St. Louis, MO, has kicked off its Complete Streets initiative by renovating a six-block section of South Grand Blvd. A part of its Great Streets program, all modes of transportation, from cycling to walking to driving to riding the bus, are given equal access and the same priority.
Wired Magazine reports:
St. Louis is adopting complete streets with great fanfare. The proposal for South Grand Boulevard  shown here in renderings by Design Workshop, the principal architect  changes the width of the street by building corner bulb outs at intersections and widening the sidewalks. It also changes from four to two (with a center turn lane) the number of traffic lanes, closes two alleys to vehicular traffic and changes the timing of traffic lights.
The goal of the project is to increase pedestrian safety while maintaining traffic flow, enhance the appearance of the street, and provide more opportunities for economic development. Local officials were so pleased with the outcome of the 30-day trial that they decided to make the temporary changes permanent (.pdf). The city has seen the number of accidents decline with no loss in the efficiency of traffic flow.
“I was concerned about getting 25,000 cars a day through at Grand and Arsenal,†Alderman Steve Conway told the Architect, referring to two streets that cross South Grand Boulevard. “And now, we’re getting the cars through, and we’ve slowed the traffic.â€Â
Even better, it has 10-to-1 approval among locals, which makes it likely the program will continue and expand. You can read the full article here, or check out CompleteStreets.org for more info or to get something started in your neck of the woods.
