The Public Works Commission adopted the draft plan at their meeting of December 2007, referring it onto both the Planning Commission and the Transportation, Energy and Utilities Committee (TEUC) of the City Council. After a one year hiatus, the TEUC completed its review of the plan and made recommendations to the Planning Commission in the fall 2009. The Planning Commission approved the draft plan in March 2010, and the final draft was presented to the City Council in September 2010. The TEUC approved the draft plan at their February 2011 meeting, and the City Council approved the Transportation Plan at their April 2011 meeting.

The Burlington Transportation Plan is a multi-modal transportation improvement plan that provides a comprehensive and coordinated list of roadway, transit, bicycle and pedestrian facility, streetscape and land use recommendations for implementation that satisfy the overall vision of the City developed in the Burlington Municipal Development Plan and the Burlington Legacy Project.

The Transportation Plan is evolutionary, not revolutionary. It takes seriously the goals, vision and values of the Municipal Development Plan and the Legacy Plan and proposes the steps that can move the City to realize them. The Municipal Development Plan vision statement calls for by 2026 an "interconnected system" where "transit, cycling, and walking are successfully competing with the automobile for the dominant mode of choice." The Transportation Plan guides us in how to make these changes over time, but as this vision calls for a shift in emphasis in how Burlington sees itself getting around in the future, there will be trade offs and compromises. The Street Design Guidelines re-allocate the street right-of-way to provide bike lanes, and also improves pedestrian crossings, moves cars farther from sidewalks, improves safety for all modes, and reduces speeding. Implementation is intended to encourage more walking, biking and transit usage. Staff will document these travel modes before and after any conversions and will use this and other data to measure the degree of success of our efforts.


2011 Transportation Plan
Appendix 1: Technical Appendix
Appendix 2: Burlington Street Design Guidelines
Appendix 3: Market Study
Appendix 4: Public Involvement Report
Appendix 5: Alternative Scenarios
Appendix 6: Preliminary Complete Streets Analysis

Implementing the Transportation Plan

Identified as a capital project priority in the Transportation Plan, Colchester Avenue was the first Complete Street to undergo a corridor study. The Colchester Avenue Corridor Study assessed the feasibility and design alternatives for conversion of Colchester Avenue into a Complete Street, as recommended in our Transportation Plan. Following completion of the Colchester Avenue Corridor Study, we will begin a corridor study of North Avenue in spring 2012. Future corridor studies for Complete Streets may also include Shelburne Street and Battery Street.

 

25 mph citywide speed limit  

Implementation of the recommended 25 mph citywide speed limit and 20 mph downtown speed limit is identified as a policy priority in the Transportation Plan. At their upcoming meeting, the Public Works Commission will hear public comments on this topic.

"In order to create the safe pedestrian environment that is desirable for neighborhood streets, the City will adopt a blanket speed limit of 25 mph for all streets not otherwise posted. For Slow Streets, it is proposed that a 20 mph speed limit be adopted." 2011 Burlington Transportation Plan

Public Hearing
7:30 pm on September 28, 2011
Contois Auditorium, City Hall  

BACKGROUND
A major component of the Transportation Plan is a shift to a "complete streets" strategy. Streets are classified as Complete Streets, Transit Streets, Bicycle Streets, Slow Streets, State Truck Routes, and Neighborhood Streets. Click here to view a map of the Transportation Plan street system.


The Transportation Plan recommended that all Slow Streets become 20 mph and all other streets become 25 mph unless otherwise posted. During review of the draft Transportation Plan by the various Commissions and Committees, discussion largely focused on which streets should be "otherwise posted."


Although the Transportation Plan recommended 20 mph for the Slow Streets between and including Pearl to Main Streets and South Winooski Avenue to Lake Street, a portion of that area is outside of the Designated Downtown Development District. Under state statute, only streets within this designated district may have speed limits lower than 20 mph. To still allow for an east-west street as a boundary line, we are recommending 20 mph speed limits between and including Pearl Street to Main Street and South Winooski Avenue to Lake Street, except Battery Street (recommended 25 mph) and Church Street (remain 5 mph). The speed limit on Battery Street would be further evaluated as part of a future corridor study.


Outside of the downtown Slow Streets, the broad focus was on the Complete Streets. The Transportation Plan recommended Complete Streets undergo detailed planning through future corridor studies (see Colchester Avenue described above). Using this approach, we are recommending that the 4-lane and arterial segments of Complete Streets that have not yet been the focus of a corridor study remain 30 mph. The speed limit would then be reviewed as part of the future corridor studies. This includes North Avenue between the Rt 127 entrance/exit ramps and Plattsburg Avenue, and Shelburne Street between the South Burlington town line and Locust/Ledge Street. We are also proposing Plattsburg Avenue remain 30 mph and be included in the North Avenue corridor study.


Lastly, we are not recommending changes for streets that have current speed limit exceptions. This includes the Northern Connector/Rt 127 and Church Street.


SUMMARY
The general concept for our recommended speed limits and the streets excepted from this is to envision entering Burlington at a higher rate of speed, then decreasing travel speeds on the approach to downtown.


Our recommendation to the Public Works Commission will include a 25 mph speed limit on all Burlington streets, except:

• 30 mph speed limit would remain on 1) North Avenue between the Rt 127 entrance/exit ramps and Plattsburg Avenue, 2) Plattsburg Avenue, and 3) Shelburne Street between the intersection of Locust/Ledge Street and the South Burlington town line.
• 50 mph speed limit would remain on the Northern Connector/Rt 127
• 35 mph speed limit would remain on the Northern Connector/Rt 127 beginning 500' south of Plattsburg Avenue north to the Colchester town line
• 5 mph speed limit would remain on Church Street between Main Street and Pearl Street
• 20 mph Slow Streets would be created in the downtown core, between and including Pearl Street to Main Street and South Winooski Avenue to Lake Street, except Church Street (5 mph) and Battery Street (25 mph)
  

Additional resources for the 25 mph citywide speed limit:
Download the proposed speed limit map
Download the flyer for the public hearing
View a map of the Transportation Plan street system

Program Contact
Nicole Losch
865.5833 direct
nlosch@ci.burlington.vt.us