Street design: Part 1. Complete streets

Abstract

Ensuring that roads provide safe mobility for all travelers, not just motor vehicles, is at the heart of a new approach to envisioning and building surface transportation facilities known as streets. According to the National Complete Streets Coalition, established in 2005, complete streets are those designed and operated to enable safe access and travel for all users. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, transit users, and travelers of all ages and abilities will be able to move along the street network safely. Typical elements that make up a complete street include sidewalks, bicycle lanes (or wide, paved shoulders), shared-use paths, designated bus lanes, safe and accessible transit stops, and frequent and safe crossings for pedestrians. In the first of a two-part series on street design, this article looks at how complete streets policies can help make the transportation system more accessible to all travelers. The roles of the federal government, state departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments and transit operators in developing and implementing complete streets programs are discussed. The Safe Routes to School program and context sensitive solutions are highlighted as examples of federally-backed approaches to complete streets programs. The challenge of meeting the mobility requirements of the 21st century requires a shift in mindset from designing an automobile-focused highway system to operating a transportation network that accommodates all users and modes safely and conveniently. Transportation agencies and their partners have the ability--through legislation, Federal programs, policy statements, design guidelines, and planning--to provide more complete streets to all travelers by taking advantage of the many opportunities to go beyond traditional approaches. KW: SR2S Language: en

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