The National Complete Streets Coalition applauds the passage of the Senate’s bi-partisan surface transportation authorization bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21). MAP-21 makes significant progress in ensuring the safety of users of the transportation system, and the Coalition urges the House to follow by passing their own bi-partisan bill.
“We have seen how hard Senators from both sides of the aisle have worked to create a bill that will help Americans safely get where they need to go, whether they are older people visiting a senior center, children on their way to school, or workers catching a bus,” said Barbara McCann, Executive Director of the National Complete Streets Coalition. “We so pleased the leadership of the Senate chose to set aside politics and pass a bill that focuses federal resources on building a system that is safe for all users and ensures that projects are built right — the first time.”
The final bill includes a measure for the safe accommodation of all users in federally-funded street projects that received bi-partisan support while in committee. The bill also for the first time clearly defines ‘road users’ as including people who walk and bicycle and use public transportation, as well as people with disabilities and older adults. We thank the Senate for working to identify small ways to fully integrate all users of the roadway in the complex arena of federal transportation law.
In the coming weeks, we hope that the House will look to the Senate’s example and seek to move forward on their own bipartisan transportation authorization that prioritizes safety and choice for all Americans.
Other members of the National Complete Streets Coalition are sharing more details on their take on the bill. See ongoing analysis from Transportation for America and America Bikes.
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