

What are Complete Streets?
Complete Streets are roadways that are designed for all road users – pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders – of all ages and abilities.
Complete Streets are safer, more accommodating, and more welcoming than roadways that are designed solely for automobiles.
The Benefits of Complete Streets 

Incomplete Street Examples:
for Municipalities
for Pedestrians
for Bicyclists
for Transit Riders
for Children
for Senior Citizens
for People with Disabilities
for Motorists
Complete Streets Policies:

What is a Complete Streets Policy?
Adopting a Complete Streets policy directs engineers, transportation planners, and other decision makers to routinely consider and balance the needs everyone in all transportation projects. The intent of such a policy is not to immediately rebuild or retrofit the entire street network but rather to incorporate Complete Streets design elements into construction, reconstruction, and repaving projects when feasible.
An ideal Complete Streets policy typically includes the following elements:
- Community vision
- Defines “all users”
- Applies to new and retrofit projects
- Specifies exemptions and approval procedures
- Encourages street connectivity to create integrated multi-modal network
- Is adoptable by all agencies to cover all roads
- Establishes performance standards and outcomes
- Includes next steps for Complete Streets implementation
Complete Streets Implementation:
A Complete Streets policy must be implemented to effectively fulfill its purpose. Creating a Complete Streets Implementation Plan is the best way to translate a policy into action. NJDOT published a Guide to Creating a Complete Streets Implementation Plan, which outlines how to develop a comprehensive program of planning, training, and design initiatives to implement Complete Streets. Several recommended steps to implement a Complete Streets policy include:
- Update plans, policies, and procedures to include Complete Streets principles
- Incorporate Complete Streets into the development process
- Provide training to municipal employees, including engineers, public works, and planning and zoning officials
- Create partnerships and coordinate agencies and departments
- Initiate pilot projects to build support and demonstrate the value of Complete Streets
Instituting NJDOT’s Complete Streets project review checklist is another way to start conducting a routine Complete Streets evaluation during all roadway projects.

Regional Examples:

“A Complete Streets policy injects dialogue about bicycle and pedestrian access into the early stages of a transportation project.”
James Simpson
Statewide Efforts:
New Jersey is at the forefront of the national Complete Streets movement. Adopting a Complete Streets policy would place your municipality among a growing number of forward thinking communities committed to developing a safer, more inclusive and comprehensive network of roadways. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a policy statement urging state and local governments to adopt policies to incorporate safe and convenient walking and bicycling accommodations into transportation projects. The New Jersey Department of Transportation was among the first state DOTs to adopt an internal Complete Streets policy and has won numerous awards recognizing the quality of its model policy. Communities throughout New Jersey have been following the example set by NJDOT. As of December 2014, 111 municipalities and 7 counties in New Jersey have adopted a Complete Streets policy. For a full list of communities in New Jersey with Complete Streets policies, please visit the Complete Streets Policy Compilation, hosted by the New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource Center.
The following municipalities and counties in southern New Jersey have adopted a Complete Streets policy. Click the links below to view their policies.
- Atlantic City (2011)
- Barrington Borough (2017)
- Bordentown Township (2014)
- Buena Borough (2014)
- Burlington City (2016)
- Camden City (2013)
- Cape May City (2012)
- Cherry Hill Township (2012)
- Downe Township (2013)
- Egg Harbor City (2013)
- Gibbsboro Borough (2016)
- Glassboro Borough (2012)
- Gloucester Township (2012)
- Haddon Heights Borough (2014)
- Haddonfield Borough (2016)
- Hammonton Town (2013)
- Linwood City (2011)
- Mantua Township (2012)
- Margate City (2013)
- Medford Township (2012)
- Middle Township (2012)
- Monroe Township (2015)
- Moorestown Township (2015)
- North Wildwood City (2012)
- Northfield City (2015)
- Ocean City (2011)
- Pemberton Township (2016)
- Pennsville Township (2018)
- Pleasantville City (2011)
- Somers Point City (2012)
- Vineland City (2011)
- Vorhees Township (2016)
- Westhampton Township (2012)
- Wildwood City (2013)
- Winslow Township (2016)
- Woodbine Borough (2012)
- Woodbury City (2012)
- Woodstown Borough (2016)
- Woolwich Township (2013)

Costs Associated with Complete Streets:
A common concern about implementing Complete Streets is the additional costs required to accommodate all modes of travel. The price of routinely accommodating all road users, however, is comparatively small on a project by project basis. Incorporating elements of Complete Streets during roadway construction projects or routine maintenance is also cheaper than retrofitting a facility later. For example, striping bicycle lanes while resurfacing a street would add little additional cost to a project, whereas returning to the same roadway afterwards solely to create a bikeway would be more expensive. It makes financial sense to routinely consider the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders during the process of designing and constructing roadways, rather than separately. Adopting a Complete Streets policy does not force a municipality or county to provide bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure when it is financially impractical either. A key element of most Complete Streets policies is to specify exemptions for circumstances when the cost of providing bicycle and pedestrian accommodations is excessively disproportionate to the cost of the entire project. Many communities set a threshold for how much they are willing to spend to accommodate modes other than the automobile (i.e. 20% of total project costs). Implementing Complete Streets supports economic development and tourism and adds value to a community, as safe, pedestrian and bicycle-friendly communities are desirable places to live and work. Communities that adopt a Complete Streets policy also have a competitive edge on Local Aid grant applications, providing them the opportunity to attract even more funding assistance. Building Complete Streets provides long-term financial and environmental benefits, which far outweigh the relatively small upfront costs.

Liability and Complete Streets:
Liability is another concern about implementing Complete Streets. Building Complete Streets, however, does not create greater liability risks than any other roadway projects. The underlying presumption of the New Jersey Tort Claims Act (N.J.S.A 59) is that public entities are immune from liability. This immunity attaches to any roadway planning and design project that is approved by an official body and conforms to previously approved standards. (i.e. AASHTO, MUTCD). Further, the Tort Claims Act is mode-neutral, meaning that the process of designing, planning, and constructing roadways for bicyclists and pedestrians is subject to the same legal standards as any other roadway project. Thus, if the design and construction of a bicycle or pedestrian facility follows the usual legal procedures and standards like any other roadway project, immunity will attach. While there are exceptional circumstances in which liability may attach, they are no different than what public entities are already subject to with any transportation project. Accommodating all road users does not expose communities to any greater liability risks – it is actually better than doing nothing. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) even states, “highway and recreational facilities that fail to fully incorporate the needs of all users increase the likelihood of potential court settlements in favor of those who are excluded.”

Complete Streets Resources:
Local
State
- New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource Center
- New Jersey Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Phase 2
- NJDOT – Making Complete Streets a Reality: A Guide to Policy Development
- NJDOT – A Guide to Creating a Complete Streets Implementation Plan
National
- APA Complete Streets Best Practices Manual
- Model Complete Streets Laws and Resolutions
- National Complete Streets Coalition
Design Guides
- AASHTO Guide for Development of Bicycle Facilities, 4th Edition
- FHWA Design Guidance for Accommodating Bicycle and Pedestrian Travel: A Recommended Approach
- Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)
- NACTO Urban Bikeways Design Guide