1999 Eugene Arterial & Collector Street Plan

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Process and Criteria for Determining Street Classification General Concepts At its most fundamental level, the classification of a system of urban streets is based on the concept of the degree of mobility provided by a street as compared to the amount of access the street provides. For example, Interstate freeways and other state highways provide the highest level of inter-urban mobility, and extend into and through urban areas to provide the most important routes for urban travel, usually at the highest speed-providing the best "level of service" to vehicular traffic. Freeways provide the least direct access to adjacent land, since by definition all access is permitted only at interchanges. At the other end of the spectrum,, local streets are designed to provide nearly continuous land access, with driveways at every home. Local streets are meant to serve traffic that has its origin or destina- tion on that particular street. They should be designed to discourage through (i.e. non-neighbor- hood) traffic whenever possible, to promote greater safety and livability in neighborhoods. Between the extremes of freeways and local streets are urban arterials and collectors, which provide a mixture of mobility and land access. The relation- ship of street classification to the provision of access '~ '~ versus mobility is illustrated by Figure 3. Street Classification and Level of Public Interest There is a fundamental relationship between the primary function of a street and the level of interest in that street that is, in the potential changes or out- comes that could come about on any particular section of street. Taking an example from one end of the classification range: the design and day to day operation of a residential cul-de-sac is of concern only to the residents living there and the limited number of people who come to visit, make deliveries, and so forth - as long as basic access needs and the needs of fire and emergency service vehicles are satisfied. At the other end of the spectrum, an Interstate highway is a road of great interest and importance to thousands of people on a daily basis. Therefore the Interstate system is highly regulated as to design, access, and overall operations. Decisions about changes to the Interstate do involve public input, but the range of options is limited because of the high-level functional requirements of the roadway. Proposals to widen the highway or reconstruct an interchange are likely to be widely debated throughout the community and region because of the high level of interest and importance that most people attach to an Interstate highway. This document concerns the streets that lie in be- tween these two extremes: streets that are more important to the city and the region than purely local streets, but which also serve an important role of access and neighborhood mobility for the homes and shops along those streets. Design and operation of collector and arterial streets is challenging and often publicly contentious because these streets must serve several purposes which sometimes seem at odds with one another. Livability is important to the people along these streets, as is mobilityfor the people who travel on them. For example, a major construction project on a collector or arterial street must incorpo- rate the desires of local residents, while at the same time addressing broader community goals and needs for a good transportation system. One of the primary jobs of the city, in responding to its citizens, is to balance the neighborhood livability aspects of our streets with the mobility needs of the community. 33