Update – Transit Bonding this Session

from Dave Van Hattum, Senior Policy Advocate

This week, transit bonding bills began to be heard in Committee – in the Senate Capital Investment Committee on Monday and in the House Transportation Committee on Wednesday.  Governor Dayton’s bonding proposal includes $25 million to the Metropolitan Council to cover a portion of the preliminary engineering costs for the Southwest LRT. 

A strong lineup of testifiers (from local and county governments and the Met Council to  Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce) stressed the economic returns from investing in the Southwest LRT, the financial commitment to the project by county government, and the rigorous process by which light rail transit was chosen for this corridor. A recent blog by Governor Dayton relays similar benefits and highlights the positive impact on jobs and the environment (see link).

As we build out a regional system of transitways, state general obligation bonding is expected to cover 10% of the total capital costs.  The other 90% will come from the federal government (50%) the Counties Transit Improvement Board (30%) and the counties (10%) through which the line travels.  Few, if any, other projects being considered for general obligation bonding will leverage nine additional dollars for every state dollar invested.

Bonding bills for several other transit projects, while not in the Governor’s bonding bill, are also being heard. These include:

• Gateway (I-94 E) Corridor
• The Minneapolis Interchange (a transit station at Twins Stadium, where multiple lines beyond the Hiawatha and Northstar will eventually converge).
• Red Rock Transitway (freight rail improvements that will help move this project forward).
• Lake Street and I-35W Transit Station (creation of a center median transit facility similar to that at 46^th St. and I-35W).
• Maple Grove Transit Station
• Greater Minnesota transit facilities, in Mankato, Duluth and St. Cloud

Additional transit bonding bills have been submitted for Bottineau Corridor, Cedar Avenue BRT, and Robert St. Corridor. Hearings on these bills have not yet been scheduled by the House Transportation Committee

While TLC strongly supports bonding that helps advance the build out of a regional transit system, we recognize the particular urgency of the Southwest bonding request this legislative session. Quite simply, if bonding for Southwest LRT is not passed this session, it could seriously delay and/or jeopardize the prospect of receiving $625 million in federal matching funds.  The Twin Cities competes with metro regions across the country for these competitive FTA funds, and our peer regions would be more than happy to take our place in line for the limited federal funding.

Streetcars and the funding picture

From Dave Van Hattum, Senior Policy Advocate

Streetcars could be returning to Minneapolis or Saint Paul in the not too distant future.  Both cities have studies underway to determine the feasibility of streetcars in several different corridors.  In Minneapolis, focus is on Nicollet Ave and Central Ave, with discussion as well about lines along the Midtown Greenway and in North Minneapolis, along Broadway. Specific corridors have not been identified in Saint Paul, but it is likely they would intersect with the Central Corridor LRT and/or be on corridors with very high bus ridership.  

Streetcars are similar to light rail transit vehicles – both are powered by overhead electric – but streetcars are considerably lighter and cheaper to build than light rail vehicles. Today’s new streetcar lines typically are 1 to 4 miles long, travel in the road with other vehicles, make more frequent stops (every few blocks) than LRT trains, but carry fewer people than light rail.

Streetcars are particularly attractive due to their ability to spur economic development.  The 3 mile Portland Streetcar, located in the downtown Pearl District, cost of $57 million to build and led to more than $3.5 billion in new development within two blocks in less than a decade after opening in 2001. Development within a block of the streetcar accounted for 55% of all central business district development since 1997. Combined with a major brownfield redevelopment, excellent pedestrian facilities, and decreased parking, Portland’s first line led to an average density of 131 housing units per acre.

A car of the Portland Streetcar system at the eastbound Portland State University stop.

Interestingly, the FTA New Starts and Small Starts program (which provides matching funds for light rail and streetcars) has funded nine streetcars in the last five years. New Streetcar lines are under construction in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Portland, Saint Louis, Salt Lake City, Seattle, and Tucson. Charlotte, Dallas and Tampa have recently received funding from the Federal Transit Administration to pursue streetcar lines.  

Recent proposed changes to the FTA New Starts/Small Starts program will increase the likelihood of federal funding for a local streetcar project.  The challenge for streetcar enthusiasts in the Twin Cities, however, is the lack of a local funding source.  Often new streetcar lines are funded with municipal funding sources like property taxes, parking taxes, or development fees.  Neither the ¼ cent regional sales tax for transitways (administered by CTIB) nor Metro Transit’s revenue sources (e.g. motor vehicle sales tax, general fund) are envisioned as likely funding source for streetcars.

