Prioritizing safety and Complete Streets for Chester County By Tim Phelps, Transportation Management Association of Chester County
planning scenarios. The Planning Commission states, “Complete Streets communities ensure that their streets prioritize safety over speed, balance the needs of different modes of transportation, and support local land uses, n November 10, 2021, the Chester County economies, cultures, and natural environments.” Quinn Commissioners adopted a Complete Streets policy worked with the committee to educate them on the guiding to support safe bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure principles behind the policy, how it supports Landscapes3, throughout the county. Chester County’s Complete Streets the county’s comprehensive plan, as well as challenged Policy provides guidance for how streets may be planned, the committee on how Smart Growth America’s Ten designed, retrofitted, and maintained to facilitate travel in Elements of a Complete Streets Policy could dovetail into a safe, convenient, and comfortable manner for all users Chester County plans. Recommendations could then be regardless of their transportation mode. How best does the made to support non-vehicular users. sidewalk connect to crosswalks and to a bus stop? How In late July, the Planning Commission and the do you safely include bicycle lanes within the vehicular Commissioners held a public meeting to discuss a Complete travel lane? As the policy’s subtitle states, (It is) “A policy Streets Policy for Chester County, which welcomed more to develop an integrated and connected multimodal than 35 representatives from local municipalities, transportransportation system of Complete Streets that serve all tation organizations, stakeholder groups, and others from neighborhoods and populations in Chester County.” around the region. Chester County Commissioners Marian As a car-centric society, when we envision our streets, Moskowitz and Josh Maxwell also attended the meeting, we typically only think about the needs of an automobile: noting the importance of Complete Streets in their opening Where is the closest free parking space? If the road is flat remarks. and straight, it is okay to “The simple addition of drive faster. sidewalks in communiAs planners and elected ties where no sidewalks “Every citizen has a right to travel officials consider developexist will expand access to within the restraints of the existing ments and redevelopments transportation networks for road structure, which is why Chester within our communities, people without cars,” said when applicable, other Moskowitz. “Providing for County hopes to implement Complete modes of transportation active transportation faciliStreets throughout our new and existshould be prioritized such ties – such as sidewalks and as walking, biking, or movbike lanes – will increase ing road structures.” ing with assistive devices opportunities for physicallike wheelchairs and baby ly active travel, and create carriages. In these instances, we should be asking: Where healthier communities here in Chester County.” “A complete streets policy for Chester County will help should I place a bus stop? Do I have the appropriate ramps for strollers and wheelchairs? Is there a continuous high- to advance the ‘Live, Prosper, and Connect’ goals of Landscapes3, by encouraging better access to community quality sidewalk? The Complete Streets project was spearheaded through a facilities and services to create more efficient transportation project team at the Chester County Planning Commission systems to service our thriving and growing communities,” (CCPC) and a working committee of municipal members Maxwell added. “We know connectivity is going to be so and community leaders. Brian Styche, CCPC director of important to the future economic health of our county, and environment and infrastructure, and Eric Quinn, CCPC we couldn’t be more proud that the Planning Commission Transportation Planner, methodically walked the com- is making this such an important goal of all our municipalimittee through Smart Growth America’s Complete Street ties to achieve.”
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——Spring/Summer
2022 • Volume 10——
