West Hartford Adopts Complete Streets Policy

Congratulations go out to West Hartford for becoming Connecticut's latest municipality to adopt its own complete streets policy.  The West Hartford Town Council voted unanimously on July 21, 2015 to adopt a “Complete Streets” policy to comprehensively address the town’s streets for all users.

Bike West Hartford prompted the town to adopt a complete streets policy, working with the Bicycle Advisory Committee and Town Council last fall to pass a resolution calling for a complete streets policy within 180 days.  (See Thumbs Up Awards, Oct. 2014). Since then, members of Bike West Hartford and the Bicycle Advisory Committee collaborated with town staff and town councilors on initial drafts. Town staff sought comments from relevant stakeholders, including Bike Walk Connecticut. 

Several drafts later, Town Council members Clare Kindall (and Bike Walk CT member) and Leon Davidoff, and Minority Leader Denise Hall, introduced the resolution to adopt the Complete Streets policy which they have been working on with Town Manager Ron Van Winkle and Community Services Director Mark McGovern since last summer. The policy was adopted unanimously. 

All transportation projects going forward, with limited exceptions, will follow the Complete Streets policy, Kindall said. 

The policy calls for a bicycle facilities plan to be developed by town staff with input from the Bicycle Advisory Committee,to be presented to the Council for adoption in the next nine months. The bicycle facilities plan will indicate the best routes for traveling through West Hartford by bicycle.

Significantly, the policy also lists performance measures to be included in the Annual Report from the Town Manager to the Town Council, including:

• Miles of bicycle lanes, routes, or trails built or dedicated, by width and type
  
• Number of bicycle parking facilities installed 
  
• Number of traffic calming facilities built or installed 
  
• Number of traffic control signs/signals installed or upgraded 
  
• Linear feet of pedestrian accommodations built or repaired 
  
• Number of crosswalks built or improved 
  
• Number of ADA accommodations built or installed 
  
• Number of transit accessibility improvements built 
  
• Number of street trees planted 
  
• Maintenance activities of existing complete streets facilities
  
• Number of exceptions approved 
  
• User data -bicycle, pedestrian, transit and traffic counts 
  
• Bicycle and pedestrian accident data 
  
• Total dollar amount spent on complete streets improvements
  

To its credit, West Hartford's policy lists reducing greenhouse gases as the first goal of the policy. With transportation creating 40% of our greenhouse gas emissions, Connecticut needs to fully embrace active transportation as a climate action tool.

Read West Hartford's full Complete Streets Policy and the accompanying resolution here.