2040 Comprehensive Plan: Envision Shakopee

Slowing down vehicle speeds along wide residential streets with few parked cars can be achieved with traffic calming measures. This will reduce the severity of crashes that involve pedestrians and bicyclists.

TRADITIONAL NEIGHBORHOOD STREET GRID Streets in these areas are generally narrower, and on-street parking and street trees are close to intersections. Implementing curb extensions/parking restrictions at street corners will improve visibility. When there is congestion on arterial streets, some motorists will choose to cut through the neighborhoods, often using a residential street that is one block away from the arterial. These streets often see higher motor vehicle volumes and speeds than other residential streets during the peak hours and are candidates for traffic calming. There are shopping areas, services and adjacent neighborhoods within walking and bicycling distance of homes in these areas. Adding crossing opportunities across arterial streets makes them more accessible. GRID AND CURVILINEAR STREETS WITH CUL-DE-SACS The mostly intact street grid offers convenient routes for students to get to and from school, however a lack of continuous sidewalks and street crossings makes walking and bicycling unsafe for children and other pedestrians. Providing these street features improves safety and makes shopping and errand trips by foot and bicycle possible. At intersections with lower stop and yield compliance (where motorists rarely encounter cross traffic), traffic calming measures can help to slow speeds and improve compliance. Shared-use paths along collector and arterial streets make it easier for residents to reach longer distance destinations. Reducing the number of driveways on busier streets will improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, by consolidating conflict points to fewer locations.

LOW DENSITY CURVILINEAR STREETS WITH CUL-DE-SACS Adding sidewalks on one or both sides of the street improves safety for pedestrians. Shortcut walkways between cul-de-sacs and discontinuous streets reduces walking and bicycling distances, making them a more accessible means of travel. Improving access between adjacent neighborhoods can be achieved by adding arterial street crossings, or new street connections. Developments with a limited number of entrances can include walkway and shared-use path connections out of the development, and motor vehicle entrances can be narrowed to discourage high turning speeds. Speeds along wide residential streets with few parked cars can be reduced with traffic calming (i.e. curb extensions, right-sized traffic circles, median crossing islands), reducing the severity of crashes with pedestrians and bicyclists. Miniature traffic circles should be designed to slow vehicle traffic but not prevent vehicles, such as delivery trucks or buses, from traveling the intersection. RURAL ROAD GRID Shared-use paths can be added to one side of rural roads, to increase comfort level for people walking and bicycling. During development of rural road grid neighborhoods, streets can be built on a residential street grid, using best practice safety designs for walking, bicycling and driving.

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