Photo via Live Well Sioux Falls
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Tell the Federal Highway Administration to make good street design the standard — The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is poised to issue new guidance about street design across the country. The proposed rule, as written, does not provide sufficient guidance for integrating safe, context-appropriate facilities for walking, bicycling, transit use, and driving and we want FHWA to cite widely-used guides that help designers create Complete Streets. Read more and take action >>
Imagining livability — New from AARP, a 38-page collection of street design tools and techniques that help make a community friendlier for folks walking and bicycling. Many of these tools are relatively low-cost and quick to implement. Read more >>
Federal legislation update — In late June, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously approved its draft six-year transportation authorization bill, the DRIVE Act. In their draft, we found a few provisions to make Complete Streets implementation a bit easier. Three more committees now will need to offer their sections of this bill. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will consider its portion of the bill today, July 15, and we’re hoping for good news. Read more >>
Join us for an inside look at transportation reauthorization in Congress — The current federal transportation bill will expire on July 31, and Congress is negotiating dozens of programs and debating how to fund billions of dollars worth of projects. What will it all mean for Complete Streets? Join staff from the Coalition, Transportation for America, and LOCUS for a webinar tomorrow, July 16, at 4pm EDT to find out. Register now >>
Complete Streets design course at ITE Annual Meeting — Heading to Hollywood, FL for ITE’s Annual Meeting? Join instructors Jeff Riegner, PE, PTOE, AICP and Marhsall Elizer, PE, PTOE for a course on design flexibility and the Complete Streets approach. Read more >>
Creating safe routes for older adults — An upcoming webinar hosted by the National Center on Senior Transportation will focus on community initiatives to design streets that are safer for older adults—and for everyone walking, regardless of age or ability. In addition to design techniques, presenters will discuss meaningful ways to include the perspectives of older adults in transportation planning and design. The webinar will be held on July 30 at 2pm ET. Register now >>
Cities that move — Aimed at city leaders, Designed to Move: Active Cities is a call-to-action supported by a public, private, and civil sector organizations dedicated to ending the growing epidemic of physical inactivity. It includes a checklist of ideas, steps to take, sample metrics, and short case studies to help re-orient cities toward a healthier, more vibrant future. No surprise, Complete Streets policy and implementation are among the recommendations. Read more >>
Making the case for statewide Complete Streets implementation — Surveying the mounds of evidence connecting Complete Streets with improved physical activity and health, law student Samantha Chapman makes a strong case for state-level implementation in Indiana. Her article, published in the Indiana Health Law Review (Vol. 12, No. 1), should be reference for folks working in other states, too. Read more >>
Active transportation and equity — While there’s a general understanding that active transportation and equity initiative share goals, there remains a limiting understanding of how to bridge these movements in practice. The Safe Routes to School National Partnership explores the challenges and promises of linking these together at the local, regional, and national levels in a recent report. A related webinar, on July 21 at 1pm EDT, covers these efforts. Register today >>
Learn about the possibilities of shared-use mobility — The Shared-Use Mobility Center and the North American Bikeshare Association will host Move Together, a national summit on shared mobility solutions, in Chicago from September 28 through 30. Public and private sector transportation leaders will discuss new developments in shared mobility and explore new solutions related to increasing access to shared mobility, equity, and integrating shared mobility with transit.Register today >>
Register for the Designing Cities conference — Presented by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), the Designing Cities conference convenes transportation leaders and practitioners from across the country to discuss key trends in urban street design and transportation policy. Registration is now open for this year’s conference, taking place in Austin, TX from October 28 through 31. Read more >>
Phoenix, AZ has completed the first phase of Roosevelt Street’s redesign: wider sidewalks, accessible curb ramps, bike lanes, trees, and sculptures to provide shade during the day and light at night. Phase two construction is expected to begin later this summer. Read more >>
Portland, ME is “humanizing” Middle and Spring Streets by removing the excesses of 1970s design, and focusing on creating a great place for walking. Read more >>
Residents of Millburn, NJ are voicing support for the Complete Streets redesigns of several downtown streets, noting safety improvements and a better environment for residents. Read more >>
Buffalo, NY‘s Downtown Infrastructure Master Plan, developed with a wide group of stakeholders, aims to incrementally transform the street environment through walk-, bike-, and business-friendly design. Ultimately, it will support the increasing private investments made in the city’s revitalizing downtown. Read more >>
Sioux Falls, SD became the first municipality in the state to have a Complete Streets policy this month! The adopted resolution includes a number of implementation strategies. Mayor Mike Huether accepted U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx’s challenge to significantly improve walking and bicycling safety. Read more >>
Austin, TX published an analysis of 37 rightsizing projects completed by the city over the last 15 years. The city found the projects resulted in fewer high-risk speeders and total crashes, with limited impacts on motor vehicle travel time, avoid increases in travel time. Read more >>
The State of Virginia adopted a multimodal, competitive project scoring process to ensure transportation funds will be spent in ways that provide the most benefit for the state. The five categories required by state law include congestion mitigation, economic development, accessibility, safety, environmental quality, and land use. Read more >>
Wisconsin Governor Walker was successful in gutting the state’s Complete Streets law. While the Wisconsin Department of Transportation may still build walking and bicycling facilties, it can only do so upon the approval of all municipalities, potentially making streets that are safe for everyone the rarity rather than the standard. The Wisconsin Bike Federation and its partners will continue to support Complete Streets at all levels. Read more >>
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Correction: In last month’s emailed newsletter, we reported that legislation in Michigan would sunset its Complete Streets Advisory Council. While factually correct, it was incorrectly grouped with stories from other states where action was being taken to restrict Complete Streets. Michigan supporters and the state Department of Transportation plan to continue collaborating on Complete Streets goals.