4.1.4 Promoting Alternatives to Car Transport

LPDD Recommendation: “Federal, state, and local laws, polices, and programs, as well as metropolitan planning organizations, need to be altered to devote a larger share of transportation funding to providing meaningful alternatives to driving, and to increase funding for projects that better connect various modes in order to expand transportation choices.”

LPDD Recommendation: “Localities should adopt policies and programs that permit buses and light rail cars to move faster than motor vehicles, such as providing dedicated lanes for transit and signal prioritization that allows transit vehicles to move through intersections more quickly.”

LPDD Recommendation: “Localities should improve frequency of transit service, rather than geographic scope of coverage, to make transit more competitive with motor vehicles where it is deployed.”

LPDD Recommendation: “States, MPOs, and localities should also fund new types of services, like bike share programs.”

LPDD Recommendation: “Federal, state, and local design standards that mandate unnecessarily wide, high-seed roads should be modified to make them more flexible and context-sensitive in order to promote non-motorized transportation.”

LPDD Recommendation: “States, MPOs, and localities should join the more than 1,325 agencies that have adopted ‘complete streets’ policies.”

Charlotte Shared Streets Initiative

The City of Charlotte launched the Charlotte Shared Streets initiative to support social distancing and pedestrian/bicycle safety during the COVID-19 crisis.

Seattle’s Healthy Streets Pilot

Shut down 20 miles of streets in order to allow pedestrians and cyclists more room to move while socially distancing. Became permanent in May 2020.

Vermont’s H.942 (2020)

Sets a plug-in EV incentive, and prioritizes transit and EV charging projects for federal stimulus money.

Model Environmental Business Charter for Law Firms

A model environmental business charter for law firms, which aims to provide firms and individuals with the language and a starting point to raise and promote environmental best practice within the legal industry.

Complete Streets Coalition

Calls for streets to be planned, designed, operated, and maintained to safely accommodate users of all modes of transportation.

FHA Regulations on Highway Design Standards

The Federal Highways Administration has revised its regulations to encourage agencies applying highway design standards to take into account the “constructed and natural environment of the area” and the “environmental, scenic, aesthetic ... impacts."

FHA and DOT Report, Achieving Multimodal Networks

Illustrating how to apply the flexibility in current national guidelines to address common design challengers and barriers to building or retrofitting facilities so that walking and bicycling are safe, comfortable, and attractive.