PLANiTULSA Vision - Transportation

[PonderInc]

From the PLANiTULSA "Our Vision" chapter on Transportation:
http://www.planitulsa.org/vision/planchapters/trans

Transportation
Tulsans will have a wide variety of transportation choices for getting around town. Those who live in neighborhoods near the city's major boulevards will be able to drive, bike, or catch a quick and reliable bus or streetcar to just about anywhere. The network of transit options, large arterials, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods and employment centers will result in one of the safest, most efficient transportation systems in the country. Commuters will spend half as much time delayed in traffic as they did in 2009, with most trips to work being as short as 10 minutes.

Draft Transportation Map


Network Connectivity
Tulsa's new streets will be designed to reinforce connectivity within and throughout the city.

Connected streets decrease traffic on adjacent arterials, shorten distances, and improve conditions for walking and biking. Disconnected streets may enhance privacy and discourage through traffic, but they also hinder walking and biking, and create longer car trips.

Tulsa's new street systems will use connectivity and traffic calming to get the best of both worlds—quiet neighborhood streets with good access and connectivity.

Walking and Biking
Many neighborhoods, which today are dangerous places for all pedestrians, will be improved with safer sidewalks, better-designed intersections, and other features that alert drivers to pedestrians.

The city will continue to develop and expand its network of paths and trails. Bikes will be a popular way to get around town when the weather is nice.

Bicyclists may make up a significant percentage of travel, especially for the short one- to two-mile trips.

Transit
Downtown, nearby university districts, new centers, and the city's main streets and multi-modal arterials will be some of the most intensively walked parts of the city.

They will also be the most transit-rich, with frequent bus, streetcar, and rail transit service within a couple blocks of most homes and businesses.

Commuters from Southeast Tulsa and Broken Arrow will have quick and easy access to downtown on a commuter rail line.

Initially, Tulsa will invest in two or three key corridors with frequent bus service to downtown from North and East Tulsa. Over time, key housing and employment developments will add riders, and enhancements will spread throughout the city.

Highways and Freight
Tulsa's investments in a variety of in-town transportation options will help prevent the region's highways from becoming congested as the city grows.
These highways will serve regional travelers and freight trucks, which should not have to compete with local commuters.

Freight travel and distribution will be improved through strategic investments to disentangle freight and local traffic.

Freight routes, which historically were routed through downtown, will be shifted to the the Gilcrease Expressway Extension.

This will alleviate help prevent congestion and deliver goods to a major industrial and warehouse area just east of Tulsa International Airport.

Smart Parking
The city's approach to parking will make optimal use of the land along main streets, downtown, and in new centers to better support pedestrian-friendly places.

New centers, downtown and other gathering places will be served by parking districts, which provide just the right amount of parking capacity.

Offices usually do not need parking spaces in the evenings, when restaurants and residences do, so these uses can share the same spaces over the course of the day.

New development will no longer be required to provide large amounts of on-site parking for the one or two days a year it is used, but will be able to use public spaces already on the street and public lots or garages that serve many businesses.

This will not preclude builders from including additional parking on-site, but lower minimums will allow the marketplace to determine how much parking is needed.

In addition to on-street parking, shared lots in centers and main streets can be located behind buildings

How We Get There
Tulsa is well positioned to forge this transportation vision. The city's street grid, highways and rail lines provide an excellent base on which to build a future with more options for getting around town. Designing new transportation infrastructure in concert with thoughtful land-use decisions will create a sustainable transportation system for future generations.

The process will begin modestly, by acknowledging that transportation defines communities. In the same way that roadways spur development today, transit and livable streets will fuel the new economy which will focus on entrepreneurialism, retaining younger people and creating an urban experience.

Tulsa will implement this new vision and create sustainable communities by:

Redesigning key streets into main streets and corridors with many transportation options.
Revolutionizing freight commerce by building a state-of-the-art facility that combines rail, truck, barge and air cargo.

Using new technology that helps traffic signals better manage transit and cars.
Implementing real-time travel information systems that alert drivers and transit riders to congestion or delays.
Redesigning streets so they support options in addition to cars, while also being context sensitive to neighborhoods, businesses and the environment.
Forging funding partnerships that reward the private sector for building sustainable projects that complement walking, biking and transit.

Context Sensitive Solutions
Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) is a planning process by which transportation projects are designed to serve all users and meet the needs of the community and environment through which they pass. Traditionally streets have been designed to have the same layout throughout their length.  CSS adapts the lanes, parking and sidewalks to meet the needs of the surrounding area, while accommodating the traffic flow.

One Size Does Not Fit All: Streets should respond to the land use around them

[PonderInc]

I'm curious about "commuter corridors."  What is that? 

On the map, this is different from "rail transit," "streetcar," "frequent bus," "bus rapid transit," or "multi-modal corridors."  So what is it?

In the Land Use section, they say: "Tulsa's corridors will be divided into two main categories: high-capacity arterial streets that support several travel methods such as cars, bikes and transit, and lower-volume main streets that serve neighbors and visitors alike." 

Perhaps the transportation map should show these distinctions?

[jne]

I'm curious about "commuter corridors."  What is that? 

On the map, this is different from "rail transit," "streetcar," "frequent bus," "bus rapid transit," or "multi-modal corridors."  So what is it?

