BlankFriends of bicycling and walking,

On October 16, 2007 we appeared before Columbus City Council to formally
request that City Council adopt a Complete Streets policy.

For more on Complete Streets please visit the official Complete Streets
website here: http://www.completestreets.org/
There you will find this description of "Complete Streets":
COMPLETE STREETS are designed and operated to enable safe access for all
users. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and bus riders of all ages and
abilities are able to safely move along and across a complete street.

The letter we submitted to City Council on that date was supported by a
letters from AARP Ohio and AIA (American Institute of Architects Columbus)
in support of Columbus' adoption of a Complete Streets policy and a
commitment to Complete Streets. Simply Living also submitted a letter to
Columbus City Council in support of the adoption of a Complete Streets
policy.

A couple months ago some of us who attended the regular monthly meeting of
the Columbus Area Pedestrian Safety Committee (a subcommittee of the
Columbus Health Department's Safe Communities program) heard Columbus City
Engineer Randy Bowman talk about the Transportation Division's commitment to
Complete Streets. Virtually every sentence of his discussion that day
included the term "Complete Streets." We were greatly encouraged by that
talk.

Pasted below is a copy of the official announcement from Columbus City
Councilwoman Maryellen O'Shaughnessy (who is Chair of Council's
transportation committee and herself a bicyclist and a champion of making
Columbus bicycle and pedestrian friendly) about a presentation on Complete
Streets by Randy Bowman Thursday afternoon at 3:30 pm in Columbus City
Council Chambers.

We don't know what Randy's presentation will entail. We don't know if the
Tranportation Division will unveil a proposed written Complete Streets
policy for adoption by City Council. Hopefully we will find out Thursday
afternoon.

Spread the word.

John
John Gideon
President
Central Ohio Bicycle Advocacy Coalition
P.O. Box 2003
Columbus, Ohio 43216-2003
Phone: (614) 844-3954
Email: jgideon@...
Website: www.cobac.org

The mission of the Central Ohio Bicycle Advocacy Coalition is to serve
Central Ohio by working, through education and encouragement and through the
building of a safe, comprehensive network of complete streets and trails, to
create a friendlier environment for bicycling and walking and to enable all
our citizens to make bicycling and walking a part of their everyday
routines.







COLUMBUS CITY COUNCIL

MICHAEL C. MENTEL, PRESIDENT
City Hall 90 West Broad Street

KEVIN L. BOYCE, PRESIDENT PRO TEM
Columbus, Ohio 43215-9015

HEARCEL F. CRAIG
614/645-7380 Fax 614/645-6164

ANDREW J. GINTHER
columbuscitycouncil.org

MARYELLEN O’SHAUGHNESSY

CHARLETA B. TAVARES
CIIY CLERK- Andrea Blez’ins, CMC

PRISCILLA R. TYSON
ASSISTANT CITY CLERK- Dana M. Character-Johnson









Meeting Announcement: Complete Streets and Routine Accommodation



November 29, 2007

3:30 PM City Council Chambers

Hosted by: Maryellen O’Shaughnessy, Chair

Public Service & Transportation Committee



Columbus City Engineer Randall J. Bowman and his staff will present to
council members and staff the status of the Transportation Division’s
Complete Streets Policy.



Complete Streets policies encourage transportation planners and traffic
engineers to consistently design streets with all users in mind. Features of
a complete street may include sidewalks and pedestrian lighting, bike lanes,
improved transit stops, marked crosswalks with safety features, street
trees, refuge medians, audible pedestrian signals and sidewalk bulb-outs to
shorten walking distance and encourage safe non-car travel.



Complete Streets improve safety for all users. Designing streets with
pedestrians and bicycles in mind reduces risk. A Federal Highway
Administration safety review found that adding complete street features may
reduce pedestrian risk by nearly 30%.



Complete Streets encourage biking and walking. Many health organizations,
including the Columbus Health Department, believe that we can help reduce
obesity and related health problems by implementing policies that allow
physical activity in public spaces.



Complete Streets help ease transportation challenges. About one third of
Americans don’t drive cars, and as our population ages, this number will
increase. More than one quarter of all car trips are one mile or less, and
complete streets provide travel choices, giving people the option to avoid
traffic congestion, increasing the overall capacity of our transportation
network.



Complete Streets make fiscal sense. Integrating sidewalks, bike lanes,
transit amenities and safe crossings into project design from the beginning
spares taxpayers expensive retrofits later.



Please join Council member Maryellen O’Shaughnessy to learn more about
Complete Streets from our transportation division leaders.








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