§ 146-36. Complete Streets program.

(a)

Purpose. The Council of the City of New Orleans shall establish and implement a Complete Streets program by requiring that all planning, designing, funding, operation and maintenance of the city's transportation system to accommodate and encourage travel for all users in a balanced, responsible and equitable manner consistent with, and supportive of, the surrounding community.

(b)

Definitions.

(1)

Crash data , as used in this section, means data, including, but not limited to, location, severity and demographics regarding crashes involving vehicles and/or pedestrians.

(2)

User mode share data , as used in this section, means the number of users or percentage of users for particular modes of transportation, such as private motor vehicles, public transit, bicycling or walking.

(3)

Vehicle , as used in this section, means every device by which persons or things may be transported upon a public street, highway, or bridge. A bicycle or a ridden animal shall be a vehicle, and a trailer or semitrailer shall be a separate vehicle.

(c)

Scope. The Complete Streets program shall apply to all phases of design, development and implementation. It shall also apply to the entirety of transportation facilities' lifetimes, including planning, design, construction, funding, operation and maintenance.

(d)

Establishment of Complete Streets goals, metrics, policies, standards and guidelines.

(1)

The director of the department of public works (DPW) and director of the city planning commission (CPC) shall develop goals and metrics for the Complete Streets policy based on recognized best practices including, but not limited to, the National Complete Streets Coalition Complete Streets Policy Analysis 2010 and the American Planning Association Complete Streets: Best Policy and Implementation Practices.

(2)

The director of DPW shall adapt, develop and adopt departmental policies, design criteria, standards, and guidelines based upon recognized best practices in street design, construction and operations including, but not limited to, the latest editions of American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets; AASHTO Guide for Planning, Designing, and Operating Pedestrian Facilities; AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities; Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach; National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) Urban Bikeway Design Guide; U.S. Access Board: Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines; Highway Capacity Manual and Highway Safety Manual. In doing so, DPW shall consider methods of providing development flexibility within safe design parameters, such as context-sensitive design solutions. DPW shall also attempt to employ all solutions consistent with and sensitive to the context of the project.

(e)

Collaboration. DPW shall work with all appropriate agencies as necessary to effectively develop, operate and maintain bicycle and pedestrian networks. Such agencies include, but are not limited to, LADOTD, the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission, City Planning Commission, and Regional Transit Authority.

(f)

Exemptions. DPW and the city planning commission may exempt part of [or] all of a specific roadway segment from the requirements of this section by issuing, in writing, documentation. Such exemptions must be approved in writing by the directors of DPW and city planning commission. Exemptions may be granted:

(1)

If the project involves a roadway on which nonmotorized use is prohibited by law. In this case, DPW and city planning commission shall make a demonstrable effort to accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists, and other nonmotorized users elsewhere;

(2)

If DPW and the city planning commission document an absence of current and future need or use of the affected area by pedestrians, bicyclists, and other nonmotorized users, and that such an absence would likely continue despite compliance with this section;

(3)

If DPW, in consultation with city planning commission, concludes that the cost of accommodation of all users is excessively disproportionate to the need or probable use of the affected area. Under this section, excessively disproportionate may be defined as 20 percent or more of the total project cost; or

(4)

If DPW, in consultation with city planning commission, concludes that the project involves routine, minor maintenance activities designed to keep the city's transportation assets in serviceable condition, including, but not limited to, cleaning, pothole and catch basin repair, or temporary measures on detour or haul routes. Under this section, overlay projects shall not qualify as routine, minor maintenance activities.

(g)

Implementation. In support of the Complete Streets program, DPW, in consultation with city planning commission, shall:

(1)

Assign the design advisory committee oversight or create an entity tasked with oversight of the implementation and progress of the Complete Streets program;

(2)

Develop, modify and update city plans, manuals, rules, regulations and programs in accordance with this section;

(3)

Dedicate sufficient staff to implement Complete Streets guidelines and practices into city projects;

(4)

Dedicate sufficient resources to train pertinent staff on the content, guiding principles and best practices to effectively implement the Complete Streets program; and

(5)

Dedicate sufficient resources to the collection and analysis of data, such as crash data and mode share, necessary to guide and inform the decision-making process;

(6)

Ensure the Complete Streets program for the city is fully implemented not later than December 1, 2012.

(h)

Complete Streets program performance evaluation. In support of the Complete Streets program, DPW and the city planning commission shall establish a reporting procedure that annually measures the success of the Complete Streets program.

(M.C.S., Ord. No. 24706, § 1, 12-15-11)