Transportation Commission approves updates to Complete Green Streets Guide

Madison’s Transportation Commission approved staff-recommended updates to the city’s Complete Green Streets Guide on a unanimous vote after a staff presentation and a short public comment.

The changes, presented by Renee Callaway, assistant director of traffic engineering and the project manager for the guide, include clarified measurement rules for travelway and parking widths, an expanded set of equity priority areas, updates to street‑type maps based on recent area plans, a revised bikeway selection approach that adds buffered lanes when space permits, and a new section that shows design options for taller mixed‑use development to meet fire code while keeping narrower neighborhood street cross sections.

The guide is the city’s reference for street design and is used by staff to decide whether a proposed design “meets the guide” and therefore can proceed without coming back to the commission. Callaway told the commission the original approving resolution required a first review after about 18 months; staff have completed five reconstruction projects since adoption and have used the guide on several development projects as a learning process. She said the subdivision ordinance was not updated until late July, which delayed some implementation steps, and that the Board of Public Works has already approved a subset of the recommended edits related to tree canopy and green infrastructure.

Staff highlighted specific edits:

- Equity priority areas: two new Neighborhood Resource Team areas will be added (an East Milwaukee Street area south/east of the interstates, and a Sandburg area east of Portage Road near Sandburg Woods Park). Staff recommended waiting to adopt a broader set of citywide priority maps until work on a separate toolkit is finished in 2026, but added the neighborhood resource team areas now.

- Street and zone names: the guide will use “walk zone” (sidewalk + preferred buffer) and consistently label other zones (e.g., “travelway zone”). Staff clarified that travelway zone width measurements are generally edge‑of‑pavement to edge‑of‑pavement and that parking widths are typically shown as 7 feet (with 1–2 feet of gutter or gutter pan counted differently depending on the cross‑section). Callaway said staff asked for clearer definitions so engineers have precise measurement rules.

- Bikeways: staff recommended adding “buffered if possible” to bike lane options where space allows, reflecting a preference for buffered lanes when feasible.

- Neighborhood yield streets and footnotes: a new footnote describes designing pullover zones where typical driveway yields do not exist (for streets with alleys or no direct driveways). Fire department staff were consulted and indicated the approach is acceptable when paired with design elements that create yielding conditions.

- Fire‑code alignment for taller buildings: staff added a new section of illustrated options for neighborhood street and mixed‑use neighborhood street types that shows how to meet fire apparatus access requirements while maintaining narrower travelways. Staff noted one design change to “option 5” to provide a wider sidewalk where backup maneuvers could encroach on the walk zone.

Public comment: Nicholas Davies of Richard Street spoke during the registered‑public comment period, urging the commission to include options that incorporate dedicated bike facilities in the neighborhood‑street design variants. “Because adding a bike facility can actually help us meet both these competing priorities at once, the minimum width and the traffic calming, a bike facility could be an element worth including even if it wouldn't otherwise be necessary,” Davies said. He also warned that a cross‑section designed with two 13‑foot travel lanes could encourage higher speeds in future if volumes rise.

Commission discussion focused on measurement clarity and implementation steps. Robbie Weber asked whether “width of the road … measured by pavement” excluded the gutter pan; Callaway replied that staff intended to clarify whether measurements are edge‑of‑pavement, face‑of‑curb, or include gutter pan, and that those small differences (one or two feet) affect design outcomes and how flex zones are used. Commissioners also discussed the travelway timing for adoption of broader equity maps and the need to clean up graphics and text references to the now‑defunct Transportation Policy and Planning Board.

Motion and outcome: Commissioner Robbie Weber moved to approve the staff‑recommended changes; Alder Nina Martinez Rutherford seconded. The commission voted unanimously in favor; no hands were raised against or to abstain.

Next steps: Staff will finalize graphics, correct remaining inconsistent references (including a noted speed‑limit label that was changed in one place but not the other), post the revised guide on the city website, circulate the changes to design staff, and continue implementation and incremental updates. Callaway said a new planner in the Department of Transportation will oversee the guide and coordinate ongoing refinements. Staff indicated a planned return in 2026 to adopt broader equity‑priority tool results and to finalize the “all ages and abilities” bikeway network.

The commission’s vote approved the text changes as recommended by staff; no amendments were offered on the floor.