Curb Management and Complete Street include planning, managing, operating, and maintaining curb space (including parking) to help achieve several mobility, access, and sustainability goals.
Key characteristics
Other names
- Pedestrian facilities
- Curbside management
- Curb space management
Strategy description
- Complete street strategy aims at designing streets that prioritize pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users while also accommodating cars.
- Curb management supports the Complete Street vision by providing design features such as curb extensions. Curb extensions help slow down traffic and increase visibility at intersections by widening sidewalks at intersections and reducing crossing distance for pedestrians.
- Curbside parking management is also an important component for curbside management. Cities like New York and Toronto have established their intelligent curbside parking system to improve the efficiency and safety of curbside parking.
When to use this strategy
Curb management is typically used in urban areas and town centers where pedestrian, cyclist, and vehicular traffic can create challenges for mobility, safety, and access to public spaces.
Benefits:
- Create a more pleasant and walkable environment for pedestrians
- Reduce congestion by reducing drivers circling for parking
- Create faster and more reliable public transit through decreased congestion
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Save time spent looking for parking
- Improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists
- Improves neighborhood commercial vitality
What you need in order to implement
Policy needs:
- Agencies should develop and implement policies to actively consider curbside management
Planning needs:
- A curbside management plan helps identify curbside usage demands and patterns, and a plan of action to make its system succeed.
Coordination needs:
- Agencies should coordinate with local agencies, local business groups, pedestrian advocacy groups, social justice groups, and their own planning and engineering staff to ensure all users are being serviced.
Equipment needs:
- Equipment ranges from signing and striping, curb extensions, to traffic signal equipment, depending on the pedestrian facility that is being implemented.
Maintenance needs:
- Curbs and potential technologies used to manage curbside parking need maintenance. In some cases, specific equipment or work processes are required for maintenance. For instance, curb extensions effect how agencies remove snow or sweep.
Agency resources needs:
- Staff with knowledge of the safety, operations, and maintenance needs of curbs. Expertise in ADA requirements is also necessary.
Learn more about this strategy
About key characteristics
Location notes:
Curbside management is relevant for any location where strategies may require cooperation and coordination with other agencies.
Cost notes:
Costs associated with curbside management are medium as they require curb construction and technology expenses.
Technology notes:
Technology needs associated with curbside management are medium since it might involve building a platform to track curbside usage and manage curbside parking.
Collaboration notes:
High levels of collaboration are necessary to develop strategies and policies for curbside management.