A Data Driven Approach to Understanding and Planning for Curb Space Utility

The increasing adoption of ridesourcing services has created new demands for curb space, spurring many cities to consider new approaches to curb space management. Some cities are going beyond considering changes, to experimenting with curb space regulation and physical infrastructure changes to accommodate the growth of shared mobility. Efforts to modify how streets are designed and managed can benefit greatly from a foundational understanding of existing conditions; and while existing conditions assessments are common practice for street design efforts, the introduction and growth of a new means of access to the curb, such as ridesourcing, creates a need to revisit and build upon how this space is traditionally considered and allocated. This paper presents a data framework for existing conditions assessments that includes the following four components: 1) City priorities, 2) Street design and land use, 3) Transportation characteristics, and 4) Mobility metrics. Using a combination of traditional data collection methods, such as video observation and traffic counts, as well as new methods for assessing ridesourcing activity, the framework was applied toward an existing conditions assessment of five locations in San Francisco. The assessment informed the development of recommendations for physically reconfiguring, reallocating, or re-envisioning curb space to promote increased mobility for a variety of roadway users, including ridesourcing passengers and drivers. The objective of this paper is to contribute case study examples that can be shared with public agency decision makers when contemplating how to re-envision their curb space in light of its evolving demands.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AP025 Standing Committee on Public Transportation Planning and Development.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Smith, Amy
  • Wylie, Allison
  • Salzberg, Andrew
  • Womeldorff, Eric
  • Rubendall, Geoff
  • Ballus-Armet, Ingrid
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 98th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2019-1-13 to 2019-1-17
• Date: 2019

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Maps; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 19p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Case studies; Cities; Curbs; Data collection; Demand responsive transportation; Evaluation and assessment; Highway design; Land use; Mobility; Recommendations; Ridesharing
• Geographic Terms: San Francisco (California)
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01697501
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 19-02196
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 1 2019 3:51PM