Hennepin County Complete Streets Policy
Effective: 7/13/09 – Through: 7/31/23
Hennepin County Complete Streets Policy
Final Policy approved by Hennepin County Board of Commissioners
July 14, 2009
This Complete Streets policy was created under Hennepin County Board Resolution 09- 0058R1. The resolution demonstrates the county’s commitment to develop and maintain a safe, efficient, balanced and environmentally sound county transportation system and to support Active Living – integrating physical activity into daily routines through activities such as biking, walking, or taking transit. The county strives to be a leader in providing opportunities and choices for its residents, and believes that a well-planned transportation system that includes Complete Streets demonstrates this leadership.
Hennepin County will enhance safety, mobility, accessibility and convenience for all corridor users including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, motorists, commercial and emergency vehicles, and for people of all ages and abilities by planning, designing, operating, and maintaining a network of Complete Streets. This policy applies to all corridors under Hennepin County jurisdiction. The county will work with other transportation agencies to incorporate a Complete Streets philosophy and encourages the State of Minnesota, municipalities, other counties and regional organizations to adopt similar policies.
Given the diversity of the natural and built environment in Hennepin County, flexibility in accommodating different modes of travel is essential to balancing the needs of all corridor users. The county will implement Complete Streets in such a way that the character of the project area, the values of the community, and the needs of all users are fully considered. Therefore, Complete Streets will not look the same in all environments, communities, or development contexts, and will not necessarily include exclusive elements for all modes.
Developing Complete Streets will be a priority on all corridors, and every transportation and development project will be treated as an opportunity to make improvements. This will include corridors that provide connections or critical linkages between activity centers and major transit connections, and in areas used frequently by pedestrians and bicyclists today or with the potential for frequent use in the future.
Hennepin County will conduct an inventory and assessment of existing corridors, and develop Complete Streets implementation and evaluation procedures. The Complete Streets policy and implementation procedures will be referenced in the Transportation Systems Plan and other appropriate plans or documents.
Applicable design standards and best practices will be followed in conjunction with construction, reconstruction, changes in allocation of pavement space on an existing roadway, or other changes in a county corridor. The planning, design, and implementation processes for all transitway and roadway corridors will:
Involve the local community and stakeholders,
Consider the function of the road,
Integrate innovative and non-traditional design options,
Consider transitway corridor alignment and station areas,
Assess the current and future needs of corridor users,
Include documentation of efforts to accommodate all modes and all users,
Incorporate a review of existing system plans to identify Complete Streets opportunities.
Hennepin County will implement Complete Streets unless one or more of the following conditions are documented:
The cost of establishing Complete Street elements is excessive in relation to total project cost.
The city council refuses municipal consent or there is a lack of community support.
There are safety risks that cannot be overcome.
The corridor has severe topographic, environmental, historic, or natural resource constraints.
The County Engineer will document all conditions that require an exception. The Assistant County Administrator for Public Works will provide the Hennepin County Board with annual reports detailing how this policy is being implemented into all types and phases of Hennepin County’s Public Works projects.
Hennepin County will identify and apply measures to gauge the impact of Complete Streets on Active Living and the quality of life of its residents.
Minnesota DOT Complete Streets Policy
Effective: 5/19/16 – Through: 2/20/23
Attached file: Minnesota DOT complete streets.PDF
POLICY STATEMENT
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) must follow a complete streets approach in all phases of planning, project development, operation, and maintenance activities.
REASON FOR POLICY
Ensure compliance with Minnesota Statutes §174.75 directing MnDOT to implement a complete streets policy.
Support the goals of the transportation system in Minnesota Statutes §174.01, specifically:
o Minimize fatalities and injuries for transportation users throughout the state
o Provide multimodal and intermodal transportation facilities and services to increase access for all persons and businesses
o Increase use of transit as a percentage of all trips
o Increase bicycling and walking as a percentage of all trips
Ensure alignment with MnDOT’s mission, the Minnesota GO Vision, and the Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan.
WHO NEEDS TO KNOW THIS POLICY?
