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From YouTube: Complete Streets
Description
A recent visit to East Boulevard exposed the visitor to the benefits of slowing down and sharing the space with folks traveling similar routes by various means.
In communities across the country, a movement is growing to complete the streets. States, cities and towns are asking their planners and engineers to build road networks that are safer, more livable, and welcoming to everyone.
Instituting a Complete Streets policy ensures that transportation planners and engineers consistently design and operate the entire roadway with all users in mind - including bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and riders, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.
A
Let's
say:
you're
a
street
person
I'm
talking
about
a
person
designing,
building
or
maintaining
streets
in
the
United
States
during
the
past,
sixty
or
so
years.
Your
focus
was
on
automobiles,
allowing
for
coexisting,
buses
and
delivery
trucks.
Your
focus
would
have
been
moving
more
cars,
which
meant
minimizing
obstacles
to
cars.
We
pedestrians
were
among
the
obstacles
we
bikers
were
among
the
obstacles,
and
certainly
any
of
us
needing
extra
time
to
cross
in
front
of
cars
to
the
other
side
of
the
car
route
or
obstacles.
Well,
now
take
a
break.
A
Somehow
we
have
arrived
at
a
new
place
in
our
thinking
about
traffic
traffic
at
last.
Is
us
not
just
cars
and
those
in
cars
doing
in
throwing
night
and
day
with
royalty
like
right
at
with
the
idea
of
Complete
Streets
or
our
livable
streets
as
they're
also
called
rolled
out
of
Oregon
in
1971,
the
legislature
decided
that
any
new
construction,
any
reconstruction
with
state
funding,
would
be
people-friendly.
A
Pedestrian
friendly,
biker,
friendly
moms,
with
kids,
with
strollers
friendly
there'd,
be
pull
outs
for
the
buses.
It'd
be
a
shared
thoroughfare,
not
just
for
cars,
anymore,
21st
century's
second
decade.
Thinking
is
that
existing
all
car,
all
the
time
Street
space
often
can
be
used
better
for
the
well-being
of
the
community.
No
one
here
is
talking
about
converting
an
expressway
into
a
country
lane,
but
some
neighborhoods,
such
as
East
Boulevard
here
in
Dilworth,
have
far
greater
value
as
safe
and
comfortable
walking
areas
rather
than
buzzed
through
commuter
routes.
A
B
A
Details
vary
depending
on
place
in
circumstance,
but
the
basic
elements
among
Complete
Streets
and
bike
lanes,
landscaped
pedestrian
refuge,
islands
and
pullover
lanes
for
buses
to
more
safe,
together
and
dispersed
riders.
The
crossings
are
pebbled
or
textured
to
guide
a
sightless
pedestrian
to
the
safe
standing
areas.
Some
cities
meander
the
streets
a
bit
with
a
few
kinks
to
slow
the
auto
traffic
among
the
pedestrians
and
bikers.
B
A
The
National
Complete
Streets
coalition
continues
advocating
what
the
Coalition
sees
as
a
timely
repurposing
of
existing
infrastructure,
more
varied
traffic
and
more
safely
and
more
healthfully
travel
using
the
same
amount
of
space.
Auto
commuters
have
had
all
to
themselves.
That
point
of
view
is
getting
noticed
as
fuel
costs
start
from
scratch.
Construction
costs
and
influential
coalition
members
such
as
the
American
Heart
Association
and
the
AARP
combined
to
communicate
the
need
change.
B
A
The
health
and
safety
benefits
favoring
Complete
Streets.
There
are
those
numbers.
National
comparisons
show
consistently
higher
property
values
and
what
are
called
walkable
neighborhoods
San
Francisco,
Pittsburgh,
Austin,
Jacksonville,
West,
Palm,
Beach,
Seattle,
Sacramento,
Tucson,
many
others
all
pull
higher
resale
prices
in
pedestrian
friendly
parts
of
town.