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Federal Complete Streets Amendment offered--your support needed

Submitted by Brent Hugh on Sun, 05/08/2005 - 10:47pm
Note: See a sample email or phone message on this important issue in MoBikeFed Advocacy Alerts

Senator Harkin of Iowa has offered a "Complete Streets" amendment to the federal SAFETEA legislation currently working its way through Congress.

The amendment would:
  • Establish that each State Department of Transportation adopt a "Complete Streets" policy, based on FHWA's guidance of February 2000, to fully integrate the needs and safety of all road users into the design and operation of streets and highways

  • Adopt the goals of the 1994 National Bicycling and Walking Study to increase bicycling and walking and reduce motor vehicle crashes involving bicyclists and pedestrians

  • Ensure that adequate research is done to support and evaluate these goals, and

  • Establish that Metropolitan Planning Organizations with a population of more than 200,000 shall integrate bicycling and walking into their planning and programming activities in a variety of ways
According to an announcement from AmericaBikes, "This is an important milestone: it is the first time the Senate has been asked to vote so explicitly on fully integrating nonmotorized transportation into the transportation system. These items are currently not in either the House or Senate transportation bills, and are important elements in the overall America Bikes agenda."

Missouri advocacy groups are asking supporters of the Harkin Amendment to call or e-mail both Missouri senators before 5:00pm Tuesday, May 10. The amendment is scheduled for a vote on Wednesday, May 11th, 2005.

Contact information for Missouri senators:
Missouri Senator Kit Bond
Email: http://bond.senate.gov/contact/contactme.cfm
Phone: (202)224-5721

Missouri Senator Jim Talent
Email: http://talent.senate.gov/Contact/default.cfm
Phone: 202-224-6154
Fax: 202-228-1518

(Senators from other states can be found here: https://www.senate.gov/ )
A fact sheet about the amendment can be found here:
http://www.americabikes.org/Harkin%20bill.asp
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