MnDOT staff, local agency representatives, consultants, and contractors responsible for:
Planning, scoping, designing, constructing or maintaining projects along trunk highway right of way
DEFINITIONS
Complete Streets
The purpose of complete streets is to address the safety and accessibility needs of users of all ages and abilities. MnDOT assesses user needs at several stages of planning, project scoping and designing, construction, operation, and maintenance.
User Group
A category of transportation users or modes such as people walking, people bicycling, transit operators and transit riders, commercial trucks drivers, etc.
Vulnerable Users
Road users who are most at risk for serious injury or death when involved in a motor-vehicle related collision, including but not limited to people bicycling and pedestrians of all ages, types and abilities.
PROCEDURES
Evaluate and balance the needs of all users (pedestrians, bicyclists, freight, transit, motor vehicles, etc.) during planning, scoping, design, construction, operations and maintenance of the trunk highway network. The analysis must include the access and mobility needs of user groups moving both along trunk highways and crossing trunk highways. The objective is not all modes on all roads, but rather interconnected and integrated networks for all users.
Capital Program Priorities
Districts must evaluate opportunities to address the needs of all users both at the individual project level and when developing Area Transportation Improvement Programs and 10-Year Capital Investment Highway Investment Plans. Within the Minnesota 20-Year State Highway Investment Plan direction and annual fiscal constraints, districts should give higher priority to opportunities to address identified user needs on projects that meet the following criteria:
Affected population includes a high proportion of individuals covered by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and Environmental Justice
Have a higher probability of increasing the number of people biking, walking or taking transit, consistent with Minnesota Statutes §174.01
Addresses a significant safety issue for vulnerable users
Addresses a gap or barrier created by prior transportation investments
Are identified in a local or regional plan
Preservation Projects
All construction projects on the trunk highway network must follow a complete streets approach, but the purpose and need of a project may constrain the available options. While the primary purpose of preservation projects is maintaining and extending the useful life of existing infrastructure, they still offer opportunities to make low-cost improvements. Project managers and designers must consider and evaluate options to address identified user needs within the scope and available budget of preservation projects. In particular, designers will evaluate options to reallocate existing space to increase safety, usability, and accessibility for all user groups.
Design
Designers will use MnDOT-adopted design criteria and guidance as the design basis for projects and should consult:
A Policy on Geometric Design on Highways and Streets American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)
Urban Street Design Guide National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)
Highway Safety Manual (AASHTO)
The design process must include attention to speed outcomes, especially in urban, suburban and recreational environments where vulnerable users are common. Operating speed is a key factor in the severity of crashes involving both motorized and non-motorized traffic. Consider design speed a target speed rather than a maximum safe speed.
Project documentation
All transportation construction projects within trunk highway right of way must have a documented complete streets project report identifying considerations for all users. Project managers must complete the reports at the end of project scoping and revise them at 30 percent final design.
Construction projects that meet all of the following criteria must follow a complete streets approach, but are exempt from the project documentation requirements of this policy:
The project is completely outside an incorporated community or tribal land.
No industrial parks, business parks, major freight generators, schools, places of worship, shopping centers, parks or recreational areas are directly adjacent to the highway within the project area.
No segment of the project is part of a designated current or future bikeway or trail.
No trails, shared use paths or sidewalks intersect or run parallel to the highway within the project area.
No rail lines intersect the highway within the project area.
Reason for non-provision (situations where a complete streets approach is used, but provisions for a user group may not be feasible or prudent)
In project development, design, construction, operations and maintenance, MnDOT may not be able to address the needs of a user group when one or more of the following apply:
The user group is legally prohibited from using the highway according to Minnesota Statutes §169.305.
There is no evidence of a current need to provide for the user group, no plans identify the project corridor for future use, and land use trends suggest an absence of future need over the life of the project.
All identified options require excessive expenditure of time, money, or resources due to a variety of challenges, such as design, permits or right of way acquisition.
A local unit of government with jurisdiction refuses municipal consent.
MnDOT and a local unit of government with jurisdiction or other transportation partner (i.e. transit agency, trail authority, etc.) cannot reach an agreement on operation and maintenance responsibilities.
Expanding the scope of a preservation project would significantly reduce or compromise the preservation of existing trunk highway assets.
