NACTO: Streets For Pandemic Response and Recovery
NACTO: Streets For Pandemic Response and Recovery
NACTO: Streets For Pandemic Response and Recovery
Janette Sadik-Khan
Chair, National Association of City
Transportation Officials
Slow / Shared
Walking Streets
Cycling Markets
Dining Loading
Pick-up / Health /
Queuing Sanitation
Open / Play
Streets Communication
3 Safer streets for today and tomorrow Action is needed now. Adopting an open and
iterative approach to transportation planning
Especially during periods of COVID-19 outbreak, will allow for rapid implementation, continuous
essential workers need to travel and must be able feedback, and course correction that will enable
to do so safely. Emergency street changes must cities to respond better and faster to future COVID
ensure that vehicles travel at safe speeds, even outbreaks. Quick-build strategies today can inform
with fewer vehicles on the road. As stay at home lasting improvements over the course of recovery
restrictions ease, trips will increase. To ensure that and beyond. Regular dialogue with local groups
recovery does not come with economy-choking can provide essential on-the-ground information
gridlock and increased traffic fatalities and carbon about how efforts are working and what should be
emissions, cities must prioritize streets for public modified over time.
transportation, cycling, and walking today.
To reduce the further spread and resurgence of COVID-19 and to help individuals
better manage their personal risk as societies and commerce re-open, city
governments can provide infrastructure that supports safety and the ability for
individuals to comply more easily with public health guidelines around physical
distancing. These efforts are critical during the pandemic and into the future because
of the tremendous benefits of physical activity for reducing the risk of heart disease,
improving mood, mental health, and weight control, along with significant benefits for
one’s immune system.
Pre-vaccine • local-access only • tactical lane/parking • bus-only lane, tactical • street closures to
re-opening treatments space removal, street islands/in-lane stops, vehicular traffic, e.g.
• lane removal/street closures for outdoor bus priority signals, for recreation, markets,
closures for schools restaurant seating, expanded bus stops schools, etc.
& religious/cultural outdoor markets, etc. • lane removal/parking • expanded bike
service providers • sidewalk expansions space removal for lanes & bike/shared
for queuing & access outdoor restaurant micromobility parking
• tactical bike lanes seating, outdoor zones
• designated pick-up/ markets • speed management
drop-off delivery zones • sidewalk expansions
• bike & shared for queuing & access
micromobility parking • protected bike lanes
corrals • speed management
• lane removal/street
closures for schools
& religious/cultural
service providers
Vaccine/post-COVID • speed management • sidewalk widenings • bus-only lanes with • open space
(e.g. speed limit changes • speed management offboard fare collection, expansions
& geometry) (e.g. speed limit changes bus islands, and • expanded bike
• play streets, slow & geometry) amenities lanes & bike/shared
streets, and local- • expanded bike • high frequency bus micromobility parking
access-only policies & lanes & bike/shared service zones
design micromobility parking • expanded bike • speed management
zones lanes & bike/shared
micromobility parking
zones
• sidewalk widenings
• speed management
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CONTEXT
• Multilane streets, streets with wide lanes where
demand is high
• Streets that provide access to hospitals and
other essential services; connector routes to
parks and other open spaces
KEY STEPS
• Convert curbside parking or motor vehicle lane
to bike lane. Optional: convert adjacent vehicle Credit: @ParisBeauAVelo
lane to parking
• Designate start of lane with a barrier and sign,
positioned so as not to block cyclists Paris, France
• Use reflective barriers such as traffic cones,
Paris rolled out 50 km of a planned 650 km of emergency
flexible posts, bollards, plastic barriers, bike lanes over the course of a few weeks using semi-
freestanding delineators, or traffic barrels rigid delineator posts and traffic barricades.
TIMELINE: Days to plan, hours to implement
DURATION: Days to months
Engagement • Partner with community groups, social service providers, bike coalitions, and bike shops;
reach workers through employers.
• Ask stakeholders and advocates to place flyers, circulate notices to local/hyper-local
online networks, or safely contact local residents.
