Tell Caltrans to accurately count Complete Streets Streets for All has compiled this guide to help you accurately and quickly fill out the Caltrans comment form: - Fill out your details on the first page of the public comment form. You can put your name in the Org field, or any organization you’re associated with.
- For question 7, which section of the draft you're commenting on, choose 5.4 Equity & Livability.
- For question 8, the page number you're commenting on, enter 5-127.
- In question 9, enter your comment. Here's sample language to cut and paste or write your own:
Complete streets service ALL road users per USDOT. Nearly all Caltrans-controlled streets prioritize drivers and fail to provide equitable access to people walking, biking, or taking transit. Complete Streets features do NOT equal a Complete Street. A sidewalk on one side of the street, or a Class III sharrows bike route, doesn't make a roadway a Complete Street. The SHSMP claims 8,423,470 linear feet of existing Complete Streets, or 1,595 miles. In truth, hardly any of these miles represent true Complete Streets. Instead, Caltrans counts unsafe features such as Class II and Class III bikeways on a state highway, bridges and roads with a sidewalk on one side only, and intersections with a crosswalk only on only one side. Most Caltrans-controlled intersections prioritize vehicle traffic flow, and very few of our state highways include dedicated bus lanes. California needs to invest in Complete Streets; for that, we need an honest assessment of the current status of our state roadways. I request that you change the "existing inventory" count on page 5-127 to include only roads that meet the USDOT and Caltrans' own definition of Complete Streets. Caltrans' Complete Streets inventory should consist of only sections with at least a Class I or Class IV bike facility, sidewalks on both sides, crosswalks all ways at intersections, and bus-only lanes. Everything else should instead be in the "New Assets Needed" category. Please update the Complete Streets data so the public and the legislature can work together to build the safe and inclusive state roadways California communities need. |
