LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Urban County Council's Environmental Quality and Public Works Committee will review a draft design manual Tuesday aimed at implementing Lexington's Complete Streets policy, according to CivicLex.

The committee meeting at 1 p.m. in the Government Center's Council Chamber represents the latest step in a years-long effort to reimagine Lexington's streets for multiple modes of transportation beyond automobiles. The draft Complete Streets Design Manual, which will be released for public review on Engage Lexington, sets standards for how the city and developers must design streets to accommodate pedestrians, cyclists, transit users and drivers.

Lexington adopted its Complete Streets policy in 2022, followed by a comprehensive action plan in 2023. The policy requires all public and private roadway projects in Fayette County to comply with the manual for new roadwork, while local government employees must follow it when repaving and redesigning existing streets.

The shift represents a departure from decades of vehicle-focused street design. The Complete Streets initiative works in tandem with Lexington's Vision Zero policy, a commitment to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2050. The city is improving sidewalks and intersection crossings, adding protected bike lanes and enhancing transit access.

The urgency of these improvements became clear in 2023, when Lexington experienced 180 collisions where cars struck pedestrians or cyclists, resulting in 22 deaths and 37 hit-and-run incidents. In 2024, the city hired a Complete Streets Manager, and in 2025 hired a Vision Zero Coordinator to accelerate implementation efforts.

The public will have the opportunity to comment on the draft manual before a final version is presented to the committee on June 16. The Tuesday meeting can be watched live on LexTV. Council is expected to adopt the final manual this summer, with related subdivision regulation changes following in the fall.