When it comes to securing federal money for local streets, Bremerton city planners have long thought about bicyclists, pedestrians, buses and cars, according to City Engineer Gunnar Fridriksson.

Today, that kind of thinking is commonly described as a “complete streets” approach. As such, Bremerton city councilors are considering a new ordinance to make the complete streets approach official.

“Our current method is to consider complete streets, anyway,” Fridriksson said. “This formalizes that and allows us to go after federal money for complete streets. In other words, we can check the little box that says, ‘Yes, we have a complete streets program.’”

As a result, when it comes to road planning, the City of Bremerton isn’t changing lanes so much as it is signaling to everyone else what lane its already in.

According to a staff report on the proposed ordinance change, “A street is complete if it provides for many transportation alternatives to the automobile, including mass transit, bikes, walkers and disabled persons moving in any one of the options available today. The paradigm is changing from ‘moving cars quickly’ to providing safe mobility for all modes.”

City staffers say that there will be no financial cost associated with the new rule.

“Fiscal impacts would be assessed when a specific project is developed and designed based on the scope of the project and the individual elements associated with the project,” a staff report states.