NOTE: Work-in-progress. Subject to minor changes.
Freedom To Move: supporting safe and responsible choices around traffic
Given our current transportation that has been largely designed to prioritize motorized traffic, we want to support people in making rational decisions around traffic and trust that they are ultimately responsible for their own best interests. We propose to:
> decriminalize crossing a street between signalized intersections as a primary offense
> fully adopt the Idaho stop for bicyclists to include moving through a clear intersection on red
Safer By Design: designing a transportation system that works for users of all modes
Current road design standards do not prioritize safe and legal traffic behaviors, nor facilitate spaces to be effectively used by multiple modes. Too often our roads are overbuilt as highways, when they ought to be designed as streets with lower speeds and human-scale comfort, particularly in urbanized or commercial areas. We can start to fix this by:
> allowing travel lanes in urbanized and commercial areas (≤ 30mph) to be built 1’ narrower
> requiring “daylighting” by default at intersections and mid-block crosswalks and trail crossings
> setting default school zone speed limit at 15mph to allow more traffic-calming designs
> updating e-bike definitions based on Feb policy summit (Feb 12), including “out of class” definition
> updating the definition of “highway purpose” to maximize flexibility for transportation officials
> supporting a new Office of Inspector General to ensure compliance with new and existing laws and policies
Responsibility In Transportation Investments: cost/benefit analysis & long-term sustainability
The transportation system in our state is one of the largest public investments we have, and it’s crucial that it’s managed responsibly. The deferred maintenance of our existing system is expected to outpace current funding by $20B over the next 18 years. Fiscal responsibility in transportation means focusing on investments that provide greater returns on lower costs. Examples of responsible investments include:
> increasing base funding for Active Transportation & SRTS programs + infrastructure