Mobility
The City will design, construct, maintain, and operate its transportation system to provide a comprehensive and integrated network that safely serves all modes and people of all ages and abilities. The transportation system will promote commerce and support the Comprehensive Plan’s vision for responsible, efficient growth and development.
7-7 The City will plan for efficient access for employees, customers, emergency services, and freight carriers to and from employment, commercial, and industrial lands by all modes of travel.
7-8 The City will improve connectivity and address deficiencies in the street network with the understanding that connectivity needs and conditions may vary based on an area’s existing and planned land uses and street network (e.g., large lot industrial areas may have different needs than residential areas).
7-9 The City will limit the location and number of driveways and vehicular access points on higher order streets (arterials and collectors) to maintain public safety and future traffic carrying capacity, while preserving appropriate access to existing and future development.
7-10 The City’s preferred intersection treatment is a roundabout, for reasons of safety, capacity, and traffic flow. The City may select a different intersection treatment, considering land acquisition needs, operational considerations, topography, and other engineering factors.
7-11 The City’s policy is to reduce the impact of cut-through traffic in residential neighborhoods.
7-12 The City’s standard for collectors and arterials is a three-lane configuration, but it will also consider a two-lane configuration with medians where appropriate for pedestrian crossing safety and traffic flow.
7-13 The City will design roadways to reflect the land use context as well as the roadway classification.
7-14 The City will strive to relieve congestion through management of the transportation infrastructure network to achieve travel time reliability for all users.
7-15 The City requires applicants with new land use proposals to assess the adequacy of the transportation system and ensure safe and efficient transportation for people using all modes. The City will assess the motor vehicular adequacy of the transportation system based on a peak hour analysis unless specified by the City Engineer. The City currently uses volume to capacity (v/c) targets and safety to evaluate intersection performance for motor vehicles. The City may adjust the v/c target, temporarily or permanently, for a specific intersection based on locational constraints, safety concerns, road classification, and/or surrounding existing or planned land uses. The City may impose reasonable conditions and mitigation requirements on development in proportion to their impacts. The City may use a measurement other than v/c in the future.
7-16 The City may waive off-site improvements for certain development types based on Council goals and other identified City priorities. If the City implements such waivers, it will identify other sources for infrastructure development. The City will monitor the effect of any waiver and adjust as needed based on its funding needs.
7-17 The City’s policy is to manage congestion/corridor demand before adding motor vehicle lanes (not including center turn lanes). Adding travel lanes for motor vehicles will be considered only after the City has evaluated:
o The safety effects for all users and modes of travel;
o The potential to add capacity through intersection improvements;
o The potential to add capacity through increasing system connectivity with parallel routes;
o Whether appropriate transit, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, including safe crossings, can be provided as part of a travel lane project;
o The effect of transportation demand management or other tools;
o The full cost of property acquisition in monetary and social terms; and
o The potential to add capacity through technologies such as upgraded traffic control devices and other intelligent transportation system applications.
7-18 The City’s policy is to preserve the function of both local and State of Oregon transportation facilities, with emphasis on stated functional classification hierarchy, through continued coordination with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT).
7-19 The road system is based generally on a spacing of one mile for arterials and one-half mile for collectors. The precise alignment for new streets will be defined as development occurs.
7-20 Where a subdivision or partition is adjacent to land likely to be divided in the future, streets, bicycle paths, and accessways shall continue through to the boundary line of the subdivision or partition in order to achieve connectivity within the grid system.
7-21 New residential block lengths shall not exceed 600 feet without a connecting cross street. When existing conditions or topography prevent a cross street, a pedestrian accessway to connect the streets shall be required.