"Shifting Streets" Glossary
Source: Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
This document provides terminology and definitions for intervention type categories in the Shifting Streets COVID-19 Mobility Dataset This Glossary is a work in progress and we are working on adding illustrations and images to visually explain interventions. If you would like to contribute images, please share through PedBikeImages.
In general, “COVID-streets” interventions fall into four main categories of function: street space for active mobility, other active mobility supports, street space for commerce, and other commerce supports.
1. Street space for active mobility refers to specific reallocations of public roadway space typically reserved for motor vehicles for the express purpose of creating space for active uses. Applications of street spaces for active mobility include:
- Full street closures: Streets are closed to motor vehicles (some exceptions permitted) to create fully protected space for walking & cycling. Full street closures for active mobility are also frequently known as “open streets.”
- Partial street closures: Walking, bicycling, and/or outdoor recreation are prioritized; motor vehicle traffic is substantially reduced but not eliminated via street furniture, physical barriers, and/or signage. Partial street closures are often referred to as “slow streets,” “healthy streets,” “play streets,” “bike boulevards,” and “neighborhood greenways.”
- Street space reallocations: A portion of the roadway, but not its entire width, is closed to motor vehicle traffic to create space for walking and bicycling. This kind of intervention is often referred to as “pop-up bike lane” or “pop-up sidewalk.” Street space reallocations for active mobility include travel lane reductions and reallocation of parking lanes and curb space.
2. Other active mobility supports: Other active mobility supports make improvements for walking and bicycling but do not involve street closures or reallocation of street space. They include, but are not limited to:
- Walk signal automation: Walk indicators at signalized intersections are triggered automatically with the motor vehicle light signal, rather than by users pressing a button.
- Signal timing adjustments: Traffic signal phases are shortened in order to decrease queuing and crowding among pedestrians at busy intersections.
- Speed limit reductions: Speed limits are reduced on at least some public roadways. These reductions may be in concert with street space reallocations and are commonly used to support partial street closures.
- Non-street space reallocations: All off-street facilities, as well as facilities that are adjacent to but not within a roadway, fall in this category (e.g., greenways, sidepaths, trails). The key differentiating characteristic between these reallocations and street space reallocations for active mobility is that the former do not involve space in which motor vehicles are normally expected to operate.
3. Street space for commerce refers to the specific reallocation of public roadway space typically reserved for motor vehicles for the express purpose of creating space for outdoor commerce (typically dining or shopping). Street space for commerce is usually reserved for business establishments located along the affected street. Reallocated space may comprise the entire width of the road (curb to curb) or any portion thereof. These sorts of interventions are commonly known as “streateries,” “dining streets,” and “market streets.”
- Full street closure: Streets are closed to motor vehicles (some exceptions permitted) to create fully protected space for outdoor dining, shopping, and other commercial uses.
- Street space reallocation: A portion of the roadway, but not its entire width, is closed to motor vehicle traffic to create space for outdoor dining, shopping, and other commercial uses. Level of protection from motor vehicle traffic varies (e.g., paint, cones, bollards, Jersey barriers). Street space reallocations for commerce include travel lane reductions and reallocation of parking lanes and curb space.
4. Other commerce supports: These include other efforts to support commerce without formal closing or reallocation of street space. Strategies include:
- Non-street space reallocation for commerce: Measures to allow existing spaces like sidewalks, parks, alleys, and plazas for commerce.
- Loading zones: Dedication of spaces for picking up takeaway orders by either cordoning off curb space or converting on-street metered parking spots to free, short-term parking.
