Portland committee endorses updated Complete Streets policy, sends revision to full council

The City of Portland Sustainability & Transportation Committee on June 3 recommended that the City Council consider forwarding an updated Complete Streets policy for approval. The update was presented by Nel Donaldson, director of special projects for the Department of Planning and Urban Development, and committee members and public stakeholders offered largely positive feedback.

Donaldson told the committee the existing policy, originally drafted in 2012, had been revised to streamline language, add performance measures and an annual reporting calendar, and set clearer roles and procedures for granting exceptions. The revised policy adopts recommended language from the National Complete Streets Coalition to prioritize underserved communities and to emphasize performance measurement; it also places responsibility for granting exceptions with the city manager, guided by the Department of Public Works director or designee and with interdepartmental consultation.

Public testimony included endorsement from Winston Lumpkins, past chair of the Portland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, who said the draft is a “significant improvement” and praised stakeholder engagement. Lumpkins urged the committee to avoid overly broad exemptions for temporary detour routes, pointing out such detours can be hazardous for pedestrians and cyclists. Several councilors asked staff to provide better public links to referenced code sections and to explicitly name children and caregivers with strollers in pedestrian definitions.

Committee discussion centered on oversight of exemptions and transparency. Councilor Anna Bullitt asked for a process to report on exemptions to the committee on a rolling basis; staff said exemption decisions will be handled by the city manager with DPW guidance and that annual reporting language was added to the draft. Committee members also asked staff to coordinate with neighborhood groups and Disability Rights Maine on implementation and education.

Motion and next steps: Councilor Ali moved and Councilor Bullitt seconded a motion to send the revised Complete Streets policy to the full City Council with a recommendation to advance it to a council meeting for consideration. The committee voted to forward the draft; the council will take the final action.

Why it matters: The policy update adds a clearer accountability framework — including suggested performance metrics and an annual reporting calendar — and tightens exception procedures. Committee members and stakeholders said the policy will help align city projects with Vision Zero and the comprehensive plan, but urged attention to implementation, detour safety and outreach.

Ending: Staff said they will incorporate minor edits requested by committee members and will return the draft to the council with the committee’s recommendation.