Northfield's streets may be on the road to become more complete.

The Northfield City Council in January could move forward with the implementation of a Complete Streets initiative, a coalition that exists at both the state and national level to mandate socially conscious street design.

Streets in accordance with Complete Streets policy are designed to consider the needs of bicyclists, pedestrians and drivers, while taking environmental factors into account as well. 

There are more than 290 Complete Streets policies nationally, with more than 20 already approved in Minnesota cities and counties.

“It’s a multifaceted program that really helps build a livable community in a lot of ways,” said Northfield City Councilor Betsey Buckheit, a proponent of the initiative.

In 2010, the Minnesota State Legislature passed a Complete Streets law, requiring the Minnesota Department of Transportation to use a comprehensive approach when designing state highways.

The Northfield Council will need to decide whether to include Complete Streets as an action item in the 2012 work plan. The Council last week was given a presentation on Complete Streets with several letters of recommendation for its implementation from, among others, Northfield Public Schools, the Cannon River Watershed Partnership and Friends of the Mill Towns Trail.

Buckheit expressed hope that a Complete Streets policy will be used in city street projects in 2013.

In recent years, Northfield has demonstrated the need for such an initiative. 

Recent projects narrowed Linden Street by 2 feet and widened Plum Street by 2 feet, even though both streets were functional in their original context. Several mature trees were cut down in the process. The streets were altered to comply with a transportation policy stating that all residential streets must be 32 feet wide.

This fall, Jefferson Road was reconstructed with a bike lane on one side of the road with on-street vehicle parking allowed on the other, mirroring some streets in and around downtown.

The adoption of a Complete Streets policy will allow for a more flexible approach to street design, advocates say.

“Everyone that uses the street will be thought of as we design our streets,” said Councilor Erica Zweifel.

Should the Council adopt a Complete Streets policy, it will likely focus on making streets more bikeable, walkable and environmentally friendly.

St. Olaf student Sean Hayford Oleary, who's part of the Northfield Complete Streets Task Force, said the Council has expressed an overwhelmingly positive response to the possibility of a Complete Streets policy.

Many Northfielders are equally supportive of the policy, with members of the task force consisting of students from Carleton, St. Olaf, ARTech and Northfield High School.

“Every street needs to serve every user,” Hayford Oleary said.

What are the benefits of Complete Streets?

Transportation has many impacts on more than just mobility. Complete Streets helps maximize the total public benefit of our roads beyond simply capacity for cars, including:

• Safety for all travelers. More than 20, 000 pedestrians and bicyclists have been injured or killed in Minnesota in the past decade. We can and must do better; Complete Streets can help.
• Access and equity. About 40 percent of Minnesotans do not drive, including children, seniors, people with disabilities, and people who cannot afford a car. Complete Streets helps to ensure that everyone has safe access to lead active and independent lives.
• Public health. More than 60 percent of Minnesotans are overweight or obese and at risk for serious illness. If left unchecked, obesity will add another $3. 7 billion in health care expenses for Minnesotans by 2020. Complete Streets helps support opportunities for people to be more physically active, while improving public health and reducing health care costs.
• Affordable transportation choices. Rising and erratic gas prices are taking a larger part of family budgets. Complete Streets support transportation options that help a community be more resilient to gas price spikes and keep more money in the local community.
• Economic development and tourism. Complete streets are built to fit a community' s context— including making sure that our roads are places that people want to be to attract people and encourage business.
• Environmental protection. Transportation accounts for more than 70 percent of our oil consumption, 25 percent of global warming pollution, and a large portion of local air pollution that leads to " air quality alert" days, increased rates of asthma, and even cancer. Complete Streets supports transportation options that support oil independence and cleaner air.
• Transportation capacity. Nationally, 28 percent of all trips are 1 mile or less, while 72 percent of these short trips are driven. Complete Streets helps reduce congestion by supporting more walking and biking, especially for short trips. Vibrant neighborhoods and quality of life. Complete Streets can help calm traffic on residential streets, create walkable neighborhoods, and increase community interaction.
• Reduced need for costly future retrofits. Complete Streets helps to ensure that we take a long-term view when planning and designing roads, which reduces the potential for gaps that require costly future retrofits.

Source: Complete Streets

Editor's note: This article has been corrected to say Jefferson Road and that the bike lane is only on one side of the street.