City: "Build a Better Boulevard" Challenge For Ross Avenue a Preview of Complete Streets

Via.

Click to embiggen this sneak peek at what to expect along a stretch of Ross beginning in a few days

​"Complete Streets" is a catchphrase that's been rolling 'round Dallas City Hall since at least October 2009, when the council's Transportation and Environment Committee was first introduced to the concept . Now, there's a website: Dallas Complete Streets, which explains right there in the intro:

In the past, Dallas' streets were primarily designed for cars. The 2006 forwardDallas! Plan recognized that in addition to moving vehicles around the city safely and efficiently, streets should also be designed for everyone: young and old, walkers and wheelchair users, motorists and bicyclists, bus and train riders. The Complete Streets project is intended to shift the city's emphasis to building streets that are safer, more livable, and welcoming to everyone.

And that means, for starters, Jason Roberts and Andrew Howard's Build a Better Boulevard Challenge for Ross Avenue, which is but a few days away from making its debut on a stretch of Ross normally bereft of, say, pop-up shops and newsstands and eateries and "better bus stops" and all the other amenities expected to make their bow following the June 24 build-out prep and the June 26 kick-off press conference at the Dallas Black Dance Theater.

This morning, in addition to directing our attention to the website, City Hall also wants us to know how much the council's behind the Ross Avenue extreme makeover -- TEC chair Linda Koop especially, who says:

"The Complete Streets Project will begin to change the way roads are designed and built in Dallas, shifting the emphasis from automobiles only to streets that can be used and enjoyed by everyone; young and old, motorists and bicyclists, walkers and wheelchair users, and bus and train riders. Everyone's ideas and suggestions will be crucial to the ultimate successful implementation of this initiative."

Like I said, just the beginning: The city adds that "workshops will be held this fall to gather input from residents on Complete Street implementation."