Changes are urged to LEED-ND's treatment of biking

LEED-ND and other LEED rating systems will be open for public comment until Jan. 14, 2011, with the expectation that refinements will be made in those programs — operated by the US Green Building Council. 

At the request of the Congress for New Urbanism, Mike Lydon is asking the Council to make a number of changes in how LEED-ND meets the needs of bicyclists. Lydon, principal in Street Plans Collaborative, based in Brooklyn, New York, argues that says LEED-ND's definition of "bicycle network" should be strengthened.

In an analysis available here, Lydon says the current draft of LEED-ND calls for a bicycle network consisting of any combination of the following: 

• Physically designated on-street bicycle lanes at least 5 feet wide. 

• Off-street bicycle paths or trails constructed before 2010 that are at least 8 feet wide for a two-way path and at least 5 feet wide for a one-way path.

• Off-street bicycle paths or trails constructed in or after 2010 that are at least 10 feet wide for a two-way path and at least 5 feet wide for a one-way path.

• Residential streets designed for a target speed of 25 miles per hour or slower.

• Commercial or mixed-use streets designed for a target speed of 30 miles per hour or slower.

Lydon is asking the Council to revise those standards. He suggests:

• Bike lanes 5 feet wide, or even wider, would always be preferred, and should be standard when parallel parking is present, but 4-foot lanes would be acceptable where there is no on-street parking and where the volume and speed of motor vehicles are not a threat. That would mean speeds of 35mph or below and relatively low vehicle volumes.

• “Shared Use Paths” would be a better term than “Bike Path,” since the vast majority of these facilities allow a mix of conveyances: walking, running, skating, and bicycling, to name a few.

• Residential streets with a target speed of 25 miles per hour and commercial or mixed-use streets with a target speed of 30 miles per hour should be considered as part of a bicycle network only if they are accompanied by bike route signs or, preferably, shared-use lane markings ("sharrows").

• Physically separated bicycle lanes, or "cycle tracks," and bicycle boulevards should be added as facility types.

To obtain the LEED-ND credit, the bicycle network has to meet one of three requirements. One of them is centered on connecting the project to a bicycle network adjacent to an array of diverse uses. "However, the radius of the adjacent area is 3 miles, which is quite a large area to meet the requirement," Lydon says. "This radius should be reduced to meet the intent of the credit." 

Requirements for bike storage should be made more stringent, Lydon contends. In the current draft, "The occupant or worker bicycle storage requirements were reduced for retail and non-residential other than retail buildings," Lydon says. "The proposal would reduce the amount of secure, enclosed bicycle storage per new retail worker or occupant – from 10 percent  to 5 percent of worker-planned occupancy. This reduction in enclosed storage seems like a step in the wrong direction."

An on-site shower and changing facilities are required when there are at least 100 workers. Lydon says that requirement needs to be clarified — does it apply when the workers are all in one business or in the development as a whole? The requirement could also take into account the level of biking in the district or in the town or city, since some communities have a much higher percentage of people getting around on bikes, thus requiring more end-of-trip facilities.

Lydon also recommends several other revisions, including adding bicycle sharing systems to the credit offered under the category of Transportation Demand Management.

A perspective on the overall system

In early November, Laurence Aurbach in the Washington, DC, region posted a separate analysis (available here) of the new and revised credits as they relate to location, transportation options, and urban design. Among his observations:

"Installing bike racks is [to be] a prerequisite for all LEED projects, except for those in totally unbikeable locations. The racks have to be safe and convenient — no stashing behind garbage dumpsters. Residential projects provide additional bike storage for their residents.

"This prerequisite is both functional and symbolic, providing a visible signal that transportation mode choice is an essential aspect of LEED. Also, creating a bicycle storage prerequisite allows the bar to be raised for performance in the 'Bicycle Network, Storage and Changing Rooms' credit."

Revamps of the credit for bicycle network, storage, and changing rooms would have three main effects, according to Aurbach:

"1. The project must be connected to an extensive bicycle network — no 'stranded island' locations. A 'network' can include moderate-speed roadways.

"2. Bike storage for residential projects is doubled, from 15% to 30% of building users.

"3. Storage must be 100 feet from building entrances, where previously the standard was 200 yards. Also, storage must be secure (locked)."

The credit for development density and community access would be graduated rather than "all or nothing," as it has been up to now. Aurbach explains: "The mixed-use section uses walk distance in the calculation — that’s a better measure of walkability, but it can be more complex to calculate. Another way to obtain points in this credit is through LEED-ND certification." These changes would give projects more flexibility.

There would be a credit for walkable streets, taking guidance from New Urbanism's principles.

Over all, Aurbach sees much to praise in LEED-ND. "LEED rating systems are far from ideal and they contain significant flaws and shortcomings," he observes. "Even so, LEED remains the most comprehensive, most quantitatively detailed, most thoroughly vetted, and most widely supported, green building rating system on the market."

He adds: "The draft of LEED 2012 that is now open for public comment reflects the US Green Building Council’s determination to constantly revisit and revise LEED. The USGBC aims to respond to changing market conditions, empirical evidence, theoretical understandings, and criticism, compliments, and comments."

A full set of documents presenting the revisions proposed to LEED rating systems can be found here.