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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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I <3 Complete Streets T-Shirt Making Party


Fact: NextUp Spokane ♥'s Complete Streets in Spokane. It's a match made in heaven. One organizaton is devoted to youth civic engagement and one is the idea you should be able to move around Spokane by bike, by foot and by car safely. Complete Streets is getting a lot of love across the country as more people are realizing streets should be built for all users regardless of disabilities, and choice of transportation form.

So this is what NextUp Spokane is proposing: Make t-shirts! They will have screen prints, ink, and music. All you need to do is show up with your own shirt you want the design on.

The party goes down this Friday from 6:00pm - 9:30pm at The Dirty Yeti, 1607 W Main Ave. in Peaceful Valley. RSVP on Facebook HERE.

Still not sure about Complete Streets? Check the Complete Streets frequently asked questions after the jump from the National Complete Streets Coalition.

What are “Complete Streets” and Complete Streets policies?

Complete Streets are streets for everyone. They are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities must be able to safely move along and across a complete street. Complete Streets make it easy to cross the street, walk to shops, and bicycle to work. They allow buses to run on time and make it safe for people to walk to and from train stations.

Creating complete streets means transportation agencies must change their approach to community roads.By adopting a Complete Streets policy, communities direct their transportation planners and engineers to routinely design and operate the entire right of way to enable safe access for all users, regardless of age, ability, or mode of transportation. This means that every transportation project will make the street network better and safer for drivers, transit users, pedestrians, and bicyclists – making your town a better place to live. The National Complete Streets Coalition has identified the elements of an ideal Complete Streets policy to help you write one for your town.

What does a “complete street” look like?

There is no singular design prescription for Complete Streets; each one is unique and responds to its community context. A complete street may include: sidewalks, bike lanes (or wide paved shoulders), special bus lanes, comfortable and accessible public transportation stops, frequent and safe crossing opportunities, median islands, accessible pedestrian signals, curb extensions, narrower travel lanes, roundabouts, and more.

A complete street in a rural area will look quite different from a complete street in a highly urban area, but both are designed to balance safety and convenience for everyone using the road. Check out our ‘Many Types of Complete Streets’ slideshow to see examples from across the country.

Why do we need Complete Streets policies?

Incomplete streets – those designed with only cars in mind – limit transportation choices by making walking, bicycling, and taking public transportation inconvenient, unattractive, and, too often, dangerous. Changing policy so that our transportation system routinely includes the needs of people on foot, public transportation, and bicycles means that walking, riding bikes, and riding buses and trains will be safer and easier. People of all ages and abilities will have more options when traveling to work, to school, to the grocery store, and to visit family.

Making these travel choices more convenient, attractive, and safe means people do not need to rely solely on automobiles. They can replace congestion-clogged trips in their cars with swift bus rides or heart-healthy bicycle trips. Complete Streets improves the efficiency and capacity of existing roads too, by moving people in the same amount of space – just think of all the people who can fit on a bus or streetcar versus the same amount of people each driving their own car. Getting more productivity out of the existing road and public transportation systems is vital to reducing congestion.

Complete Streets are particularly prudent when more communities are tightening their budgets and looking to ensure long-term benefits from investments. An existing transportation budget can incorporate Complete Streets projects with little to no additional funding, accomplished through re-prioritizing projects and allocating funds to projects that improve overall mobility. Many of the ways to create more complete roadways are low cost, fast to implement, and high impact. Building more sidewalks and striping bike lanes has been shown to create more jobs than traditional car-focused transportation projects.

Where are complete streets being built?

Many states and cities have adopted bike plans or pedestrian plans that designate some streets as corridors for improvements for bicycling and walking. More and more, communities are going beyond this to ensure that every street project takes all road users into account.

Among the places with some form of complete streets policy are the states of Oregon, California, Illinois, North Carolina, Minnesota, Connecticut, and Florida. The City of Santa Barbara, California calls for “achieving equality of convenience and choice” for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, and drivers. Columbia, Missouri adopted new street standards to encourage healthy bicycling and walking. And the regional body that allocates federal transportation dollars around Columbus, Ohio has directed all projects provide for people on foot, bicycle, and public transportation. Check our interactive atlas to see all the jurisdictions that have formally committed to the Complete Streets approach.

What are some of the benefits of Complete Streets?

Complete streets can offer many benefits in all communities, regardless of size or location. The National Complete Streets Coalition has developed a number of fact sheets, which are available through our website.

Complete Streets improve safety. A Federal Highways Administration safety review found that streets designed with sidewalks, raised medians, better bus stop placement, traffic-calming measures, and treatments for disabled travelers improve pedestrian safety. Some features, such as medians, improve safety for all users: they enable pedestrians to cross busy roads in two stages, reduce left-turning motorist crashes to zero, and improve bicycle safety.

Complete Streets encourage walking and bicycling for health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently named adoption of Complete Streets policies as a recommended strategy to prevent obesity. One study found that 43% of people with safe places to walk within 10 minutes of home met recommended activity levels; among individuals without safe place to walk, just 27% were active enough. Easy access to transit can also contribute to healthy physical activity: nearly one third of transit users meet the Surgeon General’s recommendations for minimum daily exercise through their daily travels.

Complete Streets can lower transportation costs for families. Americans spent an average of 18 cents of every dollar on transportation, with the poorest fifth of families spending more than double that figure. In fact, most families spend far more on transportation than on food. When residents have the opportunity to walk, bike, or take transit, they have more control over their expenses by replacing car trips with these inexpensive options. Taking public transportation, for example, saves individuals $9,581 each year.

Complete Streets foster strong communities. Complete Streets play an important role in livable communities, where all people – regardless of age, ability or mode of transportation – feel safe and welcome on the roadways. A safe walking and bicycling environment is an essential part of improving public transportation and creating friendly, walkable communities. A recent study found that people who live in walkable communities are more likely to be socially engaged and trusting than residents of less walkable neighborhoods. Additionally, they reported being in better health and happier more often.

How can I get a Complete Streets policy adopted in my community?

Advocating for Complete Streets means working with your neighbors and local policymakers, including elected officials and government staff.

Talk with them about particularly problematic and unsafe streets: schools that have no sidewalks out front, bus stops that are not accessible for people in wheelchairs, missing crosswalks by the grocery store, and no safe routes to bicycle to work. Work together to identify ways to make these places safer and more attractive and present your ideas to others. Make your case and show examples of what your streets could like. For great strategy ideas, check out the free “Power of 25” presentation made by Peter Lagerwey.

This website has many resources to help you. You can modify and use our introductory presentation in your community, show it at PTA and neighborhood association meetings and to your local chamber of commerce. See the Changing Policy tab for information on developing a good policy and finding other local advocates. We also have answers to many questions on how to implement a policy.

The National Complete Streets Coalition offers interactive full-day workshops led by national experts to help communities establish a common vision for their streets; develop an appropriate Complete Streets policy that builds on local expertise; and implement Complete Streets policies by identifying ways to change and streamline the everyday transportation decision-making process.

Need transportation planning and engineering professionals who are ready to help design and construct complete streets? Our Complete Streets Partner firms can offer the expertise and dedication you need.



Down To Earth

The DTE blog is committed to reporting and sharing environmental news and sustainability information from across the Inland Northwest.