May 2005 Overview article from Planning Magazine
Complete the Streets News 3/31/05
National Bike Summit: From Good Roads to Complete Streets
The League of American Bicyclists’ National Bike Summit March 16-18 put complete streets front and center.
Keynote speaker Elizabeth Mabry, Director of the South Carolina DOT, was honored for her state’s commitment to its new complete streets policy. Here’s a taste of her remarks: “The SCDOT Commission adopted a resolution declaring that bicycling and walking accommodations would be included in every SCDOT project. This was a major step in our commitment to change the agency culture from one that focused on moving cars and trucks – to a culture that considers all modes of transportation… The Commission’s resolution gave the engineering staff and others a clear sense that we are serious about efforts to “Complete the Streets.”
The full text is worth reading; find it at the League of American Bicyclist’s blog:
The Summit also featured two complete streets presentations, one on state and local action moderated by LAB Executive Director Andy Clarke and featuring presentations by Barbara McCann of McCann Consulting, Sue Knaup of the Thunderhead Alliance, and Natalie Cappuccio-Britt of the Palmetto Cycling Coalition of South Carolina. A second panel, “Complete Streets, It’s Not Just About Bikes” featured Debra Alvarez of the AARP, Lois Thibault of the US Access Board, and Brian Williams of the American Public Health Association.
Summit attendees visited more than 310 House offices and more than 90 of the 100 Senate offices during Capitol Hill day, March 17, delivering the complete streets message along with other goals for better bicycling.
Thunderhead Alliance Complete Streets Training, Guidebook
The Thunderhead Alliance launched its national Complete the Streets campaign March 14-15 with a training and guidebook intended to help leaders win complete streets policies that require all transportation projects to serve the needs of all roadway users. More than 30 leaders of Thunderhead organizations attended the intensive 2-day training, and at least three statewide campaigns are already underway. Thunderhead has set an ambitious goal of winning complete streets policies in all 50 states by the year 2008 including ten new state-wide policies.
“Thunderhead’s Guide to Complete Streets Campaigns and training provided invaluable information for our work for a complete streets policy in Colorado,” said Dan Grunig, Executive Director of Bicycle Colorado. “The training came just when we needed it.”
The Bicycle Alliance of Washington and the League of Illinois Bicyclists are also launching statewide campaigns for complete streets policies. Top leaders from all three groups attended the Thunderhead training, as well as other Thunderhead leaders also planning campaigns at either the state or local level.
First statewide legislative campaign begins in Illinois
A coalition of organizations in Illinois has launched a campaign for state complete streets legislation, introducing a bill into the Illinois Senate which would require the state DOT to follow the USDOT Design Guidance, “Accommodating Bicycle and Pedestrian Travel.” Groups supporting the bill include the League of Illinois Bicyclists, Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, Illinois PTA, Equip for Equality, Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities in Illinois, Illinois Public Health Association, Illinois Environmental Council, Center for Neighborhood Technology, Safe Roadways Initiative, and AAA-Chicago Motor Club.
Senate Bill 508 has passed out of committee after after negotiations with IDOT allowed the agency to take a ‘neutral’ stance on the bill. For more information, see To follow the progress of the bill, visit:
LIB has also launched an innovative complete streets website that allows citizens to find and comment on specific projects in their area. Check it out at
Getting the word out on complete streets
More than 80 attendees at the American Planning Association annual meeting in San Francisco heard about “Policies to Achieve Complete Streets,” getting a national overview and specifics from state and local experts. The panel featured Barbara McCann, Michael Ronkin from the Oregon DOT, and Dru van Hengel from the City of Santa Barbara.
Barb Culp of the Bicycle Alliance of Washington recently presented the basic America Bikes Complete the Streets power-point to the state’s Transportation Improvement Board.
More soon!