Oklahoma City residents deserve safe travel. People of all ages and abilities want to travel throughout Oklahoma City safely and conveniently. Whether they walk, bike, ride a bus or train, or drive a car, people need bike lanes, sidewalks, and roads to accommodate their preferred mode of travel. However, many cities don’t provide safe ways for walkers and bikers to share the road with cars and trucks.

SOLUTION: LIVABLE STREETS

Livable Streets, which may also be called “Complete Streets” is a transportation policy and design approach that requires streets to be planned, designed, operated, and maintained to enable safe, convenient and comfortable travel and access for users of all ages and abilities regardless of their mode of transportation. Livable Streets allow for safe travel by those walking, bicycling, driving automobiles, riding public transportation, or delivering goods. Livable Streets offer improved safety, health, economic, and environmental outcomes and emphasize the importance of safe access for all users, not just automobiles.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE IN OKC

One of Oklahoma City Council’s priorities is to develop a transportation system that works for all citizens. The Livable Streets policy provides a guide for actions taken by all city departments. The primary role of the transportation network is to move people and goods where they need to go. Streets play a vital role in the social, physical and economic health of the community by providing the most important physical link between citizens, businesses, and institutions. Oklahoma City will continue to become more pedestrian and cyclist friendly through better planning, design and construction of Livable Streets.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure the needs of all transportation network users are considered when designing or redesigning transportation corridors. This policy guides street design and redesign by incorporating the community values and qualities of environmental stewardship: safety; security; mobility and individual freedom; scenic, aesthetic, historic and natural resource preservation.

VISION

All users of Oklahoma City’s transportation network, including drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, freight carriers, emergency responders, children, senior citizens, people with disabilities and adjacent land users will experience a visually attractive and functional environment while traveling safely and conveniently throughout the city.