Hanover Kicks Off Shared Streets Vision Planning

On May 12th, Hanover kicked off Shared Streets Vision Planning to design a multimodal network for all ages and abilities. How we design our streets, intersections and paths determines who can get where they need to go and how. And our choices have a massive impact on our community’s carbon footprint — as 46% of greenhouse gas emissions in New Hampshire are produced by transportation.

But how do our choices in street design impact the community’s emissions and health? What does it mean to envision Hanover streets that are inviting and accessible to people of all ages and abilities? How can we do it?

We are fortunate to be working with Carolyn Radisch, of Boston-based Toole Design, and a long term Hanover resident deeply familiar with our town. To develop Hanover’s Shared Street Vision Plan, Toole Design is partnering with Dick van Veen, a Netherlands-based traffic engineer and urban designer with extensive experience specializing in shared street and complete street designs in Europe and North America. The good news is you can help. Radish suggests that the question we should be asking ourselves is _is this area safe for an eight year old? Taking the time to share your thoughts and concerns can benefit us all. Check out the kick off meeting for the Hanover Shared Streets Vision Plan and survey link at bit.ly/hanoverstreets.

For those who are able-bodied confident navigating of Hanover streets and sidewalks can be a cake walk. However, small impediments such as broken concrete, tripping hazards and icy puddles can deter those who are mobility impaired.  Fast moving traffic is loud and irritating and serves as an intuitive warning system that an area is not only unpleasant to walk around but potentially dangerous. Bike lanes that start and stop unexpectedly, that run along parked cars with doors that can open or that travel alongside fast moving traffic create a complex and dangerous system to navigate, not suitable for most would-be riders. Conflict zones, where people walking, bicycling or taking transit need to cross the street to reach destinations on the other side, often pose barriers to the young and old, restricting independence, and requiring chauffeuring or crossing guards, which costs us all. Transit stops without safe crossings, shelters, bike racks or comfortable accessible paths compromise transit’s usability. Creating safe environments for those from 8 to 80 years old means that routes need to be accessible and comfortable from start to finish.

Improving our multimodal network and increasing mobility options for people of all ages and abilities is critical work needed to help our town reach its sustainability goals, reduce ongoing costs of maintaining carbon-intensive infrastructure, and bolster health while fostering inclusivity, connected neighborhoods and a vibrant downtown. With over 46% of trips in Grafton County under 3 miles, and around half of those trips under 1 mile, there is a great opportunity to shift trips away from driving towards walking, bicycling and transit for the benefit of all of us. Hanover’s historic small town compact layout makes it easier and enjoyable to leave the car behind.

The town goals have remained consistent — to resist expanding road capacity and efficiently use the streets we have, while cultivating more mobility options, reducing auto dependency and encouraging walking, bicycling and transit ridership. Challenged by national trends towards increased driving, higher vehicle speeds, heavier vehicles, and vehicle designs that pose greater dangers to people outside the vehicles, the town is making a conscientious choice to improve walking, bicycling and transit to form a complete network. By thinking holistically, and using tools for street level improvements, up to how entire During the kick off meeting the consultants covered neighborhoods and corridors connect and function together, we can multiply our impact. -the importance of reducing vehicle speeds, and thinking about bigger roads, with more cars and higher speeds, as places where people walking and bicycling would need to be separated from traffic, and “quiet” streets, such as lower volume neighborhood streets that could function as shared spaces if vehicle speeds were low and the public space of our streets were accessible to people of all ages and abilities.

The consultants went over a variety of street treatments used to calm traffic speeds along corridors and neighborhood streets, and create a more walk and bike friendly environment, including everything from chicanes (horizontal offsets) and raised crossings (vertical offsets), to textured pavements, wiggly street designs, removal of traffic signals as part of safer intersection design, installation of roundabouts, the importance of street trees and planted buffers, and how communities have designed safer mid block crossings, in part by thinking through how to design safe corridors and neighborhoods.