Policy Exemption
The following activities are exempt from this policy:
Emergency, routine or localized maintenance and repair work (debris removal, sweeping, pothole patching, sidewalk patching, joint and crack repair, pond cleaning, bridge painting, etc.).
Projects such as storm water tunnels, storm sewers, landscaping, and slope stabilization that do not directly affect transportation system users.
Roadside infrastructure projects on freeways that do not involve entrance/exit ramps, loops or overpasses such as high-tension cable guardrail, sign replacements, and overhead sign structure replacements.
RESPONSIBILITIES
State Design Engineer
Develop, implement, and maintain an oversight process that adheres to the policy.
Review complete streets projects reports (“Reasons for Non-Provision”) to substantiate and justify findings.
Develop and offer training and technical assistance to support local governments, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), Regional Development Commissions (RDCs), and other agencies implementing complete streets.
Manager, Planning and Data Analysis
Develop and track process indicators for implementation of complete streets.
Track established performance indicators that contribute to complete streets goals and provide timely reports to the Senior Leadership Team.
Provide Complete Streets Project Reports to the public, stakeholders, and advocates, as requested.
Senior Leadership Team
Review performance measures and indicators for complete streets implementation annually.
Modify process as needed based on implementation trends.
Modal Offices
Identify system users, conditions, needs and priorities.
Provide technical support to district staff.
Planners
Solicit input from transportation stakeholders and the public to identify user group needs on the system.
Record the current and future land use contexts and needs of transportation user groups in project documentation.
Identify system conditions and needs in plans and corridor studies.
Identify opportunities to address the needs of all user groups when developing 10-Year Highway Capital Investment Plans.
Assistant District Engineers
Identify opportunities to address the needs of all transportation user groups when programming projects.
Apply priorities identified in modal plans and this policy when developing 10-Year Highway Capital Investment Plans.
Approve Complete Streets Project Reports at project scoping and reapprove at 30% final design.
Project Managers
Solicit input from transportation stakeholders and the public to identify user group needs on the system.
Assess the current and future needs of each user group in project scoping and design.
Assess and quantify risks and opportunities related to complete streets when developing project budgets.
Collaborate and consult with modal planning and technical staff.
Submit Complete Streets Project Reports at project scoping and revise at 30% final design.
When there is a question in determining a design threshold, consult the appropriate modal or technical office to inform decision-making.
Where users are legally prohibited from using a roadway, look for opportunities to address or remove barriers to network connectivity and crossings.
Traffic Engineers and Designers
Include all affected users in project safety reviews, road safety audits, traffic modeling, and intersection control evaluations.
Address the safety needs and ease of use of vulnerable users, especially in lower-speed environments and at intersections.
Include attention to speed outcomes, especially in urban, suburban, and recreational environments where vulnerable users are common. Consider design speed a target speed rather than a maximum safe speed.
Look for low cost solutions on preservation projects to provide complete streets improvements.
Where users are legally prohibited from using a roadway, look for opportunities to address or remove barriers to network connectivity and crossings.
Resident Construction Engineers and Project Engineers
Provide alternative and accessible routes and detours to perpetuate previously existing modes of travel, including pedestrians and bicyclists, when closing roads, bridges, shared use paths or sidewalks for construction or maintenance work. Coordinate with the Office of Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operations to ensure oversize/overweight permitted loads are appropriately detoured.
Clear any field changes having the potential of affecting modal functionality with the project manager and designer.
Maintenance Engineers and Maintenance Supervisors
Provide alternative and accessible routes and detours to perpetuate previously existing modes of travel, including pedestrians and bicyclists, when closing roads, bridges or sidewalks for construction or maintenance work.
Work with local jurisdictions and transit providers to identify responsibility for maintenance and snow removal on facilities such as sidewalks, shared use paths, crossings, bridges, underpasses, and transit stops and hubs.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: What is a complete streets approach?
A: A complete street approach to road planning and design considers and balances the needs of all transportation users.
It is about the basics—improving the safety and functionality of the transportation system for all users. The main premise is nothing more than for people to get around safely and efficiently from point A to point B, using whatever mode of travel they choose.
There is no one prescription or template for complete streets, which means that there are no easy answers to the question, “what is a complete street?”