In the Land Use section, they say: "Tulsa's corridors will be divided into two main categories: high-capacity arterial streets that support several travel methods such as cars, bikes and transit, and lower-volume main streets that serve neighbors and visitors alike." 

Perhaps the transportation map should show these distinctions?

+1 is this an arterial, lower volume?  Just what exactly is a 'commuter corridor'

[SXSW]

I'd rather see light rail planned to the airport (on the existing line that goes just south of the terminal) before a line to Sand Springs.  And I would also like to see jogging/biking trails planned along the river on the north/south banks to the Gilcrease Expressway bridge (with a lane for the trail on the bridge) and also up the Gilcrease Expressway loop in the right-of-way (like the trail along the Creek south loop) to connect the river trail with the MV trail near 36th St. N.  That would be a nice 'loop' for joggers and bikers, and would go through some of the best scenery in the area including access to the Centennial Botanical Gardens and the hiking trails there.

I've also made it known that I would like to see a plan to work with Jenks and Bixby to get the river trails extended further south along both banks of the river with a crossover at the Hwy. 64/Memorial bridge.  It would then be cool to see the south bank trail extended east along the river in Bixby to meet up with the old MV railroad right-of-way that still exists and to extend the trail all the way to Leonard, Haskell, and eventually Muskogee.  If the north section of the MV trail is ever extended up to Pawhuska as it's planned to be someday that would be quite the trail from Pawhuska to Skiatook through a good part of Tulsa/Jenks/Bixby along the river and then to Leonard and Haskell and finally Muskogee with a good part of that section along the Arkansas River southeast of Tulsa...exciting possibilities for a regional trail.

[Red Arrow]

I also would like a better description of the Commuter Corridors.  One shows Harvard extended from the Creek Tpk south to 121st/Delaware.  I think this will meet with about as much acceptance as a bridge to Yale across the river.  If Harvard is extended it would likely interfere with low elevation development already in progress or need to be cut into the side of the hill adjacent to a lot of high $ housing.

Connected streets might be better if connected for pedestrians and bikes but not automobiles.  Nothing would be required to preserve the privacy and calmness of traffic in the neighborhoods.  It may encourage walking or biking rather than driving.  If people can drive to the QT as short as they can walk or bike, most will drive.  Make it easier to walk or bike than take a car.

How frequent is frequent bus, streetcar, etc? 

Commute time of 10 min would probably only apply to people living within 5 miles of their job.  If you look at other cities' public transit, street speeds rarely average over 25 mph (being generous).  I don't want to discourage public transit but promising a speedy trip without a dedicated right of way is probably not realistic.  Using your own car is not much, if any, faster on the surface streets so those speeds should not count as a negative for public transit.  Waiting 30 minutes for a bus is a negative.

Bus Rapid Transit along 91st St and Garnett Rd will probably not be too Rapid compared to other traffic on the same road.  Lower traffic counts would increase speed somewhat but don't expect miracles.

The Freight Corridor does not show access from the east from the area east of the airport. This needs to be added or freight will divert to 169/I-44 where commuters are.

The rail arrow pointing to Bixby is misleading.  The rails have been removed from just east of Kimberly Clark to the east.  Some of the right of way has been reclaimed for other use.  (SXSW, missing/reclaimed sections of the MV ROW may make it difficult to have a trail east of Bixby.  Hopefully not impossible.)

Reasonably priced rail transportation from Tulsa International to downtown should be a priority.  I remember a recent flap over the cost of a cab ride between the same.  Being able to come to Tulsa and not need a car would be a plus for visitors.

Streets:
Urban Arterial?  Looks a lot like the strip malls if the parking lots are connected. 

Residential 4/5 lane?  Count me out.  Looks more like a non-business section of an arterial to me.  Look at the residential streets in Philadelphia, PA just off of the major arterials.  Many of them are just barely wide enough for one lane of parking and 1-1/2 lane wide for traffic.  If you want density, look at what Philly was. I admit a lot of it is run down and not desirable now but originally it was what I think many high density dreamers would have loved. 

[sgrizzle]

41st St Bridge is on the map?

[Red Arrow]

41st St Bridge is on the map?

Looks like there's a bridge over the Arkansas at Yale and 121st too.

[Red Arrow]

I'm curious about "commuter corridors."  What is that? 

On the map, this is different from "rail transit," "streetcar," "frequent bus," "bus rapid transit," or "multi-modal corridors."  So what is it?

Per tonight's PlaniTulsa Open House 7:00 PM presentation,  commuter corridors are preferential for automobiles.  (My understanding.)

[PonderInc]

Which raises a couple questions in my mind.  The map shows 11th street as a "commuter corridor."  While I certainly understand that many cars will travel "the Mother Road"...it seems like many of the workshop attendees wanted to see 11th street revitalized as a "main street."   

When you think about the surviving urban fabric on 11th street, there are a lot of old storefronts that could be revitalized. 

So how do these two concepts fit together?  (Will this be an example of a "context sensitive" transportation solution?

[Encoste09]

.. Also, at BLT you can walk to the MK bus area for bus transportation to any other WDW hotel i.e BWV  Usually MK is open late and I think it has more frequent bus service than trying DTD from SSR..

If you get on the shared S/D/YC/BC/BWV busses, you can actually get to jeyllyrolls faster by getting off at a S or D stop as BWV is last on that route..

[Conan71]

What the...?

[patric]

What the...?

Some sort of 'bot that also goes by the screen name Inveree09