Cities redo streets for pedestrians, cyclists, transit

New Urban News Article with images, 12/1/2007

“Complete Streets” movement presses a growing number of cities to plan for multimodal transportation.

In 2003, bicyclists intent on obtaining safer routes for cycling concluded that they needed a slogan — one that would communicate their goal to the public clearly and forcefully. Instead of continuing to appeal for “routine accommodation” — the bureaucratic phrase they’d been relying on up to that point — they started demanding “Complete Streets.”

This new catchphrase — and the coalition that united behind it — are helping to usher in benefits for cyclists and pedestrians alike. In the four years since the program was approved by the advocacy group American Bikes, “Complete Streets” has been endorsed or promoted by CNU, AARP, the American Planning Association, the Active Living by Design Program and others.

“A lot of cities have recognized the problem and are trying to create real change,” says Jeffrey Tumlin of Nelson\Nygaard, a transportation consulting firm based in San Francisco. The emphasis varies from one locale to another, but the central goal, as defined by Barbara Gray and Grace Crunican of the Seattle Department of Transportation, is “policies and actions aimed at producing streets that are safe, accessible, and convenient for all users.”