What is a Pedestrian Facility?
- a sidewalk
- a path or trail
- a crosswalk/mid-block crossing
- a traffic calming feature
- an under and overpasse/grade separation
- a wide shoulder
- other elements that encourage pedestrian movement, such as landscaping, public art, and site furniture
In 1993, in order to discover what the needs and expectations of pedestrians were in this region, the MAG Pedestrian Working Group analyzed 15 local sites with varying degrees of pedestrian accommodations. The data identified potential origins and destinations for pedestrians, the perceptions of personal safety and security held by people who walk, reasons for walking, pedestrian counts, long range plans for the area, physical measurements, and other pedestrian facilities. The MAG Pedestrian Area Policies and Designn Guidelines were the result of this effort in 1995.
Since the document was completed, Valley planners and designers have had a chance to read and use the document and put the guidelines into practice. Additionally, there are new studies in several areas of pedestrian activity, including Safe Routes to School, elderly mobility, and changes in the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG). This update of the Policies and Guidelines incorporates this new data and creates a more user-friendly document.
THE PURPOSE OF THE GUIDELINES
The Pedestrian Area Policies and Design Guidelines are intended to provide a source of information and design assistance to support walking as an alternative transportation mode. Through application of the policies and design guidance in this document, jurisdictions, neighborhoods, land planners, and other entities will be able to: 1) better recognize opportunities to enhance the built environment for pedestrians; 2) better create and redevelop pedestrian areas throughout the region that integrate facilities for walking with other transportation modes; 3) support the development of areas where walking is the preferred transportation mode; and 4) encourage the development of other independent pedestrian-focused transportation facilities.
The policies and specific design guidelines in this document accomplish this intent by providing policy and design guidance to make all pedestrian areas and facilities safe, comfortable, and a destination for people who use them. Each of these purposes is described below.
