GDOT board approves 'Complete Streets' policy
Pigs are flyin'!
The Georgia Department of Transportation board, historically more focused on moving cars rather than people, took a big step yesterday toward changing that mindset.
No, it wasn't OKing a proposal to add "variable speed limit" signs on the eternally congested choke collar circling the city of Atlanta. The seven-member board yesterday morning unanimously approved a resolution supporting the state agency's new "Complete Streets" design policy.
The policy says transportation planners and engineers should not just design roads to accommodate cars but also pedestrians, bicyclists, or people hopping on a bus or streetcar. According to the agency's policy, planners should consider adding bike lanes, pedestrian facilities, and ways for people to better access transit when new roads are constructed or widened.
The move earned kudos from local cycling and pedestrian advocates, including a top official with the nonprofit that's trumpeting the Complete Streets message.