Complete Streets Planning

About

A complete street is safe, and feels safe, for everyone using the street. FHWA and FTA seek to help Federal aid recipients plan, develop, and operate streets and networks that prioritize safety, comfort, and access to destinations for people who use the street network, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, micro-mobility users, freight delivery services, and motorists. The goal is to provide an equitable and safe transportation network for travelers of all ages and abilities, including those from marginalized communities facing historic disinvestment. Complete Streets legislation was signed in August of 2010 in the state of Michigan. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) defines Complete Streets standards or policies as “standards that ensure the safe and adequate accommodation of all users of the transportation system, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, children, older individuals, individuals with disabilities, motorists, and freight vehicles.” The BIL requires MPOs to use at least 2.5% of their FHWA planning funds on Complete Streets planning as of January 5, 2023.

The current and previous complete streets planning activities conducted by GVMC can be found within the Unified Planning Work Program.

For more information on Complete Streets, please email or call Peter Kimball, Transportation Planner, at (616) 776 -7601.

Complete Streets Analysis and Data Viewer

GVMC has developed a Complete Streets map and analysis ranking all the arterials in the GVMC planning area. This map is intended to be a launching point where jurisdictions can look to start implementing complete streets. This initial ranking rated arterial segments based on availability of all modal facilities without taking the surrounding land use into consideration. Though a 7 is the highest score a segment can score using this ranking system, it might not indicate an “ideal” complete street configuration based on a context sensitive understanding of users and surroundings of the segment. The percentage of arterials for each of the previously described rankings can be seen in the chart below. To read more about the analysis, view the documentation here.