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Bike‑Walk Commission reviews Complete Streets Design Guide updates
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Summary
Norwalk City’s Bike‑Walk Commission heard TMP consultants present revisions to the Complete Streets Design Guide, including a new interactive typology map, lowered commercial thoroughfare target speeds, enhanced crosswalk guidance and a bicycle facility selection matrix; public comments are open through April 30.
Norwalk City’s Bike‑Walk Commission on April 21 reviewed a proposed revision to the Complete Streets Design Guide and invited public comment on a 30‑day window that closes April 30 at 11:59 p.m. Emily Burneman, chair of the commission, opened the special meeting and introduced TMP consultants who led a page‑by‑page summary of the update.
The TMP presenter said the update is the first major revision since the guide’s December 2024 draft and expands the manual to more than 150 pages to bring prior roadway standards and zoning references into a single, consolidated guide. “The comment window is open till April 30 at 11:59PM,” the presenter said, noting the memorandum and both draft editions are posted on the city website alongside a completestreets@NorwalkCT.gov address for written input.
Why it matters: the draft blends housekeeping edits with substantive design changes intended to make street design more context sensitive while preserving opportunities for retrofit work. The update adds an interactive GIS typology map so residents and practitioners can click to see a street’s typology and related guidance, reintroduces corner sight‑line obstruction standards, and adds detailed guidance about enhanced crosswalk materials and placement.
Key changes and examples - Interactive typology map: TMP credited a data cleanup that clarified more than 500 lane miles of roadway and said a static version of the map will be included in the manual while an interactive GIS map is live on the city website. Chair Burneman called the interactive map “incredible” during the meeting. - Target speeds: the draft lowers the recommended target speed range for commercial thoroughfares from 35–40 mph to 30–35 mph to reflect multimodal activity and more crossings on major corridors. TMP emphasized that target speeds are design guidance; Connecticut law generally sets a 25 mph minimum and specific reductions to 20 mph are allowed only in limited cases. - Lane widths and clearances: the guide allows minimum lane widths to be set as low as 10 feet where engineering judgment and context support it, and increases minimum roadside clearance on non‑curved streets from 6 to 7 feet. Bridge sidewalks are noted at roughly 5.5 feet where wider widths are warranted. - Crosswalks and materials: the draft recommends moving away from hardscape crosswalks toward impressed thermoplastic, high‑visibility treatments with reflective glass beads (TMP cited the West Avenue project as an example) and adds guidance on when enhanced crosswalks are appropriate. - Bicycles and green paint: a bicycle facility selection matrix advises facility type based on traffic volume and operating speed as a starting point; TMP said the matrix is intentionally flexible to enable retrofit opportunities such as mill‑and‑pave striping projects. The update also clarifies where green colored pavement markings may be used at conflict points, consistent with recent national guidance. - Transit and shelters: the guide includes new transit configurations (transit signal priority, queue‑jump lanes) and shelter guidance tied to ridership metrics so higher‑boarding stops receive priority for shelters.
Local examples and constraints: TMP pointed to current and recent projects to illustrate the approach — Wall Street phase 1 (identified in the meeting as a $2,400,000 capital project) reconstructed a corridor with two‑direction bike lanes; the presenters also noted smaller retrofit projects (for example, on Scribner Avenue) that used striping and green conflict markings. Presenters acknowledged fiscal limits, saying the department’s budget had been cut in recent years and that the guide’s threshold choices reflect a balance between progressive guidance and practical opportunity.
Public engagement and next steps: commissioners and presenters emphasized that the document is intended to be iterative. Both the memorandum and the draft guide are posted on the city website and officials urged residents to submit comments before the April 30 deadline; TMP said comments received by the deadline will be considered for this update, while later comments will be held for future revisions.
Administrative business: after the discussion, the commission approved the minutes from April and then adjourned. The transcript records motions to approve the minutes and to adjourn; vote counts are not specified in the transcript.
