Active Transportation Alliance design manual honored for best practices by Illinois chapter of the American Planning Association

The Active Transportation Alliance was honored for best practices by the Illinois Chapter of the American Planning Association for its recently published Complete Streets, Complete Networks transportation design manual.

The manual was developed for the Cook County Department of Public Health’s Communities Putting Prevention to Work program, which focused on improving health and active transportation options in suburban Cook County communities. Active Trans staff wrote and designed the manual to fill a gap in previous street design manuals by focusing on good policies, good design, a transparent process and complete networks where people get around safely, whether they are walking, biking, taking public transportation or driving.

“People want policies that improve transportation choices and they want better designed roads, streets, trails and transit systems,” said Paul Lippens, senior planner at the Active Transportation Alliance. “The Complete Streets, Complete Networks manual provides the guidance and checklists needed to help communities meet these needs.”

To develop the manual, Active Trans worked extensively with the Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago, Cook County Highway Department, Cook County Bureau of Community Development, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Pace, councils of government and many suburban Cook County communities to ensure the manual works well for many different types of agencies and their needs.

“Des Plaines has created transportation policy and planning goals so our citizens can walk and bike easily and safely,” said Derek Peebles, a civil engineer for the City of Des Plaines. “This manual is a comprehensive, one-stop reference guide for our staff to use in advancing our transportation goals.”

The Complete Streets, Complete Networks design manual is not location specific. It is a collection of best practices from around the world organized in a way useful to most metropolitan areas, smaller cities and suburbs in the U.S.

The  Complete Streets, Complete Networks design manual can be used by anyone in the planning and design of roadways, and can be downloaded for free in editable formats at ATPolicy.org

The Active Transportation Alliance is a non-profit, member-based advocacy organization that works to make bicycling, walking and public transit so safe, convenient and fun that we will achieve a significant shift from environmentally harmful, sedentary travel to clean, active travel. The organization builds a movement around active transportation, encourages physical activity, increases safety, and advocates for a world-class transportation network. Formerly the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, the Active Transportation Alliance is North America’s largest transportation advocacy organization, supported by more than 6,000 members, 1,000 volunteers and 35 full-time staff.

For more information on the Active Transportation Alliance, visit www.activetrans.org or call 312.427.3325.