The potential of streetcars to create neighborhoods where reduced (and no) car ownership is practical, and to complement a regional system of bus and rail, should engage the attention of local policymakers.  Streetcars, like the impressive potential of rapid bus, call out the need for expanded investment in public transit.  TLC will continue to advocate for increased transit funding for regional and local transit, including streetcars.

New Starts Faster!

From Dave Van Hattum, Policy and Advocacy Program Manager

President Obama, in his State of the Union address (1/31/12), put forward two initiatives that would have huge impacts on transit projects. Firstly, the President proposed using future savings in the defense budget to rebuild our nation’s physical infrastructure; and secondly, he directed all federal agencies to reduce bureaucracy and waste, including the New Starts program that funds major transitways, including light rail transit, bus rapid transit, and commuter rail. TLC's first look at the new rules yields the following summary.

The proposed changes to the New Starts program are designed to speed up the start-to-finish process. This is to be accomplished by granting pre-qualification warrants (based on ridership and cost estimates based on census data and post-data from comparable corridors), reducing the complexity of cost-effectiveness calculations, and eliminating repetitive analyses. This is smart policy that could help speed up the build out of our metro transitway system (pdf).

New Starts projects are competitively funded based on cost-effectiveness, environmental benefits and economic development benefits. The proposed rules place greater emphasis on social equity and economic development impacts. Social equity receives higher priority in three ways. 

1. The benefit side of the cost-effectiveness calculation will be based on total rides rather than total travel time savings. This change reduces the emphasis on attracting new riders, shifting the focus to those locations where there are the largest number of riders. This will tend to advantage core city and first ring suburbs, where housing and employment density is greater. There also are more low income residents and people of color in these areas (though the demographic makeup of the core and first ring suburbs is changing). The environmental rating will continue to include a calculation of car travel (VMT) reduction, which will still confer benefits to longer transit trips.
2. Transit dependent riders are counted double. Low-income individuals and people of color are far more likely to be transit dependent.
3. Higher scores will go to transitways where “policies maintaining or increasing affordable housing are in place.”

The proposed rules also tweak the assessment of economic development resulting from a proposed new rail line. The local economic development impacts of a new LRT line are typically significant. The Central Corridor Investment Framework, for example, projects $6 billion in mostly private investment along the corridor over the next 20 to 30 years. Accurately predicting these outcomes, however, is quite challenging, as many factors (global and local economy, road investment, etc.) besides the increased transit access are in play. 

The proposed rules ultimately make a relatively small change in the assessment of economic development impacts. Applicants, per the new rules, would have the option to make the case “beyond current land use plans” for broader economic impacts that would improve the overall rating for their project. FTA suggests that applicants develop scenario-based estimates of how greater density decreases car travel. The agency also commits to a broader inclusion of the economic development impacts of higher housing and employment density, “once better measures for agglomeration effects are developed.”

It seems fair to conclude that regions able to show how a proposed transitway will result in more dense or compact land use will be better positioned to receive federal funding via the New Starts program. Of course, there is a chicken or egg quality to the timing of building new rail lines and changing local land use plans and zoning. That’s why TLC will continue to advocate both for the investment necessary to speed up the build out of regional transitways and for a new regional plan (see Met Council update of Regional Development Framework) that provides incentives for locating more housing and employment near transitways (LRT, BRT, and commuter rail) and high frequency bus service.

US DOT press release about streamlining New Starts

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Update from Washington: Advocates for transit, bicycling, and walking on red alert

Since the 1980s, the U.S. Congress has written multi-year transportation laws to guide public investments in roadway construction, congestion relief, and public transportation. The last law (SAFETEA-LU) dates from 2005. It expired in 2009, but has been granted several extensions. The latest extension expires on March 31, 2012.

Much-anticipated new bills from the House and Senate moved through committees last week. While these bills have some desirable provisions, two measures recently introduced in the House have advocates of transit, bicycling and walking on red alert.

HR 7, the House transportation bill, consolidates several related programs and reduces some steps in the permitting process to bring projects to completion sooner and with less red tape. Alarmingly, this bill also includes language to strip all dedicated funding for bicycle and pedestrian improvements, including the Safe Routes to School program.While bike/ped improvements are still allowed, the decision to fund these improvements would rest solely with the each state’s department of transportation (DOT).

