Connect Columbus
BACKGROUND
The
City of Columbus continues to develop its multimodal thoroughfare plan through
a planning effort called Connect Columbus. This purpose of the project is
to improve safety, reduce congestion, promote equitable access to
transportation, and foster economic development, public health, environmental
responsibility, mode choice, and adaptability. The plan will shape the future of transportation in Columbus
by creating a framework on how to enhance multiple modes of transportation. A community that is more pedestrian,
bicycle and transit friendly is a more livable community.
Connect Columbus is the Citywide
Transportation Policy Framework for the City of Columbus. The City envisions a
future where walking, bicycling, shared mobility and using transit is easy and
convenient, providing a variety of mobility choices that meet the needs of all
residents, and Connect Columbus aims to guide the way toward that vision.
Connect Columbus creates a framework for future transportation decisions and
investments throughout the city by updating city operating procedures and
developing a new, Multimodal Thoroughfare Plan.
Connect Columbus will be implemented
in a phased approach:
- Policy Framework
- Multimodal Thoroughfare Plan
- Update to Public Service Rules and Regulations
a. Design Guide - design best practices to support Complete Streets
b. Mobility Management Guidelines - traffic impact studies,
transportation demand management, and access management updates
- Code Updates – updates to Columbus City Codes to ensure all Connect
Columbus policy and Multimodal Thoroughfare Plan recommendations are reflected
in Columbus City Codes.
Multimodal Thoroughfare Plan
The Thoroughfare Plan includes a
table and map of key transportation corridors designating necessary minimum
right-of-way widths. The existing plan has become outdated and the Connect
Columbus planning effort has focused on a new approach to classifying
thoroughfare corridors, with the intent of accommodating greater design
flexibility, multiple modes of transportation for varying contexts throughout
the city, and identifying associated right-of-way needs.
A public hearing was held on July 24, 2019 prior to the adoption of the new Thoroughfare Plan. The view the PowerPoint presentation, click here. To view a recording of the hearing, click here.
Existing Thoroughfare Plan
- The current legislated Columbus Thoroughfare Plan is based on an
original plan developed in 1993, with amendments adopted by Council in 2004 and
2015.
- The existing plan includes 10 distinct “Arterial” roadway
classifications, each designating a planned lane configuration and associated
minimum right-of-way width.
- Thoroughfare designations are exclusively geared toward traditional
vehicular lane configurations, and do not consider alternate modes beyond the
provision of sidewalks.
Thoroughfare Plan Update
- All corridors may serve multiple types of users, but with different
emphasis on various modes, depending on mobility needs, land use context, and
availability of right-of-way.
- Design treatment for emphasized modes will be flexible and sensitive
to variables such as location within the larger transportation network,
surrounding development character, speed limit, and design feasibility.
- Intent is to provide “One vision, but not one map” – alternate mode
networks may overlap within certain corridors (e.g. Transit Priority Corridors,
Low Stress Bicycle Network, etc.). This approach recognizes that many roadway
corridors serve multiple modes, but each mode operates as its own network.
The new plan recognizes the
connection between land use and multi-modal transportation function, and the
potential for street designs to evolve as density, development, and
transportation technology conditions change.
Why Update the Thoroughfare Plan
The
existing plan has become outdated and the Connect Columbus planning effort has
focused on a new approach to classifying thoroughfare corridors, with the
intent of accommodating greater design flexibility, multiple modes of
transportation for varying contexts throughout the city, and identifying
associated right-of-way needs.
Considerations for Typical Right-of-Way Widths
- Existing typical
rights-of-way for each corridor (Includes R/W acquired through development,
Capital Improvements Projects, utilities and signals work)
- Existing and anticipated
travel lane configurations based on transportation demands
- Changes in expected
development patterns since the 1993 Comprehensive Plan and Thoroughfare Plan
- Consideration of physical
constraints (e.g. building patterns, natural features, etc.)
- Appropriate
bike/pedestrian facility types based on design and speed of street
- Need for increased
sidewalk or transit amenities
- Consideration of
planning/engineering and roadway design best practices
- Zoning/development
patterns and associated setback requirements
- Columbus Citywide
Planning Policies (C2P2) encouraging more urban design considerations as a
development guide
- Multi-jurisdictional
projects and plan coordination
Email: [email protected]
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