Complete Streets Federal Legislation - Markey/Fetterman 2024

New Complete Streets Legislation

Complete Streets Policy and approach to road design emphasizes safe street access for all road users, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycles, transit and automobiles by prioritizing infrastructure and new vehicle code rules. These roadway users have historically been left behind by legacy transportation bias that preferred motorists. In January 2024 Senators Markey and Fetterman have put forward The Complete Streets Act that takes the first steps toward a new street safety mindset that will ensure all road users have access to safe, equitable transportation options and apply nationally.

Correcting Street Design Standards

Legislation introduced October 2023 aims to correct America's road safety crisis by modernizing roadway design standards that leads to over 4000 pedestrian fatalities per year. The Building Safer Streets Act sets new standards for safer streets by reforming the development process for a highway design manual called the MTCUD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices). This change will redefine how road projects should integrate transit, multi-modal and safety features and address dangerous design standards.

The Act would streamline FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) road design practices, require the FHWA to publish new guidance to help develop multimodal streets work in local contexts, and would no longer allow a time metric to displace safety and increase dangerous speeds when evaluating project benefits. 

Collisions Matter

The chart shows trends in pedestrian fatalities nationally from 2009 to 2021 resulting in over 40,000 deaths in a decade. 

Pedestrian Fatalities Nationally  -SmartGrowthAmerica

These are the 2020 OTS traffic safety rankings for Laguna Beach, out of 103 similar cities Laguna ranks:
 
   Pedestrians : 14
   Bicyclists : 8
   Motorcycles : 2
   Alcohol involved : 2
   Speed involved: 1
  Hit and Run: 11.

DOT Chooses Safety over Speed

For an example of street design with a motorist bias, consider how a posted speed limit is derived. Previously the posted speed is that speed which 85% of freely flowing motorist traffic would travel at that location. In a Complete Street allocation (Complete Streets Act) the new speed limit would be set to a safe speed for all roadway users in a multi-modal design.

Transit over Highway Funding

Past funding has been allocated 20% to transit and 80% to highway development but all Americans—no matter where they live—deserve transportation options that are convenient, affordable, sustainable and safe. But this arcane policy makes it an uphill climb for transit agencies to deliver that kind of service. In fact, fewer than 10 percent of Americans live within walking distance of transit that runs every 15 minutes or less, Transit Center found.  The new legislation addresses the funding imbalance.

Take Action for New Legislation

To support these improvements ask your senator to cosponsor these bills.

-LS