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Marquette, Ludington, Lake Isabella, Acme Twp. and Owosso join the growing list of supportive communities!
A roadway in need of complete streets in Acme Township. (photo by glhjr)
While we have been a little behind in updating this site the past few weeks, it certainly doesn’t mean there hasn’t been news worth posting about complete streets in Michigan. In fact, we are pleased to report that there have been five complete streets resolutions adopted across the state recently.
On May 9th, both the Cities of Marquette and Ludington adopted complete streets resolutions at their respective City Council meetings. The Mining Journal and the Ludington Daily News both covered the passage of these resolutions.
We also received word this month from Lake Isabella Village Manager Tim Wolff that their Village Council also adopted a complete streets resolution.
As reported on My Wheels are Turning, Acme Township became the first community in Grand Traverse County to endorse Complete Streets at their June 7th Board of Trustees meeting. They join a handful of other townships across the state who have also recently adopted complete streets resolutions. While we are extremely encouraged by the action of these communities, it still remains to be seen what sort of impact these policies will ultimately have since county road commissions actually are the ones who have jurisdiction over roads within townships. Ultimately we hope that we are seeing the beginning of a fruitful dialog between Michigan’s 1200+ townships and the 80+ county road commissions.
It also looks like we might see more complete streets policies coming out of northern Michigan in the near future. According to the Petoskey News Northeast Michigan Council of Governments and Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance are cooperating to offer complete streets training sessions in Emmet and Alpena Counties at the end of this month.
And lastly, as we reported yesterday, Owosso also recently adopted a complete streets resolution. This brings Michigan to a total of 38 known local resolutions and six ordinances in addition to our statewide law. According to Holly Madill, Complete Streets Project Coordinator for the Michigan Department of Community Health, approximately 2,659,080 people, 27% of Michigan’s population now lives in a community that has endorsed complete streets either through a resolution or ordinance.
View Resolutions:
Marquette Township, Ispeming and Oakland Township adopt complete streets resolutions.
Holland, East Lansing and Lansing Township close.
First meeting scheduled for Complete Streets Advisory Council.
Complete streets continues to gain momentum around the state. Last week, two Upper Peninsula communities, Marquette Township and the City of Ishpeming both passed Complete Streets resolutions. “Marquette Charter Township has been a leader in providing for the health, safety, welfare, and ease of mobility for those preferring non-motorized modes of transit. In 2003 our Planning Commission required that all new or substantially reconstructed roads must provide an adjacent non-motorized alternative. So, moving forward with the Complete Streets process was a natural for us,” said Randy Girard, Township Manager for the Charter Township of Marquette.
We have learned that the City of Marquette is also working on a policy and should be bringing it before City Council within a month or two. When passed this would make three policies withing Marquette County. Our hats off to our partners at the Marquette County Health Department for all their great leadership in moving these policies forward.
According to the Oakland Township Patch, the Oakland County Board of Trustees voted last night to pass a resolution “supporting Michigan Complete Streets program.” We have not seen the actual language of the resolution yet, but are honored to have the official endorsement of the Board of Trustees for our work to advance complete streets across the state. We look forward to working with the Township in helping to advance their efforts to safely accommodate all roadway users.
Oakland Township becomes the second Oakland County township, after Milford Township, to adopt a Complete Streets resolution. As with Milford Township, Oakland Township does not have jurisdiction over roads. It is the Road Commission for Oakland County who owns, builds, and maintains them within the county. The Complete Streets state law passed last August, however, does state that a “county road agency shall consult with the municipality and agree on how to address the respective complete streets policies.” Other townships that have adopted complete streets include Marquette Township, Union Township and Atlas Township. We will be keeping a close eye on these communities to see how the road commissions and townships work together to implement complete streets.
