Challenge
As part of the City of Orlando’s participation in the 2017 Safe Streets Academy (a program funded by Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition) and the city’s growing interest in strengthening policies and applications related to Complete Streets, the city partnered with Orange County, Florida, to implement a demonstration project to showcase possible street improvements that increase multimodal safety and connectivity.
Solution
The City of Orlando implemented a demonstration project along Curry Ford Road between Bumby Avenue and Crystal Lake Drive. The concepts implemented included protected bike lanes and a mid-block crossing island to increase safety, encourage lower driving speeds, better accommodate pedestrians and cyclists along the corridor, and support driving behavior acceptable to neighbors and sensitive to context. Kittelson worked with City of Orlando staff to develop a concept graphic and permit package for the implementation of the demonstration project.
The Outcome
Implementing a Safer yet People-Friendly Street Design
The final plan, which has been implemented and opened to the public, redesigned a half-mile segment of a five-lane arterial into a narrower, safer street, introducing protected bike lanes along both sides of the street and a mid-block crossing island with median refuge for pedestrians in order to provide an additional safe crossing opportunity along the busy street.
