The streets of our cities and towns ought to be for everyone,
whether young or old, motorist or bicyclist, walker or wheelchair user, bus
rider or shopkeeper. But too many of our streets are designed only for
speeding cars, or worse, creeping traffic jams. They’re unsafe for people on
foot or bike — and unpleasant for everybody.
Now, in communities across the country, a movement is growing to complete the streets. States, cities and towns are asking their planners, engineers and designers to build road networks that welcome all citizens.
Complete streets are designed and operated to enable safe access for all
users.
Complete streets
policies direct transportation planners and engineers to consistently design
with all users in mind. They have been adopted by a few states (OR, VA, SC),
and a number of regions and cities. Places that adopt complete streets
policies are making sure that their streets and roads work for drivers,
transit riders, pedestrians, and bicyclists, as well as for older people,
children, and people with disabilities.
There is no prescription for a complete street. But look for:
· sidewalks
· bike lanes
· wide shoulders
· plenty of crosswalks
· refuge medians
· bus pullouts
· special bus lanes
· raised crosswalks
· audible pedestrian signals
· sidewalk bulb-outs
Complete streets improve safety.
A Federal Highways Administration safety review found that designing the street with pedestrians in mind — sidewalks, raised medians, better bus stop placement, traffic-calming measures, and treatments for disabled travelers — all improve pedestrian safety.
One study found that designing for pedestrian travel by installing raised medians and redesigning intersections and sidewalks reduced pedestrian risk by 28%.
Complete streets encourage walking and bicycling for health.
The National Institutes of Medicine recommends fighting childhood obesity by changing ordinances to encourage construction of sidewalks, bikeways, and other places for physical activity.
A report of the National Conference of State Legislators found that the most effective policy avenue for encouraging bicycling and walking is complete streets.
One study found that 43% of people with safe places to walk within 10 minutes of home met recommended activity levels, while just 27% of those without safe places to walk were active enough.
Complete streets help ease transportation woes.
About one-third of Americans do not drive. Complete streets help
provide safe access for people who use wheelchairs, have vision impairments,
and for older people and children.
More than one quarter of all trips are one mile or less — and almost half are under five miles. Most of those trips are now made by car. Streets that provide travel choices give people the option to avoid traffic jams and increase the overall capacity of the transportation network.
Complete streets
make fiscal sense.
Integrating sidewalks, bike lanes, transit amenities, and safe crossings
into the initial design of a project spares the expense of retrofits later.
Become part of the movement toward complete streets. For more information, visit www.completestreets.org
A
broad coalition of advocates
and transportation professionals
are working to enact complete
streets policies across the country.
Join us!
Institutional membership —$100.
For more information, visit
www.completestreets.org or
write info@completestreets.org.
B.J. Campbell, Charles V. Zegeer, Herman H. Huang, and Michael J. Cynecki. A Review of Pedestrian Safety Research in the United States and Abroad, Jan. 2004, Federal Highway Administration, Publication number FHWA-RD-03-042
King, MR, Carnegie, JA, Ewing, R. Pedestrian Safety Through a Raised Median and Redesigned Intersections, Transportation Research Board 1828, 2003) pp 56-66
Koplan, J.P., Liverman, C.T., & Kraak, V.I. (Eds.). Committee on Prevention of Obesity in Children and Youth (2004). Preventing childhood obesity: Health in the balance. Washington, DC: Institute of Medicine. Retrieved December 7, 2004 from http://books.nap.edu/catalog/11015.html.
Teach Robbins, L., Morandi, L. Promoting Walking and Biking: the Legislative Role. NCSL, December 2002. access: www.activelivingleadership.org/pdf_file/Pro-moting_Walking_and_biking.pdf
Powell, K.E., Martin, L., & Chowdhury, P.P. Places to walk: convenience and regular physical activity. American
Journal of Public Health, 93, (2003): 1519-1521. Highway Statistics, 2001
Complete the streets.
National Complete Streets Coalition
1707 L St NW, Suite 1050
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 207-3355
www.completestreets.org