ANNOUNCEMENT! As of June 1, 2023, we are now the Capital Region Transportation Council.    Learn more

Complete Streets

Details

The Complete Streets Advisory Committee was formed in 2013 to assist roadway improvement project implementers and municipalities, in partnership with roadway owners, to identify opportunities in integrating complete streets elements into a variety of project types. The Advisory Committee includes staff from entities represented on the Transportation Council’s Planning Committee including NYSDOT, CDTA, CDRPC, two cities, one county, and two towns. The Committee’s work is facilitated by Transportation Council staff.

There are three broad categories of projects for which the Advisory Committee would like Complete Streets elements considered:

  • Preservation First/Maintenance and Operations projects (Includes projects currently on the adopted/draft TIP)
  • Existing TIP infrastructure projects (Includes projects currently on the adopted/draft TIP which are considered “beyond preservation” )
  • Land development/redevelopment initiated improvements

Details

Complete Streets are appropriate to the community context and designed and operated to enable safe, convenient access for all users of all ages and abilities, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, motorists, and the movement of goods.

The Transportation Council has developed an Educational and Technical Workshop Series to improve local municipal communication and coordination, training and education. The Transportation Council also assembled a Capital District Complete Streets Design Guide at the request of local governments to fill in gaps where the context of local streets differs from that of state highways.

The Transportation Council’s Long Range Plan adopted in 2015, New Visions 2040, included a Complete Streets White Paper and a Complete Streets Planning and Investment Principle, as did New Visions 2050, adopted in 2020:

  • Transportation investments are made based on a complete streets framework which supports the convenient and safe travel of all people — of all ages and abilities as appropriate to a facility’s community context.
  • Utilizing a complete streets framework ensures that transportation investments are consistently planned, programmed, designed, operated and maintained with all users in mind – including bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and riders, pedestrians of all ages and abilities, and local delivery needs.
  • Successful implementation of a complete streets framework will be achieved by working with municipalities to improve communication and coordination, training and education, and design standards and other resources.

Capital Region policies, ordinances, resolutions, and checklists:

 

Details

 

Albany County Lending Library

To support communities on Complete Streets transportation-related projects, Albany County Department of Health maintains a lending library where Albany County municipalities and agencies can check out equipment and supplies for use in demonstration and/or pop-up events.

NYSDOT - Complete Streets

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is responsible for implementing Complete Streets on projects undertaken by NYSDOT.

New York State Complete Streets Act

New York State passed a Complete Streets Act in 2011. The Act requires state, county and local agencies to consider the convenience and mobility of all users when developing transportation projects that receive both state and federal funding.

National Association of City Transportation Officials

The National Association of City Transportation Officials, NACTO, has published a number of design guides. In addition, their website provides numerous policy documents, including one about examining how transportation agencies align their internal conditions to best achieve their goals, called Structured for Success.

National Complete Streets Coalition

The Coalition promotes the development and implementation of Complete Streets policies and professional practices, and provides technical assistance workshops as well as an inventory of Complete Streets policies from around the country.

New Jersey Complete Streets Design Guide

This Guide provides a concise but thorough reference guide for designing streets to meet multimodal and community needs. This Complete Streets toolbox draws on best practices from a variety of national design standards and guidelines, emphasizes the role of context and flexibility during the design process, and describes the benefits and applications of numerous design options. Example street typologies illustrate how different treatments can be applied to different contexts throughout New Jersey.

City of Albany Complete Streets Policy and Design Manual

In 2017 the City of Albany adopted its Complete Streets Policy and Design Manual, guiding street rehabilitation, construction, and design for all public and private projects throughout the City to ensure that complete street elements are incorporated. Treatment criteria are based on physical constraints, street and intersection type, land use context, and neighborhood character.

City of Saratoga Springs Complete Streets Plan

The Complete Streets Plan is based around providing four ‘layers’ of infrastructure: pedestrian sidewalks and crossings, on-street bikeways, greenways and trails and transit connections. Each layer has options for bronze, silver and gold level Complete Streets, based on the context of each project, community support, and available resources.

New York State Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations Complete Streets Fact Sheet

This fact sheet provides an overview of Complete Streets and useful resources for implementation.