What do others have to say How can I get involved with
about Complete Streets? Complete Streets?
“Now, finally, there’s an organized nationwide A broad coalition of advocates and transportation
movement to fight the good fight for saner streets. professionals are working to enact complete streets policies
It’s a coalition mounting a nationwide campaign across the country.
for city and town roadways that include safe,
quality space for pedestrians and cyclists and JOIN US BY BECOMING A
public transit users, accommodating their wishes MEMBER OR PARTNER!
just as seriously as those of car and truck drivers.
It’s called, fittingly, the Complete Streets Becoming a member or partner is easy. We simply ask that
movement.” you endorse the Coalition’s mission by returning the
- Columnist Neal Peirce respective sign-up form (available at www.completestreets.
org/getinvolved.html); collaborate with leading national and
regional organizations to advance complete streets and make
“We have very real challenges facing our country, an annual contribution at the appropriate level.
and they are all interwoven. We now know that The streets
we must change our environmental and energy While donations are not a requirement, they are central to of our cities
policy, and reduce our impact on the planet. By our ability to spread the work, coordinate action, and help and towns ought
opening up our roadways to pedestrians and organizations nationwide get it right. to be for everyone,
cyclists, we can help ease the congestion on our
nation’s roads.” Organizations serving on the National Complete whether young or old,
-Representative Doris Matsui Streets Coalition Steering Committee are: motorist or bicyclist, walker
or wheelchair user, bus
AARP rider or shopkeeper.
Active Living by Design
America Bikes But too many of our streets are
America Walks designed only for speeding cars,
Schedule a workshop! American Council of the Blind
American Planning Association
or worse, creeping traffic jams. These
These streets are unsafe for people on foot
American Public Transportation Association or bike and unpleasant for everybody.
To help organizations successfully American Society of Landscape Architects
adopt complete streets policies, the National Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals Now, in communities across the country, a
Complete Streets Coalition offers City of Boulder movement is growing to complete the
interactive workshops led by national Institute of Transportation of Engineers streets. States, cities, and towns are
experts on policy development and policy League of American Bicyclists asking their planners, engineers,
implementation. Visit our website for more McCann Consulting and designers to build road
information about scheduling a workshop. National Center for Bicycling and Walking networks that welcome
Safe Route ot School National Partnership all citizens.
Smart Growth America
Thunderhead Alliance for Bicycling and Walking
National Complete Streets Coalition
Dozens of places have been adopting policies at an 1707 L Street NW, Suite 1050
accelerating pace, including the States of California and Washington, DC 20036
Illinois, Seattle, and Iowa City. Keep track of our progress by (202) 207-3355 POLICY & IMPLEMENTATION
info@completestreets.org
signing up for our newsletter!
www.completestreets.org www.completestreets.org

What are Complete Streets? Why do we need Complete A recent federal survey found that about one-quarter of
walking trips take place on roads without sidewalks or
Complete streets are designed and operated to enable safe Streets policies? shoulder, and bike lanes are available for only about 5
access for all users. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and bus percent of bicycle trips. Another national survey of
riders of all ages and abilities are able to safely move along Americans want mobility. pedestrians and bicyclists found that the top complaints
and across a complete street. Recent opinion polls found that 52 percent of Americans were the lack of sidewalks and bikeway - essentially,
want to bicycle more, and 55% would prefer to drive less incomplete streets.
and walk more. More than half (54%) of older adults who
reported an inhospitable walking, bicycling, and transit
environment outside their homes said they would walk,
bicycle and take transit more if the streets were improved.
Many streets where people bicycle or
walk are incomplete.
Dan Burden
Our states, cities, counties, and towns have built many miles Dan Burden
of streets and roads that are safe and comfortable only for
travel by motor vehicle. These roadways often lack sidewalk, Few laws require states to build roads
crosswalks, crosswalks, and space for bicyclists; furthermore,
roadways often make no room for transit riders and no
as complete transportation corridors.
accommodation for people with disabilities.
What does a good In 2000, the US Department of Transportation advised states
receiving federal funds that “bicycling and walking facilities
Complete Streets policy include? will be incorporated into all transportation projects unless
exceptional circumstances exist.” Unfortunately, fewer than
A good complete streets policy: half the states follow this federal guidance. Many highway
improvements add automobile capacity and increase vehicle
- Specifies that ‘all users include pedestrians, bicyclists, speeds, but do nothing to mitigate the negative impact this
transit vehicles and users, and motorists, of all ages and usually has on bicycling and walking.
abilities
Streets without safe places to walk
- Aims to create a comprehensive, integrated, connected
network and bicycle put people at risk.
- Is adoptable by all agencies to cover all roads While only nine percent of all trips are made by foot or
bicycle, more than 13 percent of all traffic fatalities are
- Applies to both new and retrofit projects, including bicyclicts or pedestrians. More than 5000 pedestrians and
design, planning, maintenance, and operations, for the bicyclist die each year on U.S. roads. The most dangerous
entire right of way places to walk and bicycle are sprawling communities with
streets built for driving only.
- Makes any exceptions specific and sets a clear proc
dure that requires high-level approval of exceptions Roads without safe access for
- Directs the use of the latest and best design standards non-drivers become barriers.
- Directs that complete streets solutions fit in with the Roads without safe access for non-drivers become barriers
context of the community to mobility. About one-third of Americans do not drive, so
complete streets are essential for children and older
- Establishes performance standards with measurable Americans, as well as people who use wheelchairs, have
outcomes Dan Burden
vision impairments, or simply cannot afford a car.
Become part of the movement toward complete streets. For more information, visit www.completestreets.org

