New York State’s ‘Complete Streets’ Bill Is In Jeopardy—We Need Your Help!

In Albany, bicycling advocates are working overtime to help assure the passage of a Complete Streets law—sweeping legislation that will create more livable, bikeable and walkable communities across the state. This proposed law would direct the state Department of Transportation to consider bicycle and pedestrian accommodations in the planning and development of state, county, and local roads and other transportation facilities. NYBC is working closing with the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, AARP and other groups to get this legislation passed.

This important legislation will:

• Help make our streets safer for bicyclists and pedestrians alike
• Reduce greenhouse gases
• Revitalize downtowns and main streets
• Ensure our transportation system is ready for the challenges of the 21st century

On June 17, the Senate passed the bill 53-3. Unfortunately, Assemblyman David Gantt of Rochester has amended the Assembly version of the bill in a way that would render the legislation useless in its impact. Assemblyman Gantt’s amended bill covers only state roads, meaning that more than 90% of the roads in New York State would not be covered by the law. Additionally, of the 21 most dangerous roads in the state, as defined in a recent study by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, only 6 would be covered under Assemblyman Gantt’s amended version of the law.

The only way to get this process back on track is if we can get bicycling advocates — particularly those in Rochester, where Assembly Gantt is based — to make their voices heard!

We’re asking you to make one phone call, with a one-sentence appeal:

“Please amend the “complete streets” bill (Assembly Bill 8587-a) so that it matches the version passed in the Senate on Thursday.”

Things are moving quickly….please call and email now:

Assemblyman David Gantt’s contact info:

District Office: 585-454-3670
Albany Office: 518-455-5606
GanttD@assembly.state.ny.us

Background information

Though most highway superintendents, local DOT engineers, DPW’s, etc. simply would like to do what they’ve done for the past 50 years, without added thought, considering if their project can help make their road safer for pedestrians and bicyclist, is well worth a few minutes before they undertake projects that will be set in concrete and asphalt for a generation. The preferred, Senate version of the legislation requires no more than that.

But perhaps bicyclists in many parts of the State, rural, suburban and urban, offered a plethora of complaints recently about those local road engineers that did consider some peripheral issue impacting them that season and then severely damaged safe bicycle and pedestrian routes because they never thought about all of the safe users of “their” roads, such as bicyclists, pedestrians and the handicapped. Here are a few examples of this narrow thinking that put our lives in danger;

• As asphalt prices increased a few years ago safe road shoulders were replaced with gravel, or perhaps an even more dangerous half paving, leaving a ridge in the middle of the shoulder that will throw a bike over. These asphalt savings make the safe use of a formerly useful road shoulder impossible or unsafe.
• Some experiments to save a little costly asphalt mixed other materials into the road shoulder paving, to the point that bicyclists, wheel chairs and walking aids (walkers) felt unsafe on these “soft” shoulders, and snow plows damaged the surface (DOT’s Chief Engineer had to send a memo to the regions to stop these unsafe innovations).
• Where a traffic tie-up was perceived, two lane roads were flared out to five or more lanes for a short span, so several vehicles race to enter the next two lane section. Bicyclist and pedestrians cross these intersections at their peril.
• NYBC and bike club members had animated discussions about the installation of rumble strips where there may have been no need for them demonstrated by incidents involving drowsy or distracted drivers. The new installations did and will cause crashes injuring a bicyclists.
• Adding “turning lanes” may have helped move a traffic congestion point from one corner to the next bottleneck, but some of these “improvements” obliterate a section of sidewalk and make bicycling past that intersection unsafe.
• Some new roads simply cut the bicycle and pedestrian routes and people simply step over a guardrail to run across afterward at the needed, but unsafe crossing.

There are probably many other examples where simple and expeditious consideration of all road users, including bicyclists and pedestrans could have made projects safer, and sometimes even cheaper. The Senate version of the “Complete Streets Bill” better accomplishes this.