From our friends at PA Walks & Bikes
Posted on December 13, 2011 by Shayne
Now is our chance!
While we continue to work to preserve federal funding for bicycling and walking, there is an opportunity this week to ensure that federally funded transportation projects accommodate the needs and safety of all users — including pedestrians and bicyclists. This would be a real chance to see Complete Streets policies enacted in every state.
On Wednesday morning, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will consider an amendment offered by Alaska Senator Mark Begich to provide safe and adequate accommodations for all users in all federally funded street projects. This means safer roads for everyone, including those who walk, bicycle, ride transit, or drive cars.
Your Senator is a member of this committee and we need you to voice your support TODAY for the Senator Begich amendment to S. 1950 on “safety for motorized and nonmotorized users.”
Please forward this message to all of your members and supporters, with a link to the League of American Bicyclists’ Action Center, where you can send an email directly to your Senator. Below, you’ll find a sample letter you can customize to send to your Senator, as well. Attached, you’ll find additional talking points and information about the amendment.
This is the first time in more than six years that our federal representatives will take a vote on Complete Streets language — please, take action TODAY!
Showing posts with label Complete Streets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Complete Streets. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Complete Streets Slide Show: Because Streets Should Be Built for All Road Users
Click on the Image to See the many different ways others in our nation are completing their streets.![]()
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Sunday, July 10, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
State Representative Thomas J. Quigley Responds!
Dear Ms. Barrett:
Thank you for your e-mail regarding HB 1041 and SB 526. I have supported these measures in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts with me.
Thomas J. Quigley
State Representative
146th Legislative District
717-772-9963 (Harrisburg Office)
610-326-9563 (District Office)
Thank you for your e-mail regarding HB 1041 and SB 526. I have supported these measures in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts with me.
Thomas J. Quigley
State Representative
146th Legislative District
717-772-9963 (Harrisburg Office)
610-326-9563 (District Office)
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Tell Congress: Don’t Sacrifice Safety
Americans are dying on our roads every day – and our poorly designed roads are to blame.
We can’t let Congress cut the already meager funding for pedestrian and bike safety.
Tell your lawmakers not to risk lives. Protect and increase bike & pedestrian funding.
Click Here to Take Action!
If a jumbo jet went down every month, Congress would pass laws left and right. If a consumer product injured someone every seven minutes, the feds would shut down production.
Well, that’s exactly how many Americans are being killed and injured in the act of walking pedestrian-unfriendly streets, according to our report, out today. But in the case of pedestrian safety, our federal tax dollars actually go to build streets that are designed to be perilous to children, the elderly and everyone else.
And yet, right now, some in Congress are trying to kill funding for projects to make it safer to walk and bicycle!
We can’t let Congress cut the already meager funding for pedestrian and bike safety.
Tell your lawmakers not to risk lives. Protect and increase bike & pedestrian funding.
Click Here to Take Action!
If a jumbo jet went down every month, Congress would pass laws left and right. If a consumer product injured someone every seven minutes, the feds would shut down production.
Well, that’s exactly how many Americans are being killed and injured in the act of walking pedestrian-unfriendly streets, according to our report, out today. But in the case of pedestrian safety, our federal tax dollars actually go to build streets that are designed to be perilous to children, the elderly and everyone else.
And yet, right now, some in Congress are trying to kill funding for projects to make it safer to walk and bicycle!
Join us - ask your representative and senators in Washington to show us that they take pedestrian and bike fatalities seriously.
Our Dangerous by Design research found that more than 47,700 Americans were struck and killed while walking and another 688,000 were injured from 2000 to 2009. The highways-only lobby insists that pedestrian safety is a “frill” and a local responsibility. But 67 percent of these fatalities over the last 10 years occurred on federal-aid roads — roads eligible to receive federal funding or with federal guidelines or oversight for their design.
That’s right: Federal programs have encouraged state departments of transportation to prioritize speeding traffic over the safety of people in our neighborhoods and shopping districts.
The irony is that fixing these conditions is relatively cheap: Existing funds for that purpose – now targeted for elimination -- amount to less than 1.5 percent of the current federal transportation outlay. A policy of giving federal support only to “complete streets” that are designed for the safety of people on foot or bicycle as well as in cars would cost next to nothing.