The bill would eliminate the Transportation Enhancement program, which amounts to about 2-3% of each state’s federal transportation funding. In Minnesota, these funds have helped build pedestrian crossings and bike trails across the state including the well-traveled Midtown Greenway. Transportation Enhancements have been the only stable source of bike/ped funding at the federal level.

A companion bill (HR 3864), proposes to eliminate the dedicated revenue source that supports public transit throughout the country. Since 1982-- the Reagan Administration-- public transit has received a small portion of the federal gas tax to maintain convenient and affordable travel options that reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. The proposed bill would instead fund public transit through Congress’s annual appropriation process. This subjects transit agencies to a great deal of uncertainty and is a step backward for bus and train users in Minnesota and throughout the U.S.

Opposition has been swift and widespread. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has called the House bill the “worst transportation bill ever." More than 600 organizations and leaders-- including the US Chamber of Commerce, governors, and mayors-- signed a letter opposing the House financing bill, saying “it will make it impossible for public transit systems across the country to plan for the future.”

TLC works with a national coalition, Transportation for America, to raise the voice of transit supporters and bicycling/pedestrian advocates in Minnesota. Thanks to each of you who contacted your U.S. Representatives last week to urge them to continue dedicated funding for modes other than private cars!

We are very grateful for Minnesota representatives-- U.S. Representatives Tim Walz (1^st District) and Erik Paulsen (3^rd District)-- for supporting amendments that would continue dedicated funding for public transit, bicycling and walking. These amendments failed and the House bills are moving forward to a full floor vote later this month. We hope that our Minnesota Congressional Representatives and Senators will continue to work in a bipartisan fashion to shape a new transportation law that includes transit, bicycling, and walking among our nation’s transportation choices!

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The Interchange –An All Star Multimodal Hub?

From Hilary Reeves, Communications Director

The proposed downtown Minneapolis multimodal transportation hub adjacent to Target Field—a.k.a. The Interchange—got a financing boost this past week with the announcement of $10 million in federal support through a TIGER grant from the US DOT. The goal is for the new facility to open when the Central Corridor Light Rail service begins in 2014, doubling the number of LRT trains arriving in downtown Minneapolis to 500 arrivals and departures per day. TLC wrote a letter supporting the project as part of the  application for TIGER funding.

 

 

Senator Amy Klobuchar (speaking) and l-r behind her: Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin; Metropolitan Council Chair Sue Haigh; Will Schroeer, Saint Paul Chamber of Commerce; Charlie Zelle, Minneapolis Area Chamber of Commerce

 

Senator Amy Klobuchar gathered with local leaders on Thursday, December 22, to indicate the importance of this transportation investment to making the Twin Cities a thriving economic center. She was joined by Sue Haigh from the Met Council, several county commissioners  and representatives from local Chambers of Commerce and the Minnesota Twins. A good-sized crowd gathered in the waiting area for Northstar commuter trains—another mode that serves the proposed location for the Interchange.

 

What is the Interchange? The Minneapolis Interchange and Saint Paul’s Union Depot will both act as multimodal hubs for the region’s growing transit network. The Minneapolis location for the proposed Interchange already serves both the Hiawatha light rail line and NorthStar commuter trains. The Interchange would serve the Central Corridor trains when it opens in 2014 and the Southwest LRT line, scheduled to open in 2018. It would also provide connections to more than 1,900 bus operations as well as to bicycle routes to surrounding neighborhoods and trails. Vehicle parking (400 new spaces) would also be part of the project. The Minneapolis Interchange also could serve any future high speed rail connections between Minneapolis/Saint Paul and Chicago. The newly renovated Saint Paul Union Depot will accommodate Amtrak trains traveling between Seattle and Chicago starting next year. The Minneapolis Interchange is a project of the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA).For more information about The Interchange, visit the project web site. 

 

Senator Klobuchar said, “There’s a direct correlation between this kind of investment and economic development.” Noting the competition for these funds at the federal level, she said, “If they don’t come here they will go to Chicago or Arizona. I want it right here.” She thanked Representatives McCollum and Ellison, Senator Franken and former Senator Coleman for their support for the project at the federal level.

Metropolitan Council Chair Sue Haigh said that hubs like the Interchange and Union Depot help shorten transit time, making it more attractive for people to choose transit for commuting and other trips. She said that rather than building more parking ramps, Minneapolis could focus on other kinds of development.

Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin said the Interchange plaza would direct the flow of passengers to the different travel options, for commuters and also fans coming to Target Field.

McLaughlin called the Interchange “a prudent risk to move the county and region forward” and make it more competitive. He noted that business allies strongly supported the project and the build out of the transit system. “We are not talking about individual lines, we are talking about a system,” he said, adding “we will live our lives differently and better with these investments.”

Will Schroeer from the Saint Paul Chamber of Commerce and Charlie Zelle from the Minneapolis Area Chamber of Commerce both noted that the new hub would serve the people going to work using the Hiawatha and Central Corridor LRT lines. There are 280,000 jobs along the Central Corridor today, a number expected to rise to 374,000 by 2030. Zelle said, “Investments here are important for jobs at both ends of the Central Corridor LRT,” giving residents of Minneapolis and North Minneapolis access as well as opening the North Loop area for further development.

Minnesota Twins President David St. Peter said the Interchange would be “fulfillment of a vision our leaders had for a ballpark in the North Loop, with wonderful connections to transit.” He said fans will love accessing Target Field via the Northstar, Hiawatha, and the Central Corridor—hopefully for the All Star Game in 2014. He said, “These projects take vision, courage, and leadership.”

Funding for the Interchange project is not yet complete. According to a Star Tribune story, in addition to the $10 million from the TIGER grant, the Interchange project “was awarded $11 million by the Metropolitan Council. It also received $6.7 million from the county rail authority and $1.7 million from the Minnesota Ballpark Authority, which owns Target Field.” The Star Tribune reported the total project cost at $67.7 million. Commissioner McLaughlin said that there would be a proposal in coming weeks opening up options for public-private partnerships, including development rights, naming rights, and parking rights. The TIGER funding adds momentum to the project.

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Great News for Transit Riders, Bicyclists, and Pedestrians!

From TLC

Two Minnesota projects have received grants from the US Department of Transportation. The funding is part of the TIGER III program that invests in U.S. transportation infrastructure.

The Minneapolis Transit Interchange project is awarded $10 million. This project consists of a new passenger platform, storage and staging tracks, and a new plaza at the

Target Field LRT station in Downtown Minneapolis. The improvements are needed to accommodate the expected growth in ridership when the Central Corridor light rail line opens in 2014. Additional funding to complete the project will come from state, county, and local sources. Click here for more information about this project.  

Additionally, the City of Northfield is awarded more than $1  million to construct a pedestrian bridge across Hwy 3 and the existing railroad tracks. This award is more than 2/3 of the total cost of the project. This bridge will serve a large number of bicyclists and pedestrians in an area where 23% of trips are made on foot or by bicycle. This will be a significant improvement to the safety and mobility of Northfield residents.

Here’s a link to the full DOT announcement. 

Read TLC's letter of support for several projects: Download Henn cnty TIGER TLC support letter FINAL

 

National Transportation Bill Debate Limps Along

With economy and transportation infrastructure deteriorating, how will Congress shape the T-bill?

From Andrea Kiepe, Transportation for America, Minnesota Field Organizer

With SAFTEA-LU originally expiring in 2009, the national transportation bill (also referred to as the re-authorization or the T-bill) is now overdue by two years. Without a forward-looking T-bill, the nation’s crumbing roads and bridges continue to languish while transit systems are stretched to capacity. At a time when top economists, hundreds of mayors, and crowds of taxpayers agree we must stimulate the economy and create jobs, many are wondering if Congress can overcome partisan gridlock to pass a strong and reformed transportation bill; and if so, when?

The most recent positive sign: US House Republican leaders, in consultation with Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica, are actively seeking $100 billion in new revenue to fund the transportation bill. This pulls them back from their previous proposal that deeply cut funding to meet targets in the Ryan budget. With many local and state governments in fiscal distress, the federal portion of funding becomes even more important.Even in times of relative economic well-being, the federal contribution will frequently make or break a local transportation project.

Here in Minnesota, federal funding was a critical component of the Hiawatha and Central Corridor light rail projects as well as the many improvements constructed by Bike Walk Twin Cities through the non-motorized transportation pilot program.

