Hesperia Municipal Code Ch. 12.08 Vehicular and Pedestrian Circulation Standards

A. Standards and specifications for transportation facilities and all work done within the public road right-of-way shall conform to the standards and specifications of the engineering department.

B. Right-of-way shall be required as shown on the adopted general plan circulation map.

C. In instances where roadways are designated on the circulation plan where no road currently exists, the location and design standards, including the grade and alignment, will be determined by the engineering department at the time of submittal of street improvement plans for the individual project.

D. Cul-de-sacs shall have a minimum paved radius of forty (40) feet and right-of-way width of fifty (50) feet; length shall not exceed three hundred thirty (330) feet; provided, that adequate fire flow is available, unless approved by the fire department.

E. Acceptable legal and physical access shall be provided to each site in accordance with the following:

1. Acceptable access shall include a public thoroughfare or right-of-way which is dedicated, deeded or condemned for use as a principal means of access to abutting property, and which is constructed to acceptable standards for the purpose of carrying through traffic; any exceptions to these requirements must be approved by the city engineer;

2. Where substandard alleys are located at the rear or sides of property, such alleys shall be used primarily for service functions, including but not limited to trash collection, utility service and fire access; alleys shall not be intended or used for conveyance of through traffic, required parking, or for primary access;

3. Alleys which conform to city standards may be allowed for secondary access;

4. Any existing alleys must conform to standards contained herein in order to be approved for public use of access;

5. Paving for alleyways shall meet specifications of the engineering department;

6. Minimum alley right-of-way width shall be twenty (20) feet, and dedication to the city shall be required.

(Ord. 250 Exh. A (part), 1998; Ord. 135 Exh. A (Art. 1 § 1), 1992)

A. On new development, no direct driveway access from individual residences shall be permitted onto major arterial, arterial and secondary arterial streets as designated on the adopted circulation plan map.

B. Access shall be controlled on major arterials, arterials and secondary arterials to minimize curb cuts, median breaks and facilitate the flow of traffic. Any new development or subdivision of land adjacent to these roadways shall be required to dedicate vehicular access rights, except where access points are shown on an approved site plan or subdivision map. Shared access and parking, and use of side streets for access, shall be required wherever possible.

C. All development proposals shall be designed so as to provide for a free flow of vehicles in and out of the site without unnecessary backing and turning movements as well as for easy access to the various activity areas within each site. Two-way access driveways shall be used wherever possible.

D. Placement of access points into each site shall minimize interference with the off-site circulation system. Access points shall be placed at the maximum feasible distance from an intersection. Where site design allows, the standards specified in Table 1 are recommended.

E. Adequate provisions shall be made for emergency vehicle access. Two separate accesses shall be provided to each site from any paved, publicly maintained right-of-way as determined by the city engineer. The primary access shall be paved to city standards; minimum specifications for secondary access shall require a well-graded, all-weather surface as approved by the city engineer and fire department. Secondary access requirements shall be based upon such factors as distance, topography, surrounding development and emergency response time.

Table 1 Design Standards for the Spacing of Driveway Accesses from Street Intersections

(Ord. 135 Exh. A (Art. 1 § 2), 1992)

A. Intersections less than eighty (80) degrees shall not be permitted without approval from the engineering department. The ninety-degree angle is preferable.

B. Intersections shall be placed a minimum of five hundred (500) feet centerline to centerline from freeway on and off ramps.

C. Offset intersections shall be spaced as follows:

1. For intersections involving major arterials, arterials and/or secondary arterials, spacing of intersections shall be a minimum of three hundred (300) feet centerline to centerline;

2. For local and/or collector streets, spacing of intersections shall be a minimum of two hundred (200) feet centerline to centerline;

3. Opposing centerlines of an intersection shall not be offset by more than five feet.

D. If offset streets are to be continuous, they shall be curved to approach the intersection so as to effect a right-angle alignment.

E. At intersections where additional traffic lanes are indicated by traffic analysis, provision shall be made for requiring additional right-of-way and curb width as determined by the engineering department.

F. No parking, except for emergency parking, shall be allowed on any street which has four or more lanes (major arterials, arterials, and secondary arterial streets).