It is context sensitive. The design selected through a complete streets approach will look different in a rural setting from that selected for a main street running through a small community, which may look different from a design selected in a large metropolitan area.
Q. What are the core principles of a complete streets approach?
A: Generally speaking, a complete streets approach includes the following four principles:
Multi-modal perspective
Address each mode of transportation within the context of the system and the connections that exist and necessary connections within that system.
Network considerations
Transportation is about an interconnected system or network that goes beyond the project or corridor in question to the community and network as a whole.
Collaboration across disciplines
Project planning is with multi-disciplinary teams of staff and stakeholders.
Across and along the corridor
Document how transportation users cross a corridor, not just move along or through a corridor.
Q: Is complete streets a grant program?
A: There is no specific funding set aside for complete streets, and there is no mandate to redistribute existing funds. MnDOT’s policy emphasizes planning and designing the transportation system for all user groups.
Q: Are local agencies required to adopt complete streets policies?
A: No, local agencies are not required to develop a complete streets policy. However, Minnesota Statutes §174.75 states, “Local road authorities are encouraged, but not required, to create and adopt complete streets policies for their roads that reflect local context and goals.” Complete streets policies help communities plan for a balanced and integrated transportation system.
Q: Is complete streets only for non-motorized transportation?
A: No, a complete streets approach addresses the needs of all users of the transportation system, including freight and commercial vehicles and balances those needs.
Q: Does complete streets mean all transportation modes on all roads?
A: No, a complete streets approach is not “all modes on all roads.” It is about considering people who want to use the transportation system today and in the future, and providing transportation choices that address those needs. The complete streets approach emphasizes a network and system approach, ensuring that the transportation system as a whole provides mobility and accessibility for all users.
[…]
Minn. Stat. § 174.75. Complete Streets
Effective: 6/30/10 – Through: 7/31/23
Subdivision 1. Definition.
“Complete streets” is the planning, scoping, design, implementation, operation, and maintenance of roads in order to reasonably address the safety and accessibility needs of users of all ages and abilities. Complete streets considers the needs of motorists, pedestrians, transit users and vehicles, bicyclists, and commercial and emergency vehicles moving along and across roads, intersections, and crossings in a manner that is sensitive to the local context and recognizes that the needs vary in urban, suburban, and rural settings.
Subd. 2. Implementation.
The commissioner shall implement a complete streets policy after consultation with stakeholders, state and regional agencies, local governments, and road authorities. The commissioner, after such consultation, shall address relevant protocols, guidance, standards, requirements, and training, and shall integrate related principles of context-sensitive solutions.
Subd. 3. Report.
Beginning in 2011, the commissioner shall report on the implementation of the complete streets policy in the agency’s biennial budget submission under section 174.02.
Subd. 4. Local road authorities.
Local road authorities are encouraged, but not required, to create and adopt complete streets policies for their roads that reflect local context and goals. Nothing in this section may be construed to prohibit a local road authority from adopting a complete streets policy that incorporates or exceeds statutory complete streets principles.
Subd. 5. Variances from engineering standards.
(a) When evaluating a request for a variance from the engineering standards for state-aid projects under chapter 162 in which the variance request is related to complete streets, the commissioner shall consider the latest edition of:
(1) A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials; and
(2) for projects in urban areas, the Context Sensitive Solutions in Designing Major Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities, from the Institute of Transportation Engineers.
(b) If the commissioner denies a variance request related to complete streets, the commissioner shall provide written reasons for the denial to the political subdivision that submitted the request.
Minneapolis Complete Streets Policy
Effective: 12/13/21 – Through: 7/31/23
Attached file: Minneapolis complete streets.pdf
The City of Minneapolis is committed to building a complete and integrated public right-of-way to ensure that everyone can travel safely and comfortably along and across a street regardless of whether they are walking, rolling, biking, taking transit, or driving. In 2016 the City of Minneapolis Complete Streets Policy was created to inform decision-making throughout all phases of transportation projects and initiatives. Several changes in the modal landscape have occurred in the years since, and the City has completed work on other relevant planning documents and policies as well, which are reflected in this update. The overarching policy purpose is the establishment of a modal priority framework that prioritizes public modal use in the following order:
1. walking and rolling;
2. biking, taking micromobility, and transit;
3. driving cars, trucks, and providing access for smaller freight vehicles; and
4. operating large freight vehicles,
5. Green stormwater infrastructure is incorporated into projects per Chapter 54 of City ordinances as determined through design.
