A Complete Street Intervention for Walking to Transit, Nontransit Walking, and Bicycling: A Quasi-Experimental Demonstration of Increased Use

• Published in: Journal of physical activity & health Vol. 13; no. 11; p. 1210
• Main Authors: Brown, Barbara B, Smith, Ken R, Tharp, Doug, Werner, Carol M, Tribby, Calvin P, Miller, Harvey J, Jensen, Wyatt
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.11.2016
• Subjects: Adult; Bicycling - statistics & numerical data; Child; Cities; Environment Design; Ethnic Groups; Female; Geographic Information Systems; Humans; Male; Sex Factors; Transportation; Utah; Walking - statistics & numerical data; light rail; active transportation; global positioning system (GPS)
• ISSN: 1543-5474
• DOI: 10.1123/jpah.2016-0066

Complete streets require evaluation to determine if they encourage active transportation. Data were collected before and after a street intervention provided new light rail, bike lanes, and better sidewalks in Salt Lake City, Utah. Residents living near (<800 m) and far (≥801 to 2000 m) from the street were compared, with sensitivity tests for alternative definitions of near (<600 and <1000 m). Dependent variables were accelerometer/global positioning system (GPS) measures of transit trips, nontransit walking trips, and biking trips that included the complete street corridor. Active travel trips for Near-Time 2 residents, the group hypothesized to be the most active, were compared with the other 3 groups (Near-Time 1, Far-Time 1, and Far-Time 2), net of control variables. Near-Time 2 residents were more likely to engage in complete street transit walking trips (35%, adjusted) and nontransit walking trips (50%) than the other 3 groups (24% to 25% and 13% to 36%, respectively). Bicycling was less prevalent, with only 1 of 3 contrasts significant (10% of Near-Time 2 residents had complete street bicycle trips compared with 5% of Far-Time 1 residents). Living near the complete street intervention supported more pedestrian use and possibly bicycling, suggesting complete streets are also public health interventions.