“Now, with a commitment to sufficient funding levels, we look forward to working with Chairman Mica on a new bill that puts Americans to work fixing our nation’s roads and bridges, while improving access to safe and reliable travel options and holding states accountable for every taxpayer dollar," said James Corless, director of Transportation for America

Keep up with the latest on the federal news with Transportation for America's blog and join  the T4A action network to help improve our federal transportation bill.

Federal Transportation Funding in the Balance

From Dave Van Hattum, Policy and Advocacy Program Manager

As with most federal programs, future funding of transportation faces great uncertainty. The latest indications are that the House and Senate have agreed on a six-month, stop gap extension of the federal transportation bill that includes the necessary extension of the federal gas tax. Unlike previous years, however, funding levels will be determined by the federal appropriations process and could lead to significant cuts in funding ($3.1 billion per year or nearly an 8% cut). Also, the federal Budget Super Committee is charged with cutting $1.5 trillion in spending with a report due by the end of November, and transportation is by no means immune to further cuts. 

Many analysts (ASCE, Reuters, Hamilton Project, Brookings) confirm that the U.S. is falling behind in transportation infrastructure investment. This is not surprising, given that the federal gas tax (18.3 cents per gallon) has not been increased since 1993, making its current inflation-adjusted buying power only 11 cents gallon (a 39% decrease). Simply maintaining the current gas tax is not enough, however, given the backlog of repair needs and decreasing revenues from the tax due to declining rates of driving (typical in a down economy) and more fuel efficient vehicles (a good thing, but …). 

A new federal transportation bill, which now appears to be a year off at the earliest, presents the opportunity to invest in our nation’s roads, bridges, transit systems, and non-motorized options. But strong advocacy for transportation projects is paramount. Transportation investment creates jobs, contributes to long-term economic growth, and, with better performance metrics*, will spur local economic vitality and improved quality of life. We need a federal transportation bill that identifies additional funding independent of general revenues and that clearly demonstrates quantifiable benefits.

Transportation for America, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the GAO, and the Brookings Institution all have put forward thoughtful proposals to increase the return on investment from federally-supported transportation projects.

Transportation for America: Measuring Performance in the Federal Transportation Program

EPA: Guide to Sustainable Transportation Performance Measures

GAO: Statewide Transportation Planning

Brookings: Fix it First, Expand it Second, Reward it Third: A New Strategy for America's Highways

The Twin Cities has begun a critical transition to a 21-st century transportation system, one that is in sync with changing demographic patterns and the need to hold down fuel costs as a hedge against rising gas prices. New and planned transitways, better bicycle and walking accommodations, complete streets, and transit-oriented-development all contribute to this new transportation system. Twin Cities’ residents broadly support this approach, as seen both in polling and in daily travel choices – both transit ridership and bicycling are up substantially. Continued federal support for these local investments, however, is critical. Fifty percent of the capital costs of future LRT lines is expected to come from the federal New Starts program, but this program would be seriously constrained if federal transportation spending is reduced.  Similarly, bicycle and pedestrian projects typically rely on the federal Transportation Enhancements program, which could be a casualty of budget cuts.

China plans to invest $1.27 trillion by 2015 on LRT and subways, plus, another $300 billion on intercity high speed rail this decade. The U.S. has a more mature transportation system than China, so commensurate investment is not needed. Increased investments through a new federal transportation bill, however, are critical to our nation’s economic future and to getting people safely and efficiently where they need to go.

 

*follow this link to new EPA report, “Guide to Sustainable Transportation Measures.”

Competing Proposals in Congress Offer Two Very Different Transportation Futures for America

From Andrea Kiepe, Transportation For America

After over a year of delays, the US House and Senate have finally put forward competing proposals to guide America’s transportation investments into the future. The federal transportation re-authorization bill establishes the framework for allocating billions of dollars and for local transportation projects including biking lanes and trails, sidewalks, roads, bridges, public transit, and rail.

Rep. John Mica, Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, released a proposal that would cut federal transportation funding by roughly one-third and lock in that reduced level of investment over the next six years. On the other hand, the Senate’s bi-partisan proposal, while still lacking many details, maintains current funding levels plus inflation for just two years.

The difference between these two proposals is enormous. The Mica proposal could directly result in the loss of over a half million jobs nationwide. It would also damage our transportation network, which the American Society of Civil Engineers says is deteriorating and long overdue for massive repairs.

The Mica bill is a clear example of lawmaking that is pennywise and pound-foolish. The proposal takes us in the wrong direction, jeopardizing more than just construction and transit jobs – it risks damaging America’s ability to recover and prosper.

