Pursuing Complete Streets: The ability to drive, walk, bike or take mass transit

By Jakob C. Helmboldt

Freedom, the notion on which America was founded, in many ways defines us as a society. So it is a bit ironic that we have developed so many of our communities over the past half-century with very little freedom in how we get around and the mobility options available.

Our transportation networks and land-use patterns favor, if not require, reliance upon automobiles. And yet approximately one-third of Americans lack regular access to an automobile, whether due to age, health restrictions, economics - or simply by choice.

The concept of Complete Streets makes cars less of a necessity, helping communities to create roads that accommodate all modes consistent with their surroundings. Streets should be defined by the local community and the needs of the people they are intended to serve. Our roadways should support the freedom - and the safety and convenience - of choosing whether to travel by car, bike, transit or on foot.

The notion is simple but comes with many challenges as communities struggle to adapt, especially in suburban environments.

But should it be such a hard sell to convince people that it's a good thing to create communities that encourage and enable people of all ages to safely get about their neighborhoods without a car?

After all, streets are public spaces. Rarely are public spaces restricted to a single type of user, yet that is essentially what we do with the vast majority of our transportation infrastructure. It becomes not merely an issue of equity but economics and efficiency as it fails to maximize the utility of the public resource.

On more than one occasion I have stood with my family in a crosswalk attempting to cross the street with an uninterrupted flow of vehicles and drivers that won't yield. Simply crossing the street to spend our money at local businesses can prove to be a challenge.

Due to impaired vision, a former co-worker is unable to drive. Her 10-minute walk to the drug store to pick up a prescription resulted in a collision with a vehicle as she attempted to cross the street in a neighborhood that lacked any pedestrian accommodations. Her other travel option was to make a bus trip that took several hours, including a transfer, to reach a store that was within walking distance of her home.

More than 200 localities, big and small, conservative and liberal throughout the U.S., have adopted Complete Streets policies, with many more soon to follow. The aging population has brought this issue into focus. Senior citizens typically represent more than one-third of the 4,000-plus pedestrian fatalities annually. That number stands to increase unless we change how we design and construct our communities.

At the opposite end of the age spectrum is our other most vulnerable population: kids. With tight bus budgets and increasing childhood obesity, more attention is being given to safe bicycling and walking options for students. But rather inexplicably we have only recently begun to recognize that land-use and transportation are inextricably linked.

There needs to be greater coordination between land use and transportation planning so our infrastructure is consistent with need, both existing and in the future. That means changing roadway design and operations as the community changes and planning ahead for barriers - such as Hampton Roads' many bridges and tunnels - to be designed andreplaced with future needs in mind. These are once-in-a-generation projects that can't be simply retrofitted five or 10 years down the road.

The good news is that there is recognition of the value in Complete Streets. Recent surveys demonstrate a significant shift in market preferences with consumers wanting walkable, livable communities. With increasing and unstable gas prices, many households spend a disproportionate amount of their budget on transportation, sometimes exceeding housing expenses. Imagine the economic impact to local communities if a portion of that expenditure became discretionary income that could be spent on other goods or services.

Too often, opponents of Complete Streets claim there is a bias against automobiles; however, on congested roadways the ability to make many of those short, local trips without a car reduces the number of discretionary trips, actually reducing congestion.

Siphoning off even a small percentage of trips can prevent a congested roadway from reaching the tipping point of gridlock. Add to that more consistent coordination of the various types of transportation, and these reduced conflicts also help ease traffic impact.

In the end, pursuing Complete Streets and its related land use practices and policies benefits all roadway users and the community on many levels, including economically. In these tight financial times, that is hard to argue with.

Jakob Helmboldt is a transportation planner and project manager with VHB Inc. in Williamsburg. He lives in Henrico County.