Complete Streets Bill Passes

Posted May 17th, 2011 by Dave Reville

AARP Vermont Applauds Passage of Complete Streets Bill

Legislation to Make Roads Safe and Accessible to All

 

Following a two-year campaign of outreach, public education and statewide advocacy, AARP applauds the Vermont Legislature for its passage of a Complete Streets bill which was signed into law by Governor Shumlin. AARP Vermont and some 45 other Vermont organizations have worked together to build support for the bill aimed at increasing pedestrian safety and addressing the needs of an aging population that will increasingly rely on alternative ways to get around.

 

Complete Streets policies ensure that transportation agencies and municipalities routinely design and operate the right of ways to enable safe access for everyone on the road. Complete Streets guidelines make community and roadway planners think about how people can access the community without a car. The design considerations are meant to apply to new roads and those being redesigned or rebuilt.

 

“Thanks to the action of our lawmakers and the Administration, Vermonters can look ahead to roadways that are designed for safe and convenient travel by all users and all ages,” said Greg Marchildon, AARP Vermont state director. “We believe this is how Vermont should plan its streets, town centers, cities and suburbs, so that people who cannot drive or want to drive less have more ways to get around.  Many current road and sidewalk designs create barriers and discourage people from walking and biking," he said. "We need to make it easier for people to leave the car at home and to be active and fit.”

 

Pedestrians, cyclists and public transit users will benefit from this important change in how roads are designed and rebuilt. Recent street and intersection surveys conducted by AARP in Brattleboro, Rutland, Burlington and St. Johnsbury revealed a host of  problem areas in these communities – many of which could be addressed for little or no funds.

 

The statistics on this issue paint a compelling picture.  A recent AARP report found that 2 in 5 Americans age 50+ say their neighborhood sidewalks are inadequate.  Incomplete streets include anything from no sidewalks nor bike lanes to broken sidewalks and unsafe crossings.  Some 47 percent of Americans over the age of 50 reported not being able to safely cross a main road near their home.  This is a key reason why 65 percent of non-driving seniors make fewer trips to visit family, friends, shop or attend community events.  It is unacceptable that so many older Vermonters are staying home and missing out on activities that are so vital to mental and physical health due to inadequate pedestrian access or safety concerns. By 2025, people age 65+ will comprise nearly 20% of the population.  Yet two-thirds of transportation planners and engineers say they have yet to begin addressing older people in their street planning.

 

“AARP Vermont and our partners especially thank Rep. Mollie Burke of Brattleboro who sponsored this bill and helped move it through to passage,” said Marchildon. “Her support was critical in this campaign.” Advocates also expressed appreciation to transportation committee chairs in both the House and Senate – Rep. Patrick Brennan and Senator Richard Mazza – as well as all members of those committees.