[Adopted as Ch. 9, § 9-900, of the Codified Ordinances]
Complete streets are designed and operated to provide safety and accessibility for all the users of Town roadways, trails and transit systems, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, motorists, freight, commercial, and emergency vehicles and for people of all ages and of all abilities. Furthermore, Complete Streets principles contribute toward the safety, health, economic viability, and quality of life in a community by providing accessible and efficient connections between home, school, work, recreation and retail destinations by improving the pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular environments throughout communities. They also assist in improving air quality and reducing energy consumption for a more sustainable environment.
The purpose of West Springfield's Complete Streets Ordinance, therefore, is to accommodate all road users by creating a transportation network that meets the needs of individuals utilizing a variety of transportation modes. The Town of West Springfield will ensure any plans, designs, operations and maintenance of streets that accommodate and are safe for all users of all ages and abilities as a matter of routine to the best extent practicable.
This article directs decision-makers to consistently plan, design, construct and maintain streets for the accommodation of all anticipated users, including, but not limited to, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, emergency vehicles, and freight and commercial vehicles, in a context-sensitive manner. This article shall apply to all municipal roadway repairs, upgrades or expansion projects within the public right-of-way and private developments requiring approval from the Town. Procedures will be developed to ensure complete streets elements are incorporated into these activities.
A. 
The Town of West Springfield recognizes that users of various modes of transportation, including, but not limited to, pedestrians, bicyclists, runners, hikers, transit and school bus drivers/riders, motorists, commercial vehicles, delivery and service personnel, freight haulers, and emergency responders, are legitimate users of streets and deserve safe facilities. "All users" includes users of all ages and abilities.
B. 
The Town of West Springfield recognizes that all projects, new, maintenance, or reconstruction, are potential opportunities to apply complete streets design principles.
C. 
The Town will, to the maximum extent practical, design, construct, maintain, and operate all streets to provide for a comprehensive and integrated street network of facilities for people of all ages and abilities.
D. 
Complete streets design recommendations shall be incorporated into all publicly and privately funded projects, as appropriate. All transportation infrastructure and street design projects requiring funding or approval by the Town of West Springfield, as well as projects funded by the state and federal government, such as the Chapter 90 funds, Town improvement grants, Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), the Mass Works Infrastructure Program, Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), Capital Funding and other state and federal funds for street and infrastructure design, shall adhere to (comply with) the Town of West Springfield Complete Streets Ordinance. Private developments and related street design components or corresponding street-related components shall adhere to (comply with) the complete streets principles. New subdivisions shall be required to comply with this article. In addition, to the extent practical, state-owned roadways will comply with the complete streets article, including the design, construction, and maintenance of such roadways within Town boundaries.
E. 
The Mayor shall designate a staff person from one of the Town's municipal departments who will be responsible for oversight of this article.
Exceptions to this article are only allowed upon approval by the Mayor based upon recommendation from his/her designee overseeing this article, with documentation and data that indicate:
A. 
Facilities where specific users are prohibited by law, such as interstate freeways or pedestrian malls. In these cases, an effort will be made for accommodations elsewhere.
B. 
Where costs or impacts of accommodation are excessively disproportionate to the need or probable use or probable future use.
C. 
The existing right-of-way or adjacent land is constrained in a manner that inhibits addition of transit, bicycle, or pedestrian improvements. In this case, the Town shall consider alternatives such as lane reduction, lane narrowing, on-street parking relocation, shoulders, signage, traffic calming, or enforcement.
D. 
Where such facilities would constitute a threat to public safety or health.
E. 
Where construction and future maintenance will create significant adverse environmental impacts to streams, floodplains, wetlands, historical resources.
A. 
The Town of West Springfield Complete Streets Ordinance will focus on developing and maintaining a connected, integrated network that serves all road users. Complete streets will be integrated into policies, planning, and design of all types of public and private projects, including new construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, repair, and maintenance of transportation facilities on streets and redevelopment projects.
B. 
Implementation of the Town of West Springfield Complete Streets Ordinance will be carried out cooperatively within all departments in the Town of West Springfield, with multijurisdictional cooperation, to the greatest extent possible, among private developers, and state, regional, and federal agencies.
C. 
