Students promote Complete Streets in McHenry County

A few months ago on this blog I shared information about an innovative program that engages high school students in transportation planning.

The program encourages students to think about moving people rather than only moving vehicles. The idea is to get students to think about planning with a Complete Streets approach—creating streets that take into account the needs of everyone who uses a road: pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit users.

For the culmination of the course, students created projects and presentations. In the last few weeks, students from Prairie Ridge, Crystal Lake Central and Marengo High Schools presented their projects to county staff and elected officials.

The presentations addressed a wide variety of needs in locations across the county. Feedback has been very positive, and while funding is always an issue, the suggestions have been well received and will hopefully lead to improved safety and access for all road and transportation users.

You can read more about each school’s specific program, see pictures and even see a large selection of the student project presentations at the McHenry 2040 Plan website.