• Tap community groups to identify key obstacles or issues affecting design or segment
length.
Design + • Use light separation materials to separate bike and roll lane from other lanes.
• Use heavy separation at endcap locations and other sensitive points (e.g. major
Implementation intersections, T-intersections).
• If parking lane exists, move away from curb or prohibit parking to make protected bike
lane; ‘floating’ parking can provide additional protection for cyclists.
• Place signs on movable barriers at beginning of bike and roll lane, major intersections,
and other high-volume turn locations.
• Use typical temporary lane control signs (Lane Closed Ahead, Right Lane Ends, or local
equivalent) ahead of vehicle closure.
• Use temporary signs and markings to indicate where to bike or park.
Monitoring • Key criteria: number and percent change in demand; use an automated device, such as a
tube counter, to collect counts.
• Check placement of equipment daily for the first few weekday and weekend days, then
weekly.
Minneapolis added 11 miles of “Stay Healthy Streets” Tirana converted parking lanes into protected bike
using freestanding delineator posts and closure lanes using plastic flexible delineator posts and yellow
signs mounted on traffic barricades. These loop paint markings.
routes support more space for active recreation while
maintaining physical distance between users.
1 2
Engagement • Use flyers and temporary signs to notify people who use the street.
• Partner with stakeholders and advocates to place flyers or safely contact neighbors
about upcoming changes.
• Tap community groups and business associations to identify key obstacles or issues
affecting design or segment length.
Monitoring • Key criteria: sufficient space for physically distant walking and/or queuing; few or no
observations of people waiting in queues walking on sidewalk.
Engagement • Leverage existing communications networks and social media channels, such as transit
advocacy groups, neighborhood associations, and large employers.
• Post notices in vehicles, on-board, at stops, online, and in newsletters to publicize
changes and solicit feedback.
• Message goals from the outset to align with current performance and signal future
changes to traffic conditions and transit ridership.
Design + • Measure and mark locations and add signage to indicate hours of operations.
• Install cones and/or barrels, delineator posts, or paint with “Bus Only” markings.
Implementation • Signage may be static or VMS, depending on availability and resources.
• At existing stops and hubs, power wash and disinfect high-touch surfaces like shelters,
benches, kiosks, and ticket machines. For new sites, ensure sufficient space for
customers to maintain physical distance. Where possible, install sanitizer dispensers or
portable sinks.
• For recovery planning, upgrade from temporary to permanent materials.
Monitoring • Key criteria: collect ridership, crowding, and travel time data; adjust for operational
performance as well as public health guidance.
• Coordinate with police to prevent private vehicles from stopping, parking, or traveling in
lanes; focus attention as implementation begins.
Transport for London launched an informational Miami marked appropriate spacing for physical
campaign to promote physical distancing at bus distancing at public transit stations.
stations.
Design + • Identify which intersections to close fully and which to partially close, preserving local
access but preventing most through-movements.
Implementation • Place light separation to partially block streets and indicate restricted use and lower
speeds (typically 5-10 mph / 10-15 km/h).
• Use temporary “Local Traffic Only” signs, which can be attached to barricades or
A-frames if necessary.
Monitoring • Key criteria: number and percent change in demand; use an automated device, such as
a tube counter, to gather bike volume counts and short (15-minute to 1-hour) sample
pedestrian counts if practical.
• Use counts or conduct surveys to determine whether and where segments should be
expanded.
Oakland used signs mounted on A-frames to designate Dunedin approved a plan that reduced speeds to 10
streets as local access only, creating a 74-mile “slow km/hr and allowed city center businesses to extend into
streets” network. the streets, creating shared spaces for multiple modes.
KEY STEPS
• Use spray chalk, paint, stickers, or traffic tape,
as needed to delineate space
• Alter management and enforcement policy, and
cover meters or machines
• Set time limits (~10 minutes max.) to enable Credit: City of Raleigh
turnover/quick access to essential services Raleigh, NC, USA
TIMELINE: Days to plan, hours to implement Raleigh used cones and signs to create temporary
curbside pickup zones.
