City transportation staff launch curb‑management planning, seek data and pilot projects
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Summary
Madison Department of Transportation staff introduced a curb‑management planning effort that will create a city curb‑management action plan funded by a WisDOT carbon‑reduction planning grant; the effort will combine data collection, targeted district experiments and code/policy updates.
City Transportation staff briefed the Plan Commission on Oct. 16 on a new curb‑management program intended to better allocate scarce curb space for mobility, deliveries, accessibility and safety as the city sees increasing development and delivery demand.
Principal transportation planner Liz Callan said the program will examine the “flex zone” at the curb—areas between the travel way and the sidewalk where bus stops, loading zones, metered parking and other uses compete—and develop an action plan that mixes near‑term pilots with longer‑term policy and code changes. “If we don't intentionally manage the curb, it doesn't work well for many people, and sometimes it doesn't work well for anyone,” Callan said.
Why it matters: Rising delivery volumes, shifts in travel behavior and denser development increase demand for curb space. The city is preparing to use a federal carbon‑reduction planning grant administered through WisDOT to create an action plan and deploy demonstrations that could include loading hubs, prioritized delivery zones, changes to metering and district‑level approaches for busy corridors.
Key points
- Grant and timeline: The Department of Transportation said it received a $500,000 carbon‑reduction planning grant (WisDOT) to fund a curb‑management action plan. Staff plan to finalize a scope this fall, issue a request for qualifications and aim to have a consultant on board by early 2026.
- Study scope: Staff listed likely work streams including: citywide policy review, data collection and curb‑use capacity analysis; integration of curb decisions into development review and street reconstruction projects; and district‑level planning for high‑demand corridors such as downtown or other commercial corridors.
- Near‑term experiments and technology: Callan said DOT wants to run small pilots and “experiments” during the planning period and explore data and technology to monitor curb utilization, load management, and low‑carbon last‑mile approaches (for example, consolidation hubs with cargo‑bike last‑mile deliveries).
- Relationship to other policies: The curb planning aims to align with existing city goals and tools including Complete Green Streets and Vision Zero, and to feed recommendations into updates for parking policy, residential permit rules and development review processes.
Commissioner and alder feedback
Commissioners asked whether the plan would be citywide or district‑based; Callan said both, with citywide policy recommendations plus more granular district work where demand is highest (for example downtown or commercial corridors). Commissioners also asked whether curb needs could be included earlier in the development review process; Callan and city staff said the plan will explore how to integrate curb requirements into DAT (development advisory team) and development‑review stages.
Next steps
Staff will finalize the curb‑management framework this fall, release an RFQ and start the action‑plan work in 2026. The department expects to use data‑driven analysis to recommend policy and code changes (including possible updates to residential permit rules) and to pilot interventions on selected corridors during the planning period.
