As the legislative session nears its end, New York advocates are demanding that the NY State Assembly fix its flawed complete streets legislation. In a joint statement released yesterday, Tri-State, AARP New York, Empire State Future, the NYS Bicycle Coalition, Transportation Alternatives, and Vision Long Island said that “New York state residents deserve better” and that the Assembly must pass a complete streets bill with identical language to the Senate’s, which passed that house 58-3.

Among the key differences between the two bills is that the Senate bill would require all roads built or redesigned with state or federal funds to consider all road users, while the Assembly legislation would cover only state-owned roads. AARP points out that of the 49 roads with the highest numbers of pedestrian and cyclist deaths and injuries in five upstate counties, only three would be covered by the Assembly bill’s language.

The scheduled close of the legislative session was this Monday, but both houses of the legislature have continued to work throughout the week and will be back in session next week. It’s anyone’s guess as to how much time is left to push for this critical legislation, but it’s clearly the eleventh hour. The NY State Bicycling Coalition has asked its members to call the office of Assemblyman David Gantt, the Transportation Committee chair and sponsor of the bill, and ask that he amend the Assembly bill language. New York residents can also ask Assm. Gantt to amend the bill, and ask their Assemblymembers to support a real complete streets bill through TSTC’s website.