Complete Streets Workshop Held

Date of Release:   March 6, 2012                                                                For Further Information Please Call:
                                                                                                Kathy Mogle, MS
                                                                                                                                435-3280
Complete Streets Workshop Held
 
The Onondaga County Health Department’s Creating Healthy Places to Live, Work, and Play in Onondaga County Program (CHP)  offered a workshop today to address how “Complete Streets” can enhance our community. Kathy Mogle, Program Coordinator for the Creating Healthy Places Program explained, “Complete Streets are roadways that are designed to be safe and accessible for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, transit riders, older adults, and persons with disabilities”.   Mogle further detailed that this workshop encouraged municipalities to create Complete Street policies to ensure that transportation agencies routinely design roadways that are safe for all users. The CHP Program is working with municipalities to implement Complete Streets policies in Onondaga County.
This workshop addressed the benefits of Complete Streets including:
  •  Complete streets make active living easy. In Onondaga County 28% of residents are obese. 21% report that they participate in no physical activity (CDC). By building roads that help support more walking and biking, communities may create opportunities for people to become more physically active.
  • Complete streets can improve safety for all road users. Research has shown that complete streets can reduce pedestrian injuries by as much as 28%. On-road bike lanes have been shown to reduce crashes by 50%.
  • Complete streets can improve accessibility. Having multiple, accessible transportation options allows everyone, including children, persons with disabilities, older adults, and people who cannot afford a car the opportunity to get out and stay connected to the community.
  • Complete streets can preserve resources for the next generation.   Making it easier to use other means (besides automobiles) to get to our destinations may reduce air pollution and lower dependence on gasoline.
  • Complete streets can help economic development. A network of complete streets is more safe and appealing to residents and visitors, which is optimal for retail and commercial development.   Making retail areas only accessible to cars can restrict business.
  • Complete streets can reduce traffic costs. Incorporating the needs of all forms of transportation into roadway planning can reduce automobile traffic and the costs of road repair and maintenance.
Each complete street is different. A complete street in a rural area may look different than one in an urban area. Some things that may be found on a complete street include sidewalks, bike lanes (or paved shoulder), bus lanes, accessible transit stops, frequent crossing opportunities, median islands, pedestrian signals, and curb extensions.
For more information about Complete Streets call the Onondaga County Health Department’s Creating Healthy Places Program at 435-3280 or visit www.completestreets.org.