Complete Streets Implementation

Resolution and Policy

The Howard County Council unanimously adopted the Complete Streets Resolution 
CR 120-2019 on October 7, 2019. Click here to read the Policy Statement. 

Policy Implementation

• Click here to read the November 2, 2021 24-month report to County Council
• Click here to read the April 30, 2021 18-month report to County Council. 
• Click here to read the October 27, 2020 12-month report to County Council on policy implementation. 
• Click here to read the April 28, 2020 report about the first six months of policy implementation.

Howard County Complete Streets Projects 

To see descriptions of Howard County Complete Streets projects, click here.

To learn more about the County's Complete Streets projects, visit the Active Transportation Open House 2022 website.

Additional Information 

Definition of Complete Streets

“Complete Streets are streets for everyone. They are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities. Complete Streets make it easy to cross the street, walk to shops, and bicycle to work.”
 – National Complete Streets Coalition. Click here to learn more.

Complete Streets and Equity

The Howard County Complete Streets Policy incorporates equity into the policy’s performance measures used to track implementation progress, prioritize projects, and evaluate designs through an Equity Emphasis Area (formerly known as Vulnerable Populations) Index.

Note: As part of an ongoing effort to use asset based language, the Vulnerable Population Index will now be referred to as Equity Emphasis Areas, as is reflected in the draft version of Volume III, Chapter 1 of the Howard County Design Manual. 

The Background and Explanation on this Index and the Howard County Complete Policy will be updated soon to reflect that change. The updated map is available here.

Complete Streets and Community Engagement

To learn more about participating in future Howard County transportation project planning, click here.

Complete Streets Design Manual 

Howard County has developed a Complete Streets Design Manual and submitted it to County Council. It is likely to be adopted in early 2022. These initiatives were recommended in both the Howard County General Plan (PlanHoward) and the Howard County Bicycle Master Plan (BikeHoward), and were required by the adoption of CR 35-2016. More information is available on the Complete Streets Design Manual webpage.

Transportation Project Prioritization System 

A project scoring mechanism for all potential capital transportation projects based on a subset of the performance measures in the Complete Streets policy has been developed. For a detailed description of the Transportation Project Prioritization System, please click here.    

Subdivision and Land Development Regulations

The Complete Streets policy requires incorporating its policy and concepts into the County Subdivision and Land Development Regulations - including the transportation aspects of the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance. This work will occur in 2022. More information will be available in Spring 2022. 

Sidewalk Policy

A revised sidewalk policy for Howard County sidewalks was adopted in October 2020 by Executive Order 2020-16 and addresses the process for community notification and approval of sidewalk extensions. The order in full is included here.  

Sign Up

To sign up to receive notices about upcoming public meetings and events related to County transportation projects, please click here. 

Howard County Complete Streets Implementation Team 

Information for members of the Complete Streets Implementation Team (CSIT) is available here.