Passage of Legislation Aims to Make Roads Safer for All
The streets of West Virginia will now be a safer place for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. The Complete Streets Act completed legislative action Thursday and is currently awaiting the Governor’s signature.
The Act is what lead-sponsor Senator Robert Beach (D-Monongalia) calls a “mind set.” The bill wouldn’t mandate the Department of Highways to make any changes to their current policies, but instead urges the department to consider the many different forms of transportation other than automobiles when constructing roads in the future.
The bill would also establish the “Complete Streets Advisory Board.” This board would be made up of 16 members, including members of the Department of Highways and citizens appointed by the Governor.
Laws similar to the one that just passed the West Virginia Legislature have been passed in over 20 other states and over 200 municipalities all across the United States. These acts are all part of a growing effort across the country to ensure all who travel roads in America are safe. This movement started in 1971, when the Oregon Legislature passed a bill known as the “Bike Bill” which required all roads built by the Oregon Department of Transportation in the future to accommodate bicycles and pedestrians. This bill was the first of its kind, starting a movement that continues to this day.
Last year, a similar proposal was introduced in the West Virginia House of Delegates by Delegate Nancy Guthrie (D-Kanawha), first as a bill, then later as a House Concurrent Resolution. Neither bill made it out of their respective committees. This session, an identical House Bill (HB 2494) was introduced by Delegate Margaret Staggers (D-Fayette) along with the Senate version (SB 158) that passed both chambers Wednesday.
In the last seven years, 206 pedestrians and cyclists were killed by vehicles while over 3,000 people were injured in West Virginia, according to a study conducted by West Virginia University. Lawmakers supporting this bill hope it would not only help save lives but also save the state medical costs by reducing the number of these injuries.
Virginia and Maryland, along with six regions in West Virginia, have adopted measures that include complete street-type policies.
