It’s a Safe Decision: Complete Streets in California, a report from the National Complete Streets Coalition and the Local Government Commission telling the successes of a Complete Streets approach in California, was released last week at an event with Representative Doris Matsui (CA-5), one of the Congressional sponsors of a federal Complete Streets policy.
Though all eyes have been on federal transportation policy the last few weeks, states have continued to push forward with their Complete Streets efforts. Bills have been introduced in West Virginia and Rhode Island, and several states with Complete Streets policies in place move ahead with implementation.
A Complete Streets approach recognizes that an individual may bike, walk, drive, and take transit all in the same day and aims to create a transportation system that helps her travel safely by any mode she chooses. Unfortunately, the House transportation bill devotes all its funding to highway projects. The Senate bill presents a more complete vision, but still needs to be fixed to better provide for those on foot or on bicycles.
With no Complete Streets provision, the just-released House Transportation bill ignores millions of Americans nationwide who want their transportation system to provide safe and convenient choices, such as walking, riding a bike, and catching a bus or train. This failure is in stark contrast to the bipartisan Complete Streets measure included in the Senate’s version of the bill.
A fine time was had by all at the Second Annual Complete Streets Dinner, held on Tuesday night at Washington, D.C.’s New Heights restaurant. The featured speaker was Roy Kienitz of Roy Kienitz LLC, who recently left the U.S. Department of Transportation where he served as Under Secretary for Policy.
A three-year campaign in Spokane, Washington engaged hundreds of Complete Streets supporters with high- and low-tech methods. Their work inspired the adoption of a new ordinance requiring a Complete Streets approach for transportation projects.
In a major step forward for Complete Streets, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation passed a federal transportation authorization bill that includes a measure for the safe accommodation of all users in federally-funded street projects.
Do you walk? Bike? Drive? …Fly? Help us create Complete Streets in more communities in 2012 with a donation of $50 — or whatever you can give.
The Complete Streets movement owes a lot to advocates, elected officials, and local engineers, but the growing cadre of Complete Streets Partners deserve credit for their work on the ground in communities every day. Now is a great time for your organization to join the Coalition as a Partner: affirm your commitment to Complete Streets and receive great benefits.
When we started the Complete Streets movement, we didn’t look at where we would like every community to arrive. We looked at where communities are now. Complete Streets policies, and their implementation, provide the clear path between what we have and where we want to be.