Right of Way Allocation Toolset

As cities across the country adopt a multimodal approach to urban street design, they also face tradeoffs arising from the competing needs of automobiles, bikes, buses, and pedestrians. The right-of-way available along historic urban corridors is rarely enough to accommodate premium facilities for all desired modes and curbside activities. Critical bicycle connections may be required on streets that also serve key bus routes. Loading areas may be needed where buses and parked cars compete for curb access. When these needs overlap within constrained street widths, they force tradeoffs.

The Right of Way Allocation (ROWA) Toolset is a direct response to the needs of cities facing these challenges. ROWA generates a series of modal performance indicators and visualizations that aid decision-makers during the street redesign process. These outputs address concerns regarding roadway capacity, quality of service for bicycle and pedestrians, bus operations in mixed traffic and dedicated lanes, and safety for the road’s most vulnerable users. These indicators reflect the mixed-use nature of modern streets and rely primarily on mode-neutral metrics. They also emphasize that people, not vehicles, are the end users of the transportation system. City planners equipped with these performance indicators can quickly assess the costs and benefits of common roadway design tradeoffs as they relate to people.

In practice:

Nelson\Nygaard worked with City of Boston staff to deploy the ROWA Toolset in service to goals outlined in Go Boston 2030, aiding the City staff during street redesign processes.