Our Dangerous by Design research found that more than 47,700 Americans were struck and killed while walking and another 688,000 were injured from 2000 to 2009. The highways-only lobby insists that pedestrian safety is a “frill” and a local responsibility. But 67 percent of these fatalities over the last 10 years occurred on federal-aid roads — roads eligible to receive federal funding or with federal guidelines or oversight for their design.
That’s right: Federal programs have encouraged state departments of transportation to prioritize speeding traffic over the safety of people in our neighborhoods and shopping districts.
The irony is that fixing these conditions is relatively cheap: Existing funds for that purpose – now targeted for elimination -- amount to less than 1.5 percent of the current federal transportation outlay. A policy of giving federal support only to “complete streets” that are designed for the safety of people on foot or bicycle as well as in cars would cost next to nothing.
Tell Congress: it's no time to start cutting funding that helps keep pedestrians safe.
Thank you for helping fix our transportation system to make it safe, reliable, and accessible for everyone!
Thank you for helping fix our transportation system to make it safe, reliable, and accessible for everyone!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
$3M JURY AWARD IN MD. PEDESTRIAN DEATH
THE COST OF INCOMPLETE STREETS:
-> Last week, a jury in Price George's County, Maryland, awarded $3.3 million to relatives of a woman killed by a motorist as she walked along a stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue that lacked pedestrian facilities. The jury found the state of Maryland liable in the wrongful death suit for not providing safe accommodations for pedestrians.
Read more: Click Here
-> Last week, a jury in Price George's County, Maryland, awarded $3.3 million to relatives of a woman killed by a motorist as she walked along a stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue that lacked pedestrian facilities. The jury found the state of Maryland liable in the wrongful death suit for not providing safe accommodations for pedestrians.
Read more: Click Here
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Our Streets Are Dangerous By Design
Dangerous By Design
Recently, several pedestrians in various locations in Berks County have been struck while walking across our streets. Too often, the victim is found to be at fault for walking where pedestrians are not allowed to walk. Such is the case with the following story reported in the Reading Eagle Newspaper:
"A woman and her adult son were struck by a car and injured Monday night while crossing the Fifth Street Highway near the Fairgrounds Square Mall in Muhlenberg Township, police said.
The 60-year-old woman and her 25-year-old son.... were walking to the mall and crossing the road ... when they were both struck by a southbound car ... Reading, police said.
...
[Driver] was not at fault, police said, adding that the area is clearly marked with a "No pedestrian crossing" sign
...Investigators said she had a green light and did not see the pedestrians in time to stop..."
In the report released by Transportation for America:
In the last 15 years, more than 76,000 Americans have been killed while crossing or walking along a street in their community. Children, the elderly and ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented in this figure, but people of all ages and all walks of life have been struck down in the simple act of walking. These deaths typically are labeled “accidents,” and attributed to error on the part of motorist or pedestrian. In fact, however, an overwhelming proportion share a similar factor: They occurred along roadways that were dangerous by design, streets that were engineered for speeding cars and made little or no provision for people on foot, in wheelchairs or on a bicycle.
The answer: Prevent deaths and promote health with safer design!
Recently, several pedestrians in various locations in Berks County have been struck while walking across our streets. Too often, the victim is found to be at fault for walking where pedestrians are not allowed to walk. Such is the case with the following story reported in the Reading Eagle Newspaper:
"A woman and her adult son were struck by a car and injured Monday night while crossing the Fifth Street Highway near the Fairgrounds Square Mall in Muhlenberg Township, police said.
The 60-year-old woman and her 25-year-old son.... were walking to the mall and crossing the road ... when they were both struck by a southbound car ... Reading, police said.
...
[Driver] was not at fault, police said, adding that the area is clearly marked with a "No pedestrian crossing" sign
...Investigators said she had a green light and did not see the pedestrians in time to stop..."
In the report released by Transportation for America:
In the last 15 years, more than 76,000 Americans have been killed while crossing or walking along a street in their community. Children, the elderly and ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented in this figure, but people of all ages and all walks of life have been struck down in the simple act of walking. These deaths typically are labeled “accidents,” and attributed to error on the part of motorist or pedestrian. In fact, however, an overwhelming proportion share a similar factor: They occurred along roadways that were dangerous by design, streets that were engineered for speeding cars and made little or no provision for people on foot, in wheelchairs or on a bicycle.
