Complete streets - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Urban planning

Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....

and highway engineering

Highway engineering

Highway engineering is an engineering discipline branching from civil engineering which involves the design, construction and maintenance of Highway Systems. Highway Engineering become prominent towards the latter half of the 20th Century after World War 2. Standards of highway engineering are...

, complete streets (sometimes livable streets) are road

Road

A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...

ways designed and operated to enable safe, attractive, and comfortable access and travel for all users, including pedestrian

Pedestrian

A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...

s, bicyclists

Bicycle

A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....

, motorists

Driving

Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a land vehicle, such as a car, truck or bus.Although direct operation of a bicycle and a mounted animal are commonly referred to as riding, such operators are legally considered drivers and are required to obey the rules of the road...

and public transport

Public transport

Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...

users of all ages and abilities. Official policies that encourage or require such accommodation are known as complete streets policies.

Proponents of complete streets policies claim that they improve safety, lower transportation costs, provide alternatives to private cars, encourage health through walking and biking, create a sense of place, improve social interaction, and generally improve adjacent property values. Opponents may consider automobile infrastructure to be a better use of public funds, or consider efforts to encourage other forms of transportation to be coercive. Individual projects and policies have sometimes faced specific local opposition, typically based on concerns over traffic flow and automobile access.

History and current status

Many communities in the United States have long existed in a state of “automobile dependence” – automobiles are the central focus of their transportation, infrastructure and land use policies to the extent that other modes of transportation, such as walking, cycling and mass transit, have become impractical.

The first statewide complete streets policy in the United States was enacted in 1971, when the State of Oregon passed a "bike bill" requiring that new or rebuilt roads accommodate bicycles and pedestrians, and required state and local governments to fund pedestrian and bicycle facilities in the public right-of-way. In 1984, the State of Florida enacted State Statute 335.065, requiring that transportation planning and development give "full consideration" to bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

The current usage of the term "complete streets" dates to 2003, when it was coined by cycling advocates as a replacement for the technical term "routine accommodation." The National Complete Streets Coalition was founded in 2005 by a coalition of advocacy and trade groups, including AARP, the American Planning Association, the American Society of Landscape Architects, and the American Heart Association.

As of 2011, complete streets policies have been endorsed or adopted by 224 U.S. jurisdictions, including 23 states. Some of these jurisdictions have passed legislation enacting their policies into law, while others have implemented their policies by executive order or regulation. Still more jurisdictions have passed non-binding resolutions in support of complete streets, or created transportation plans that incorporate complete streets principles. Federal complete streets legislation was proposed in 2008 and 2009, but failed to become law. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a policy statement on bicycle and pedestrian accommodation, declaring its support for their inclusion in federal-aid transportation projects and encouraging community organizations, public transportation agencies, and state and local governments to adopt similar policies.

Elements of a complete street

The National Complete Streets Coalition, a pro-complete streets advocacy group in the United States, defines complete streets as those that are designed and operated to allow all users, not only drivers, to use them safely. The specific design elements of a complete street vary from place to place, but they may include:

Pedestrian infrastructure such as sidewalk
Sidewalk
A sidewalk, or pavement, footpath, footway, and sometimes platform, is a path along the side of a road. A sidewalk may accommodate moderate changes in grade and is normally separated from the vehicular section by a curb...

s; crosswalks
Pedestrian crossing
A pedestrian crossing or crosswalk is a designated point on a road at which some means are employed to assist pedestrians wishing to cross. They are designed to keep pedestrians together where they can be seen by motorists, and where they can cross most safely across the flow of vehicular traffic...

, including median
Central reservation
On divided roads, such as divided highways or freeways/motorways, the central reservation , median, parkway , median strip or central nature strip is the area which separates opposing lanes of traffic...

crossing islands and raised crosswalks
Pedestrian separation structure
A pedestrian separation structure is any structure that removes pedestrians from a vehicle roadway. This creates a road junction where vehicles and pedestrians do not interact.This can be considered a type of grade separation structure on the road....

