Long street crossings can deter pedestrian circulation, and many locations, traffic and parked cars reduce the visibility of pedestrians at crosswalks. Additionally, storm drainage inlets at street corners are often located within pedestrian crosswalk areas.
Corner curb bulb-outs should be installed at all pedestrian crossings as conditions allow. A minimum 4-foot clearance is required between the bulb-out and the outside edge of the adjacent travel lane. Corner curb radii should be the minimum needed to accommodate vehicle turning movements given the local context; e.g., a radius of 15 feet is recommended in node areas that have substantial levels of existing or planned pedestrian or transit transfer activity. Curb radii may be increased to 25 to 30 feet to accommodate regular and frequent turning large vehicles such as buses. Curb radii in node areas should be as small as practical to reduce pedestrian crossing distance and reduce the speed of turning vehicles. Infrequent turning large vehicles should be allowed to encroach into opposing lanes on narrow side streets.
In general, the flat side of a bulb-out should be 20 to 30 feet in length along SR 82, allowing generous space for pedestrians as well as directional signs, pedestrian-oriented lighting, street furnishings and other amenities. Longer bulb-outs are recommended for bus stops consistent with local transit agency requirements. Shorter bulb-outs may appropriate in storefront commercial areas to conserve on-street parking. Figures 5-9a through 5-9c illustrate these concepts.
Bulb-outs provide an opportunity to relocate storm inlets out of crosswalk areas, and to reduce crosswalk slopes to the 5% maximum required by ADA. However, the new drainage inlets and grading that can be associated with bulb-out construction can be costly. Where they exist, traffic signals typically need to be relocated as well. Refuge islands are recommended as the first priority crossing improvement, followed by corner bulb-outs and other crossing improvements as described above.
