The Oakland Press is reporting that the Village of Oxford Council has passed a Complete Streets resolution.

“In the past year or so, [Complete Streets] has really caught fire with the legislation. We want more traffic signals, more bike lanes and landscaping to slow down the traffic into town so people feel safer crossing the street,” said Village Manager Joe Young.

This is great to hear, especially in northern Oakland County, which isn’t known for embracing bikes on the roads.

One of the key points made in the article is the economic prosperity of a downtown is tied to the quality of traffic, not the quantity. Road agencies often focus on the latter. Complete Streets can help increase the quality of traffic.

Anna Taylor, Downtown Development Authority member and owner of boutique Pink and Charlie, said: “We’ve blocked out our pedestrian communities in our small towns, and granted, we’ve gotten a tremendous boom because we have traffic. However, I will say, that not one time since I’ve been a business owner have I had a gravel hauler pull up to the back of my shop, come in and tell me that he’d like to buy something.

“We’re glad we have traffic. We don’t want the traffic to go away. But we have to do something because a healthy, vibrant pedestrian community is our future. It means the difference between surviving and prospering.”

With a little luck, this Complete Streets resolution will catch fire in some of the surrounding communities.