Policy Adoption Deerfield Beach, Florida officially adopted Complete Streets Guidelines on August 20. With these Guidelines, city staff will be better prepared to plan and design streets that work for all users, regardless of age, ability, or mode of transportation. In 2012, the National Complete Streets Coalition facilitated a Complete Streets workshop with Deerfield Beach. … Continued
Complete Streets features make this street in Bellingham, WA safer and more accessible for pedestrians. Photo by Walkable Communities, via Flickr.
In early October, the National Complete Streets Coalition, a program of Smart Growth America, will be at the National Walking Summit here in Washington, D.C., sharing information and skills for successful Complete Streets policy and implementation with the many other national and local leaders in attendance.
Walking is the most basic form of travel, an easy way to be physically active and a powerful tool for economic and social well-being of our communities. The Coalition works to improve safety and access to community destinations for people who travel by foot, as well as by wheelchair, bicycle, public transportation, or automobile.
On the Summit’s opening day, October 1, join our 4:00 PM session “Completing Our Streets: Policy and Advocacy Tools to Get You Moving.” Laura Searfoss, our Policy Associate, will open the session with the basics on Complete Streets policy: What makes a good Complete Streets policy? Who has one already? Why does any community even need one?
Live streaming video by Ustream
Over the past eight years, the National Complete Streets Coalition has helped communities across the United States make their streets safer and more accessible for everyone who uses them. Even more communities have learned about Complete Streets and implemented policies on their own. In fact, there are now 500 Complete Streets policies on the books in the United States, and we think that’s worth celebrating!
On January 14, the Alameda, California city council approved a Complete Streets policy by resolution. The policy reflects and is responsive to the city’s adopted General Plan, and includes direction on design guidance, working with stakeholders, and those authorized to approve exceptions. Read the Alameda Policy (PDF)
Suisun City, California, a community of 28,000 northeast of San Francisco, adopted a Complete Streets policy via resolution on December 18. In doing so, the city becomes eligible for the OneBayArea grant program, administered by the regional planning organization. The city will work on an update to its general plan that complies with the state’s Complete Streets law. Read the Suisun City Policy (PDF)
You are invited to join the National Complete Streets Coalition for our Third Annual Complete Streets Dinner on Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at Petits Plats in the Woodley Park neighborhood of Washington, DC. We’ll nosh on some of the District’s best French cuisine while networking with top minds in the field.
We are excited to have Commissioner Gabe Klein of the Chicago Department of Transportation as our featured guest this year. Klein views his position as an opportunity to continue public service in the fifth-largest urban economy in the world for a reform-minded and results-oriented leader; to make Chicago an example nationally for innovation in transportation and public space; and most importantly, to positively impact quality of life for the 2.6 million residents of Chicago. Klein was previously the Director of the Washington D.C. Department of Transportation and has held a number of leadership roles in transportation, technology, consumer services, and consulting.
Your dining companions will be some of the biggest names in Complete Streets, including several of our Complete Streets Steering Committee members, workshop instructors, and staff from our Complete Streets Partner consulting firms.
Seats are available at $150 or, for $200, you will be seated at the head table. Click here to reserve your tickets online. Current Complete Streets Partners receive a significant discount, and Partners at the Silver level and up receive complimentary tickets.
New policies are adopted in Georgia, Michican, New Jersey, and Wisconsin. Policy action in DC, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Tennessee and Washington. Applications now being accepted for free Complete Streets workshops and more in this month’s news from the National Complete Streets Coalition.
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Georgia DOT Adopts Policy – On September 20, the Georgia Department of Transportation adopted a Complete Streets policy, the product of years of work done by the state’s Complete Streets supporters, including Georgia Bikes; the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition; the Atlanta Regional Commission; the cities of Atlanta, Decatur, and Roswell; several transit agencies; and leaders within GDOT. The new policy calls for the Department to “routinely incorporate bicycle, pedestrian, and transit (user and transit vehicle) accommodations into transportation infrastructure projects as a means for improving mobility, access, and safety for the traveling public.”
The Road Commission for Oakland County, Michigan adopted Complete Streets guidelines (PDF) last month to help the County apply the approach to its transportation projects.
On September 25, Newark, New Jersey announced that it had adopted a formal Complete Streets policy. Mayor Cory Booker strongly supported the policy, stating that Newark’s streets would be “the safest and most welcoming in the entire nation.” Booker participated in an AARP-led webcast discussion about Complete Streets a few days later.
In early October, the city of Onalaska, Wisconsin adopted a Complete Streets policy and a recommended project checklist. The checklist asks project managers about accommodations for people walking and bicycling and encourages them to check existing plans and nearby destinations when making decisions.
The corner of Bull and Perry Streets in Savannah, Georgia, features several Complete Streets features. Photo by Ken Lund, via Flickr.
September 20, 2012 marked a significant day for the Complete Streets movement: the day the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) adopted a Complete Streets policy.
That policy is the product of years of work done by the state’s Complete Streets supporters, including Georgia Bikes, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, the Atlanta Regional Commission, the cities of Atlanta, Decatur, and Roswell; several transit agencies, and leaders within GDOT. Gerald Ross, GDOT’s Chief Engineer, coordinated a policy task force and collaborated with several stakeholder groups. The comprehensive final policy calls for the Department to “routinely incorporate bicycle, pedestrian, and transit (user and transit vehicle) accommodations into transportation infrastructure projects as a means for improving mobility, access, and safety for the traveling public.”
This monthly newsletter from the National Complete Streets Coalition provides a roundup of news related to Complete Streets policies from around the country. Subscribe to the newsletter, or learn more about the Coalition.
Highlands Park, Illinois has become the latest community in the Chicago area to adopt a Complete Streets policy. With a unanimous vote on August 27, the City Council pass both a Complete Streets policy and the broader Bike-Walk 2030 plan (PDF). Both will be incorporated into the city’s Master Plan this fall.
The Borough of Glen Ridge, New Jersey committed to a Complete Streets policy on September 10, directing all newly constructed and reconstructed roadways to be designed for safe travel by all.
April’s arrival brings with it several events that give opportunity to celebrate the Complete Streets movement, as well as space to remember why we’re working for Complete Streets in the first place.
Though all eyes have been on federal transportation policy the last few weeks, states have continued to push forward with their Complete Streets efforts. Bills have been introduced in West Virginia and Rhode Island, and several states with Complete Streets policies in place move ahead with implementation.