G. A clear sight area shall be established at all intersections of public or private streets. This area shall be defined by a line in a horizontal plane, taken at a forty-five (45) degree angle, connecting two points thirty (30) feet from the intersection of the ultimate right-of-way lines of the intersecting streets or the prolongation of such lines. The maximum height of visual barriers, including but not limited to signs, vegetation, fences and walls, shall not exceed thirty-six (36) inches above the top of the curb or forty-four (44) inches above the surface of the street.

H. A clear sight triangle of fifteen (15) feet shall be established where a private driveway intersects a public street.

(Amended during 12/98 supplement; Ord. 250 Exh. A (part), 1998; Ord. 135 Exh. A (Art. 1 § 3), 1992)

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A. Streets shall have a uniform minimum right-of-way width of sixty (60) feet, except as provided herein below.

B. Street grades shall not exceed twelve (12) percent unless it can be demonstrated that in order to accomplish the objectives of the general plan, a street grade in excess of twelve (12) percent is necessary. In such circumstances, the engineering department may approve a street grade not to exceed fourteen (14) percent grade for a distance not to exceed five hundred (500) feet if a finding is made that said roadway will not create an unacceptable hazardous risk to the public health, safety or welfare.

C. Residential streets may have reduced rights-of-way down to a minimum of fifty (50) feet, subject to approval by the engineering department, if the project site demonstrates at least one of the following conditions:

1. The project is a private gated community and provides private streets;

2. The project is located in an area designated on the General Plan for very low density residential uses, and features rural character, natural resources, or a need to minimize cut and fill grading, and no through traffic access to abutting properties is required;

3. The project is an attached condominium or town house development; A five-foot utility easement shall be required along all fifty (50) foot rights-of-way in accordance with the engineering department.

D. Reduced pavement width may be recommended by the development review committee, where innovative site planning techniques such as semi-detached or attached houses, clustering, zero lot line, and skewed house plotting provide streetscape variety and visual interest and increase lot usability, or where necessary to preserve rural character, significant natural features, or to minimize cut and fill grading in hillside areas.

E. Curvilinear streets are encouraged wherever possible for residential streets with a total right-of-way width of sixty (60) feet or less. The minimum radius for curvilinear streets shall be three hundred (300) feet, with a minimum tangent length of one hundred (100) feet between curves, unless otherwise approved by the engineering department.

F. Curb returns shall be provided as follows:

1. A minimum curb return radius of twenty (20) feet shall be provided at intersecting streets designated as collector or local streets.

2. A minimum curb return radius of thirty-five (35) feet shall be provided when one or both of the intersecting streets is designated, as a rural arterial or greater.

3. In hillside areas, the curb return radius may be modified if required because of the topography.

4. Property lines shall be cut diagonally based on the radius.

G. Bus turnouts may be required pursuant to Section 12.08.050(E).

(Ord. 135 Exh. A (Art. 1 § 4), 1992)

A. Sidewalks shall be required on public streets as determined by the reviewing authority. Sidewalks shall be constructed of concrete, with a minimum width of five feet, exclusive of the curb. Any sidewalk constructed within two and one-half (2 ½) feet from face of curb shall join to back of curb. Considerations in design are to be given for handicapped persons so that a clear path of travel of at least four feet is provided, in accordance with state handicap requirements.

B. Additional sidewalks on site may be required through the design review process, the sidewalk system shall provide for a safe, continuous pedestrian circulation and access system to all parts of the development. Pedestrian access shall be provided from public streets and parking lots to building entries, and walkways provided on-site shall connect with those off-site.

C. The following standards shall apply to meandering sidewalks:

1. Radii for curved sidewalk shall be between two hundred (200) and six hundred (600) feet.

2. Maximum sidewalk grade shall conform to state standards for handicapped access.

D. Curb cuts and inclines for handicapped access shall be required in accordance with state law.

E. Bus turnouts and bus shelters may be required during the design review process. These facilities shall be designed to maximize security features and shall be located in proximity to both traffic signals and pedestrian crosswalks, so as to provide for ease of access to both buses and pedestrians, including handicapped persons. Bus stops shall be a minimum of fifty (50) feet in length.

(Ord. 135 Exh. A (Art. 1 § 5), 1992)