For more information about the Mica bill and how it would impact federal transportation investment, see this short series of blogs from Transportation for America Staff.

Rural-Urban Divide for Pedestrian Deaths Shows Need for Complete Streets

From Andrea Kiepe, Transportation for America

Crossing the street in Greater Minnesota can be more deadly than on the busier streets of the Twin Cities. Transportation for America’s new report, Dangerous By Design says the pedestrian death rate was above the national average in Cass, Becker and Itasca counties between 2000-2009. The report also includes an interactive map that allows you to find where pedestrian deaths are occurring near any town in the US.

Pam Kramer, Executive Director Duluth Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC) points out that for more than 50 years, roads have been engineered for optimum motor vehicle safety, while safety for others using the roads has been overlooked.

“The things we need to do to make our streets safer are so basic -- crosswalks, sidewalks and bike lanes -- that they are always a good idea. But now that more and more people are getting active and as gas prices rise, this becomes critically important,” says Kramer.

A number of state and federal transportation programs are working to make streets safer for all users: Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to School, and Complete Streets.

Over the last decade, 415 Minnesotan pedestrians have died in traffic crashes. But as the national transportation bill is being written in Washington, federal funding for pedestrian facilities is under attack. Nationwide, state departments of transportation allocate only 1.5 percent of available federal funds to projects that retrofit dangerous roads or create safe alternatives.

“We’re spending the tiniest sliver of federal transportation funding on pedestrian safety, even though they account for 12 percent of all traffic deaths,” said Andrea Kiepe, Field Organizer for Transportation for America. “Our tax money should be used to build streets, roads and highways that are safe for all users.”

Meghan Bown, Get Fit Itasca Community Health Coordinator, is working at the local level on this issue. Her rural county has a pedestrian death rate above the national average.

“Although we have strived to make improvements for pedestrians and will continue to do so, the City of Grand Rapids is not immune to these type of crashes. Last year on US Highway 169, a pedestrian was killed by a truck. Currently the US Highway has a speed limit of 30 mph, set-back businesses, and four lanes. The accident happened approximately four blocks from the nearest controlled crossing,” says Bown.

Especially when combined with unsafe street and road design, vehicle speed presents a deadly threat to pedestrians. Nationwide, nearly 60 percent of pedestrian fatalities from 2000 to 2009 occurred on roads with speed limits of 40 mph or greater. Pedestrians have only a 15 percent chance of surviving a collision with a car traveling 40 mph.

“Roadway design factors affect traffic speeds. Drivers slow down where the road feels ‘hemmed-in’ or there is noticeable street activity, and they speed up where the road feels ‘wide open’ or street activity is less noticeable,” says Bown.

Ethan Fawley, Transportation Policy Director for Fresh Energy, says more funding is needed to make roads safer for everyone, by adding sidewalks, crosswalks and trails. On the national level, the Safe and Complete Streets bill is being considered; it would make money available to states for these types of projects. Minnesota already has a Complete Streets policy at the state level, though it is less than a year old.

“Mn/DOT and seventeen local Minnesota communities have already stepped up with Complete Streets policies to make their roads safer for everyone, including pedestrians. But there is still much work to be done to improve safety for people walking and we need the federal government as a strong leader and partner for that effort. This report drives home that need and offers concrete steps that deserve action,” says Fawley.

 Another federally funded approach is seen with the Safe Routes to Schools program. It encourages kids to walk, bicycle, skateboard, or ride scooters to class for exercise.

Rochester Mayor Ardell F. Brede, says there is public support for improving pedestrian safety. “Safe and complete streets make sense at any time, but when gas prices rise we seem to pay more attention to our mobility choices.  Streets that are complete and safer allow and encourage walking and cycling –important factors to a society that is focusing more on healthy living.”

“Human health is a major contributor to all aspects of life including job performance, productivity, and personnel costs.  Big business has long since realized that healthy employees do more for their companies.  As a country we need to follow the lead of the business community. This includes improving transportation infrastructure.  We need to continue to put money into making our communities more accessible for walking and biking.  This will decrease our oil consumption, decrease our health care costs, increase our productivity, and boost our economy, says Bown.

The full report, "Dangerous By Design," is at http://t4america.org/resources/dangerousbydesign2011/

The Safe and Complete Streets bill is H.R. 1780.