Want to help bring a Complete Streets Policy to Keene? Write a letter to the editor.
Below are paragraphs from sample letters – please feel free to use them as a template and then add Complete Street facts connected to the issues that concern you most.
Issues such as:
General Information
A Complete Streets Policy can help communities consider all the impacts roads have on our lives and promote the design and maintenance of roads to maximize benefits. Policies like Complete the Streets, as identified as a priority in the Keene Comprehensive Master Plan, would assist in providing transportation choices for the entire community. A Complete Streets Policy was identified as a priority in the 2010 Keene Comprehensive Master Plan: “Members of the community expressed a desire, as part of creating Keene’s walkable community, to strive for ‘complete streets.’ Keene should make it a consistent policy to design streets with all users in mind, including drivers, public transport riders, pedestrians, and bicyclists as well as older people, children, and those with disabilities.”
Benefits
The benefits of walkable and bikeable communities are many. These communities are healthier because they’re more physically active. They’re safer because roads are designed to include bikers and pedestrians as equal users to drivers not as afterthoughts creating dangerous situations. They’re happier for many reasons including having to deal with less traffic congestion. They have better air quality because there is less air pollution from cars.
Accessibility for All
For many of us a short wait at a crosswalk, hopping on the city express or walking over the snow covered sidewalks doesn’t cross our minds. People with disabilities may have a different point of view when it comes to being able to access the community. A Complete The Streets Policy can help promote full access to all community members, especially those when mobility is a challenge.
With having greater options to easily access transportation living conditions can be improved for those who are at risk for isolation. Many people who could benefit from enhanced accessibility are using more costly alternatives to meet their transportation needs. If the city of Keene were to adopt Complete Streets Policies around accessibility of the streets and transportation system it could be a cost savings to me – in addition to increased independence and community connections for an at-risk population.
Upcoming Local Events
The Keene Young Professionals Network is organizing a community service project to support the adoption of a Complete Streets Policy in Keene. Get involved by contacting jen@hannahgrimes.com. Find out more about Complete Streets at the Monadnock Earth Festival on April 23, 11 a.m. – 4p.m. and at the Council for a Healthier Community Vision 2020 How and Why to Have Complete Streets Event with built environment expert and consultant, Mark Fenton, May 4, 2011 from 7:30 am – 10 am. Also review some frequently asked questions at http://www.completestreets.org.
Send Your Letter to the Editor Now!
Submit your letter to the Keene Sentinel.
Please forward a copy of your letter to KeeneYPN.
Monadnock Complete Economy Project 