CARBONDALE – To stress the importance of more walking, biking and public transit opportunities, Lt. Governor Sheila Simon will deliver opening remarks at a "Complete Streets" training event at the Carbondale Civic Center at 9 a.m. tomorrow. Simon will call for strategic investment in bike lanes and sidewalks across Southern Illinois.
The Complete Streets planning policy is a new approach to local infrastructure that highlights the importance of public transit and pedestrian access as a means of making local transportation safer, healthier and more sustainable. Representatives with the Active Transportation Alliance will provide the free training to local planning and zoning board members.
In Carbondale, the project promotes the use and improvement of bike lanes and sidewalks, said Angie Bailey, Director of Health Education for the Jackson County Health Department.
The project is developed by Smart Growth America. Nine public health agencies throughout downstate Illinois have signed on to the initiative, covering Bond, Boone, Champaign, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Fulton, Henderson, Jasper, Jefferson, Knox, Lawrence, Macon, Madison, Marion, Mason, McDonough, McHenry, Mercer, St. Clair, Wabash, Warren, Washington, Wayne and Winnebago Counties.
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