1996 Local Street Tree Plan - Laserfiche WebLink

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STREET DESIGN ELEMENTS Street Connections In January, 1995, the Eugene City Council adopted code amendments to require subdivisions and planned unit developments to provide a second access to any development consisting of 19 or more lots. The amendments were presented as a "stop gap" measure with tunderstandinging that secondary access issues would be more thoroughly reviewed in the Local Street Plan. The "stop gap" secondary access provisions were generated, primarily, by Council concerns about emergency vehicle access to developments in the South Hills area. This plan recommends a different approach to providing adequate street access to ndevelopmentsnts. One of the most critical problems with poor street connectivity is the longer response times for emergency vehicles that result from a street network that does not allow through connections. In some areas of Eugene, cul -de -sac and dead -end streets are a dominant street type. In these areas, emergency access is made more difficult because direct routes to the emergency are not available.. A lack of connecting streets also tends to concentrate traffic onto fewer streets which can cause congestion during peak travel periods, resulting in longer emergency response times. In areas with highly interconnected street systems, emergency vehicle access is enhanced due to the number of possible routes for getting to the emergency. The degree of street connectivity also affects utility distribution costs. Utility lines (electricity, water, gas, cable, etc.) are typically laid within the street right -of -way. Utility distribution options are limited on dead -end and cul -de -sac streets which restrict the utility provider's ability to provide looped (back -up) water and electrical service. Where connections to nearby utility lines are necessary in areas with poor street connectivity (either to provide for looped service or to extend a line), the utility company sometimes needs to acquire easements through private property, or to construct an inefficiently designed system, in order to provide the service. Easement acquisition and inefficient design result in higher costs. An interconnected street system offers the best means for efficient distribution of utilities. Lack of street connections also limits travel options. Typical subdivision designs limit through travel by constructing a minimum number of perimeter intersections, providing relatively few interconnected streets, and maximizing the use of cul -de -sacs. These street layouts force local traffic onto the collector and arterial street system causing greater use of those streets, and necessitate longer, less direct automobile travel because fewer route options are available. Automobiles are the most convenient mode choice for short and long trips in areas with limited street connections. Residential areas with an interconnected street system provide multiple routes to local destinations. This results in a network of routes that provide alternative paths through a neighborhood and distributes traffic volumes over more routes. Increased street connectivity can result in reductions in the use of arterial and collector streets for local travel, more even traffic distribution, less out -of- direction travel, more efficient mass transit service, and reduced travel