Morrisville Transportation Plan

Design Guidance

6.1 Bicycle and Pedestrian Design Guidance, cont’d

Figure 6.1 (C)

Figure 6.1 (D)

Figure 6.1 Bicycle Design cont’d

the bicycle-friendliness of the environment. The image on the right indicates a grooved

runway for guiding bicycles up the stairs as the rider dismounts and walks up the stairs.

(D) Most bicyclists are aware that the “sweet spot” for detecting bicycles at loop detec-

tion signal-equipped intersections is in the middle – an important concept for those that

own bicycles with frames composed primarily of carbon composites. Placing a small mark-

ing showing the right location can also help reinforce proper bicycle driving technique as

well as remind motorists of the proper place for a cyclist on the road.

walkways to encourage walking between buildings and to provide a

safe means of travel for pedestrians. Sidewalks between the building

edge and parking lots should allow pedestrians safe and convenient

access to building entrances without having to walk within driving

aisles of parking lots.

Pedestrian Access Between Adjacent Developments.

To encourage

walking instead of driving between uses on the development site,

sidewalks should connect those uses to adjacent activity centers.

Barriers such as fences or vegetation should not be placed so as to

hinder access between developments.

Lighting.

Pedestrian-scale lighting should be designed to light, and

illumination should be concentrated as to not disturb adjacent uses

sensitive to light pollution, such as residential units.

Improvements Between the Building and the Street.

Design elements

in the area between the building and the street are critical to suc-

cessful pedestrian spaces. The streetscape should provide visual in-

terest for the pedestrian and shade, where possible. The area should

be landscaped.

Parking Lot Design.

Parking lots with 50 or more spaces should be di-

vided into separate areas with walkways and landscaped areas in

between that are at least 10 feet in width. Pedestrian paths should

be designed with minimal direct contact with traffic, including over-

hanging vehicles protruding into pedestrian areas (for example, mini-

mum 3’ separation between wheelstops and sidewalks). Where pe-

destrian paths cross the traffic stream, raised speed tables that slow

cars while providing an elevated pedestrian walkway should be pro-

vided. Additional recommendations for pedestrian-oriented parking

lots include:

•

Location.

Keep parking on one or two sides of the shopping

center, away from the side that will generate the most pedes-

trian access. This pedestrian access point could be an office

park, outparcel shopping or restaurant, or a residential area.

•

Direct Pedestrian Paths.

Provide a direct pedestrian path from

parking lots and parking decks to the buildings they serve.

Clearly delineate this path by striping, using different paving

materials, or situating the path through the center of a series

of strategically placed parking islands.

•

Use of Landscaping.

Landscaping can be used to channel

and organize the traffic flow in parking lots as well as to pro-

vide pedestrian refuge areas. Avoid open parking lots that

allow cars to move in any direction.

Part II. Recommendations for Amending Current Morrisville Policies

Specific recommendations for changes to the biking and pedestri-

an policies for any municipality must consider both the current and

desired conditions for cyclists and pedestrians; political willingness to

take a strong stand for the needs of pedestrians and cyclists; and

the experience and capacity of the town staff to enforce specific

policies. (Note: for the purposes of this section, the term “retrofitted”

development shall mean any modification to an existing, developed

property inside the municipal and extraterritorial boundaries of the

Town of Morrisville that will result in a change in use or an increase

greater than 25% in the square footage of the property.)

Modify section 1.5 of the current subdivision ordinance to in-

clude bicycle parking requirements for all new / retrofitted

developments as noted in the design standards of the

2009

Transportation Plan

Strike section 11.1(d) from the current subdivision ordinance

policy, which implies that greenways, greenway trails and

sidewalks are “oversized improvements.”

Modify section 5.4(b) from the current zoning ordinance poli-

cy, which requires that a landscaped OR pedestrian walkway

should be provided every third parking aisle to read that a

landscaped pedestrian walkway should be provided every

third aisle in cases where 10 or more spaces are in any one

aisle; for sites withmore than 50,000 leasable square feet every,

the policy should require a landscaped OR pedestrian walk-

way should be provided every second aisle in cases where 10

or more spaces are in any one aisle; ADA-compliant access

ramps will be provided at handicapped parking spaces and

each longitudinal end of the pedestrian walkway. Modify Fig-

ure 4 (page 97) accordingly.

Add a new section to the subdivision ordinance specifying

that bicycle lanes and greenway trails shall be provided on

the perimeter or through new / retrofit private developments

in accordance with the recommendations contained in the

2009 Transportation Plan

Cul-de-sacs are to be discouraged in all new and redevel-

oped private developments. Where it is not practicable as

determined by the Town Engineer to provide a connecting

street due to extreme costs associated with acquiring private-

ly-held rights-of-way or crossing environment barriers, every ef-

fort shall be made to make a pedestrian connection typically

ten feet (10’) in width; eight (8’) widths may be considered