Implementing Complete Streets in small towns and rural communities

(Image courtesy of Alta Planning + Design)

Successful implementation of Complete Streets requires much more than a one-size-fits-all approach. Rural and small towns often face distinct challenges from urban areas when it comes to improving the conditions for people walking and bicycling. The National Complete Streets Coalition recently spoke with Andrea Clinkscales, Senior Planner at Alta, to learn about some of the obstacles smaller communities may face, along with potential solutions to implementing Complete Streets.

Complete Streets Rural Development

“Greening the Streetscape: Complete Streets & Stormwater Management” webinar recap

This month we closed out the first half of our monthly webinar series with “Greening the Streetscape: Complete Streets & Stormwater Management.” To learn more, view the recording of the webinar above, download the PDF of the presentation, or read the full recap below.

Complete Streets

Statement on NTSB Study: Reducing Speeding-Related Crashes Involving Passenger Vehicles

Today, after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) NTSB released recommendations from a new report aimed at reducing speeding-related injuries and fatalities, The National Complete Streets Coalition made the following statement:

“The National Complete Streets Coalition thanks NTSB for taking aim at the critical issue of speeding-related crashes that injure and kill far too many Americans each year — including many on foot or bike. We hope this report will continue to bring attention to the important yet often overlooked role of speeding in traffic injuries and fatalities for everyone who uses our streets.

Over the last decade, speed has consistently been associated with about 30 percent of traffic fatalities annually, and addressing that will help reduce auto-related injuries and fatalities. Speed is also the most important variable in how likely someone is to survive a crash. For people on foot, the likelihood of surviving a crash decreases rapidly after 30 mph; older adults are 47% likely to experience fatalities at this speed. Between 2005 and 2014, Americans were more likely to die while walking than from a natural disaster. But our Pedestrian Danger Index shows that people of color, older adults, and low-income populations are both overrepresented in pedestrian deaths and disproportionately subject to dangerous walking conditions.

Complete Streets

“Rethinking First & Last Mile: Transit-Driven Complete Streets” webinar recap

On June 29 we hosted “Rethinking First & Last Mile: Transit-Driven Complete Streets”, the fifth installment in our monthly webinar series, Implementation & Equity 201: The Path Forward to Complete Streets. A recording of the webinar is now available above. You can also download the PDF of the presentation, or read the brief recap below.

Complete Streets

One region is creating a unified approach to Complete Streets thanks to our technical assistance—with a twist

Complete Streets features on Main Street in South Bend, IN. Photo by Smart Streets SB via Twitter.

A bike lane that only lasts one block is not particularly useful. That’s why a Complete Streets approach is about more than remaking one given street. It’s about creating a connected network, where people can easily travel anywhere they need to go by a variety of travel modes.

A similar philosophy is the basis of a new project we are doing with Indiana communities along the border of Michigan, in a region known as “Michiana.” Together with the Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG), we are helping to bring together communities interested in Complete Streets to make the entire region safer and more convenient for everyone, no matter their age, ability, income, race, or how they choose to travel.

Complete Streets

Register now for “Greening the Streetscape: Complete Streets & Stormwater Management”

The National Complete Streets Coalition is excited to continue our monthly webinar series, designed to help professionals from a variety of disciplines put Complete Streets principles into action. Implementation & Equity 201: The Path Forward to Complete Streets is exploring a new issue each month related to creating safer, healthier, more equitable streets.

Our next webinar will be Greening the Streetscape: Complete Streets & Stormwater Management, taking place on Monday, July 10th from 1:00-2:00 PM EDT. Co-host NACTO will join the Coalition in answering questions such as: How can transportation projects be designed to benefit the environment, promote public health, and manage stormwater, all while creating vibrant, attractive, walkable places? And what innovative strategies are cities around the country using to make their streets safer and more resilient?

Complete Streets

Everything you need to know about applying for our Safe Streets Academy

Applications are currently open for the National Complete Streets Coalition’s Safe Streets Academy, a program designed to help jurisdictions transform their commitment to traffic safety into practice.

On Friday, June 23, we hosted a live Q&A webinar all about the Academy application process, and a recording of that event is now available in the video above.

Complete Streets

“Making the Most of Main Street: Complete Streets & Walkable Communities” webinar recap

Last month we hosted “Making the Most of Main Street: Complete Streets & Walkable Communities”, the fourth installment in our monthly webinar series, Implementation & Equity 201: The Path Forward to Complete Streets. A recording of the webinar is now available above. You can also download the PDF of the presentation, or read the brief recap below.

Complete Streets

Register now for “Rethinking First & Last Mile: Transit-Driven Complete Streets”

The National Complete Streets Coalition is excited to continue our monthly webinar series, designed to help professionals from a variety of disciplines put Complete Streets principles into action. Implementation & Equity 201: The Path Forward to Complete Streets is exploring a new issue each month related to creating safer, healthier, more equitable streets.

Our next webinar in the series, Rethinking First & Last Mile: Transit-Driven Complete Streets will take place on Thursday, June 29, 2017 from 1:00-2:00 PM EDT. Speakers from Michael Baker International and the American Public Transportation Association will join the Coalition in answering questions such as: How can transit-driven Complete Streets provide vital connections to address the first/mile last mile problem? And how can transit agencies take on a more active role in Complete Streets design and implementation? This webinar will explore examples of how the Jacksonville Transportation Authority leveraged its transit system redesign to promote improved connectivity through Complete Streets. Speakers will rethink the concept of first mile/last mile on a granular scale, exploring what kinds of infrastructure are needed to provide safe, convenient transportation choices for transit-dependent communities. Registration is now open—we hope you’ll be able to join us.

Complete Streets