We support the St. Petersburg, Florida Complete Streets Plan. Here’s why:

1.      I walk and/or bike throughout the city and want to feel safe when I do.

2.      Walking and biking is integral to the lifestyle of many residents, rather than always depending on a car to get places.

3.      Biking and walking help St. Pete residents maintain a healthy level of fitness.

4.      Walking and biking help keep St. Pete a vibrant city where interactions with others are more immediate and friendly.

5.      Complete Streets encourages the collaborative process by which cities shape the public realm to maximize shared value, paying attention to the physical, cultural, and social identities that define a place and support its ongoing evolution.

6.      Complete Streets can reduce our carbon footprint to help preserve the environment.

7.      Complete Streets helps people of all ages and physical and economic abilities safely and comfortably move about town.

8.      Complete Streets plans are flexible and seek the input of the adjoining neighborhoods. Every neighborhood should have a say in how vehicles pass through it.

9.      Complete Streets projects nationwide have shown that businesses along the routes typically benefit from easier access. Studies show sales receipts usually increase.

10.  St. Petersburg’s Complete Street policies and implementation plans have been vetted through many public neighborhood and organizational meetings.

11.  The vibrancy that Complete Streets engenders will help the city continue to attract young talent and businesses. Many businesses offering skilled and good-paying jobs want to attract millennials who are demanding active neighborhoods and downtown areas in which to live and work. This will improve the economic health of the city.

12.  Complete Streets strategies will help reduce motor vehicle speeds to the stated speed limits.

13.  If all Complete Streets projects are implemented, still only 20% of streets will safely accommodate cyclists. The program is not overly ambitious. Not every street will be conducive to walking or cycling. Instead the program is envisioned as a city-wide approach to provide convenient options for all modes of travel.

14.  Road diets, which are sometimes employed to increase safety, actually can help facilitate the movement of cars through a corridor, as following distances between vehicles decrease.

We urge the St. Petersburg City Council to approve the Complete Streets Implementation Plan and support staff efforts to help transform our city for the 21st century.