SierraScape February - March 2008
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by Ann Mack
Executive Director, Trailnet

Do you live on a Complete Street? Do you travel to school or work on a Complete Street? And foremost 'What IS a Complete Street?'

Complete Streets are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users. Users are pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities. Access gives users the ability to safely move along and across a Complete Street (for more information, access Complete Streets Coalition, www.completestreets.org). You may intuitively know which neighborhood streets are complete and which are not. In thinking about walking or cycling to a nearby destination, you may instinctively ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I look forward to the trip or do I face the trip with trepidation?
• Is there a continuous system of sidewalks that are wide enough and in good repair?
• Are there pedestrian signals at major intersections and if so, are the signals timed to allow adequate time to easily cross?
• Are there bicycle lanes and signals that 'recognize' a cyclist at the intersections thereby changing to a green light?

By designing our communities and streets for all modal types and by putting priority first to pedestrians, then cyclists, mass transit and finally, the single passenger automobile, we acknowledge the fact that one third of all Americans do not drive. Twenty one percent of Americans over 65 do not drive, all children under 16 cannot legally drive and many low income Americans cannot afford to drive.

How expensive are Complete Streets? Consider these statistics: facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians receive 1% of federal funding, yet 10% of trips are taken by foot or bicycle. Of course, this percentage could increase dramatically with effective design. The inadequacy of our facilities is demonstrated by the fact that pedestrian and bicycle deaths represent 13% of total fatalities. These are expensive statistics! If we can move toward designing bicycle/ pedestrian facilities, as roadways are being built, improved or newly constructed, the cost of overall construction is minimal. By designing intersections for pedestrian travel, we can reduce pedestrian risk by 28%. This insight tells us that we cannot afford not to build Complete Streets!

Within each of our own communities, there are simple tools available to evaluate our streets and neighborhoods. These tools, called Walkability and Bikeability Audits, are available on our website (www.trailnet.org/transport_facilities.php) and can help us all identify barriers to safe walking and cycling and also many potential solutions. Such solutions range from no cost/low cost to infrastructural measures, such as painted cross walks, bicycle lanes or traffic calming solutions. It might be an interesting weekend exercise to take a walkabout for walkabililty in your own neighborhood - think about the kinds of improvements we can make toward increasing the number of Complete Streets.

Bicycling and pedestrian organizations - including Trailnet - are realizing that its time to diversify our partnerships, wherein we create organizations dedicated not only to improving access for the non-driver, but also to promoting health through active living. We see the connection between Complete Streets and more active, healthier adults and children; we see the connection between Complete Streets and less automobile pollution; we see the connection between Complete Streets and more cohesive neighborhoods. In short, we see that Complete Streets help create healthy individuals, healthy environments and healthy communities.

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