1. Purpose and Vision
In the 20th century, transportation planning and infrastructure investments in Minneapolis – as in most US cities – became skewed towards providing more efficient movement for travel of cars and trucks. Minneapolis is committed to rebalancing its transportation network by clearly prioritizing walking, rolling, biking, and taking transit, over cars and trucks or providing access for freight vehicles. This approach is consistent with – and builds on – guidance that Minneapolis has already established in Minneapolis 2040 and the Transportation Action Plan.
Complete Streets are streets for everyone. They are designed and operated to prioritize safety, comfort, and access to destinations for all people who use the street, especially people who have experienced systemic underinvestment or whose needs have not been met through a traditional transportation approach, including older adults, people living with disabilities, people who cannot afford or do not have access to a car, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. Complete Streets make it easy to cross the street, walk to shops, jobs, and schools, bicycle to work, and move actively with assistive devices. They allow buses to run on time and make it safe for people to walk or move actively to and from transit stations. There is no singular design prescription for Complete Streets; each one is unique and responds to its community context.
By adopting this Complete Streets Policy the City is committing to routinely design and operate the entire right of way to prioritize safer slower speeds for all people who use the road, over high speeds for motor vehicles. This means that every transportation project will make the street network better and safer for people walking, biking, riding transit, moving actively with assistive devices and driving, making Minneapolis a better place to live.
By implementing this Complete Streets Policy:
• Transportation in Minneapolis will happen on a well-maintained network that is complete, comfortable, integrated, efficient, and safer.
• Safety will be improved through coordination with the Vision Zero policy, and improving conditions and outcomes for those most likely to be the victim of transportation-related crashes;
• Transportation-related decisions will align with Minneapolis 2040, which intends to: “support a multimodal network that prioritizes walking, rolling, biking and transit. The policies are intended to achieve outcomes that increase equity in our transportation system, address climate change and reduce carbon emissions, improve human health through improved air quality and increases in active travel, and enable the movement of people, goods, and services across the city.”;
• The City will advance its goal of having 3 out of every 5 trips taken by walking, biking, or transit by 2030, as adopted in the Transportation Action Plan;
• The health of Minneapolis residents, workers, and visitors will be improved through walking, rolling, biking and micromobility;
• The environment, in terms of local greenhouse gas emission reduction, water quality and climate change, will be positively impacted by the City’s transportation-related decision-making;
• Street design will support the local economy and attract and retain businesses through the provision of safer, efficient transportation options and vibrant public spaces;
• City streets and sidewalks – our largest public space – will foster livable, walkable, bicycle-friendly, green neighborhoods by including healthy trees, plants, permeable surfaces, and design features that help define the character of a street while providing added benefits of shade, summer cooling, reduced energy consumption, and improved water quality;
• Minneapolis will create an integrated transportation network that provides all residents access to employment, education, and other needs for daily living, regardless of their age, access to, or ability to operate a car or truck; and,
• The City will ensure private development contributes to the objective of this policy.
2. Policy Framework
Several City initiatives have changed the transportation planning and programming process since the adoption of the original Complete Streets Policy in 2016.
Important highlights include:
• In 2017 the City committed to Vision Zero, eliminating fatalities and serious injuries on City streets by 2027.
• A climate emergency was declared by the City Council in 2019 in response to the continued threat of climate change on city residents, businesses, systems, and infrastructure. The impacts of climate change remain a global concern with local impacts. Weather events have become less regular and have increased in severity. This has changed the impacts on the stormwater infrastructure and snow management needs.
• The Vision Zero Action Plan was first adopted in 2019 which set out specific activities to improve safety within three years, with updates on a regular basis.
• In 2019 the City adopted Minneapolis 2040, a comprehensive plan for growth and development which included transportation as a key element in achieving long-range goals.
