Council Member's Message

At the end of May the City Council approved the City of Minneapolis’ Complete Streets Policy. This four page document is the result of substantial collaborative work by City staff, policy makers, stakeholder partners and community members to strike a reasonable balance between the various ways people move through and around our City.

In addition to accommodating the efficient movement of motor vehicles, the Complete Streets policy offers a framework for transportation planning that heightens awareness and consideration for walking, transit and biking, while providing acceptable levels of service for all modes of travel. The policy does not mean that every street in the City will have specific accommodations for all modes of travel. It does mean that modal priorities will inform the decision-making in the City's transportation planning. City of Minneapolis Transportation Planner Nathan Koster, who extensively researched national practices, describes the policy as "an exemplary model for establishing a consistent process for evaluating all travel modes as a part of public and private sector projects that influence the public right-of-way."

The Complete Streets Policy, combined with the Access Minneapolis Plan, represents one of the most extensive and forward-looking transit planning frameworks in the nation. The combination of these plans plus the additional resources for basic and advanced infrastructure that the Council recently enacted mean that Minneapolis is positioned to continue its nation-leading efforts for years to come. As a City we are poised to make significant upgrades to the ways in which our public infrastructure supports our residential stakeholders as well as increasing accessibility and increasing our commercial vitality.