 Reforms, Challenges and Safety Treacys West County Hotel, Ennis, May 2014. 1

2. Reforms, Challenges and Safety Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets Sean McGrath Senior Executive Engineer Fingal County Council

3. Lots of Manuals • DMRB • Traffic Management Guidelines • National Cycle Manual • NDA Universal Design Guide • UK Manual for Streets • Essex Design Guide

4. Why Another Manual? • Balance the competing demands of the “Place Function” as well as the “Transport Function” of urban roads and streets • “Place Function” means meeting, greeting, playing, relaxing, shopping, eating, community events, tourism, enjoying life!

5. Place Function

6. Place and Transport Functions

7. Speed and Design • TRL (UK) reports 322, 325 and 551 • Driver speed based on visual, psychological interpretation of the street. • Legislation and regulation play a secondary role.

8. Design and Low Speed

9. Place and Transport Functions • Historically, towns develop where transport routes cross • Balance competing demands • Irish context • DTTS, DoECLGappointed • a project team • a steering group

10. Scope and Force • Urban areas with speed limit 60kph or less • DTTS circular RW 6 2013 (28 March 2013) • DoECLG circular PL17/2013 (21 Oct 2013) • Mandatory for all Local Authorities • Forward Planning • Development Control • Own Works

11. DMURS – Practical Implications • Street Networks (3.3.1) • Filtered permeability • Orthogonal (Fig 3.8) • Curvilinear • Organic

12. Using images or content with text Use a single clear image or graphic that illustrates your point Keep your points short and succinct Use bold for emphasis Dept. Name

14. Dublin in Comparison to Similar Cities Difference is mainly walking and cycling, not public transport

15. Cork in Comparison to Similar Cities Difference is mainly walking and cycling, not public transport

16. DMURS – Practical Implications • Traffic Congestion (3.4.2) • No new roads – cost, environmental reasons • Maximise efficient use of road space (Fig 3.25) • Accept some level of congestion

17. DMURS – Practical Implications • Relief Roads (3.4.4) • High capacity, but not necessarily high speed • Longer distance traffic, especially HGVs • Take traffic away from urban centres • Inner Relief Road (Fig 3.31) • Maintain sense of place • Minimise severance • Outer Relief Road (Fig 3.32) • Separate from urban area • Strategically planned (SDZ, Local Area Plan)

20. DMURS – Practical Implications • Signing and Lining (4.2.4) • Traffic Signs Manual • Advises against over-provision of signs (1.1.10) • “shall or must”, “should” and “may” (1.1.12) • Minimise signage, esp. on local streets • Better to have self-regulating design

21. Local Transport Note 2/09 • “There is no conclusive evidence that the inclusion of PGR at any type of pedestrian crossing or junction has any statistically significant effect on safety”

22. DMURS – Practical Implications Materials and Finishes (4.2.6) Define space, calm traffic, and improve legibility Reduce the need for barriers, signing and lining Need not be expensive

24. DMURS – Practical Implications • Planting (4.2.7) • Provide softer landscape • especially in suburbs, neighbourhoods (Fig 4.28) • Consider size and types of trees • Coordinate with SUDs

26. DMURS – Practical Implications • Pedestrians and cyclists (4.3) • Footway widths 1.8m – 4.0m (Fig 4.34) • Pedestrian crossings (4.3.2) • Zebras for moderate flows (Fig 4.37) • Informal (raised?) ‘courtesy’ (Fig 4.38) • Avoid staggered crossings • Minimise crossing distances • Provide refuges (with PBUs at signals)

29. DMURS – Practical Implications • Corner Radii (4.3.3) • Reduce pedestrian crossing distances • Reduce vehicle speeds (Fig 4.42) • Allow large vehicles to cross centrelines

31. DMURS – Practical Implications • Pedestrianised and shared surfaces (4.3.4) • Full pedestrianisation (Figs 4.46) • High activity through day and evening • Retail, commercial and cultural centres • Shared surfaces (Figs 4.46, 4.47) • Transport function is low (eg homezones) • Careful use of materials • No kerbs(?) • Minimise carriageway width and entry radii

33. DMURS – Practical Implications • Carriageway widths (4.4.1) • Arterial and link streets lane widths • min: 3.0m, standard: 3.25m, max: 3.5m • Local streets 5.0m - 5.5m carriageway • Local shared street 4.8m carriageway • Boulevard (Fig 4.55)

35. DMURS – Practical Implications • Junction Design (4.4.3) • Balanced approach – not just car capacity • Reduce kerb radii • Omit left turn slips (Fig 2.8) • Signals • Ped crossings on all arms • Include ped, bike, bus delays in optimisation • Minimise cycle times

37. DMURS – Practical Implications • Junction Design (cont’d) • Roundabouts • Large roundabouts not appropriate • Difficult for pedestrians and bikes • Limited capacity • Land take • Consider compact/continental roundabouts

38. DMURS – Practical Implications Visibility distances (4.4.4) Much lower than DMRB (Table 4.2) Reaction time 1.5 seconds, not 2 seconds Deceleration rate 0.45g, not 0.25g Alignment (4.4.6) Arterial and Link Streets: retain directness Local Streets: speed reducing curves (Fig 4.65)

39. DMURS – Practical Implications Sight Stopping Distances (metres)

41. DMURS – Practical Implications • Horizontal and Vertical Defections (4.4.7) • To slow traffic without undue discomfort • Horizontal (chicanes, pinch points) • Off-set junctions (Local Streets) • On-street car parking • Vertical (ramps, tables) • Long straights (>70m between junctions) • Pedestrian crossings • Entry treatments

42. DMURS – Practical Implications • On-street parking and loading (4.4.9) • Functions • Calm traffic • Commercial viability of centres • Reduce parking on footpaths

43. DMURS – Practical Implications • What Networks will look like • Permeable neighbourhoods • More pedestrian crossings • No more distributor roads with high walls • Inner Relief Roads - retain place function • Outer Relief Roads - outside urban area • Some level of car congestion

44. DMURS – Practical Implications • What Streets will look like • Narrower carriageways, wider footpaths • Tighter radii • Shorter cycle times at traffic signals • No left turn slip roads at junctions • No large roundabouts • No pedestrian guardrails • Less signing and lining • More on-street parking

45. DMURS – Practical Implications • A better balance between the “place function” and the “transport function” of urban roads and streets