NYS Complete Streets Bill Passes Unanimously!

After years of advocacy and months of intense pressure on our state officials, the New York State Complete Streets bill has passed!

Complete Streets is a policy that designs and builds roads for all users, including bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and passengers, motorists, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities. The New York State bill amends the state highway law and applies to the planning, design, construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation of roadways that receive federal or state funding, mandating that Complete Street design guidelines are at least considered. Design features include sidewalks, bicycle lanes, lane striping, share the road signage, crosswalks, bus pull outs, curb cuts, traffic calming and more.

To date, over 15 municipalities in New York State have passed local Complete Streets laws, including five towns on Long Island (Babylon, Brookhaven, Islip, North Hempstead and Southampton). These policies only apply to local roads, which necessitated a broader state policy as many of the most dangerous roads are state roadways, such as Sunrise Highway and Hempstead Turnpike. At least 25 other states have also implemented Complete Streets policies.

The Senate bill, S.5411A http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S5411A-2011, passed unanimously on Monday afternoon, June 20th. The bill was reintroduced in late May by Senator Fuschillo.
      
The Assembly bill, A.8366 http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/A8366-2011, passed shortly thereafter on a unanimous vote.

Assemblyman Gantt sponsored the bill.

Thank you to all our state legislators who helped pass this historic legislation! Give them a call and say thank you! Special thanks to Chuck Fuschillo in the Senate and Bob Sweeney, Michelle Schimel and Harvey Weisenberg in the Assembly for taking leadership on Complete Streets.

Senators:
Charles Fuschillo (bill sponsor), Jack Martins, Majority Leader Dean Skelos, Kenneth LaValle, John Flanagan, Lee Zeldin, Owen Johnson, Carl Marcellino & Kemp Hannon

Assembly members:
Dan Losquadro, Fred Thiele, Dean Murray, Steven Englebright, Al Graf, Philip Ramos, Michael Fitzpatrick, Philip Boyle, Andrew Raia, James Conte, Robert Sweeney, Joseph Saladino, Charles Lavine, Brian Curran, Michael Montesano, Michelle Schimel, Tom McKevitt, Earlene Hooper, David McDonough, Harvey Weisenberg and Edward Ra

Senator Fuschillo noted that "This legislation will help make our roads safer for everyone. Complete streets design principles have been proven to reduce fatalities and injuries. Taking them into consideration on future projects will greatly improve the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers." Read his full press release here: http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/senator-fuschillo-announces-senate-passage-completeeets-legislation

Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s Kate Slevin said in a statement, “Today, we are one step closer to viewing our roads in New York State differently—not just as conduits for cars, but as public spaces in which all citizens have a right to travel safely, whether they are young or old, in a car, on foot, in a wheelchair, or on a bike.”
http://blog.tstc.org/2011/06/21/new-york-completeeets-bill-nears-finish-line/

Here is a video of Senator Fuschillo voting “yes” on the bill, where he mentions the tragic death of Brittany Vega. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h1YHxISoo8&feature=player_embedded

This bill could not have moved forward without significant local support and advocacy.

Special thanks go out to members of the Long Island Lobby Coalition who have been calling and writing constantly over the last month, including Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Mayer Horn of Greenman-Pedersen, Tom Talbot of Middle Island Civic Association, Ralph Fasano of Concern for Independent Living, Ernie Mattace of Suffolk County Community College, Carol Meschkow of Concerned Citizens of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Community, Will Ferris of AARP, Peter Fleischer of Empire State Future, and others!

Vision Long Island would also like to thank the rest of the Long Island Lobby Coalition, who helped enormously in making this bill a reality:
Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce, Long Island Business Council, Long Island Federation of Labor, Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Long Island Software and Technology Network, Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce, Coram Civic Association, Dowling College, Elmont Chamber of Commerce, Friends of Huntington Station, Glen Cove Business Improvement District, Gordon Heights Civic Association, Gordon Heights Chamber of Commerce, Hicksville Chamber of Commerce, Laible and Fitzsimmons Inc., Lake Ronkonkoma Civic Organization, Long Island Housing Partnership, Long Island Minority AIDS Coalition, Longwood Alliance, Mastic Beach Property Owners Association, Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library, Neighborhood Network, New York League of Conservation Voters, Plainview/Old Bethpage Chamber of Commerce, Renaissance Downtowns, Roel Resources, Save the Forge River, Selden Civic Association, South Yaphank Civic Association, them TV, US Green Building Council—Long Island Chapter, Verizon, Wading River Civic Association, Youth of Ethical Societies Long Island Chapter

In addition, the following organizations issued memos of support for Complete Streets:
AARP, NYS County Highway Superintendents Association, NYS Association of Town Superintendents of Highways, Inc., Regional Plan Association of NJ, CT, and NY, American Heart and Stroke Association, Long Island Lobby Coalition, New York State Wide Senior Action Council, Inc., Sierra Club (Atlantic Chapter), American Cancer Society, Transportation Alternatives, Vision Long Island, Tri-State Transportation Campaign, New York Association on Independent Living, New York State Association of Area Agencies on Aging (NYSAAAA), Empire State Future, NRDC – National Resources Defense Council, NYBC – New York Bicycling Coalition, NIPIRG Straphangers Campaign- New York Public Interest Research Group, NYSTEA – New York State Transportation Equity Alliance, Parks and Trails of New York, The New York Academy of Medicine, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, Green Village Consulting, Rochester, New York, Hudson Valley Speaks(WEACT) for Environmental Justice, Syracuse First, New York State Public Health Association (PHA), AIA New York State – An Organization of the American Institute of Architects, APA NY – American Planning Association New York Chapter, NYLCV-New York League of Conservation Voters, Environmental Advocates of New York, Coalition for Economic Justice (CEJ), League of Women Voters Buffalo-Niagara, BALCONY – Business and Labor Coalition of New York, The New York Academy of Medicine, Orange County Citizens Foundation, Earth Day Lobby Day 2011, NYSHEPA – New York State Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Alliance: Signatories: New York State Public Health Association, Be Active New York State, New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, Public Health Association of New York City, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, New York State PTA, Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy, YMCA’s of New York State, American Diabetes Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, District II NYS, Parks ^ Trails, New York, Gilmour Planning, LLC, Herkimer County HealthNet, Lower Hudson Valley Perinatal Network, Clinton County Health Department, New York Bicycling Coalition, Corning Community YMCA, FAST (Fit and Strong Together), Lewis County Public Health Department, Clinton County Public Transit (CCPT), Center for Communications, Health & the Environment (CECHE), Local Development Corporation of West Bronx, Broome County Health Department, Community Cradle, Cycotour Guide BooksBrooklyn Health Educators Lions Club, Healthy Monday Campaign, The People’s Policy Institute, National Association for Health and Fitness, NYS Dietetic Association, Chautauqua County Health Network, Geri Brewster RD MPH CDN PC, Green Options Buffalo, Hudson River HealthCare, Inc., Chautauqua County Built Environment Team, Tioga County Health Department