Although nearly 500 localities around the U.S. have created complete streets policies, there is no federal mandate that they do so. That may soon change if a bipartisan bill introduced last week in the House of Representatives is passed.
"At a briefing yesterday on Capitol Hill, representatives of the National Complete Streets Coalition made the case for national standards for complete streets policies," reports Olivia Starr, the APA's Government Affairs Associate. "This is one of the central proposals of the Safe Streets Act of 2013 [PDF] (H.R. 2468), also introduced yesterday by Reps. Matsui (D-CA) and Joyce (R-OH)."
"The Safe Streets Act would require that each state and metropolitan planning organization adopt a complete streets policy within two years that ensures all new federally-funded transportation projects accommodate the safety and convenience of all users," explains Starr. "The bill defines transportation projects as road construction and road modification projects, including design, planning, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, maintenance, and operations."
"In her statement at the briefing, Rep. Matsui said that 'we are changing our lifestyle. We also need to change our roads.' She added that her primary motivation for supporting a set of national complete streets policy standards is improving safety for all transportation system users."
Read the full story: House Bill Proposes National Complete Streets Policy Standards
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