How are Complete Streets policies How can I get involved with
implemented? Complete Streets?
Instead of a project-by-project struggle to accommodate A broad coalition of advocates and transportation profes-
bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly practices, complete streets sionals are working to enact complete streets policies across
policies require all road construction and improvement the country.
projects to begin by evaluating how the right-of-way serves
all who use it. An effective complete streets policy should
prompt transportation agencies to:
JOIN US BY BECOMING A
MEMBER OR PARTNER!
* Restructure procedures to accommodate all users on
every project. Becoming a member or partner is easy. We simply ask that
* Re-write design manuals to include the safety of all users. you endorse the Coalition’s mission by returning the
* Re-train planners and engineers in balancing the needs of respective sign-up form (available at www.completestreets.
diverse users. org/getinvolved.html); collaborate with leading national and
* Create new data collection procedures to track how regional organizations to advance complete streets and make
well the streets are serving all users. an annual contribution at the appropriate level.
s
While donations are not a requirement, they are central to
our ability to spread the work, coordinate action, and help f it
Schedule a workshop!
ne
organizations nationwide get it right. The streets
To help organizations successfully adopt of our cities
complete streets policies, the National
res a d Be
Organizations serving on the National Complete and towns ought
Complete Streets Coaltion offers
Streets Coalition Steering Committee are: to be for everyone,
interactive workshops led by national
experts on policy development and policy
AARP whether young or old,
implementation. Visit our website for
Active Living by Design motorist or bicyclist, walker
more information about scheduling
or wheelchair user, bus
n
a workshop. America Bikes
rider or shopkeeper.
America Walks
American Council of the Blind But too many of our streets are
American Planning Association
Where are Complete Streets American Public Transportation Association
designed only for speeding cars,
or worse, creeping traffic jams. These
American Society of Landscape Architects These streets are unsafe for people on foot
Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals or bike and unpleasant for everybody.
City of Boulder
u
*as of
Institute of Transportation of Engineers Now, in communities across the country, a
at
Feb. 2009
League of American Bicyclists movement is growing to complete the
McCann Consulting streets. States, cities, and towns are
e
National Center for Bicycling and Walking
Safe Route ot School National Partnership
F
F asking their planners, engineers,
and designers to build road
Smart Growth America
Thunderhead Alliance for Bicycling and Walking
m
m on
on networks that welcome
all citizens.
Dozens of places have been adopting policies at an
National Complete Streets Coalition
1707 L Street NW, Suite 1050
Washington, DC 20036
Com
Com
accelerating pace, including the States of California and (202) 207-3355
Illinois, Seattle, and Iowa City. Keep track of our progress by info@completestreets.org
signing up for our newsletter! www.completestreets.org www.completestreets.org

What are Complete Streets? Why do we need Complete Complete streets encourage walking
Complete streets are designed and operated to enable
safe access for all users. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists
Streets policies? and bicycling for health.
The National Institutes of Medicine recommends fighting
and bus riders of all ages and abilities are able to safely Complete streets improve safety. childhood obesity by establishing ordinances to encourage
move along and across a complete street.
construction of sidewalks, bikeways, and other places for
A Federal Highways Administration safety review found physical activity.
What do Complete Streets that streets designed with sidewalks, raised medians, better
bus stop placement, traffic-calming measures, and One study found that 43% of people with safe places to
walk within 10 minutes of home met recommended
policies do? treatments for disabled travelers improve pedestrian safety.
Some features, such as medians, improve safety for all activity levels; among individuals without safe places to
Complete Streets policies direct transportation planners users: they enable pedestrians to cross busy roads in two walk, just 27% were active enough.
and engineers to consistently design with all users in mind stages and reduce left-turning motorist crashes to zero, a
including drivers, transit riders, pedestrians, and bicyclists type of crash that also endangers bicyclists.
as well as older people, children, and people with
disabilities.
What do Complete Streets
look like? Surveys have found that a lack of sidewalks and safe places to
eys la k
While there is no prescription for a complete bike are a primary reason people give when asked why they do
street, common features include: not walk or bicycle more. Photo from City of Santa Barbara.
- SIDEWALKS Complete streets address climate
change and oil dependence.
- BIKE LANES
The potential to reduce carbon emissions by shifting trips
- WIDE SHOULDERS to lower-carbon modes is undeniable: The 2001 National
Household Transportation Survey finds that 50% of all trips
John LaPlante
Joh
John aPl nte
John LaPlante
Pla t
- PLENTY OF CROSSWALKS in metropolitan areas are three miles or less and 28% of all
metropolitan trips are one mile or less – distances easily
- REFUGE MEDIANS traversed by foot or bicycle.Yet 65% of trips under one mile
are now made by automobile, in part because of incomplete
- BUS PULLOUTS streets that make it dangerous or unpleasant to walk,
bicycle, or take transit. Complete streets would help
- SPECIAL BUS LANES convert many of these short automobile trips to multi-
Nevad Bi y le Coalit on
Nevada Bicycle Coalition
da ic oal
liti
Nevada Bicycle Coalition modal travel.
- RAISED CROSSWALKS
Walking and bicycling require no gasoline and transit’s use
- AUDIBLE PEDESTRIAN of fuel is much more efficient than that of automobiles.
SIGNALS Simply increasing bicycling from 1% to 1.5% of all trips in
the U.S. would save 462 million gallons of gasoline each year.
- SIDEWALK BUILB-OUTS Using transit has already helped the United States save 1.5
Dan Burden billion gallons of fuel each year since the early 1990s, which
saf ty.fhwa.d t.go
safety.fhwa.dot.gov
safety.fhwa.dot.gov
fe do gov is nearly 36 million barrels of oil.
Become part of the movement toward complete streets. For more information, visit www.completestreets.org