HOW TO GET TO COMPLETE STREETS:

How do you get your local or state government to adopt a complete streets policy? In many cases, such policies have been adopted through internal procedures, and citizen advisory committees have worked on them. In other cases, public bodies have adopted resolutions or passed legislation. For more detailed information about the adoption process for policies that are currently in place, see excerpts from the Thunderhead Alliance Complete Streets Report.  For additional resources see the 'Early Success Stories' and 'Resources' sections of the site.

The National Complete Streets Coalition offers interactive workshops led by national experts on policy development and policy implementation. Download more information about scheduling a workshop.

Model Language: Some good examples

• A good place to start developing language for a complete streets policy is the US DOT Design Guidance: Accommodating Bicycle and Pedestrian Travel
• Elements of Complete Streets Policies
• Thunderhead Alliance recommendations on improving the federal guidance
• Good existing policies

Implementation Help

An effective complete streets policy should prompt transportation agencies to:

• Restructure their procedures to accommodate all users on every project.
• Re-write their design manuals to encompass the safety of all users.
• Re-train planners and engineers in balancing the needs of diverse users.
• Create new data collection procedures to track how well the streets are serving all users. 

Below are some additional resources on implementation:

• View our FAQ for implementation
• Download the League of American Bicyclists implementation training materials (10mb PPT)

• Download a copy of the San Francisco bay area implementation report, Routine Accommodation of Pedestrians and Bicyclists in the Bay Area: Results from Interview with Transportation Professionals and recommendations to Encourage Routine Accommodation