3. • Includes all transportation modes
• Safe, comfortable and convenient travel
• Applies to new construction and reconstruction
• Special and limited exceptions are allowed
• Use of Context Sensitive Design in conjunction with
Complete Streets …. sets a vision
• Use latest design standards with flexibility
• Performance standards
4. • Design prescription
• Mandate for immediate retrofit
• Silver bullet – other initiatives need to be
addressed such as land use, environmental
concerns, vehicle miles traveled (VMT)
reduction, potential for usage
5. • 55% of public would rather drive less, walk more
• Nearly 1/3 of public don’t drive
21% are over 65
children under 16
many low income don’t have access to motor
vehicles
• 47% of the older say it is unsafe to cross a major street near
home
• 54% say they would walk and bike more often if the built
environment improved
• 66% want more transportation options
• 73% currently feel they have no choice but to drive more
• 57% would like to spend less time in car
Future of Transportation National Survey (2010)
6. • Pedestrians are at risk –
In NY state, 23% traffic deaths vs. 12% nationwide
5 largest upstate counties, pedestrian killed every 10 days
NYC, every 2.5 days ; Long Island every week
More than 40% of pedestrian deaths (2007 & 2008) where no
crosswalks were available – 10% where available
Disproportionate are seniors / 19% fatalities, 11% injury
• Impact on aging population – 2.04 per 100,000 population
• Children / 19% between ages 5>9; 7% age 15 and younger;
23% of all pedestrians injured
• Disabled
• Extensive infrastructure focused toward motor vehicles
• Unsafe for traveling by foot or bicycle
• Promote economic development in business districts
• Improve environmental quality / air, noise
7. • Unsafe for pedestrians and bicyclists
Represent 12% of all trips
Suffer 13% of fatalities
Receive 1% of federal funding
• Bike lanes are available for about 5% of bicycle trips
• Of all trips
50% are under 3 miles
28% are 1 mile or less
72% of trips 1mile or less are driven
25% of walking trips take place on roads w/o
shoulders or sidewalks
8. • Title 23 / Transportation (23CFR)
No specific provisions in current regulations
Complete Streets Act of 2011 – H.R. 1780/S. 1056
67% of all pedestrian fatalities on roads eligible for
federal aid
• Nationally – over 200 jurisdictions have policy
• New York State
-Senate Bill S05411 - Assembly A8366 / passed unanimously
-Governor Cuomo signed August 15, 2011
-Effective 180 days later – February 11, 2012
-Projects are “grandfathered” prior to effective date
-Amendment to NYS Highway Law, Section 331
9. In 2010, New York State
1,200 total traffic fatalities
19,392,283 (thousands) Resident Population
303 were pedestrian fatalities
25.3% of total ( U.S. total = 13%)
1.56 pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 population
1.38 U.S. per 100,000 population
Ref: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
11. • State, county, local transportation projects with federal
and state funding
• Construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation projects
• Not on resurfacing, maintenance, pavement recycling,
interstate highways
• Not where cost is disproportionate … land use context;
population density; current and projected traffic
volumes / more than 20% of project costs
12. • Not where demonstrated lack of need determined by
land use, existing and future traffic, lack of
community support, or use of design features would
have an adverse impact, or be contrary to, public safety
• No expenditure in excess of project funding
• Institutionalize design features into planning, project
scoping, design implementation
• Document analysis ; publicly available
13. • For everyone – pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists,
transit riders of all ages and abilities
• Easy to cross streets
• Design and operate the entire right-of-way to
enable safe access for all users, regardless of
age, ability, or mode of transportation
14. • No single prescription / each is unique to community’s
vision
• May include:
-Sidewalks and curb ramps
-Bike lanes (or wide paved shoulders)
-Special bus lanes
-Comfortable, safe, accessible bus stops
-Frequent, safe crossing opportunities
-Median Islands
-Accessible pedestrian signals
-Curb extensions; bulb outs
-Narrower travel lanes
-Roundabouts
-Intersection control – turn lanes, signals
15. • Complete Streets Improve Safety
For example - use of medians enable pedestrians to cross
busy roads in 2 stages, reduce left-turning conflicts
• Complete Streets Encourage Health
For example – bicycling and walking help prevent obesity (Ref:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Complete Streets Lower Transportation Costs
On average, U.S. residents spend 18-cents of every dollar for
transportation, with the poorest 20% spending 36-cents.