; accessible pedestrian signals, including audible cues for people with low vision and pushbuttons reachable by wheelchair users; and sidewalk bulb-outs
Curb extension
A curb extension is a traffic calming measure, primarily used to extend the sidewalk, reducing the crossing distance and allowing pedestrians about to cross and approaching vehicle drivers to see each other when vehicles...
Traffic calming measures to lower driving speeds and define the edges of car travelways, including road diet
Road diet
A road diet, also called a lane reduction, is a technique in transportation planning whereby a road is reduced in number of travel lanes and/or effective width in order to achieve systemic improvements.-Techniques:...

s, center medians, shorter curb corner radii, elimination of free-flow right-turn lanes, staggered parking, street trees, planter strips and ground cover
Bicycle accommodations, such as dedicated bicycle lanes or wide shoulder
Shoulder (road)
A hard shoulder, or simply shoulder, is a reserved area by the verge of a road or motorway. Generally it is kept clear of motor vehicle traffic...

s
Mass transit accommodations, such as bus pullouts or special bus lane
Bus lane
A bus lane or bus only lane is a lane restricted to buses, and generally used to speed up public transport that would be otherwise held up by traffic congestion...

s

Complete streets policies normally exempt three kinds of roadways: freeways or other roads where non-motorized transportation is banned, roadways where the cost of accommodation would be too disproportionate to the need or expected use, and roadways where accommodation is shown to be unnecessary.

Safety

Complete streets policies are meant in part to improve safety, and various studies suggest that complete streets principles have done so. A Federal Highway Administration

Federal Highway Administration

The Federal Highway Administration is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program...

safety review found that designing the street with pedestrians in mind—sidewalks, raised medians, turning access controls, better bus stop

Bus stop

A bus stop is a designated place where buses stop for passengers to board or leave a bus. These are normally positioned on the highway and are distinct from off-highway facilities such as bus stations. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage...

placement, better lighting, traffic calming

Traffic calming

Traffic calming is intended to slow or reduce motor-vehicle traffic in order to improve the living conditions for residents as well as to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. Urban planners and traffic engineers have many strategies for traffic calming...

measures, and treatments for disabled travelers—all improve pedestrian, bicyclist and motorist safety. Another study found that installing these features reduced pedestrian risk by 28%.

Health

A variety of reports and organizations have suggested that complete streets policies could improve public health by promoting walking and bicycling. One study found that 43% of people with safe places to walk within 10 minutes of home met recommended physical activity levels, while just 27% of those without safe places to walk were active enough.The Institute of Medicine

Institute of Medicine

The Institute of Medicine is a not-for-profit, non-governmental American organization founded in 1970, under the congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences...

recommends fighting childhood obesity

Childhood obesity

Childhood obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child's health or wellbeing. As methods to determine body fat directly are difficult, the diagnosis of obesity is often based on BMI. Due to the rising prevalence of obesity in children and its many adverse health effects...

by changing ordinances

Local ordinance

A local ordinance is a law usually found in a municipal code.-United States:In the United States, these laws are enforced locally in addition to state law and federal law.-Japan:...

to encourage construction of sidewalks, bikeways, and other places for physical activity

Physical exercise

Physical exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons including strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system, honing athletic skills, weight loss or maintenance, as well as for the purpose of...

. A report of the National Conference of State Legislators found that complete streets policies are the most effective policy avenue for encouraging bicycling and walking is complete streets.

Economic

As areas become more attractive and balanced, land values increase. Some Complete Street projects have increased adjacent land values 30-100%. For instance, a road diet

Road diet

A road diet, also called a lane reduction, is a technique in transportation planning whereby a road is reduced in number of travel lanes and/or effective width in order to achieve systemic improvements.-Techniques:...

on South Olive Avenue (Complete Street and Road Diet) in West Palm Beach, Florida resulted in an increase in adjacent home values of $115,000 in just one year.

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