DURATION: Days to months
Engagement • Notify patrons, businesses, and residents along the route using flyers and circulate
notices to online networks.
• Use business associations, partners, and stakeholders to spread information and check
details on the ground.
• Keep lines of communication open with emergency services and local businesses.
Design + • De-activate or cover affected parking meters and cover parking regulation signs as
needed.
Implementation • Install light separation materials (e.g. cones, saw horses, barricades) to designate space.
• Use spray chalk, paint, stickers, or traffic tape if no lane line or parking markings exist.
• Make room in roadbed to unload packages, and add bike racks as needed, to maintain a
clear path for pedestrians on sidewalk.
• Create and post temporary signage to clearly communicate shifted uses and policies.
Monitoring • Key criteria: pick-up and delivery spaces occupied by motorists and cyclists for
appropriate durations of time.
• Examine interference with pedestrian areas and with street operations (e.g. double
parking, emergency access).
• Check placement of equipment daily for the first few weekday and weekend days, then
weekly.
Seattle introduced a program to convert parking spaces Alexandria used temporary signage to designate
near food establishments into pick-up and loading pick-up zones outside food establishments, allowing
zones for customers and delivery workers. customers and delivery workers to safely access
businesses.
Engagement • Create brief form allowing businesses and street vendors to register interest, as
necessary. Message an iterative approach from the outset.
• Use local business groups and BIDs, local associations, and other partnerships to
publicize programs; fast-track assessment and notification within each neighborhood.
• Keep interagency communications open, especially emergency services and any
cleaning or maintenance crews.
Design + • Use heavy separation at endcap to close street to vehicle traffic, as needed.
• Use tables, chairs, and umbrellas as needed; establish guidance for storage and
Implementation deployment of equipment to ensure pedestrian, bike, and vehicular access in off-hours
(to maintain ample pedestrian access).
• Establish a delivery protocol for restaurants based on hours of operation, overall access.
• Measure from back-of-seat to back-of-seat when using markings to indicate distancing
standards or public health guidelines.
• Maintain sidewalks clear of tables and chairs to allow ample, physically distant
pedestrian movement.
Monitoring • Key criteria: confirm table spacing according to public health guidelines; maintain clear
zone for pedestrian movement.
• Survey restaurants and vendors periodically for feedback, and adjust hours of operation
as needed.
Cincinnati’s expanded street seating plan allows Tampa has temporarily suspended approval
establishments to use parking spaces as expanded requirements for restaurants to expand operating
outdoor seating areas for dining. space in designated portions of the public right-of-way.
KEY STEPS
• Allocate street space to allow markets an
expanded footprint to operate with safe physical
distancing
• Alter management and enforcement policy Credit: Jain Weraphong
• Define safe layout and spacing for vendor stalls
and circulation routes based on local physical Kalaw, Myanmar
distancing guidelines
In Kalaw, paint was used to mark vendor stall locations
TIMELINE: Days to plan, hours to implement in the marketplace, separating vendors and allowing
customers to shop safely.
DURATION: Hours, days, months, or permanent
Design + • Use barriers and signs to demarcate where market boundaries abut vehicle traffic.
• Create large signage for entrance areas. Create queuing zones at entrances for
Implementation customers to use when occupancy is at capacity.
• Use paint and other ground markings to indicate locations for vendor stalls and safe
circulation routes.
• Use barriers and markings (e.g tables, ropes, paint) to minimize interactions between
vendors and customers and to maintain physical distances at purchase points.
• If necessary, provide facilities for hand washing and sanitation.
Goiânia implemented a “Safe Fairs” pilot project, In Dallas, local nonprofit Better Block is providing
encouraging open markets to operate in accordance wooden fruit and vegetable racks to shuttered
with World Health Organization guidelines to avoid restaurants to allow them to sell excess inventory in
outdoor grocery markets.
contagion.