To the Editor:

Transportation is a critical part of creating an agefriendly community.

Because we believe that our roads should be built for all users, AARP is a strong advocate of Complete Streets, a transportation policy initiative that requires states and municipalities to plan for users of all ages and abilities in road design.

Complete Streets is a popular topic among community planners because it shifts the way we think about our roads from ways to support cars to a more holistic vision that supports all modes of travel.

From AARP’s perspective, Complete Streets is a key strategy to make streets and sidewalks safer for older drivers and pedestrians and to expand mobility options for those who cannot drive. Because of this, Complete Streets has emerged as our primary transportation policy initiative. Our advocacy efforts in this area span across the local, state and federal levels.

AARP has developed a robust set of materials to develop Complete Streets campaigns. In addition, we have created a model for elevating this policy issue that involves several steps to build the case for change and improvement. Key in the process is building diverse coalitions across a variety of stakeholder groups and advocating for meaningful, sustainable change that will help our older residents stay in their own communities as they age.

We thank U.S. Sen. Susan Collins for her leadership on this very important issue.

Lori Parham
AARP Maine State
Director
Portland