Complete Streets

Complete Streets" is an initiative by which cities, states, and other jurisdictions adopt a policy that future roadway projects will safely accommodate all users - pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, transit riders and drivers of motor vechicles, and people of all ages and abilities, including children, older adults, and people with disabilities. For decades, traffic engineers have designed streets, particularly urban arterials, primarily for the efficient movement of private motor vehicles. Residents across the U.S. are demanding street features that consider the needs of other users. The cause has been taken up by the National Complete Streets Coalition, formed in 2005 by a number of transportation user and practitioner groups, including AARP, the American Planning Association, and America Bikes, and led by transportation advocate, consultant, and writer, Barbara McCann.

The complete streets framework includes not only retrofitting existing streets to increase safety for all, but changing project scoping, planning procedures, and design standards so that streets are routinely designed with all users in mind from the outset. A related concept, Context Sensitive Solutions , emphasizes designing roadways with the surrounding context in mind.