On October 23, 2019 the City of Hinton joined the growing commitment to increase safety for people in the community by becoming the 11th city in West Virginia to adopt a Complete Streets policy. At the most recent city council meeting the resolution passed unanimously with public comments supporting a “smart step in the right direction for the future of the City of Hinton”. Complete Streets are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities.
Creating Complete Streets means transportation agencies must change their approach to community roads. By adopting a Complete Streets policy, communities direct their transportation planners and engineers to routinely design and operate the entire right of way to enable safe access for all users, regardless of age, ability, or mode of transportation. This means that every transportation project will make the street network better and safer for drivers, transit users, pedestrians, and bicyclists—making your town a better place to live.
A complete street may include sidewalks, bike lanes (or wide paved shoulders), special bus lanes, comfortable and accessible public transportation stops, frequent and safe crossing opportunities, median islands, accessible pedestrian signals, curb extensions, narrower travel lanes, roundabouts, and more. Active SWV has been a champion of the mission to bring Complete Streets policies to all the cities and towns in the New River Gorge Region and are proud to have the support of the City of Hinton and other local municipalities to ensure safety for not only pedestrians and bicycle users but everyone that uses the streets in our communities.
This growing movement across our region will benefit our communities in a number of ways including increasing recreation opportunities, economic development, and overall health and well-being. Active SWV will continue its efforts to work with cities in the New River Gorge region to help plan and create projects and policies that will increase safety and connectivity for all residents.
In 2017 Active SWV supported the City of Mount Hope in passing Complete Streets policies, the City of Beckley in July of 2019, and the City of Oak Hill in September 2019. We are extremely excited city officials also saw the benefits these policies.
Can you be an advocate for Complete Streets in your community? There are many ways that you can support policy change including attending City Council meetings, joining or forming a Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Committee, and writing to local officials/leaders. Contact the Active SWV Volunteer Director, Erin Reid at [email protected] or (304) 254-8488, for more information and strategies on how you can specifically be involved in your local municipality.
