County Council to vote on Complete Streets Ordinance on Tuesday, Feb 11

Since the successful BikePGH campaign to pass a Complete Streets Policy for the City of Pittsburgh in 2016, other municipalities and agencies have been following suit.

Today, seven other municipalities in Allegheny County, as well as the regional Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, have passed Complete Streets Policies.

However, we have yet to see a policy for Allegheny County, until now.

After passing the Committee on Economic Development & Job Creation on Tuesday, County Council is set to vote on an ordinance on February 11 that will set the stage for a County-wide complete streets policy by the end of 2025.

The bill, sponsored by Councilors Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis, Dan Grzybek, and Bob Macey, directs the County to develop a Complete Streets Policy by December 31, 2025. The ordinance goes further into the values that the new policy should incorporate, such as incorporating the 10 elements of a quality Complete Streets Policy in order to achieve “a high scoring policy from the National Complete Streets Coalition.”

Additionally, the policy will require the County to create an annual report on their progress of installing new bike lanes, trails, curb cuts, and sidewalks, as well as reporting on any changes in bicycle and pedestrian crashes.

Why this matters

Complete Streets Policies start with the simple vision that everybody, regardless of who they are, where they live, or how they get around, should have the choice to travel in a safe and convenient manner.

Typically, these “fix it first” policies kick in when new developments are proposed or a street is being redesigned or repaved. By enshrining these values into policy, it flips the script, and puts the onus on decision makers to show why all modes can’t be accommodated, as opposed to the community needing to prove why the accommodation is necessary.

Put another way: without a policy, bicycle, pedestrian, and public transportation accommodations are often debated too late in the design process and are considered a disruption rather than necessary and beneficial project features.

Basically, we don’t want to exclude road users by building incomplete streets that we’re only going to have to fix later, at an additional cost.

We’ve seen first-hand the benefits of Pittsburgh’s Complete Streets Policy. DOMI has installed bike lanes, crosswalks and traffic calming as part of repaving projects. New developments are including pedestrian-first design elements. It has led to a Complete Streets Advisory Group of residents focused on ensuring that the City is living up to these values, and most importantly, funding safety improvements through their “Complete Streets” program and capital budget line items. Finally, the policy forms a cornerstone to Mayor Gainey’s Vision Zero commitment to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries.

While the County doesn’t directly own a large number of streets, they do own several bridges, are in charge of the Pittsburgh Regional Transit, and are involved in expanding the County’s trail network, which often uses the street grid for necessary connections. Additionally, a County-wide Complete Streets Policy will send a strong message to the other municipalities that do not yet have policies. It specifically calls out the County to assist and encourage these municipalities to adopt their own policies.

We look forward to seeing this develop and fully support County Council’s ordinance to help ensure streets are designed for all users.

Show your support for Complete Streets!

How to Make Comments

• In person. Council meetings are open to the public. Individuals wishing to speak must sign up at least 24 hours before the meeting and will receive three minutes to speak on any county-related matter.
• Online. If you do not want to appear in person, use the online form to submit comments before the meeting. They will be sent to all Members of Council and included in the official meeting minutes for that meeting.