Oakland Township wasn’t the only municipality busy last night advancing complete streets. We learned via our Facebook Page, that the City of Holland Planning Commission passed a complete streets draft resolution which will be sent to the City Council for approval within the next few months. “The Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers (MARP) feels that a complete streets policy will assist in the City of Holland becoming the friendliest city in America,” said John D. Langdon, Governmental / Public Affairs Coordinator for MARP.
Additionally, a steering committee composed of community leaders and local residents in Lansing Township are guiding a process of developing a complete streets ordinance and non-motorized transportation plan. They are hosting townhall meetings tonight and tomorrow evenings (April 13 & 14) to discuss the proposed ordinance. They have also launched a public survey for community members to provide input.
Just down the road, the City of East Lansing is planning to bring their draft ordinance up for a vote within the next couple of months. Hearing news of the progress in Lansing Township and East Lansing to adopt complete streets, Meridian Township Trustee Veenstra expressed interest in following suit. Also in Mid-Michigan, the City of Mason is showing signs of support by featuring complete streets on the front cover of their latest newsletter.
In statewide news, we are pleased to report that the first meeting of the Complete Streets Advisory Council has been scheduled for April 27, 2011, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the VanWagoner Transportation Building, 425 W. Ottawa Street, Lansing. The meeting will be held in the Lakeshore Learning Center Conference Room, located near the first floor lobby.
For the 2011 grant year, the following local health departments and communities have been awarded an ARRA-Complete Streets grant:
| Local Health Department | Community |
| District Health Department #10 | City of Big Rapids City of Ludington |
| Ingham County Health Department | Lansing Township |
| Marquette County Health Department | City of Marquette |
| Public Health, Delta & Menominee Counties | City of Escanaba |
| Washtenaw County Health Department | Pittsfield Township City of Ypsilanti |
| Western U.P County Health Department | City of Hancock City of Ironwood |
Eight communities were awarded an ARRA-Complete Streets grants in 2010.
An example of how policy change can be accomplished widely is in Washtenaw County. As a result of funding (in part) and assistance from the Washtenaw County Health Department, the City of Saline was able to pass a Complete Streets ordinance in September, 2010. Recently, Washtenaw area’s regional transportation planning organization, Washtenaw Area Transportation Study, decided to take on Complete Streets as a special planning and visioning project in 2011. WATS will be convening a stakeholder group and have a public engagement process to develop a Complete Streets vision for Washtenaw County, including model policy language, design recommendations, etc.
For more information on the Complete Streets program, please contact Holly Madill at [email protected] or (517) 335-8372 or Lisa Grost at [email protected] or (517) 335-9781.
Congratulations to all of the grantees! We look forward to adding more push pins to our Complete Streets policy map.
The Marquette Area Bikeability Committee in cooperation with the Marquette County Complete Streets Program welcomes all area residents to join an upcoming discussion regarding complete streets.
Complete Streets are roadways that are designed and maintained with all users in mind, including motorists, bicyclists, public transit vehicles, and pedestrians.
The event will be held on October 13th at 6:30PM in the Citizens Forum room at Lakeview Arena. This free presentation will cover basic information regarding Complete Streets and include a presentation of the proposed City of Marquette plan with complete street corridors and improvement opportunities. There will be time for public comment and public feedback, suggestions, and questions are welcomed and encouraged. If you are interested in attending this event please contact Dayna Keranen, Community Development Coordinator at the Lake Superior Community Partnership; 906-226-6591.
Please consider attending and providing feedback and suggestions with regard to safe commuting for all area residents.
For more information please visit our Facebook page
The Marquette County Health Department held a forum this week to educate people on Complete Streets in hopes of passing an ordinance in the near future.
“We want everyone to walk today with a knowledge of what complete streets is, what the benefits of it are, how to implement it locally,” Holly Madill Complete Streets Project Coordinator of the Michigan Department of Community Health said.
The Marquette County Health Department will hold a Complete Streets training on September 30th 11:30 AM-2:00 PM in Lakeview Area.
Please download PDF flier for complete details:
http://bit.ly/acJDem