Taking public transportation saves an estimated $9,581/year
• Complete Streets Foster Strong Communities
Social interaction
16. CHILDREN
• Incomplete streets: a barrier for children
• Leading cause of unintentional, injury related
death, ages 5 >14
• More than 1/3 of nation’s children are overweight
or obese
• Limited physical activity
• Complete Streets: provide dedicated space for
bicycling and walking and give children safety,
mobility to be physically active and independent
17. PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
• Incomplete streets impede livability, are unsafe,
inaccessible for wheelchair users
• 20% of public have a disability that limits their
daily activities – short-term / long-term
• Complete Streets remove barriers, reduce isolation
and dependence
• Complete Streets feature curb cuts, high visibility
crosswalks, and other designs for the disabled
18. HEALTH
• Incomplete streets restrict physical activity
• Walking is the 2nd most common form of travel,
10.9% of all trips
• Complete Streets make active living easy
19.
20. Obesity is lower in places where people use bicycles, public transportation, and their
feet.
30 60
Percent Walk, Bike,Transit
25 50
Percent of Obesity
20 40
15 30
10 20
5 10
0 0
d ia a d e d y n y n ia s d k
SAalan tral nad elan anc lan Ital pai ma n e de str land rlan mar
U e us a Ir Fr in
F S er w Au er tze en
Z A C G S
ew eth wi D
N N S
Obesity Walk, Bike, Transit
Pucher, “Walking and Cycling: Path to Improved Public Health,” Fit City Conference, NYC, June 2009
21. OLDER ADULTS
• Incomplete streets a problem for older
individuals
-2025: 1 in 5 will be over 65
(Ref: U.S. Census Bureau)
• Complete streets help create livable
communities
• About ½ of all non-drivers over 65 would
like to get out more often
• Independence
22. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
• Incomplete Streets: a hindrance to riders, good
service
• Connect transit to work, to shops, to schools, to
homes through appropriate design for transit
users
• Create smooth, predictable transit trips by
planning and designing for transit vehicles
• Complete Streets make transit safe, convenient,
and comfortable
23. CLIMATE CHANGE
• Incomplete streets hamper climate change
• Climate-cooling potential of Complete Streets
• Reduce environmental quality concerns …. air,
noise, energy usage, visual, land use
24. ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION
• Incomplete streets can restrict economic development
• In areas studied, each 1-point increase in the 100-point
Walk Score scale = an increase of home value of $500 –
$3,000
Ref: Washington, DC: Barracks Row / 8th Street SE
-$8-M public streetscape investment 2003-2004
-$8-M private investment in following 2 years
-32 new business establishments
-$80,000 in annual sales tax revenue
• Complete Streets help create viable communities
25. GAS PRICES
• Incomplete streets cost families money and
encourage oil consumption
• Complete Streets help create viable communities
26. SAFETY
• Incomplete streets put people at risk
-Walk, bike, run on roadway
-Transit stops poorly placed in shoulder area
-Lack of adequate shoulder area, or sidewalks
-3,200 lb. vehicle vs. 75-200 lb. pedestrian
• Complete Streets help reduce accidents
• In 2010 -4,280 pedestrians killed …. 1 every 2 hours
• 70,000 injured … 1 every 8 minutes
27. TRANSPORTATION COSTS
• Incomplete streets lead to higher costs
• Car purchase, operation … insurance,
maintenance, value
• Complete Streets give choices …. control over
expenses, replacing expensive local car travel with
cheaper options --- walking, riding bikes, public
transportation
29. COST OF COMPLETE STREETS
• Help prevent costly delays and retrofits
• Require minimal to zero additional funding
• Save money through better design
• Investment in the community
30. CHANGE TRAVEL PATTERNS
• Incomplete streets discourage getting out of the
car
• Residents are 65% more likely to walk in a
neighborhood with sidewalks
• Regions with more bike lanes per square mile
have higher levels of bicycle commuting
• Complete Streets increase use of public
transportation, bicycling, and walking
31. CREATE LIVABLE COMMUNITIES
• Incomplete streets deny citizens safety, choice
• Walkable communities = happier communities
• Residents of walkable communities:
-More likely to be socially engaged and trusting
-Report being in good health and happy more often
• Complete Streets create more choices, shorten
travel times and encourage less carbon intensive
transportation
32. SUSTAINABLE STREETS
• Many elements of street design,
construction, and operation can achieve
both streets that work for all travelers and
“green” streets that improve environmental
sustainability
-Pavement
-Landscaping
-Climate
33. POLICY ELEMENTS
• Sets a community vision
• Specifies all users / modes
• Connectivity / network to serve all users
• Specifies and limits exceptions as documented
• All phases of applicable projects … road, utilities
• Flexible design criteria
• Context-sensitive
• Sets performance measures
• Implementation steps
34. A series of “Before” and “After” situations.
In addition to looking at things differently,
the main question to always ask,
“Can’t we do better than this?”
50. Edward Stachura
Senior Project Manager
TVGA Consultants
716.849.8739
estachura@tvga.com
Information Credits:
Complete Streets Organization, Washington, DC
U.S. Department of Transportation, FHWA
New York State Department of Transportation
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Transportation for Amrica
