April 2011 - Spokes Magazine

complete continued from p.13
don’t change have a system that includes and works
for them.
McCann points to the recent addition of the counterflow
lane and bike signals on New Hampshire Avenue
crossing 16th (in D.C.) as a perfect example. “Adding
a double-yellow line for bikers and suddenly people
went from being scofflaws to law-abiding citizens.”
McCann notes that Washington, D.C., “has really
embraced multi-modal roads and making roads
work for everybody.” D.C. has a “Complete Streets”
policy which was signed by Gabe Klein before he left
his position. D.C. has been designing multi-modally
for several years and especially in the last two and
McCann commends the “creativity and thinking
ahead” as the “spirit you want to see with ‘Complete
Street.’” For example, when Pennsylvania Avenue
received the unusual treatment where bike lanes
were put in the middle of the road, initially, there
were problems.
“They got a lot of pushback and ended up redoing it,”
she said, “but they were still committed to doing it;
they didn’t take it out.”
While Maryland has had a “Complete Streets” law
that was passed in 1996, McCann says it’s not really
enforced. “Part of it is that ‘Complete Streets’ is in
regard to new roads and reconstruction, so it’s really
slow, but they haven’t grabbed it and run with it.” She
adds, “Montgomery County has a ‘Complete Streets’
policy which is new so they haven’t really had time to
implement it.
In Virginia there’s a “Complete Streets” policy that’s
internal to the DOT which McCann says they’re working
on implementing and are slowly moving in the
right direction. With a new governor she hopes this
continues to be the case. Arlington, however, is like
D.C. in that they’ve been doing “Complete Streets” for
a while. McCann notes that they started doing it more
from a transit perspective, trying to make best use of
the metro.
While McCann works at making “Complete Streets” a
national objective, she points to the “shared spaces”
movement happening in Europe as a similar concept.
“The idea is that you get rid of all the signals, and
signs, and pavement markings, usually at major intersections
or plazas, and the drivers automatically slow
down because they have to be watching for pedestrians
and everyone else.” While this might sound
crazy to a population used to zoning out behind the
wheel, McCann says that studies are showing it’s safer
because everybody has to be paying attention.
“In the U.S. people get road rage because people are
reacting to what others are supposed to be doing rather
than reacting to what’s happening.” McCann says
the concept is partly based on third world countries
where everybody is watching and paying attention and
adjusting to what’s happening around them.
Because McCann’s own bike experiences include biking
across the country, various countries in Europe,
and biking in Cambodia and Southeast Asia she’s very
familiar with people having a completely different system
of handling traffic.
Of biking in the third world she says, “Erase what you
think about biking in the country, it was such an eyeopener.
Everyone’s out there mixing it up but somehow
it works. You move predictably and steadily and
people behind you react. ‘Complete Streets’ seems
irrelevant there because they have another set of
rules and other cultural conventions about how
they travel.”
Whether or not your future involves discovering the cultural
bike norms of another locale, navigating your current
environment is on its way to becoming easier. While
bike commuting logistics may be overwhelming, McCann
believes that “Complete Streets” will initially allow for
more errand running and simple transportation.
So the next time you find yourself dumped off an
all-too-short bike lane, consider that with continued
commitment and rising awareness, these “paths
to nowhere” might actually be paving the way to
“Complete Streets” for everyone.
To find out if your community has adopted a
“Complete Streets” policy or for ways to become
involved, visit www.completestreets.org.
14 April 2011