• Racism was declared a public health emergency in mid-2020 following the death of George Floyd on a Minneapolis street. Racial injustice is experienced by residents of and visitors to Minneapolis while using public spaces, including the right of way.
• In late 2020 the City adopted the Transportation Action Plan which establishes a ten-year vision for the City to implement changes across all modes and transportation networks.
These policy statements and documents, along with the Complete Streets Policy, work together and reinforce complementary goals. Together, they advance the priorities set forth on how the right of way should be used.
Public right of way, in addition to serving a transportation role, is the largest public space in the City, comprising 22% of the land. To truly serve the highest-priority modes and reach the City’s mode shift goal of 3 of 5 trips taken by walking, rolling, biking or transit by 2030, streets must be vital, healthy places, supporting safe travel by all modes, and include healthy trees, plants, permeable surfaces, public art, and other design features. These elements help define the character of a street, provide shade and cooling, reduce energy consumption, absorb and cleanse stormwater runoff, and support car and bicycle sharing, Because of the potential for these improvements to result in positive outcomes for street users, it is most important to implement these elements along busier streets with higher density land uses, identified as Urban Neighborhood Connectors, Mixed Use Community Connectors, Mixed Use Commercial Connectors, Mixed Use Regional Connectors, and Downtown Core in the Street Design Guide.
The City establishes a modal priority framework that prioritizes people as they walk, roll, bicycle, and take transit over driving, deliveries, and parking. The modal priority framework will inform City transportation related decisionmaking. Minneapolis offers modal options through networks of interconnected routes, but there will be City streets that do not have specific accommodations for all modes, e.g., car-free streets, trails, interstate routes that prohibit walking and bicycling, streets without transit routes, or streets without dedicated bicycle facilities. The right of way is also needed for other uses than just transportation, such as stormwater management, snow storage, and community space.
Although not identified specifically, emergency service providers are unique users of the transportation system and require special consideration to allow for reasonable and efficient access to destinations in all parts of the city. Similarly, the movement of commercial goods and services will continue to be a priority for the City, with an understanding that larger vehicles may present challenges within constrained urban environments.
This modal priority framework is established for the following reasons:
1. To allocate space across modes and rebalance the network,
2. To significantly reduce space for cars as key to making walking, biking, and transit competitive and attractive options.
3. All trips begin or end with walking (with or without mobility device), regardless of the primary mode(s) of travel.
4. Each icon on the graphic represents the mode and any supportive features that accommodate their uses; e.g. the car graphic is inclusive of parked or traveling vehicles with any number of passengers. Similarly, bicycle and scooters are inclusive of parking for bicycles and scooters.
5. Transit extends the range of travel for people when they walk, roll or bicycle, provides greater efficiencies and operational benefits than cars and trucks, and is accessible to those rolling or unable to, bike, or drive.
6. Bicycling and using micromobility options extends the range of higher-speed non-motorized travel, while serving commuting, delivery, social, and other purposes.
7. Micromobility is a relatively new mode on city streets and includes various human-scaled vehicles – like bicycles and scooters, which are typically shared and can be electric or humanpowered. Under various laws and ordinances these devices are treated similarly to bicycles, and therefore are given the same level of priority as bicycles in this framework.
8. Safety of the most vulnerable street users – those walking, rolling, and biking — must be the highest priority, because they are the most at risk, as demonstrated through the Vision Zero reports and action plan.
9. The priority modes – those walking, rolling, biking, and taking transit — have an important set of benefits that car and truck travel lacks, including health, the environment, land use patterns, economic development, and congestion reduction.
10. Transportation investments influence travel choices, such that greater investment in high-quality pedestrian, bicycle, and transit facilities facilitate less reliance upon cars and trucks.
11. The policy will enhance the safety, convenience, comfort, and efficiency of travel for people of all ages and abilities.
12. The City’s highest priority modes have historically encountered underinvestment and rebalancing our transportation networks necessitates addressing the needs of those users.
13. Car-centric priorities and investments incentivize greater car usage, accelerate congestion, elevate parking demand, and increase pollution.
When interpreting the modal hierarchy, it is important to note:
1. Placing multiple modes on the same tier does not indicate an “either/or” approach. Each mode on a tier is equally valued.