The answer: Prevent deaths and promote health with safer design!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
URGENT: National surge to pass Complete Streets tomorrow at 12 p.m. EDT
"The National Complete Streets Coalition has created a template to make it easy for advocates to take part in this national surge, directing them to urge their representatives to co-sponsor the Complete Streets Act of 2009. The Coalition asks that, while advocates are pedaling to meet the Secretary, leaders across the country distribute this action alert as widely as possible."
This message comes from WalkBikeBerks parent organization Alliance for Biking and Walking. Read the message below and click on the link to go directly to the National Complete Street Coalition's website and enter your zip code where indicated. Your representatives will be sent a letter urging them to Co-Sponsor the Complete Streets Act of 2009 or thanking them for already supporting this act.
Think of the roads in your community that are NOT Complete Streets and how this Act could improve the quality of life for all users of our roadways in Berks County! Send this to everyone you know and urge them to contact their representatives via this link.
Sincerely,
WalkBikeBerks
"On Friday May 28th, the National Complete Streets Coalition is thrilled to join with Transportation for America, America Bikes, and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership to bicycle down Pennsylvania Avenue, America’s main street, and publicly express our thanks to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for all his hard work to make sure that walking and biking are on equal footing with other modes for safety, convenience, and accessibility.
DOT’s new policy is a step forward, but if we’re going to make our streets safer for all users, we need Congress to change federal law to make complete streets the standard — not the exception. Only through a strong federal complete streets policy can we end the project-by-project fight for safer roads for people who are bicycling, walking, and taking public transportation.
Join us in support of complete streets and take action: Tell your Members of Congress to co-sponsor the Complete Streets Act of 2009! [http://action.smartgrowthamerica.org/t/6237/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=81]
The Complete Streets Act would ensure that future federally funded transportation projects take into account the needs of everyone using the roads – old and young, bicycle riders and drivers, pedestrians and public transportation users.
We are making great progress, but we need your help: Tell your representatives that you value streets designed for all modes – that includes bicycling, as well as walking and taking public transportation. [http://action.smartgrowthamerica.org/t/6237/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=81]
National Bike Month has been an exciting chance to celebrate and encourage more active transportation. Thanking Secretary LaHood will be a great way to end a landmark month.
Thank you in advance for taking action!"
This message comes from WalkBikeBerks parent organization Alliance for Biking and Walking. Read the message below and click on the link to go directly to the National Complete Street Coalition's website and enter your zip code where indicated. Your representatives will be sent a letter urging them to Co-Sponsor the Complete Streets Act of 2009 or thanking them for already supporting this act.
Think of the roads in your community that are NOT Complete Streets and how this Act could improve the quality of life for all users of our roadways in Berks County! Send this to everyone you know and urge them to contact their representatives via this link.
Sincerely,
WalkBikeBerks
"On Friday May 28th, the National Complete Streets Coalition is thrilled to join with Transportation for America, America Bikes, and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership to bicycle down Pennsylvania Avenue, America’s main street, and publicly express our thanks to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for all his hard work to make sure that walking and biking are on equal footing with other modes for safety, convenience, and accessibility.
DOT’s new policy is a step forward, but if we’re going to make our streets safer for all users, we need Congress to change federal law to make complete streets the standard — not the exception. Only through a strong federal complete streets policy can we end the project-by-project fight for safer roads for people who are bicycling, walking, and taking public transportation.
Join us in support of complete streets and take action: Tell your Members of Congress to co-sponsor the Complete Streets Act of 2009! [http://action.smartgrowthamerica.org/t/6237/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=81]
The Complete Streets Act would ensure that future federally funded transportation projects take into account the needs of everyone using the roads – old and young, bicycle riders and drivers, pedestrians and public transportation users.
We are making great progress, but we need your help: Tell your representatives that you value streets designed for all modes – that includes bicycling, as well as walking and taking public transportation. [http://action.smartgrowthamerica.org/t/6237/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=81]
National Bike Month has been an exciting chance to celebrate and encourage more active transportation. Thanking Secretary LaHood will be a great way to end a landmark month.
Thank you in advance for taking action!"
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