Complete Streets News — November 2014

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Photo by Michael Hicks, via Flickr

Save the Date for our Annual Dinner — Join the National Complete Streets Coalition as we celebrate the successes of the Complete Streets movement at our fifth annual dinner! The dinner, an intimate event that brings together the top transportation minds for food and conversation, will be on Tuesday, January 13, during the Transportation Research Board’s 2015 meeting. Stay tuned for more information about this year’s featured speaker and how to purchase seats. Interested in sponsoring the event? Get in touch! Read more >>

Congratulations to Secretary Billy Hattaway! — Governing Magazine has named Florida Department of Transportation District 1 Secretary Hattaway one of its Public Officials of the Year. Governing focuses on Hattaway’s work to make Florida’s transportation network safer and friendlier for residents and visitors traveling by foot and bicycle. “Hattaway has traveled across the state, talking to staff and leading training sessions on road design and fixing problem areas…. Rather than issuing general guidelines, Hattaway is revising the technical documents used by engineers to incorporate updated requirements, such as increased sidewalk widths.” Read more >>

Incorporating public transportation and protected bike lanes in projects — The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals hosted a webinar to examine the challenges and innovative solutions when integrating transit and bicycling needs in the same street. Presenters from Seattle and San Francisco present examples and lessons learned. Watch >>

CNU is looking for your exemplary design efforts — Great built and planned projects—as well as excellent codes, policies, plans, and guidelines—are eligible to win this year’s Congress for the New Urbanism’s annual Charter Awards. Open to anyone worldwide, the Charter Awards honor architecture, landscapes, urban and regional design that clearly link the design of the built environment with mental and physical health, economic opportunity, and resilience. Entries must be received no later than January 14, 2015. Read more >>

Learn

Safe Routes to School programs work — Drawing data from 801 schools across the country, new research reported in the Journal of the American Planning Association finds that engineering, education, and encouragement programs that are hallmarks of Safe Routes to School programs increase the rates of students walking and bicycling. Read more >>

Impact of transit investment in Portland, OR — Portland’s Westside Max light rail line, according to an analysis published in the Journal of the American Planning Association, resulted in higher density developments, significantly more walking and transit trips per household, and fewer trips by automobile per household along the corridor, as compared to a previously similar highway corridor. Read more >>

Walkable neighborhoods mean healthier minds for older adults — When older adults have safe, pleasant, and convenient places to walk for leisure, they may suffer less from cognitive impairment and diseases according to new research from the University of Kansas. Read more >>

Video: New Zealand’s Safe Systems approach to transportation — In 20 minutes, the New Zealand Transport Agency presents its systematic approach to preventing traffic fatalities and serious injuries. By accepting that people will mistakes while traveling, the country has re-aligned its approach to examine what more could be done—by policymakers, planners, engineers, vehicle manufacturers, parents, enforcement officers, educators, utility providers, insurers, and the media—to make sure these mistakes do not mean death or serious injury. Watch now >>

Multimodal system performance measures — The State Smart Transportation Initiative has organized a webinar on December 3 to discuss new approaches to measuring multimodal access to destinations. Speakers from the Maryland Department of Transportation, the University of Minnesota, and Renaissance Planning Group their efforts to date. Register today >>

Guidance for leaders seeking substantive, health-based outcomes — Active Living by Design’s Lessons for Leaders: Navigating the Process of Healthy Community Change offers practical, field-tested, strategic advice for leaders working through the process of creating healthier neighborhoods and cities. With accessible lessons, principles and examples, it’s an invaluable resource for building capacity among resident leaders, communicating the health vision, including diverse voices, and advancing real change to policies and systems. Read more >>

Change

Pasadena, CA will now emphasize measures other than automobile Level of Service when reviewing the potential environmental impacts of proposed development in the city. As explained in a presentation offered to council this month, city staff will instead look to vehicle miles traveled, quality and proximity of bicycle and transit networks, and the number of destinations reachable by walking. Read the adopted resolution >>

The Florida Department of Transportation is re-examining its standard lane widths for streets in cities and cities towns. Currently at 12’, a width most appropriate for highways and rural roads, a new standard or 10’ or 11’ would help slow speeds and provide more space within the right-of-way for other street elements, such as wider sidewalks or planting strips. Read more >>

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) made several changes to its process that will further Complete Streets projects statewide. Beginning in 2015, all of its construction projects will be documented with a required Complete Streets Project Report, explaining how the many ways people travel were considered. Collated, the reports will help MnDOT track and monitor Complete Streets implementation and identify areas for future activity. MnDOT also revised its Complete Streets technical memorandum accordingly, and explicitly named the National Association of City Transportation Official’s Urban Street Design Guide as a reference for MnDOT designers and engineers. Read more >>

New York City launched its Vision Zero View—an interactive, user-friendly, frequently updated map of traffic fatalities and injuries, projects to improve safety through street design interventions, and community outreach events. Enforcement data from the NYPD has yet to be incorporated. See the map >>

New Complete Streets policies

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Complete Streets