2. The range of needs and required elements that demand space along our City streets means that in some cases not everything can be accommodated within the constrained right of way. As the City implements projects it will prioritize the allocation of space for walking, rolling, biking, and transit.
3. The movement of goods is an important component of any urban environment. Freight vehicles are critical to the city’s economy and there are designated corridors where the street designs ensure proper accommodation for these trucks. Large freight vehicles are often accommodated operationally through special permits, coordination with the hosts of special events, and other tools. The Street Design Guide has more detail of the specifications for streets that carry more large freight traffic.
4. There has been a significant increase in smaller vehicles delivering freight and individual pick ups and drop offs becoming more frequent, putting it on the same tier as car and truck traffic.
5. Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) practices are essential to managing stormwater in a way that is efficient and effective while facilitating the movement of people and goods. Not all GSI tools are above ground but they are a necessarily component of the right of way. Depending on the scope of the project, GSI may or may not be incorporated. Chapter 54 of the City’s ordinances provides detailed guidance on when GSI is required for various types of projects.
3. Implementation
City transportation-related decisions will follow the Complete Streets Policy. This includes all types and phases of projects, including programming, planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance. Implementation of Complete Streets will encompass all elements within the public right of way, including landscaping, transit shelters, lighting, signs, traffic lights, bikeways, parking, parking meters, bicycle parking, striping, green stormwater infrastructure, furniture, and more. The process by which the Complete Streets Policy is applied will be scaled appropriately for each individual project or initiative, including private developments that influence the public right of way. The Complete Streets project checklist is used to document project-level decisions and implementation of the policy and should accompany project layout documentation through the Council process.
Individual routine maintenance activities (including but not limited to sweeping, mowing, pothole repair, winter maintenance for sidewalks and bikeways, sign replacement, etc.) must reflect the Complete Streets Policy’s modal priority framework but will not be required to go through a Complete Streets checklist. However, the overall planning for such activities will reflect the City’s modal priority framework that prioritizes people as they walk, bicycle, and take transit.
The City will continue to engage partner agencies, schools, businesses, neighborhood associations, and developers in a cooperative manner throughout implementation of all infrastructure projects and plans. Application of the policy shall apply to all public and private projects and initiatives that interact with and impact the public right of way. Any extraordinary or unusual site conditions will be taken into account during the design stage, allowing the creation of a complete street including streets with environmental or operational constraints. At times, the range of needs and planned elements that demand space along City streets may exceed the available right of way, in which case it may make meeting ideal design guidelines articulated in the Street Design Guide challenging; more than one alternative may be developed to illustrate the opportunities and limitations of the designs. In the case more than one design is brought forth, all designs will follow the Complete Streets Policy. The checklist will document the compromises or tradeoffs that have been considered as part of project development. Public Works will share the Complete Streets checklist for each project with the public, including advisory committees, and identify the compromises, trade-offs and project-level decisions considered as part of project development.
Partner Agencies
Within the city boundary 91% of the streets are managed by the City with the remaining 9% managed by other entities with different policies and priorities. The City will continue to work with partners at Hennepin County, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, and the University of Minnesota to incorporate elements of this policy to streets within its borders. While final responsibility and determination for design decisions for a particular street is held by the underlying jurisdictional owner, the design process is collaborative between the overlapping jurisdictions. We work with our partners to reach design and operational decisions that reflect our values and goals while recognizing their underlying authority, values, and goals; this policy will continue to inform our approach to those conversations.
Programming
The City’s long-range Capital Improvement Program will be informed by the 20 Year Streets Funding Plan criteria and process. This includes prioritizing projects that will significantly improve the pedestrian, bicycle, and transit networks.
Planning
The planning phase consists primarily of coordination amongst City staff and external agencies. The Complete Streets checklist provides City staff with a tool to document activities and decision-making from planning through final design.
The City incorporates a context-based approach that will be informed by the modal priority framework. Designs will be based upon project-specific objectives and context sensitive design solutions supported by the modal priority, street type and place types, documented modal needs, multimodal metrics, issues, opportunities, functionality, environmental or social factors, right of way impacts, and input from stakeholders and the community. Each project is developed with an understanding of mitigating factors and operational constraints presented by the surrounding area. Additional resources can be found in the Street Design Guide.
