Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced a sea change in federal transportation policy yesterday, issuing a new policy statement that calls for full inclusion of bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit riders of all ages and abilities in transportation projects – essentially, a Complete Streets policy.
Last week, I attended the White House’s Clean Energy Economy Forum “Livability and Sustainable Communities – Taking Action for a Clean Energy Future.” Clearly, the Administration wants to lead – by providing communities with the resources to innovate.
The U.S. Department of Transportation was in snowy Minneapolis yesterday for the second stop of its Reauthorization Listening Tour. They heard plenty about complete streets.
Just before the holidays, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) settled two long-running ADA lawsuits, agreeing to spend $1.1 billion over the next 30 years to repair and improve state-controlled sidewalks, crosswalks and park-and-ride facilities.
The National Complete Streets Coalition participated in a meeting yesterday with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood that centered on how Complete Streets can help create a safer environment for all road users.
After levying a half-cent sales tax to fund road maintenance and improvements (including sidewalks), hope was high that this would provide opportunity to begin completing the streets in Topeka, Kansas. Yet, city officials have fallen prey to a common misconception about Complete Streets.
The National Complete Streets Coalition is happy to make it official: more than 100 jurisdictions across the United States have adopted Complete Streets policies! The Coalition celebrated the milestone on Monday October 5th with a reception on Capitol Hill, co-hosted by the American Planning Association (APA) and Representative Doris Matsui.
A new flurry of study results, meetings, and reports from the public health community – including a specific recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – are pointing the way toward complete streets policies as an important tool in the fight against the obesity crisis.
As we close in on the 100-mark for state and local jurisdictions with adopted policies, the need for federal action becomes more acute. We appreciate the potentially profound impact of “comprehensive street design policies and principles” in the House bill and look forward to working with Chairman Oberstar in strengthening that provision.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has provided the first look at what their version of the next federal transportation authorization might look like, and complete streets gets prominent placement.