A Bill to Make American Streets Safer Surfaces in the Senate

Has the moment finally arrived for a national complete streets law?

A bill creating incentives for transportation agencies to design safe streets for everyone -- pedestrians and cyclists in addition to motorists -- is back on the floor of Congress this week. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Mark Begich (D-Alaska) are sponsoring the Safe Streets Act of 2014, which would require all states to develop complete streets policies for federally funded roads within two years. A companion piece of legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives last year.

Exemptions would be allowed, with special approval, on limited access highways, in very rural areas, or if the agency could demonstrate the cost was "excessively disproportionate" to the anticipated bike or pedestrian traffic.

In the last 10 years, 47,000 pedestrians have been killed on American roadways, thanks in part to street designs that make walking dangerous. Two-thirds of pedestrian deaths occur on federally funded roads, according to Senators Schatz and Begich.

"Our legislation provides commonsense solutions to consider the needs of our seniors and children, encourage alternative forms of transportation, and make our roads and communities safer for everyone," said Schatz.

Groups including the National Association of Realtors, Smart Growth America, and AARP cheered the bill's introduction.

"Safe mobility options ... are essential to the independence and well-being of mid-life and older Americans," said Joyce Rogers, senior vice president of government affairs at AARP, in a press release. "Fully one-fifth of persons age 65 and above does not drive. Yet almost half of respondents to an AARP survey of persons age 50 and above said they cannot safely cross the main roads in their neighborhoods. "

Schatz and Begich are seeking additional sponsors. The full text of the bill is not yet online.