George Road Complete Streets Implementation Plan

The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County and the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) conducted a health impact assessment of the George Road Complete Streets Implementation Plan, which aimed to provide a safe bicycle and pedestrian connection between the Town ‘N’ Country Greenway and the Courtney Campbell Trail.

The study found that the plan would probably benefit residents’ health by decreasing stress and crime while increasing physical activity levels, access to nature, and use of the regional trail system. Potential harms include increased exposure to heat and pollutants and aggravating respiratory illnesses.

The HIA recommended several steps the county could take to promote positive impacts and mitigate negative effects, including:

• Increasing outdoor lighting along the corridor.
• Reducing speed limits and including traffic-calming features in the road’s design.
• Encouraging landscaping and planting allergy-friendly shade trees in the corridor.
• Providing education about how to avoid aggravating respiratory illnesses.
• Installing drinking fountains and park benches along the corridor.
• Adopting a binding complete streets policy, which would require new and redesigned roads to include sidewalks and bicycle lanes and would be stronger than the existing MPO resolution.
• Developing screening criteria for future HIAs based on the cost, location, and affected populations of MPO projects or plans and a Health in All Policies resolution.
• Representing the Hillsborough County Department of Health on the MPO’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory and Technical Advisory committees.