New Bill in Congress Would Improve America’s Streets, Neighborhoods

As the frenzy over the stimulus package has moved from Washington DC to the states, transportation secretaries across the country are pulling highway projects off the shelf–such as a new outer-loop freeway around Houston–that provide only for automobile travel. Unfortunately, decades of this kind of investment has left many Americans living in places where people can’t walk anywhere because sidewalks and safe street crossings are non-existent, where they can’t ride a bicycle because the roads aren’t intended to accommodate that form of travel, and where they can’t take the bus or train because public transportation is inaccessible.

San Diego’s La Jolla Boulevard as it used to look is a pretty good example of this kind of planning:

Ideally, the stimulus bill would have specifically directed some portion of the funds toward making the existing road network safer and more useful for people on foot, on bikes, and trying catching the bus. In the parlance of planning experts, it could have done much more to “complete” the streets.

But some cities are pursuing the goal on their own: in the San Francisco Bay area, all projects will be screened for the degree to which they make public byways accessible and friendly for a wide range of users; other local governments are proposing projects that would add sidewalks or bike lanes, improve intersections for those who need to reach bus and train stops, and install curb ramps for wheelchair users (and those towing suitcases).

For instance, after an overhaul guided by these principles, here is La Jolla Boulevard today:

The economic recovery package may be a missed opportunity, but new measures in Congress could ensure that it won’t happen again. The Complete Streets Act of 2009 was introduced yesterday by Doris Matsui (D - CA) in the House of Representatives as HR 1443 and will be introduced this morning in the Senate by Tom Harkin (D-IA). The bills would require states and Metropolitan Planning Organizations to adopt Complete Streets policies to ensure that future federally-funded road projects take into account the needs of everyone using the corridor.

This approach is, in fact, quite stimulative in addition to its other benefits. Many of these projects are small enough in scale to ramp up quickly, are more labor-intensive (resulting in more job creation), and often employ small, local firms that will keep the money in the community. The improvements can also help revitalize struggling business districts and raise home values.

The policies work because they are flexible and help planners and engineers balance the requirements of different users. They also help communities meet a variety of needs, from improved safety to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.The Complete Streets Act of 2009 would guarantee that future federal investments in transportation infrastructure help accomplish these goals.

Barbara McCann is the executive director of the National Complete Streets Coalition.