Lambertville is a small Delaware River town that was largely developed before the presence of motor-vehicles with many walkable streets. Streets feature mixed land uses and engaging architecture, and the city also has a scenic riverfront and linear park with recreational trails. Despite its original Victorian character, many streets have been modernized to maximize motor vehicle mobility. The addition of Route 29 bisected the town and Main Street has been adapted towards motor vehicles, becoming difficult for pedestrians.
Under pressure from local residents, the city of Lambertville implemented several traffic calming measures. In 2001, the city constructed three speed humps on a residential street of particular concern. The humps were soon valued by area residents, and when other neighborhoods began requesting speed humps, the city recognized the need to hire a professional consulting firm to develop a traffic calming master plan for Lambertville.
Lambertville used city funds to hire the firm of Glatting Jackson and earned a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to do a more in-depth study of conditions and needs, and formulate goals, which improved the traffic-calming master plan. The city was awarded a second grant from the RWJF to do a review of existing city codes.
Public participation was essential throughout the development stage of the planning process. Beginning in March 2003, Glatting Jackson conducted a series of meetings with stakeholders including residents, the Mayor, Police Department, Public Works, City Clerk, Rescue Squad, Planning and Zoning Boards, Board of Education, the Chamber of Commerce, Lambertville Bicycle Pedestrian Committee, non-profit organizations and other local groups. These stakeholder interviews allowed Glatting Jackson to learn each group’s role in the community, as well as their needs and perspectives regarding traffic conditions.
After holding a citywide meeting to introduce the project, Lambertville was divided into five sections. Glatting Jackson visited each section, met with residents and conducted walkabouts to identify areas of concern. Every street in Lambertville was examined during this process. Residents in each section often saw only the problems in their immediate neighborhood. Thus, it was important to meet with residents in each neighborhood in order to form a comprehensive picture.
Glatting Jackson then created a series of maps referred to as “x-rays” because they each show one layer of the city. Existing building locations, environmental resources, cultural resources, historic resources, areas slated for redevelopment, the street system, and other important community features were mapped separately to better understand their characteristics. Taken together, they create a detailed picture of the community.
A workshop was held to present findings from the walkabouts interviews, and mapping exercise to the entire community. Small groups then worked on developing potential solutions, which they presented to the larger body. Glatting Jackson uses this model successfully in communities of all different sizes – the active public participation gathers the best ideas and also makes residents more receptive to proposed measures.
All proposals had to address anticipated development, including the construction of a large drug store. The challenge to Glatting Jackson was to develop a plan that accounted for the construction and other traffic-related projects while addressing and unifying the goals and objectives identified by the community.
A preliminary plan was drafted featuring various traffic-calming measures and targeting the downtown area and intersections surrounding schools. The plan incorporated context-sensitive design in keeping with the city’s historic character and emphasized active living options. With input gathered at additional public meetings, a final traffic-calming master plan was adopted. Glatting Jackson also provided the city with a preliminary cost estimate for implementing the plan.
The goals of the plan included reconnecting the city; increasing access, safety and walkability; providing on-street parking; reducing motor-vehicle speeds; and improving streetscape aesthetics. Traffic calming measures in the plan include:
Lessons Learned
Throughout the entire process, community involvement was instrumental. Conducting walkabouts with neighborhood residents identified areas of concern and ensured that proposed measures reflected actual resident uses and patterns. Public meetings also helped to increase citizen understanding of and support for traffic-calming measures. This understanding was crucial as the measures were intended to modify driver behavior serving the purpose of slowing down traffic to appropriate speeds and encouraging good driver behaviors. Public comments and questions can also help highlight areas that need clarification or further study. For example, residents at public meetings in Lambertville questioned the proposed plan’s ability to accommodate snow removal and emergency response vehicles.
In conjunction with the traffic-calming master plan, Lambertville prepared ordinances and design templates that encourage walking and bicycling, resulting in a truly comprehensive strategy to decrease the dominance of motor-vehicle traffic.
Because much of our impression of a place is visual, Glatting Jackson uses visuals throughout the planning process. The use of chalking and illustrative models helps residents see what proposed changes will look like.
While few traffic-calming measures have yet to be implemented in Lambertville, there are several projects that will integrate aspects from the master plan. Glatting Jackson will meet again with the community, reevaluate and reflect on the plan, and prioritize problem areas in each project. It is important to prioritize needs and implement solutions in phases so that mobility is not compromised during construction. Communication with state and local agencies is also crucial. For example, the current NJDOT-led efforts to rebuild Main Street will incorporate traffic-calming measures. Without communication, the street would potentially be under construction twice. Communication and collaboration can also help in securing funding for projects.
Resources
Road Diets: Losing width and gaining respect. Highlights analogy of a diet to illustrate traffic-calming measures. Two studies including several case studies and detailed examples from communities that have implemented road diets:
Road Diet Handbook Road Diet
http://www.ite.org/traffic/documents/tcir0365.htm
Guide to Traffic Calming, offered by the Institute of Traffic Engineers. A valuable resource featuring definitions, photographs, articles, studies, reports, and links on traffic calming. The Public Information section contains brochures and pamphlets distributed in communities during traffic-calming projects
www.pps.org/
The Project for Public Spaces is dedicated to creating and sustaining public places in communities. Areas of concern include transportation issues, campuses, parks, plazas and community markets. See its Traffic Calming 101 toolbox featuring photographs and descriptions of common traffic-calming measures, as well as suggestions to consider during implementation
www.policy.rutgers.edu/vtc/tod/
Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC) conducts research on transportation and planning issues including transit villages and transit-oriented development (TOD) in New Jersey; houses the New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource Center under contract to NJDOT
www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/njfit/toolbox/#traffic
New Jersey FIT: Future in Transportation Toolbox
Tools and techniques to be used to improve transportation for New Jersey communities
www.state.nj.us/transportation/community/village/index.shtml
NJ Transit Village Initiative
Detailed information on the initiative which is sponsored by the NJDOT and NJ TRANSIT. The site contains sections detailing the criteria for Transit Village designation, an application, frequently asked questions, and links to other resources
http://www.walkinginfo.org/
The Pedestrian and Bicycle Resource Center offers a checklist to be used during community walkabout exercises to identify problems and areas in need of improvement
Contacts
The City of Lambertville City Hall
18 York Street
Lambertville, NJ 08530
Phone: 609-397-0110
Fax: 609-397-2203
lambertville@njtown.net
References
Burden, D. & Lagerwey, P. (1999, March). Road Diets: Losing width and gaining respect. Orlando, FL: Walkable Communities, Inc. Retrieved March 29, 2006 from http://www.walkable.org/download/rdiets.pdf
Lockwood, I. (1997, July). ITE Traffic Calming Definition. ITE Journal. 67 (7): 22-24.
Lockwood, I. (1997). What is Traffic Calming? [Resource paper prepared for the 1997 International ITE Conference].
Project for Public Spaces. (2005). Traffic Calming 101. Retrieved on March 21, 2006 from http://www.pps.org/buildings/info/how_to/transit_tool/livememtraffic
Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin Lopez Rinehart, Inc. (2003). Traffic Calming Plan for the City of Lambertville. [Report]. Orlando, FL
South Orange. (c. 2003). South Orange Redevelopment Update: 1992-2003. [Brochure]. South Orange, NJ: Author. Retrieved on March 30, 2006 from http://www.southorange.org/redevelopment/Redev.pdf
Parsons Brinckerhoff, Quade & Douglas, Inc. (2005, March). South Orange Bicycle and Pedestrian Circulation Plan: Final Report.
