Today, Tri-State Transportation Campaign and Vision Long Island released “Complete Streets in a Box: Long Island,” a toolkit for local Long Island communities that are interested in passing and implementing complete streets policies. The toolkit builds on an earlier project with the Southern Westchester Energy Action Consortium and includes a primer on complete streets and liability in New York State (the document may deal with legal subjects, but it does not constitute legal advice).
Inside the toolkit, government officials, advocates, and citizens will find resources that explain what complete streets are, the many ways in which they can benefit local communities, and how to go about passing and implementing complete streets legislation.
The toolkit also includes the qualified immunity primer, a discussion of a legal concept that can protect governments completing traffic calming projects if certain circumstances are present (some officials have registered concern that passage of complete streets laws might make governments more liable for roadway project decisions). The primer even notes a Federal Highway Administration statement that “[h]ighway and recreational facilities that fail to fully incorporate the needs of all users increase the likelihood of potential court settlements in favor of those who are excluded.”
By using these resources, local communities can help fill in the gaps in New York State’s complete streets law, which mandates that NYSDOT projects and local projects using state and federal funds consider implementing complete streets design features. Depending on their funding sources, local and county government projects may not be subject to this regulation, and it’s crucial that they step up to fill this gap.
