Active Living News: "States Mount Up for Bicycling"

Healthy Community Design

In The News

Updated April 2008

The NCSL Healthy Community Design Project regularly collects articles and publications of interest to legislators, policymakers and those interested in Health Community Design-related issues. We provide the links below for informational purposes only, and they do not necessarily reflect NCSL positions. Please note that some links may not work since many Web sites only keep active links to articles for a limited time. If you are interested in an article with a link that does not work, please visit the Web site of its origin.

"States Mount Up for Bicycling"

Two articles from Connecticut newspapers capture the growing interest states are showing in encouraging bicycling. The first article, from the Hartford Courant, examines state and local governments adopting "complete streets" policies that consider the needs of users such as bicyclists, pedestrians, and the elderly in transportation plans, to create a more inclusive, multi-modal transportation system. Read the article here.

The second article, from the Connecticut Post, discusses two pieces of legislation from the state, one which would incorporate many of the tenets of "complete streets," by mandating that the state department of transportation include bike and pedestrian facilities in the construction or reconstruction of state highways. The other bill is a "3 foot passing law," which dictates that a motorist must give at least a 3 foot berth to a bicyclist when on a roadway. This type of law is also increasingly common and has been adopted by numerous states. Read the article here.

For more information on complete streets, click here or contact Douglas Shinkle at 303-856-1482 or douglas.shinkle@ncsl.org

For more information on 3 foot passing laws, click here or contact Anne Teigen at 303-856-1652 or anne.teigen@ncsl.org

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