When the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) proposed revisions to its rule governing design standards for the National Highway System (NHS), it offered minimal instruction for the development and integration of appropriate walking, bicycling, and transit facilities.
While the NHS system includes interstates and other high-speed, high-volume roads, it also includes a whole lot of routes you’d more likely call “Main Street.” Thousands of miles of the NHS are streets serving commercial centers, homes, shops, parks, schools, and hospitals—places where people often walk, bike, or take public transportation, in addition to driving.
In response, the National Complete Streets Coalition sent a letter with over 400 signatures to FHWA, urging them to amend the rule and allow for additional guidance to show designers how to create streets that are safe for everyone.
If you’re one of the hundreds of people who signed on: Thank you.
Better design standards would help state and local agencies plan and design safer streets for people walking, bicycling, taking transit, and driving. With thousands of people killed and injured while bicycling and walking each year, we need them.