I am here to express our strong support for this important bill, which we call the “walk/bike connections” bill. This bill helps ensure that Prince George’s residents and visitors have better and safer transportation choices. By allowing the Planning Board to ensure that developments fill in missing links of essential sidewalk and other walk/bike facilities around a new development, the quality of development, as well as safety and access, will be improved. Offering multimodal transportation choices has been the intention of the County for several years through the “Complete Streets” policy adopted in the 2009 County Master Plan for Transportation. This bill helps implement this policy in the development review process.
Category: Safe Streets for Biking and Walking
Fairfax County: Recommendation against mandate for 36 foot wide streets in residential neighborhoods
Fairfax County is becoming a leader in addressing the challenges created by the patterns of suburban development through transit-oriented development, commercial corridor revitalization, affordable housing, stormwater, and reform to parking policies. We believe that Fairfax County can also join places like Charlotte, North Carolina, in addressing the design flaws and safety risks inherent in overly wide suburban streets. Therefore, we are concerned about and recommend strongly against the proposal to mandate a standard width of 36 feet for new suburban streets in the county.
Montgomery County: Testimony regarding the White Flint Development Tax District Transportation Infrastructure Improvements
We would like to express our support for the White Flint Sector Plan and urge the Council and County Executive to create a feasible transportation infrastructure financing plan to move this effort forward without delay. We call on the Council to work with the Executive to establish a financing plan that is fair, accelerates redevelopment, and rightfully places this high value Metro-oriented development plan as a top priority for County and state transportation spending. The urgent need to create a workable, timely transportation financing plan requires us to rethink our spending priorities.
Prince George’s County: Letter to Chairman of the Planning Board
We request that the board not approve the DSP as proposed but request a full revision of the “Commons at Addison Road” in order that ensure the project conform with transit- and pedestrian-oriented design standards in the Approved Sector Plan and Sectional Map Amendment for Addison Road Metro Town Center and Vicinity (ARM).
From Mean Streets to Main Streets
Walkable neighborhoods are not only more vibrant and convenient, but safer, too. In this 2010 presentation, CSG Policy Director Cheryl Cort shows how missing sidewalks create hazardous walking conditions for pedestrians and lead to more traffic fatalities, as evident in local data. She argues that streets need to be more pedestrian-friendly, especially in high-demand areas with lots of traffic.
Transit and Highway Safety Statistics
The Metrorail collision in June 2009 prompted a spate of articles about the Metrorail system. To evaluate the relative safety of Metrorail compared to driving, the Coalition for Smarter Growth collected the following statistics.
D.C.: Support Bill 18-191 the Sidewalk Assurance Act of 2009
We are here to express our support for the Sidewalk Assurance Act. Sidewalks should be included as a part of all roadways and all roadway construction projects almost without exception. This Act reflects the DDOT Departmental Order on its sidewalk construction policy and the DDOT Pedestrian Master Plan. An Act by the Council is needed to ensure consistent implementation of these polices in order to ensure safety on all public rights of way. The standard should simply be that if there is a paved road, there should be an ADA-compliant sidewalk. This is fundamentally a matter of safety for all public transportation facilities.
Virginia Pedestrian Safety Fact Sheet 2009
Statistics on how Virginia compares nationally on measures of pedestrian safety.
Montgomery County: Road Code Testimony
Both the Coalition and the Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS) were actively involved in the entire process that brought us to this point. We began our engagement in early 2007 when we worked with the County Council to adopt a “Complete and Green Streets” law that gave new emphasis to street designs for all users and reduced polluted runoff. Based on direction for the Council, your staff conducted an extensive workgroup process. Both of our organizations participated in the workgroup.
Update to D.C.’s 1958 Zoning Code for Parking Offers Better Choices for Residents and Commuters
The location, amount and pricing of parking directly affects driving habits, traffic congestion, air quality, and the urban fabric of our city. Tonight’s public hearing before the D.C. Zoning Commission provides the opportunity to voice support for the Office of Planning’s proposed comprehensive reform of parking regulations. The proposed changes protect walkable historic neighborhoods, promote transit-oriented development, help make new housing more affordable, and help improve commuting conditions for all.