Complete streets principles include the development and implementation of projects in a context-sensitive manner in which project implementation is sensitive to the community's physical, economic, and social setting. The overall goal of this approach is to preserve and enhance scenic, aesthetic, historical, and environmental resources while improving or maintaining safety, mobility, and infrastructure conditions. The context-sensitive approach to process, decision-making and design includes a range of goals by considering stakeholder and community values on a level plane with the project need. It includes goals related to livability, with greater participation of those affected in order to gain project consensus.
D. 
The Town of West Springfield recognizes that "complete streets" may be achieved through single elements incorporated into a particular project or incrementally through a series of smaller improvements or maintenance activities over time.
In fulfilling the goals of this Complete Streets Ordinance, the Town will follow the latest design manuals, standards and guidelines. This includes documents that are listed below but should not be precluded from considering innovative and nontraditional design options where a comparable level of safety for users is present or provided:
A. 
Massachusetts of Department of Transportation Project Design and Development Guidebook.
B. 
Massachusetts Department of Transportation Engineering Directives.
C. 
Massachusetts Department of Transportation Separated Bike Lane Planning and Design Guide.
D. 
The latest edition of American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) A Policy on Geometric Design of Highway and Streets.
E. 
ITE Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach.
F. 
National Association of City Transportation Officials Urban Bikeway Design Guide.
G. 
The United States Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Design Controls (2009).
H. 
The Architectural Access Board (AAB) 521 CMR Rules and Regulations.
I. 
Documents and plans created for the Town of West Springfield, such as bicycle and pedestrian network plans.
Complete streets implementation and effectiveness should be constantly evaluated for success and opportunities for improvement. The Town will develop performance measures to gauge implementation and effectiveness of the policies. These performance measures may include but are limited to:
A. 
Total miles of marked bike lanes.
B. 
Total miles of roadway with shoulders four feet wide or greater.
C. 
Linear feet of sidewalk, including new and reconstructed.
D. 
Closure of network gaps and removal of impediments in the transportation infrastructure.
E. 
Number of new curb ramps constructed and existing ramps reconstructed.
F. 
Number of existing curb ramps in need of reconstruction.
G. 
Crosswalk and intersection improvements.
H. 
Crash and personal injury data.
I. 
Citations for traffic violations.
J. 
Number of new street trees planted.
K. 
Transit ridership.
L. 
Public participation.
M. 
Annual estimate of yearly Town investments in complete streets design and construction activities.
A. 
The Town shall make complete streets practices a routine part of everyday operations, shall approach every transportation project and program as an opportunity to improve streets and the transportation network for all users, and shall work in coordination with other departments, agencies, and jurisdictions to achieve complete streets.
B. 
The Town shall review and either revise or develop proposed revisions to all appropriate planning documents (master plans, open space and recreation plan, etc.), zoning and subdivision codes, laws, procedures, rules, regulations, guidelines, programs, and templates to integrate complete streets principles in all street projects. A committee of relevant stakeholders designated by the Mayor will be created as an advisory body to assist in overseeing the implementation of this initiative.
C. 
The Town shall maintain a comprehensive inventory of pedestrian and bicycle facility infrastructure that will be used in identifying and prioritizing projects to eliminate gaps in the sidewalk and bikeway network.
D. 
The Town shall promote interdepartment project coordination among Town departments with an interest in the public right-of-way in order to better use fiscal resources.
E. 
The Town shall seek methods to educate all transportation users to better understand and utilize complete streets. This shall include but not be limited to Town website updates, social media posts, the community access cable channel, public outreach meetings and informational pamphlets for the general public and students.
F. 
The Town will reevaluate capital improvement projects prioritization to encourage implementation of complete streets policies.
G. 
The Town will train pertinent Town staff and decision-makers on the content of complete streets principles and best practices for implementing this article through dissemination of current information/concepts, attendance at workshops, project meetings and other appropriate means.
H. 
The Town will utilize interdepartment coordination to promote the most responsible and efficient use of resources for activities within the public way.
I. 
The Town will seek out appropriate sources of funding and grants for implementation of complete streets policies.
J. 
The Town will investigate new and continue with existing programs such as Mass in Motion and Safe Routes to Schools which complement complete streets initiatives.
K. 
Complete streets infrastructure shall be maintained by the jurisdiction that owns the right-of-way it resides on unless binding agreements are made with other maintaining entities.
L. 
The Town will seek input from residents, developers and businesses as well as work with neighboring municipalities and the Department of Transportation to coordinate and optimize connectivity of improvements on both the local and regional level.