A city (or county) is not an accident but the result of coherent visions and aims

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Managing Demand for Parking
• Support alternative transportation. Travelers by non-auto 
modes do not require automobile parking. Quality bicycle, 
pedestrian, and transit access facilities and services (See 
e.g. 
City of Berkeley
), and development proximate to those 
facilities, reduce motor vehicle mode share and therefore 
parking demand. Adequate, convenient, and secure bicycle 
parking, including around transit stations, facilitates cycling 
and increases cycling mode share.
• Convert parking to 
parklets
, which increase public space and 
can improve neighborhood vibrancy.
• When providing on-street parking, design it in a manner 
that calms traffic and enhances bicycle and pedestrian safety 
and comfort. This may include 
reverse angle parking
 and 
parking-protected bicycle lanes
.
• Attach a cost to parking. Construction and maintenance 
of parking is costly. Jurisdictions may wish to consider 
the benefits of optimizing parking prices to reflect the 
equilibrium between supply and demand, to help improve 
traffic flow, or to reduce VMT and GHGs. (See e.g. 
City of 
San Diego
; 
City of Sacramento
) Further, fees collected can 
be reinvested in a number of ways, including neighborhood 
benefits districts, that can increase neighborhood vibrancy.
Managing Supply of Parking
• Remove minimum parking requirements. Parking restrictions, such as residential parking permit programs, can be 
implemented to prevent spillover parking. Parking provision can be left to the market, pricing can be deployed, or parking 
maxima can be provided. 
• Set parking maxima. Especially in TOD or mixed-use development areas, establishing maximum parking requirements instead 
of minimum requirements will mean that space is available for other uses (See e.g. 
Sacramento County
; 
City of San Jose
).
• Manage the use of existing spaces rather than provide additional parking. Prioritize spaces based on location (e.g. proximity 
to employment centers) and intended use (e.g. short- or long-term). Implement shared parking or establish parking benefit 
districts. (See e.g. 
Sacramento County
) Optimizing use of existing parking will help make efficient use of land within the 
jurisdiction’s boundaries.
Increased bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, including shade, 
pathways, and safety features, help promote activity
Image by Urban Advantage, Cunningham Quill | Architects

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Traffic Control Around Schools
High volumes of pedestrian traffic, vulnerable users, and 
other factors create increased need for safety around schools. 
Considerations in roadway design should take in to account 
the specific needs of the population, including bicycle and 
pedestrian access, transit and drop off needs, and safety 
around crosswalks, intersections, and roundabouts. 
The Safe 
Routes to Schools National Partnership
, with support from 
CalTrans’ Safe Routes to School program
, provides 
guidance 
and resources for improving traffic control around schools, 
including signage, pavement markings, signals, and other 
infrastructure. For additional guidance on traffic control 
specifically around schools, see the 
CalTrans Manual on 
Uniform Traffic Control Devices
, including 
Section 3c 
on 
roundabout markings and 
Part 7
 for traffic control around 
schools. 
Addressing Tradeoffs and Maximizing Co-benefits in 
Circulation
The transportation network should be designed to 
accommodate multiple competing interests, as well as to 
maximize co-benefits. Potential areas for co-benefits, such as 
safer streets through slower traffic, greater economic activity 
through improved walkability, and increased positive health 
outcomes through improved active transportation, should be 
considered in making decisions around transportation. 
The circulation element should address the tradeoffs between 
various interests rather than listing desirable but mutually 
exclusive outcomes. The following are some of tradeoffs that a 
circulation element might address. Some of these tradeoffs will 
involve agencies distinct from the city or county, such as some 
transit systems, highlighting the importance of coordination 
between stakeholders involved in circulation planning and 
implementation.
• Roadway motor vehicle throughput and speed v. impacts on 
community along roadway 
• Roadway motor vehicle throughput and speed v. capacity for 
other modes
Aligning circulation and land use improves access and creates  
economic opportunities
Image by Urban Advantage, Clarion

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• Roadway design speed and risk to pedestrians and cyclists 
• Breadth of coverage of transit system v. cost
• Provision of bicycle facilities v. provision of additional motor vehicle capacity
• Transit priority measures (e.g. signal priority and queue jump lanes) v. automobile capacity
• Accommodation of potential emergency vehicle turning movements v. design for pedestrian safety
• Accommodation of freight vehicles v. pedestrian safety
• Automobile throughput and speed v. traffic calming measures such as narrower travel lanes, roundabouts, raised medians, 
speed tables, small curb radii, etc.)
Goods Movement
Freight movement is essential for any community to thrive, by allowing the exchange of needed goods and stimulating local 
and regional economies. Depending upon geography and community characteristics, local governments should plan for goods 
movement in multiple modes, including air, rail, ship, and truck. A general plan should address transportation improvements 
that facilitate the timely movement of goods, meet the needs of local business and industry, and support the efficient transfer of 
goods between truck, rail, and other transportation modes. These interests of goods movement must be balanced with the trade-
offs that may include negative impacts to safety, air quality, and noise described in the previous paragraph. Increasing general 
purpose roadway capacity on a congested roadway may not facilitate freight vehicle travel, due to 
induced travel effects
 (mostly 
passenger vehicles); freight-only facilities may better accomplish this objective.
While freight moves throughout the state in multiple ways, trucks specifically:
• Emit diesel particulate matter (DPM), which is a localized pollutant that is particularly hazardous to human health 
• Generate high noise levels
• Pose special collision hazards because of their size, especially to vulnerable road users, and especially during turning 
movements, where rear wheels can follow a shortcut-track and collide with pedestrians and cyclists
For these reasons, truck routes should be designed to minimize risk to areas containing concentrations of sensitive receptors and 
vulnerable road users. Also, goods movement facilities (distribution centers, rail yards, and ports) should be placed in locations 
that do not bring high levels of truck traffic near residential areas or schools whenever possible. Engaging school boards, goods 
distributors, and community members to coordinate the 
land use element
 with the circulation element, freight mobility plans, 
and other relevant efforts may help assess tradeoffs and needs in
 locating facilities
.
Land use 
and circulation elements may also be coordinated for freight movement in congested or high traffic corridors, such as 
by designating specific freight zones, lanes, or management practices, to improve efficiency overall. Policies specific to the needs 
of a community, depending on factors such as density, proximity to goods movement facilities, and average daily traffic (vehicle 
and non-vehicle) may help ease safety and congestion issues associated with urban freight movement. 

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