Wednesday News – Rockville, MD Adopts a Policy
This week’s news include a new policy in Rockville, MD, some complete streets inspired musings in Indiana, data supporting the safety in numbers theory, and more.
Complete Streets
The latest developments, events, and resources from the National Complete Streets Coalition:
Public Health Community Lines Up Behind Complete Streets
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.
Wednesday News – Policy in Hennepin County
News on complete streets comes in daily now, so we’re going to start a new feature in our blog to keep everyone – including us! – up to speed.
Road safety matters; spend the money right
The report featured in last Thursday’s Washington Post (“Highway Conditions Contribute to Over Half of Fatal Auto Crashes”) got it half right: highway design does affect safety. But the argument that road and bridge widening is a cure for fatalities is wrong. That recommendation could have been written in 1959, and has been refuted on the ground in projects around the country.
Hoosiers Begin Push for Complete Streets
More than 150 partners gathered on June 29th & 30th in Indianapolis to learn about the importance of Complete Streets and to organize a campaign to develop both state and local policies.
North Carolina Beefs Up Policy
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) stepped up its commitment to complete streets yesterday with its adoption of a formal Complete Streets Policy. The new document fleshes out many details and sets a clear exceptions process.
Connecticut Becomes 10th State with Complete Streets Law
Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell signed Senate Bill 735, the Complete Streets bill, into law on Independence Day, making Connecticut the tenth state to pass complete streets legislation and the second to do so this year.
Complete Streets in the House Transportation Bill: Next Steps
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.
Dangerous by Design 2009
Dangerous by Design 2009 spotlights the issue of pedestrian safety and the factors that make walking dangerous.
Transportation Bill Released
The House Transportation bill, The Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009 (STAA) (.pdf), was released yesterday by Representatives Oberstar (MN), Mica (FL), DeFazio (OR), and Duncan (TN), and differs from the Complete Streets Act of 2009 (HR 1443), offered by Representative Matsui earlier this year, in a few key ways.