Last night, the Hennepin County board unanimously passed a Complete Streets policy (pdf) that "will enhance safety, mobility, accessibility and convenience for all corridor users including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, motorists, commercial and emergency vehicles, and for people of all ages and abilities by planning, designing, operating, and maintaining a network of Complete Streets." Hennepin County joins the City of Rochester as the first two jurisdictions in Minnesota to pass explicit Complete Streets policies. St. Paul has also passed a Complete Streets resolution and will have a full policy in place by the end of the year.

The messages in the policy are important ones that show that our roadway engineering can't simply be about as many cars through as quickly as possible (a lesson that the county learned during the process for the reconstruction of Lake Street in Minneapolis). Our roadways must fit into a transportation system that maximizes overall safety, mobility, accessibility, convenience, and that also helps to reach environmental goals and promotes active living with walking and biking as an integral part of daily life. These connections to quality of life are an integral part of Complete Streets.

In addition to work to implement Complete Streets at the county level, the policy also states that "the county will work with other transportation agencies to incorporate a Complete Streets philosophy and encourages the State of Minnesota, municipalities, other counties and regional organizations to adopt similar policies." This statement recognizes the multi-jurisdictional nature of our roadway network--where local, county, and state roads coalesce to create our transportation network. If one entity isn't on board with Complete Streets, it means that gaps in the system can emerge that limit the mobility and safety of pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, people with disabilities, and older drivers.

It is also a timely statement given that the Minnesota Department of Transportation is currently undergoing a Complete Streets policy review for the Minnesota legislature that will help identify issues that would need to be addressed by a statewide Complete Streets policy. A statewide policy will be an important step to help ensure that the efforts of Hennepin County aren't done in isolation.

Well done Hennepin County!