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08/07

Complete Streets Make Way For All
Cynthia W. Bledsoe, Executive Director
Greater Towson Committee, Inc.

The streets in the Towson core should be for everyone.  Nearly one year ago, I explored the concept of “complete streets” in this column.  Perhaps as we consider recommendations of the Towson walkability study, we should take a more in depth look at complete streets and what, by policy, they can offer an urban area.

Whether we are a pedestrian, a bicyclist, a retail shop owner or even a motorist, our streets should accommodate all of us comfortably and safely.  Up until recent years, policy allowed us to design an environment for automobiles and that is exactly what we have.  Far too many of our streets today have morphed into high speeds or congestion, something that was never intended, but what will only worsen unless we complete the streets for all users.

The principle behind complete streets is that they are designed and operated to enable safe access and mobility for all users of every acceptable mode.   When incorporated into policy, a routine is established to ensure the entire right of way and the streets themselves are designed in this fashion and that it is applied to both new and retrofit projects.

What elements make up a complete street policy?  Because of the uniqueness of our communities, there is no one golden rubber stamp for every place, but certain elements should be considered. (1) The policy should consider all users of the streets and walkways, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit vehicles and motorists, inclusive of all age groups.  (2) A connected and integrated network should be the goal.  (3) Flexibility should be allowed to treat some streets differently than others based upon user needs.  (4) All involved agencies adhere to the same principles and policy.  (5)  The policy should apply to new and retrofit projects for the street and right of way.  (6)  Performance standards with expected outcomes should be established within the policy.

With the above considerations taken when establishing a complete streets policy, both the community of users and those who invest in the changes should expect significant returns.  Resulting benefits include:

• Improved safety. Pedestrian safety can be improved by as much as 28% by redesigning medians, intersections and sidewalks to be more friendly to pedestrian use.
• Increase in walking and bicycling.  It’s healthy!  65% of us are more likely to walk in an area with safe sidewalks.  That increases our health, helps our storefront merchants and keeps more cars parked.
• Ease of transportation hassles. During the 1990’s, Portland, Oregon saw a 74% increase in bicycle commuting after implementation of complete streets.  Travel choices result in fewer automobiles on our roads and streets.
• Enhanced air quality.  If each resident of a community of 100,000 replaced one car trip with one bike trip just once a month, carbon (CO2) emissions would be reduced by 3,764 ton per year.
• Increased fiscal responsibility and performance.  By integrating roads, bicycle lanes, safe sidewalks and other amenities with the overall design of projects, we a make a more worthwhile investment and minimize the costs to complete a safer and more functional environment.

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