The Hill - Lawmakers to States: Make Room on Roads for Bikes, Pedestrians

News Article

By Keith Lang

A bipartisan pair of lawmakers in the House have introduced a bill to force states to make room on their roads for people other than car drivers.

The bill, dubbed the Safe Streets Act, would require states to make all of their roads that are built with federal money accessible to bicyclists and pedestrians.

The sponsors of the bill, Reps. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) and David Joyce (R-Ohio), said it was time for states to think more about commuters who are not driving individual automobiles in their street designs.

"Too many of the roads in our country are designed solely with drivers in mind," Matsui said in a statement. "The risks of such design are evident in the number of pedestrian and bicyclist deaths and injuries we see every year, and often discourage more people from considering other transportation methods."

Matsui said states could change that by adopting "Complete Streets" programs, which the bill would force them to do within two years.

"Complete Streets policies have been a major success at the local and state level, saving lives, easing congestion, fighting air pollution and creating forward-looking projects that provide lasting value," she said.
Joyce added that the bill would improve safety on roads for senior citizens and children.

"It's important we take steps to improve safety in our communities and this bill is a step in the right direction," he said.

The measure comes as lawmakers on the Republican-led House Appropriations Committee moved this week to slash funding for community development and public transit funding.

The Appropriations Committee's transportation and housing subcommittee approved its 2014 spending bill Wednesday at a level of $44.1 billion, a cut of $7 billion from last year. The funding level was also a cut of more than $4 billion from the current sequester level.

House Republicans also fought the inclusion of bicycle and pedestrian funding in the $109 billion surface transportation bill that was passed last year.

They argued that appropriators had to focus on roads, and to a lesser extent transit, in times of austerity.

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