In 2003, bicyclists focused on creating safer routes for cycling, decided they needed a slogan that would communicate their goal to the public. Demanding more than just “routine accommodation," the phrase they had been relying on up to that point, cyclists started calling for “Complete Streets.”  Since that point, pedestrian groups have also joined the movement expanding its reach and voice. 

This new catchphrase is a call to action. In the few years since the program has existed, “Complete Streets” has been endorsed or promoted by the Congress for New Urbanism, AARP, American Planning Association, Active Living by Design Program and others.

Today many cities have recognized the problem bicyclists and pedestrians have in getting around and are trying to bring change.  The emphasis varies from one community to another, but the central goals are policies and actions aimed at producing streets that are safe, accessible and convenient for all users, not just automobiles.  

Among the municipalities that have accomplished the most toward “Complete Streets” are Chicago, Illinois; Boulder, Colorado; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Charlotte, North Carolina.  In fact the state of Illinois recently adopted a new law mandating that the principles of complete streets must be incorporated into all new projects and construction. These communities, along with others around the country, have adopted a variety of practices including:

• Installation of special signal loops (wires under the pavement) that cause signals to change when a motor vehicle or a bicycle is detected.
• Installation of pedestrian-scale street lighting to illuminate sidewalks.
• Use of “Road Diets,” which reduce the width of a road or the number of travel lanes.
• Installation of median islands for the safety and comfort of pedestrians crossing the streets.
• Installation of “bus bulbs” — widened areas of sidewalk where passengers board buses. These allow buses to stop in a travel lane rather than pulling over to a curb several feet away.
• Reinforcement of proper design of the street network through intelligent land-use planning or urban village strategies.
• Improvement of sidewalks including wider pathways, setting sidewalks some distance back from the street, and improved connectivity of walking routes.
• Widening sidewalks and marking part of the broadened sidewalk for use by bicycles.
• Installation of separate signals for bikes.
• Better-connected bicycle pathways.
• Review and redesign of projects at a very early stage in planning.

When bike lanes are created on the streets, the space often comes from reducing the width of pavement previously occupied by automobiles; the street as a whole does not expand.  Bike lanes, much like on-street parking, are useful in creating a buffer between moving vehicles and pedestrians and become an added value for pedestrians.  In addition, improvements to sidewalks and connectivity provide safe routes around a neighborhood.  Sidewalks to nowhere are replaced by pedestrian connections that link communities by more than just roads.

With a recent study by Brookings Institution Fellow Christopher Leinberger, ranking the Tampa Bay area at the bottom of the list of “Walkable Urban Places,” perhaps the “Complete Streets” concept should garner more attention among our own citizens, planners and decision-makers in the development of roadways. “Complete Streets” could be a major part of improving the quality of life in our community.  Not only will they serve commuters who bike or walk to work, but they will better serve children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities who use sidewalks and bikeways to move around their neighborhoods on their way to schools, community centers and services, or for recreation.