| Read below about the DDA Study for the Downtown Area of Fort Lauderdale Pedestrian Oriented Design January 2002 |
| A Citizen�s Guide to the $400,000 Mobility Study for Fort Lauderdale. A brief guide to the RAC PODTAS Subarea Mobility Study for Downtown Broward This memo gives a non-expert�s overview of the Mobility Study. This overview is not intended to cover every aspect of the study but aims to give the reader some highlights of the purpose of the study. Aim of the study: to present alternatives for improving the transportation system in Greater Downtown Fort Lauderdale. The focus is on getting people to walk. RAC = Regional Activity Center, another way of describing the area around downtown Fort Lauderdale, a rectangle centered at the intersection of Broward Blvd. and Andrews Avenue, measuring about 3 miles (North-South) by 2 miles wide (east-west). The northern edge is Sunrise Blvd., the southern edge is Davie Blvd or 12th Street. The western border is 7th Avenue, extending east to 8th East Avenue. It includes Las Olas Blvd and the DDA as well as Sistrunk and the County Courthouse south of the New River. POD = Pedestrian Oriented Design (typical questions: Do the roads, buildings and sidewalks encourage people to walk?) TAS = Transit Access Strategies (typical questions: Does the bus stop at places that are convenient to pedestrians? Can pedestrians find the bus? Can pedestrians avoid getting wet when using the transit?) SAC = Study Advisory Committee (the group that selects the preferred alternative). 15 members, appointed by MPO, City of Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, the Northwest Ft. Lauderdale Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and the DDA; plus the executive director of Tri-Rail and a representative of the FDOT, District IV. Goals: To analyze future demand for pedestrian-friendly transportation. To recommend alternative transportation systems To analyze the alternatives And help the SAC select the preferred alternative. Cost: $400,000 Paid for by: City of Fort Lauderdale, DDA, State of Florida, Broward County Some of the contributions were: DDA = $50,000 MPO = $50,000 City of Fort Laud = $50,000 Purpose of the study: to improve economic and traffic performance by increasing choices for: Pedestrians Bicycles and Transit One example: transit greenway system. The greenway system includes multi-use parking facilities and corridors shared by transit, bicycle and pedestrians. Transit greenways would be connected to longer distance transportation systems. Translation: Highways, TriRail and bus routes What is a pedestrian oriented design? According to the RAC proposal, POD includes a) Human scale, non traditional, low floor, quiet vehicles to move pedestrians. b) Interesting activities are along the path of pedestrians (cafes, fountains, entertainment, crafts, vendors) c) Elements of the following �schools of thought� are to be considered: New Urbanism Livable Communities Traditional Neighborhood Design Smart Growth Crime prevention through environmental design Greenways Sustainable Communities A central aim of the project: reducing traffic congestion. Traffic congestion can be reduced by encouraging people to park and ride transit. How will the alternatives be identified? A consultant will compile the information previously gathered by other studies. The information will be combined on a central web site for public access. How will the preferred alternative be selected? Alternative tranportation systems will be presented in a �Visioning Workshop�. Suggestions will be solicited from the public and from experts. Each transit alternative will be analyzed for criteria, including = does the alternative reduce traffic? And improve on-time performance? = Does the alternative enhance pedestrian and bicycle use? = How should the alternative be funded? = What opportunities exist for public/private partnerships to develop mixed use liner buildings (built along the transit route)? Product: a Final Report. The Report will provide guidance about how to fund, construct and operate the proposed transportation system. Distribution: The aim is to provide unbound version to aid distribution of the Final Report. The study will produce 25 copies of the Final Report and 100 copies of the executive summary. Friendly Streets History/ART Walk |