Homewood passes “Complete Streets” ordinance—good news for walkers and bikers

Homewood City Council has approved the “Complete Streets” ordinance, which will work to make the community more accessible to all modes of transport, including walking and biking. Read on for more information and insight from City Councilor Nick Sims.

“Complete Streets” ordinance approved

According to Homewood Star, the ordinance was approved by Homewood City Council on Monday, April 11. Essentially, it outlines how to make Homewood’s streets more accessible for walkers, bikers and those that use public transit. This includes implementing things like bike lanes and striping.

Although not all streets will be required to have the same changes made, the hope is that this initiative will make the city easier to navigate for all.

Homewood City Councilor weighs in

We caught up with Homewood City Councilor Nick Sims, a proponent of the “Complete Streets” ordinance for his take on how it will impact Homewood.

“Streets are public right-of-way, so it is important to design them for all users, and people of all ages and abilities. Whether someone is a motorist, public transportation rider, or walking, biking or rolling through Homewood, this ordinance will create accommodations and connections to more safely go from place to place.

In addition to safety and transportation equity, it has several other community benefits, including improving overall quality of life through opportunities for routine physical activity, and increasing the number of ‘green trips’ which in turn improves local air quality.”

—Nick Sims, Homewood City Council

Green Springs Highway improvements

Sims also cited developments to Green Springs as an example. The graphic above illustrates how small changes can improve accessibility for many, like incorporating space for walking, bike riding and even some landscaping.

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