| Planners are currently working with new complete streets policies across the country and looking for solutions to accommodate all users on the existing road network. The general definition of a complete street is one that is safe for all users including drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders. There are many techniques which can be used to create complete streets, and each technique has a different impact on system delay, emissions, etc. The definition is vague enough to allow the designer to make the decisions about what techniques should be used to create a complete street. A methodology for determining how to design a complete street network and how to estimate the impacts is discussed through a case study of the transportation network in Smyrna, DE. This project has been examining difference between fully accommodating each mode on every street with sidewalks, separated bike lanes, and updated facilities for transit riders (a complete street network), and methodically designing a network of complete streets that connects residential areas with points of interest and designs complete streets based on needs of users and the existing context. With existing right-of-ways, there will be trade-offs associated with choosing one strategy over another including the perceived safety of each user and the amount of delay and emissions associated with substantially changing all roads in a network. |