This work will include review of relevant adopted City plans and seek to provide a transportation system that offers people numerous modal options through networks of interconnected routes within and through the city and continue to seek opportunities to address and/or eliminate gaps, barriers, or connectivity in the transportation networks.
During the planning phase City staff will work with other City departments, external agencies, City advisory committees, and elected officials as necessary to identify an equitable engagement and outreach approach in a manner that is scaled appropriately and defines specific goals. The City will continue to explore new and innovative public engagement approaches that promote greater engagement from stakeholders. A special focus will be on the engagements needs of underrepresented communities who may not respond to traditional engagement methods.
Design
The design of the public right of way will follow recognized design standards, best practices and guidelines to achieve the vision of Complete Streets, including the Street Design Guide, NACTO Urban Street Design Guide, AASHTO, ITE, Municipal State Aid Route Standards, and, MnDOT Local State-Aid Route Standards. The City will continue to explore flexible and innovative designs and continue to evaluate the latest design standards and innovative concepts, seeking guidance from established best practices. Where standards established by other units of government, such as MnDOT Local State-Aid Route Standards, conflict with the City’s Complete Streets Policy, the City will seek design exceptions and variances from jurisdictional partners as applicable. The City will continue to examine existing standards and work to influence established standards to be more in alignment with the City’s Complete Streets vision. Level of service is not a measure of success on our streets but may be evaluated as required by project partners or funding sources.
Design of the public right of way will be informed and guided by the City’s street types, which are assigned to all streets in Minneapolis except freeways. The City supports opportunities to incorporate sustainable alternatives and placemaking elements within the public right of way, which may include urban landscaping, green spaces, public art, or stormwater management elements. When designing a street, the City will consider and evaluate metrics for all modes within the right of way while prioritizing walking, rolling, biking and taking transit.
Construction
Sidewalks and bicycle lanes are often impacted by construction, utility activities and development. There are obstructions, both planned and unplanned, that put non-motorized users into general traffic lanes. Depending on the confidence of the user, this experience ranges from acceptable but inconvenient, to unacceptable, to unsafe. To preserve a network where people of all ages and abilities can safely use our streets, we prioritize people walking, rolling, biking, and rolling.
Impacts to pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users will be limited to the extent possible during construction. Safe, convenient, and connected detours will be established for people as they walk, take transit, and bicycle when those networks are temporarily interrupted by construction work. Construction will impact trees and green space as little as possible, to preserve and protect these important elements. The City will work with its partners to continue to explore innovative construction methods to increase the safety, convenience, and utility of pedestrian, bicycle and transit facilities.
Operation
The operation of the public right of way is a significant opportunity to implement the City’s modal priority framework that prioritizes people as they walk, bicycle, and take transit. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the operation of the public right of way should support safe, comfortable, and convenient travel for people that choose to walk, bicycle, take transit, or drive a vehicle.
From time to time a street may be closed temporarily to car and truck traffic, to accommodate community events or activities, such as Open Streets, which support the implementation the City’s Complete Streets vision. The City will work with residents to accommodate events that build community and improve the pedestrian and bicycle user-experience (e.g., National Night Out, paint-the-pavement projects, etc.).
Traffic analysis and measurement tools will continue to be utilized by staff to assess potential impacts to the street network. The City acknowledges that there may be some increase in travel delay in order to advance its goals through the Complete Streets Policy, Vision Zero commitment, and other guiding policies and plans.
Maintenance
The modal priorities of the Complete Streets Policy will be used when planning, prioritizing, and budgeting maintenance activities. These activities include, but are not limited to snow and ice control, sweeping and cleaning, pavement repair, pavement marking and signing, etc. Minneapolis has a goal of year-round walking and bicycling as accessible and convenient options for its residents and visitors. Public Works’ goal is to obtain more data to identify and understand issues, and consider actions to optimize winter access across all modes, including a higher rate of compliance with the sidewalk shoveling ordinance citywide. Through the Transportation Action Plan the City is specifically committed to explore various methods of sidewalk and bikeway maintenance.