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On August 2, 2010 the Ingham County Road Commission (ICRC) ruled in support of the Ingham County Women’s Commission’s resolution to support active transportation infrastructure (including Complete Streets). We believe that this marks the first Road Commission in Michigan to adopt such a policy. One down and only 81 more to go!
The Ingham County Women’s Commission plans to now work with ICRC and the Ingham County Commission to pursue how this might impact their design and decision-making process.
The Ingham County Board of Commissioners will also soon take up a similar resolution at an upcoming County Services Committee meeting.
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is promoting a series of “walkability” audits in 17 communities around the state, designed to provide a hands-on evaluation of the walking conditions in a portion of the community, with active discussion of design improvement ideas. There is no charge for participants to take part in a walk or attend a presentation. The audits are designed to help city engineers, planners, officials and residents, health education professionals and others realize the benefits of providing a safe and attractive environment for walking. The audits will be conducted by Dan Burden of the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute, who has 38 years of experience in developing, promoting and evaluating active transportation facilities, traffic calming practices and walkable communities. Audits will be conducted from Aug. 16 - 27. A complete list of audits and contact information is available on the MDOT Web site under Roads and Travel under Alternatives to Driving.
Construction is underway and about sixty percent complete on a new universal multiuse hard surface blacktop pathway in the City of Flint along the Flint River. This facility, the Flint River Kettering Trail, was provided $1.017 million from the stimulus fund (American Recovery and Investment Act).
The Flint River Kettering Extension is the first major non-motorized transportation facility to be constructed in years within the City of Flint. This trail will become a major connection to other similar projects to be constructed within Flint.
Look for a ribbon cutting Late Summer - Early Fall, 2010. Many other pathway projects are also under design, construction, or funding consideration throughout the county.
The Senate Banking Committee has approved legislation, S. 1619, authorizing new competitive grants for local governments and regional planning organizations working together on community planning initiatives that coordinate housing, transit, and energy efficiency. However, due to budget pressures funding was reduced from $4 billion to $2.7 billion over three years.
The bill, known as the Livable Communities Act, will improve the alignment of housing, transit and energy efficiency programs at the federal level and continues to showcase the changes taking place in federal policy and once again shows the need for Michigan communities to be working on a regional basis to further such efforts.
So what’s in the bill?
The Livable Communities Act of 2009 will make it possible for communities to:
- Develop comprehensive regional plans to incorporate transportation, housing, community and economic development, and environmental needs.
- Enables communities to enact their plans by funding Transit Oriented Development (TOD), public transportation, and pedestrian and bicycle thoroughfares that foster economic development and build livable communities.
Senator Chris Dodd says, “with sustainable development, our communities will cut traffic congestion; reduce greenhouse gas emissions and gasoline consumption; protect rural areas and green spaces; revitalize existing Main Streets and urban centers; and create more affordable housing.”
Last night the Novi City Council adopted a Complete Streets Resolution on a 7-0 vote with several Council members speaking in support of the resolution. The resolution declares Novi’s commitment to adopting and following Complete Streets principles. It also directs City staff to develop a set of proposed standards and ordinances to implement “Complete Streets” policies and practices in the City of Novi. These efforts, in concert with the newly initiated master plan for non-motorized transportation, will enable the city to better meet the strong desire of Novi residents to live in a more walkable and bikeable city and to provide a transportation system that takes into consideration the needs of all users. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Congratulations to the City of Novi!
Download resolution informational Packet (PDF)
View Video of City Council Discussion (15:00 minute mark)
The Charter Township of Delta is pleased to announce that Delta Township was chosen as a host community for a Walking Audit with Dan Burden along with two presentations of the findings of that walk. Dan Burden is the nation’s most recognized authority on walkable communities, bicycle & pedestrian programs, street corridor & intersection design, traffic flow & calming, road diets, and other planning elements that affect roadway environments. Dan is also sought after by the health community, promoting neighborhoods, villages, and cities that are designed for more active, interactive, and healthy living. Dan has 38 years of experience in developing, promoting and evaluating alternative transportation facilities, traffic calming practices and sustainable community design. To learn more about Dan and walkable communities please refer to these web sites: http://www.walkable.org and www.walklive.org. The walk and presentations will be held Wednesday August 25,2010. We will meet and prepare for the walk in Room A of the Delta Township Administration building. The walk will begin at 10:30 a.m. and continue until about 12:30 p.m. Arrangements have been made for an EATRAN bus to facilitate movement from one location of the walk to another to maximize our time with Mr. Burden. Following the walk Mr. Burden will seek seclusion while he prepares a presentation based on the findings of our walk. The first presentation is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Another presentation will be given at 6:30 p.m. Both presentations will be in the Waverly Middle School Auditorium at the corner of Snow Road and St. Joe Hwy.
NOTE: Dan Burden will also be in Douglas, MI on August 21 and Holland, MI on November 9.
More Details
The Marquette County Health Department will hold a Complete Streets training on September 30th 11:30 AM-2:00 PM in Lakeview Area.
Please download PDF flier for complete details:
http://bit.ly/acJDem
After two years of collaboration toward getting the ball rolling on street improvements to include safe pedestrian and bicycle traffic in the Sault, Donna Norkoli gave a presentation to the Sault Ste. Marie City Commission on Aug. 2 about the many benefits of the National Complete Streets Coalition practices.
Afterwards, the commission responded by officially adopting support for Complete Streets practices to help create convenient, comfortable, safe and attractive streets for use by everyone in the community, no matter if they travel by automobiles, bicycles, wheelchairs or their feet.
On Monday, August 23, 2010 at 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.is a Public Workshop on “Complete Streets for Saline”. Imagine streets with sidewalks for pedestrians, refuge islands for crossing, bike lanes for bicyclists, paths for users of all ages and abilities-That is the future of Saline. Please direct all inquiries to Jeff Fordice @734 429 5624.
City Hall, 100 N. Harris 734.429.4907
Richard Devylder, the Department of Transportation’s Senior Advisor for Accessible Transportation, speaks at the 20th anniversary celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act at DOT headquarters in Washington, DC.
